Countries That Start With L

Sovereign countries (9)

Nine sovereign UN member states have English names beginning with L. Europe's Baltic and microstate clustering — Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, and Luxembourg — accounts for nearly half. Lesotho is a country entirely surrounded by another (South Africa), one of only three "enclave" states in the world.

Laos

Vientiane · Asia

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Latvia

Riga · Europe

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Lebanon

Beirut · Middle East

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Lesotho

Maseru · Africa

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Liberia

Monrovia · Africa

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Libya

Tripoli · Africa

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Liechtenstein

Vaduz · Europe

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Lithuania

Vilnius · Europe

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Luxembourg

Luxembourg City · Europe

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Territories and other entities

No current territories or dependencies have English names beginning with the letter L.

Browsing the alphabet is a popular way to teach geography. Try the neighbouring letters:

Countries That Start With K — Five nations from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan.
Countries That Start With M — Twenty nations including Madagascar, Mexico, and Morocco.
Countries That Start With O — Just one country — Oman.

Quick answer for skimmers

Q: How many countries start with L?
A: Nine sovereign UN member states.

Q: Is Lesotho a country?
A: Yes. Lesotho is a sovereign state entirely encircled by South Africa, making it one of only three "enclave" countries in the world — the other two are San Marino and Vatican City, both surrounded by Italy.

Q: What is the difference between Liechtenstein and Luxembourg?
A: Both are small, wealthy European states, but Liechtenstein is a German-speaking principality between Austria and Switzerland, while Luxembourg is a Grand Duchy bordering France, Belgium, and Germany. Each is fully sovereign.

Country profiles mentioned in this post: