Countries That Start With N

Sovereign countries (10)

Ten sovereign UN member states have English names beginning with N. They span every continent except South America and Antarctica, ranging from the Saharan vastness of Niger to the South Pacific micro-state of Nauru. Several inhabited territories whose English names also begin with N are listed in their own section below.

Namibia

Windhoek · Africa

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Nauru

Yaren · Oceania

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Nepal

Kathmandu · Asia

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Netherlands

Amsterdam · Europe

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New Zealand

Wellington · Oceania

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Nicaragua

Managua · Central America

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Niger

Niamey · Africa

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Nigeria

Abuja · Africa

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North Macedonia

Skopje · Europe

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Norway

Oslo · Europe

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Territories and other entities (4)

Inhabited territories, dependencies, and special zones whose English names also begin with N. These are not sovereign UN member states but have their own administrative status.

New Caledonia

Special collectivity of France

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Niue

Free association with New Zealand

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Norfolk Island

External territory of Australia

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Northern Mariana Islands

Commonwealth in political union with the United States

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

Countries That Start With M — Twenty-one nations from Madagascar to Myanmar.
Countries That Start With O — Just one country — Oman.
Countries That Start With P — Thirteen nations including Pakistan, Peru, and Poland.

Quick answer for skimmers

Q: How many countries start with N?
A: Ten sovereign UN member states. Several inhabited territories and special zones also begin with N.

Q: What is the difference between Niger and Nigeria?
A: Two distinct West African countries. Nigeria is much larger and more populous; Niger is mostly Saharan and Sahelian. They have different colonial histories — Nigeria was British, Niger was French — and English is the official language of one while French is the official language of the other.

Q: When did Macedonia become North Macedonia?
A: In 2019, following the Prespa Agreement that resolved a long-running dispute with Greece over the name. The country had previously been admitted to the United Nations under the provisional reference "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia."

Country profiles mentioned in this post: