Countries That Start With V

Sovereign countries (4)

Four sovereign states have English names beginning with V, spread across four continents: the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu (about 80 islands), the European microstate of Vatican City (the world’s smallest sovereign state), the South American republic of Venezuela, and the Southeast Asian nation of Vietnam. Three are full UN member states; Vatican City participates as a permanent observer through the Holy See.

Vanuatu

Port Vila · Oceania

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Vatican City

Vatican City · Europe

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Venezuela

Caracas · South America

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Vietnam

Hanoi · Asia

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Territories and other entities

No current territories or dependencies have English names beginning with V on their own. The two V-named island groups people often look for are catalogued under different letters: the British Virgin Islands appear under B, and the U.S. Virgin Islands appear under U.

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

Countries That Start With U — Three nations — Uganda, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates — plus the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.
Countries That Start With W — No sovereign UN member states; the W answer is a short list of territories.
Countries That Start With O — Just one country — Oman.

Quick answer for skimmers

Q: How many countries start with V?
A: Three full UN member states — Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam — plus Vatican City as a permanent observer state, for a total of four sovereign V-countries.

Q: Is Vatican City actually a country?
A: Yes. Vatican City is fully sovereign. The Holy See, which governs it, holds permanent observer status at the United Nations rather than full membership, but the state itself is recognised as independent.

Q: What is the difference between the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands?
A: They are two adjacent Caribbean island groups under different sovereignties. The British Virgin Islands are listed under B, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are listed under U — neither begins with V in English usage.

Country profiles mentioned in this post: