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Sovereign countries (2)
Two sovereign UN member states have English names beginning with Z: the Republic of Zambia and the Republic of Zimbabwe. Both sit in southern Africa, share a long border, and draw their names from the same source — the Zambezi, the fourth-longest river on the continent and one of the great defining waterways of the region.
Territories and other entities
No current territories or dependencies have English names beginning with Z. One historical entity is worth noting for completeness: Zaire was the official name (1971–1997) of the country now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, listed under C. The renaming followed the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko and the 1997 transition that ended the Zairian state.
Related letter lookups
Browsing the alphabet is a popular way to teach geography. Try the neighbouring letters:
- Countries That Start With Y — Just one nation (Yemen), the same one-country ratio as Z.
- Countries That Start With A — The other end of the alphabet — eleven sovereign nations from Afghanistan to Azerbaijan.
- Countries That Start With X — No sovereign country begins with X in English — the rarest letter on the map.
Quick answer for skimmers
Q: How many countries start with Z?
A: Two: Zambia and Zimbabwe. Both are landlocked southern African nations separated by the Zambezi River.
Q: What was Zaire?
A: A historical name (1971–1997) for the country now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, listed under C. The state was renamed in 1997 after the fall of the Mobutu government.
Q: Why are Zambia and Zimbabwe so similar in name?
A: Both names derive from the Zambezi River, which forms much of the border between them. Zambia comes from the Bantu word for the river itself; Zimbabwe comes from a Shona phrase meaning “great stone houses”, a reference to the medieval ruins at Great Zimbabwe.
Country profiles mentioned in this post:
Zambia
Zimbabwe
DR Congo (formerly Zaire)