List of Countries and Regions in the World

Based on their geographic makeup, the 196 nations of the world can be logically classified into eight groups, most of which correspond to the continents on which they are distributed. However, not all groups closely follow the divides per continent. For instance, cultural differences distinguish the Middle East and North Africa from sub-Saharan Africa. Similarly, due to similarities in latitude, the Caribbean and Central America are separated from North and South America.

Asia

Asia comprises the former Soviet Union “stans” and the Pacific Ocean. With 27 countries, Asia is the largest and most populous continent in the globe, home to nearly 60 percent of all people. Five of the world’s ten most populous nations are located in this region, with China and India claiming the top two slots.

Middle East, North Africa and Greater Arabia

Some nations that aren’t typically thought of as being in the Middle East are included in the 23 countries that make up the Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia (such as Pakistan). Their acceptance is predicated on culture. Turkey is occasionally included in lists of both Asian and European nations due to its geographic proximity to both. 

This region increased more quickly than any other in the world in the last 50 years of the 20th century as a result of declining death rates and rising fertility rates. Because of this, the population bubbles in many more developed areas, such as Asia, Europe, and North America, tend to be older.

Europe

The 48-country European continent and its surrounding area, which includes Iceland and all of Russia, extends from North America to North America and back again. According to statistics from 2018, over 75 percent of its people reside in urban areas. Due to its abundance of peninsulas and the fact that it is a peninsula of Eurasia, the area has a substantial amount of shoreline on its mainland—more than 24,000 miles (38,000 kilometers) worth.

North America

Economic powerhouse despite having just three nations, North America occupies the majority of the continent and is therefore considered to be a separate region. North America contains nearly all of the major climate biomes because it ranges from the Arctic to the tropics. From Greenland to Alaska, the region runs halfway around the globe in the farthest north, yet at its most southern point, Panama, it has a small point that is only 31 miles (50 kilometers) broad.

Central America and the Caribbean

Of the 20 nations that make up Central America and the Caribbean, half are islands and none are landlocked. No place in Central America is, in actuality, more than 125 miles (200 kilometers) from the ocean. Since many Caribbean islands are volcanic in origin and not dormant, volcanoes and earthquakes frequently coexist in this area.

South America

South America, which extends from the equator to almost the Antarctic Circle, is home to twelve nations. The 600-mile-wide Drake Passage separates it from Antarctica (1,000 kilometers). The highest peak in the Western Hemisphere is Mount Aconcagua, which is situated in the Andes Mountains in Argentina close to Chile. The lowest point in the hemisphere is on the Valdés Peninsula in southeast Argentina, which is 131 feet (40 meters) below sea level.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The sub-Saharan region of Africa is home to 48 nations. (Some of these nations are truly situated inside the Sahara Desert or within the Sahara). Nigeria, one of the nations with the greatest population growth rates in the world, would surpass the United States as the third most populated country in the world by the year 2050. Africa is the second-largest and second-most-populated continent overall.

The majority of sub-Saharan African nations gained their independence between the 1960s and the 1980s, therefore their infrastructure and economy are still developing.

Australia and Oceania

The 15 nations that make up Australia and Oceania have quite different cultures and cover a sizable portion of the world’s oceans. The area does not occupy much territory, with the exception of the continent/country Australia. Since Charles Darwin first noted it, islands have been known for their endemic species, and nowhere is this more obvious than in Australia and Oceania.

Western Europe

It can be difficult to define what Western Europe is. In fact, over time, people’s conceptions of what Western Europe is have changed. Western Europe was the collective term used during both World Wars to describe the Allies and surrounding neutral nations. 

Due to its status as an enemy nation during World War II, Germany was also excluded from this definition. The former West Germany and Italy were included to the definition of Western Europe during the Cold War, as contrasted to the nations that made up the Soviet Union’s Eastern Bloc. The division between east and west on the European continent was apparently erased with the fall of the ‘Iron Curtain’ and the demise of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

The Demographics of Western Europe

Western Europe has a population of about 196 million people. The majority of these people nearly 80% are grow in metropolitan areas. With 98 percent of its population residing in cities, Belgium has the most urbanized population. 

In contrast, Liechtenstein is the least urbanized nation in Western Europe, with only 15% of its citizens residing in what would be considered an urban environment. This information does not include the tiny principality of Monaco since it is too small to provide a precise urban to rural population ratio.

Western European Culture

Western European traditions and culture have contributed to the development of the modern world. The sub region is known for its amazing musicians, gorgeous buildings, and outstanding artists. Indeed, some of the finest painters in history, such as Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Rembrandt, and Chagall, were born and raised in Western Europe. 

Numerous of the finest musicians in history, including Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Wagner, Debussy, Chopin, and Haydn, were born and raised there. Some of Western Europe’s most renowned museums, galleries, and orchestras continue to highlight the artistic and musical marvels created by the aforementioned persons.

Conclusion

The center of the current European Union has always been Western Europe, and this will likely remain the case even as the EU expands. An increasing sense of a shared European identity among Europeans, particularly in Western Europe, has accompanied the economic and political integration of the continent. However, there is opposition from some in Western Europe and the rest of the EU who dislike the outcomes of European integration and long for the days when European nations were independent.