Political World Map

The United Nations recognizes 193 different countries in the world. Borders between countries change over time, and disputes over the ownership of territory are common, which makes an accurate world map invaluable. In this post, we’ll look at some political world maps, population data for different countries and regions, and some useful tools for learning about the world.

An image of a colorful world map with countries in different shades and names labeled in English.
World Map

The above political world map is full of useful information. Countries are colored to increase visibility of national borders, and capital cities are illustrated along with the oceans. Also depicted are large islands, archipelagos, and the Antarctic continent.

High Definition Political World Map 2022

An image of a colorful world map with countries marked in different colors against a blue background representing the oceans.
Colored World Map – borders, countries, and cities.

This high-resolution world map uses colors to show where the different borders are between countries and uses shading to depict the topography of the ocean bed. You can also see the curve of latitude and longitude lines; this can make it easier to envision the world as a sphere even though this map is a flat representation of the world.
As well as borders of sovereign nations and oceans, this map shows major rivers, world capitals, and major cities. Islands and archipelagos are also depicted. Maps like this are good for seeing the world on a macro level: all of the world’s oceans or the seven continents of the world, but it’s also great for zooming in and getting more specific information.

World Political Map FAQs

How many countries are there in the world?

There are 193 countries that are members of the United Nations. This is the number that’s often used to answer this question, and it’s because there are 193 sovereign nations that just about every world power has agreed to recognize. There are also two nations that have non-member observer status: The Vatican and Palestine.
There are also several nations whose sovereignty isn’t recognized by all, or for which there is a dispute of ownership. Some of these are Kosovo, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Taiwan.

How many countries are on each continent?

There are seven continents in the world, six of which are made up of multiple countries.

1. Africa: 54 countries
2. Asia: 48 countries
3. Europe: 44 countries
4. North America: 23 countries
5. Oceania: 14 countries
6. South America: 12 countries

The continent with the most countries is Africa; there are 54 African countries on. Asia, the largest continent by size, has the next most countries with 48. South America has the fewest countries of any continent, with 12. The smallest continent by size is Oceania, which includes Australia. The seventh continent is Antarctica, on which no countries are located.

What is a political map?

A political map is one that shows national and regional boundaries instead of physical features. Other information in these maps may be capitals, other major cities, roads, and landform boundaries.

A physical map is one that focuses on the physical characteristics of a region, such as rivers, lakes, and mountains. Topographical maps are those that depict information about a region’s elevation and geographical shape using contour lines. Some maps show multiple types of information.

What is the world’s biggest country?

The biggest country in the world is Russia. Covering 17,098,242 square kilometers (6,601,665 square miles) of land, Russia is the largest country in the world by a long shot. The second-largest country is Canada, which is 9,984,670 square kilometers (3,855,101 square miles).

What is the world’s smallest country?

The world’s smallest country by size is the Vatican City, which is less than 0.5 square kilometers (0.2 square miles). This is also the world’s least populous country, with only around 800 inhabitants.

Which country has the biggest population?

The country with the largest population is China, with more than 1.44 billion inhabitants. This represents over 18% of the world’s population. After China, the country with the greatest population is India, with about 1.4 billion people living in the country. These two countries are far more populous than any others on the planet.

Populations of World Countries and Regions:

The table below describes the 2020 population levels for all of the world’s countries, as well as a variety of different regions and groups. Some of the geographic regions listed include the Small Caribbean States, Central Europe and the Baltics, and South Asia. 

Some of the groups in the table are based on economic information, such as demographic dividends and income levels. Furthermore, included are some figures related to IDA (International Development Association) and IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) eligibility classifications. Eligibility for IDA support is based on a country’s relative poverty level, as is eligibility for loans granted from the IBRD.

CountryPopulation
Aruba106,766
Africa Eastern and Southern677,243,299
Afghanistan38,928,341
Africa Western and Central458,803,476
Angola32,866,268
Albania2,837,743
Andorra77,265
Arab World436,080,728
United Arab Emirates9,890,400
Argentina45,376,763
Armenia2,963,234
American Samoa55,197
Antigua and Barbuda97,928
Australia25,687,041
Austria8,917,205
Azerbaijan10,110,116
Burundi11,890,781
Belgium11,555,997
Benin12,123,198
Burkina Faso20,903,278
Bangladesh164,689,383
Bulgaria6,927,288
Bahrain1,701,583
Bahamas, The393,248
Bosnia and Herzegovina3,280,815
Belarus9,398,861
Belize397,621
Bermuda63,903
Bolivia11,673,029
Brazil212,559,409
Barbados287,371
Brunei Darussalam437,483
Bhutan771,612
Botswana2,351,625
Central African Republic4,829,764
Canada38,005,238
Central Europe and the Baltics102,246,330
Switzerland8,636,896
Channel Islands173,859
Chile19,116,209
China1,402,112,000
Cote d’Ivoire26,378,275
Cameroon26,545,864
Congo, Dem. Rep.89,561,404
Congo, Rep.5,518,092
Colombia50,882,884
Comoros869,595
Cabo Verde555,988
Costa Rica5,094,114
Caribbean small states7,442,291
Cuba11,326,616
Curacao155,014
Cayman Islands65,720
Cyprus1,207,361
Czech Republic10,698,896
Germany83,240,525
Djibouti988,002
Dominica71,991
Denmark5,831,404
Dominican Republic10,847,904
Algeria43,851,043
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)2,105,003,391
Early-demographic dividend3,332,105,361
East Asia & Pacific2,352,037,717
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)420,249,459
Europe & Central Asia923,489,941
Ecuador17,643,060
Egypt, Arab Rep.102,334,403
Euro area342,949,773
Eritrea3,214,000
Spain47,351,567
Estonia1,331,057
Ethiopia114,963,583
European Union447,794,691
Fragile and conflict affected situations930,006,546
Finland5,530,719
Fiji896,444
France67,391,582
Faroe Islands48,865
Micronesia, Fed. Sts.115,021
Gabon2,225,728
United Kingdom67,215,293
Georgia3,714,000
Ghana31,072,945
Gibraltar33,691
Guinea13,132,792
Gambia, The2,416,664
Guinea-Bissau1,967,998
Equatorial Guinea1,402,985
Greece10,715,549
Grenada112,519
Greenland56,367
Guatemala16,858,333
Guam168,783
Guyana786,559
High income1,214,930,230
Hong Kong SAR, China7,481,800
Honduras9,904,608
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)823,480,038
Croatia4,047,200
Haiti11,402,533
Hungary9,749,763
IBRD only4,853,608,684
IDA & IBRD total6,562,212,357
IDA total1,708,603,673
IDA blend574,159,138
Indonesia273,523,621
IDA only1,134,444,535
Isle of Man85,032
India1,380,004,385
Ireland4,994,724
Iran, Islamic Rep.83,992,953
Iraq40,222,503
Iceland366,425
Israel9,216,900
Italy59,554,023
Jamaica2,961,161
Jordan10,203,140
Japan125,836,021
Kazakhstan18,754,440
Kenya53,771,300
Kyrgyz Republic6,591,600
Cambodia16,718,971
Kiribati119,446
St. Kitts and Nevis53,192
Korea, Rep.51,780,579
Kuwait4,270,563
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)595,242,966
Lao PDR7,275,556
Lebanon6,825,442
Liberia5,057,677
Libya6,871,287
St. Lucia183,629
Latin America & Caribbean652,276,325
Least developed countries: UN classification1,057,438,163
Low income665,149,035
Liechtenstein38,137
Sri Lanka21,919,000
Lower middle income3,330,652,547
Low & middle income6,509,474,374
Lesotho2,142,252
Late-demographic dividend2,307,887,395
Lithuania2,794,700
Luxembourg632,275
Latvia1,901,548
Macao SAR, China649,342
St. Martin (French part)38,659
Morocco36,910,558
Monaco39,244
Moldova2,617,820
Madagascar27,691,019
Maldives540,542
Middle East & North Africa464,554,123
Mexico128,932,753
Marshall Islands59,194
Middle income5,844,325,339
North Macedonia2,083,380
Mali20,250,834
Malta525,285
Myanmar54,409,794
Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income)396,147,843
Montenegro621,718
Mongolia3,278,292
Northern Mariana Islands57,557
Mozambique31,255,435
Mauritania4,649,660
Mauritius1,265,740
Malawi19,129,955
Malaysia32,365,998
North America367,553,264
Namibia2,540,916
New Caledonia271,960
Niger24,206,636
Nigeria206,139,587
Nicaragua6,624,554
Netherlands17,441,139
Norway5,379,475
Nepal29,136,808
Nauru10,834
New Zealand5,084,300
OECD members1,370,858,752
Oman5,106,622
Pakistan220,892,331
Panama4,314,768
Peru32,971,846
Philippines109,581,085
Palau18,092
Papua New Guinea8,947,027
Poland37,950,802
Pre-demographic dividend970,795,671
Puerto Rico3,194,034
Korea, Dem. People’s Rep.25,778,815
Portugal10,305,564
Paraguay7,132,530
West Bank and Gaza4,803,269
Pacific island small states2,528,958
Post-demographic dividend1,115,116,448
French Polynesia280,904
Qatar2,881,060
Romania19,286,123
Russian Federation144,104,080
Rwanda12,952,209
South Asia1,856,882,402
Saudi Arabia34,813,867
Sudan43,849,269
Senegal16,743,930
Singapore5,685,807
Solomon Islands686,878
Sierra Leone7,976,985
El Salvador6,486,201
San Marino33,938
Somalia15,893,219
Serbia6,908,224
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)1,135,948,313
South Sudan11,193,729
Sub-Saharan Africa1,136,046,775
Small states41,913,035
Sao Tome and Principe219,161
Suriname586,634
Slovak Republic5,458,827
Slovenia2,100,126
Sweden10,353,442
Eswatini1,160,164
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)40,812
Seychelles98,462
Syrian Arab Republic17,500,657
Turks and Caicos Islands38,718
Chad16,425,859
East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)2,079,198,305
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)462,247,461
Togo8,278,737
Thailand69,799,978
Tajikistan9,537,642
Turkmenistan6,031,187
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)636,492,840
Timor-Leste1,318,442
Middle East & North Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)391,344,574
Tonga105,697
South Asia (IDA & IBRD)1,856,882,402
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)1,136,046,775
Trinidad and Tobago1,399,491
Tunisia11,818,618
Turkey84,339,067
Tuvalu11,792
Tanzania59,734,213
Uganda45,741,000
Ukraine44,134,693
Upper middle income2,513,672,792
Uruguay3,473,727
United States329,484,123
Uzbekistan34,232,050
St. Vincent and the Grenadines110,947
Venezuela, RB28,435,943
British Virgin Islands30,237
Virgin Islands (U.S.)106,290
Vietnam97,338,583
Vanuatu307,150
Samoa198,410
Kosovo1,775,378
Yemen, Rep.29,825,968
South Africa59,308,690
Zambia18,383,956
Zimbabwe14,862,927
World7,752,840,547
Data Source: The World Bank

Political World Map Recommended Products to Learn more about the world

There are a variety of products that can help you learn more about our world. One of the most interesting types of maps available is the 3D digital world map. 

Recommended 3D Digital World Maps:

Earth 3D Map

has one of the most easily accessible 3D digital political world maps available. It provides a clear view of national and smaller political boundaries with color-coded countries. You also can zoom in and out of this map, revealing more information as you focus on a smaller area of the globe. Zooming in will reveal rivers, more cities, towns, and even street names.

Zoom Earth

If you’re interested in a quality 3D map that also shows live weather data, Zoom Earth is worth checking out. You can toggle national borders on and off, and you can choose which kinds of weather data you’d like to see. It’s possible to zoom in closely on the world, but real-time images aren’t always available at this fidelity.

Google Earth

Google Earth is one of the most powerful free 3D digital world maps available. It’s been around for almost 20 years and has seen massive improvements in that time. Using satellite imagery, aerial photography, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, it’s possible to zoom in on just about any location in the world to get a fairly high-fidelity view.

It’s also possible to change your viewing angle to get a truly 3D perspective. Google Earth also imports data from Google Maps, allowing the user to see all types of landmarks, from borders, roads, saved locations, geographic features, and even public transportation information. You can customize which pieces of information you’d like to see on Google Earth.

Google Earth FAQs

Does Google Earth have a political layer?

While there is no layer with this specific title, it’s easy to adjust the map so that only political borders and cities are visible. This makes it work well as a political world map, but countries are not colored differently, which can make seeing border lines less clear.

How often is Google Earth updated?

Google Earth is updated about once a month on average. But this doesn’t mean that all images on Google Earth are one month old. Instead, most images on the interactive map are between one and three years old.

Physical World Maps: Recommended Physical Products to Learn More About the World

Digital maps are great for getting a clear look at the world and for zooming in on particular regions, but there are also advantages offered by physical maps. They’re often aesthetically beautiful, can be scaled much larger than a computer screen, and they offer a tactile experience.

World Map Posters

These are excellent physical products for anyone interested in maps or geography. For a political world map that’s easy to reference and can double as decoration, see our list of the best world map posters.

World Map Atlases

For more detailed information, a world map atlas is hard to beat. They contain a wealth of information, are easy to navigate, and they’re nice to look at. We’ve compiled a list of the best world atlases to use as references in your home, office, or library.

Push Pin World Maps

For frequent travelers, great satisfaction can come from finding a way to easily visualize all the places you’ve been. Push pin world maps accomplish this expertly — the best ones have clear international borders, are aesthetically pleasing, and are the right size to accommodate push pins. See our compilation of the best push pin world maps to find the perfect one.

World Globes for Kids

World globes for kids are another fantastic physical product for learning about the world and its countries. The best globes for kids are those that are accurate and fun to use.

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