countries
Places with borders
Countries are nations—political territories with governments, borders, and populations.
The word usually implies sovereignty and international recognition: How many countries have you visited?
The country I grew up in no longer exists.
Country also means rural land as opposed to cities, and a particular terrain or region: hill country, wine country.
Cloth symbol or signal
- anthemOfficial song of praise
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- nationalityLegal belonging to country
- patriotismDevotion to one's homeland
nationalism · passport · native · homeland · motherland · fatherland · compatriot · allegiance
Sovereign political entity
- stateCondition or mode
- republicState with elected leaders
- democracyRule by the people
- federationUnion of semi-autonomous states
monarchy · kingdom · empire · commonwealth · dominion · principality · emirate · sultanate
Freedom from external control
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- statehoodCondition of being sovereign
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- recognitionPerceiving something as known
legitimacy · jurisdiction · territory · border · boundary · enclave · exclave · annexation
Including multiple ethnic traditions
- multiethnicOf many backgrounds
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
- melting-potFusion of diverse cultures
mosaic · indigenous · minorities · diaspora · immigration · coexistence · multilingual · polyglot
Official diplomatic residence abroad
- consulateForeign diplomatic office
- ambassadorOfficial foreign representative
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- allianceFormal union of parties
sanctions · bilateral · multilateral · summit · negotiations · visa · passport · extradition
flag
Cloth symbol or signal
- anthemOfficial song of praise
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- nationalityLegal belonging to country
patriotism · nationalism · passport · native · homeland · motherland · fatherland · compatriot · allegiance · naturalization
nation
Sovereign political entity
federation · monarchy · kingdom · empire · commonwealth · dominion · principality · emirate · sultanate · parliament
independence
Freedom from external control
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- statehoodCondition of being sovereign
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
recognition · legitimacy · jurisdiction · territory · border · boundary · enclave · exclave · annexation · secession
multicultural
Including multiple ethnic traditions
- multiethnicOf many backgrounds
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
melting-pot · mosaic · indigenous · minorities · diaspora · immigration · coexistence · multilingual · polyglot · heterogeneous
embassy
Official diplomatic residence abroad
- consulateForeign diplomatic office
- ambassadorOfficial foreign representative
- treatyBinding pact between nations
alliance · sanctions · bilateral · multilateral · summit · negotiations · visa · passport · extradition · NATO
continent
Large connected landmass
- regionIndefinite bounded area
- terrainLand's physical features
- climatePrevailing atmospheric conditions
coastline · mountains · rivers · plateau · desert · forest · tundra · peninsula · island · archipelago
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- cuisineCharacteristic cooking style
language · festivals · folklore · mythology · ceremonies · rituals · art · music · dance · religion
- geographycontinents, continent, oceans, ocean, island
- social studiescivics, social studies, maps, economics, community
- country factspopulation, capital city, area, capitals, language
- Mappable Thingsterrain, routes, coastlines, borders, cities
- human geographycultural landscape, demographics, migration, demography, urbanization
- international lawinternational law, treaty, treaties, conventions, protocols
countriescities
Major populated areas
towns · villages · empires · municipalities · localities
countriescities
Major populated areas
urban areas · metropolises · towns · suburbs · metropolitan regions
countriesinternational waters
Ocean beyond national jurisdiction
- neutral countriesStates avoiding military alliances
- developing countriesNations with growing economies
- free countriesNations with civil liberties
- foreign countriesNations other than home
- European countriesSovereign states of Europe
- neighboring countriesNations sharing a boundary