Exploring our world and finding interesting facts is so exciting. In this article, we will test your knowledge of countries that exist. Can you guess two letters in the alphabet that no country begins with and which country begins with the letter O? I am sure you might be surprised when you find out the answers.
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Table of Contents
Two Letters in the Alphabet That No Country Begins With
To make this guessing game fun, grab your pen and paper and write down at least one country starting with letters from A to Z.
Here is a sample of what a list from this guessing game might look like. Please note that there is something wrong with this list, which we will discuss in answering the first question in our guessing game.
- A -Albania
- B-Barbados
- C-Canada
- D-Denmark
- E-Egypt
- F-Fiji
- G-Gabon
- H-Haiti
- I-Iceland
- J-Jamaica
- K-Kenya
- L-Lebanon
- M-Madagascar
- N-New Zealand
- O-trying to remember
- P-Pakistan
- Q-Qatar
- R-Romania
- S-Senegal
- T-Taiwan
- U-Uganda
- V-Venezuela
- W-Wales
- Y-Yemen
- Z-Zambia
Based on this list, it would appear as if there is only one letter without a country, which is X. Can you pick up the error in the list?
There are 2 letters that no country begins with, which means that there is a country listed that is not actually a country. Wales is not a country!! The answer is W and X.
What Place Does Not Meet the Classical Definition of a Country?
Wales is a sovereign state of the United Kingdom. It is not a country. Wales is not a member of the United Nations and is not listed in the official list of countries in the world. There are some people who may argue that Wales is a country because of its attributes. It is however not one officially. Wales is actually one of 4 regions (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England) that make up the United Kingdom.
If you check any official list of countries in the world, Wales is not listed.
One Country That Begins With O
There is only one country that starts with the letter O which is Oman. Oman is an Arab country located in the Middle East.
Interesting Facts On the One Country That Begins With O
Here are a few interesting facts on Oman, the one country that begins with the letter O.
- It has the third longest-serving monarch in the world.
- It is the oldest independent state in the Arab world.
- There is a population of approximately 4.45 million people.
- It is topographically beautiful with orchards of pomegranates and apricots.
- Its national animal is the Oryx antelope
- Oman has five UNESCO World Heritage Sites namely: Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman, Land of Frankincense, Bahla Fort, Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn. There are seven other sites that are the UNESCO tentative list to be approved.
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195 Countries in the World
What are the two letters in the alphabet that no country begins with? W and X
What is the one country that begins with O? Oman
Now that we have answered the two questions, here is the official list of the 195 countries in the world.
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- The Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Congo, Republic of the
- Costa Rica
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- East Timor (Timor-Leste)
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Korea, North
- Korea, South
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia, Federated States of
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Samoa
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Sudan, South
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- Uruguay
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Why Is Taiwan Not Recognized as a Country?
As seen above Taiwan is not officially listed as a country. Taiwan is an island that was formerly known as “The Republic of China”. Although it may meet the requirements to be classified as a country, it has not been recognized as such by many powerful countries and international bodies.
Supporting Article: Taiwan’s UN Dilemma: To Be or Not To Be
This lack of recognition is argued to have commenced in the 1940s when Taiwan had a political conflict with Mainland China and was ousted. Taiwan has not been a member of the United Nations since 1971 when it was replaced by Mainland China. Although Taiwan desires to be deemed a sovereign nation, China still deems it as part of its territory.
Conclusion
There are many places that are thought to be countries but are actually not. The definition of a country seeks to recognize those that have full autonomy. If a place meets the classical definition of a country and is not on official lists, most likely there is some debate or claim or controversy surrounding their status.
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