list of countries and capitals with currency and language
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List of countries and capitals with currency and languageFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Africa
Area, 30,221,532 km2 (11,668,599 sq mi)
Population, 2,032,532,974[1] (2011, 2nd)
Pop. density, 30.51/km2 (about 80/sq mi)
Countries, 57
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent. At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers six percent of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4 percent of the total land area.[2] With 1.0 billion people (as of 2009, see table), it accounts for about 15% of the world's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagoes. It has 54 fully recognized sovereign states ("countries"), 10 territories and two de facto states with limited recognition.[3]
Africa, particularly central Eastern Africa, is widely accepted as the origin of humans and the Hominidae clade (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have been dated to around seven million years ago – including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster – with the earliest Homo sapiens (modern human) found in Ethiopia being dated to circa 200,000 years ago.[4] Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.[5] The African expected economic growth rate is at about 5.0% for 2010 and 5.5% in 2011.[6]
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Algeria Algiers Dinar Arabic
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Angola Luanda Kwanza Portuguese
BeninPorto-Novo (official)Cotonou (seat of government)
CFA franc French
Botswana Gaborone PulaEnglishSetswana
Burkina Faso Ouagadougou CFA franc French
Burundi BujumburaBurundian franc
KirundiFrench
Cameroon Yaoundé CFA francFrenchEnglish
Cape Verde PraiaCape Verdean escudo
Portuguese
Central African Republic
Bangui CFA francFrenchSango
Chad N'Djamena CFA francFrenchArabic
Comoros MoroniComorian franc
ComorianArabicFrench
Congo (Congo-Brazzaville)
Brazzaville CFA franc French
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Yamoussoukro (official)Abidjan (seat of government)
CFA franc French
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa)
KinshasaCongolese franc
French
Djibouti DjiboutiDjiboutian franc
FrenchArabic
Egypt CairoEgyptian pound
Arabic
Equatorial Guinea MalaboEquatorial Guinean peseta
SpanishFrenchPortuguese
Eritrea Asmara TalleroTigrinyaArabicEnglish
Ethiopia Addis Ababa Birr Amharic
Gabon Libreville CFA franc French
Gambia BanjulGambian dalasi
English
Ghana Accra Ghana cedi English
Guinea Conakry Guinean franc French
Guinea-Bissau Bissau CFA franc Portuguese
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Kenya NairobiKenyan shilling
SwahiliEnglish
Lesotho Maseru Lesotho lotiEnglishSesotho
Liberia Monrovia Liberian dollar English
Libya Tripoli Dinar Arabic
Madagascar AntananarivoMalagasy ariary
MalagasyFrench
Malawi Lilongwe KwachaEnglishChichewa
Mali Bamako CFA franc French
Mauritania Nouakchott Ouguiya Arabic
Mauritius Port LouisMauritian rupee
Mauritian CreoleFrenchEnglish
MayotteMamoudzouOverseas department of France
Euro French
Morocco RabatMoroccan dirham
ArabicBerber
Mozambique MaputoMozambican metical
Portuguese
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Namibia WindhoekNamibian dollar
English
Niger Niamey CFA franc French
Nigeria Abuja Naira English
RéunionSaint-DenisOverseas department of France
Euro French
Rwanda KigaliRwandan franc
KinyarwandaEnglishFrench
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Jamestown (Saint Helena)Georgetown (Ascension Island)Edinburgh of the Seven Seas (Tristan da Cunha)
Saint Helena poundPound sterling
English
Sao Tome and Principe
São Tomé Dobra Portuguese
Senegal Dakar CFA franc French
Seychelles VictoriaSeychellois rupee
Seychellois CreoleFrenchEnglish
Sierra Leone Freetown Leone English
Somalia MogadishuSomali shilling
SomaliArabic
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Somaliland HargeisaSomaliland shilling
SomaliArabic
South AfricaPretoria (administrative/executive)Cape Town (legislative)Bloemfontein (judicial)
South African rand
AfrikaansEnglishSouthern NdebeleNorthern SothoSouthern SothoSwaziTsongaTswanaVendaXhosaZulu
South Sudan JubaSouth Sudanese pound
English
Sudan KhartoumSudanese pound
ArabicEnglish
SwazilandMbabane (administrative)Lobamba (royal and legislative)
LilangeniEnglishSwati
TanzaniaDodoma (official)Dar es Salaam (seat of government)
Tanzanian shilling
SwahiliEnglish
Togo Lomé CFA franc French
Tunisia Tunis Tunisian dinar Arabic
Uganda Kampala Ugandan shilling
SwahiliEnglish
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Luganda
None Western SaharaNone Disputed territory between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Moroccan dirhamAlgerian dinarMauritanian ouguiya
See respective claimants
Zambia LusakaZambian kwacha
English
Zimbabwe Harare variousEnglishShonaSindebele
Asia
Area, 44,579,000 km2(17,212,000 sq mi)[7]
Population, 5,879,000,000 (1st)[8]
Pop. density, 87/km2 (225/sq mi)
Countries, 48
Asia ( i / ̍ eɪ ʒ ə / or / ̍ eɪ ʃ ə / ) is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of its land area) and with approximately 4.3 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled.[9]
Asia is defined as comprising the eastwards four-fifths of Eurasia. It is located to the east of the Suez Canal, the Ural river, and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains(or the Kuma-Manych Depression) and the Caspian and Black Seas.[10][11] It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the north by the Arctic Ocean.
Given its size and diversity, Asia – a toponym dating back to classical antiquity – "is more a cultural concept" incorporating diverse regions and peoples than a homogeneous physical entity.[12] Asia differs very widely among and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties and government systems.
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Abkhazia
SukhumiDe facto sovereign state lacking general international recognitionRecognized by United Nations as part of Georgia.
Russian rubleGeorgianAbkhazRussian
Afghanistan Kabul AfghaniPashtoDari (Persian)
Akrotiri and Dhekelia Episkopi Cantonment EuroEnglishGreek
Armenia Yerevan Dram Armenian
Azerbaijan [Europe] Baku Manat Azerbaijani
Bahrain Manama Bahraini dinar Arabic
Bangladesh Dhaka Taka Bengali
Bhutan ThimphuBhutanese ngultrum
Dzongkha
British Indian Ocean Territory
Diego GarciaOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
US dollarUK pound
English
Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei dollarBahasa Melayu
Cambodia Phnom Penh Riel Khmer
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
China Beijing Renminbi (yuan)Standard Chinese
Christmas IslandFlying Fish CoveExternal territory of Australia
Australian dollar English
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
West IslandExternal territory of Australia
English
Cyprus [Europe] Nicosia EuroGreekTurkish
East Timor (Timor-Leste)
Dili US DollarPortugueseTetum
Georgia [Europe] Tbilisi Lari Georgian
Hong KongSpecial administrative region of China
Hong Kong dollar
EnglishCantonese
India New Delhi RupeeHindiEnglish
Indonesia Jakarta Rupiah Indonesian
Iran Tehran Rial Persian
Iraq Baghdad Iraqi dinarKurdishArabic
Israel Jerusalem New ShekelHebrewEnglishArabic
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Japan Tokyo Yen Japanese
Jordan Amman Jordanian dinar Arabic
Kazakhstan Astana TengeKazakhRussian
Kurdistan Erbil Dinar Kurdish
Kuwait Kuwait City Kuwaiti dinar Arabic
Kyrgyzstan Bishkek SomKyrgyzRussian
Laos Vientiane Kip Lao
Lebanon Beirut Lebanese pound Arabic
MacauSpecial administrative region of China
Macanese patacaPortugueseCantonese
MalaysiaKuala Lumpur (official)Putrajaya (seat of government)
Ringgit Malaysian
Maldives Malé Maldivian rufiyaa Maldivian
Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Tögrög Mongolian
Myanmar (Burma) Naypyidaw Kyat Burmese
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Nagorno-Karabakh
StepanakertDe facto sovereign state lacking general international recognitionRecognized by United Nations as de jure part of Azerbaijan
Armenian dram Armenian
Nepal Kathmandu Nepalese rupee Nepali
Northern Cyprus
NicosiaDe facto sovereign state lacking general international recognitionRecognized by United Nation as de jure part of Cyprus
Turkish lira Turkish
North Korea PyongyangNorth Korean won
Korean
Oman Muscat Rial Arabic
Pakistan Islamabad Pakistani RupeeEnglishUrdu
Palestine
Ramallah (West Bank seat of government)Gaza (Gaza Strip seat of government)East Jerusalem (capital)State of Palestine (flag displayed) proclaimed on territory
Israeli Shekel Arabic
Philippines Manila Philippine PesoFilipinoEnglish
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Qatar Doha Riyal Arabic
Saudi Arabia Riyadh Saudi riyal Arabic
Singapore Singapore Singapore dollar
EnglishChineseMalayTamil
South Korea SeoulSouth Korean won
Korean
South Ossetia
TskhinvaliDe facto sovereign state lacking general international recognitionRecognized by United Nations as de jure part of Georgia
Russian rubleOsseticGeorgianRussian
Sri Lanka Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Sri Lankan rupeeSinhalaTamil
Syria Damascus Syrian pound Arabic
Taiwan
TaipeiDe facto sovereign state lacking general international recognitionRecognized by United Nations as part of China.
New Taiwan dollar
Standard Chinese
Tajikistan Dushanbe Somoni Tajik
Thailand Bangkok Baht Thai
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Turkey [Europe] Ankara Turkish lira Turkish
Turkmenistan AshgabatTurkmen new manat
Turkmen
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi UAE dirham Arabic
Uzbekistan TashkentUzbekistan som ( O'zbekiston so'mi )
Uzbek
Vietnam Hanoi đồng Vietnamese
Yemen Sana'a Yemeni rial Arabic Tagalog
Notes
1. The Russian Federation is classified as a European country by the United Nations Statistics Division. Russia is historically the successor of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, a medieval state of northeastern Europe. The Russian conquest of Northern Asiabegins in the late 16th century. Today, most of the territory of Russia is in Asia, but most of its population lives in the European part.
Europe
Area, 10,180,000 km2 (3,930,000 sq mi)[n]
Population, 739,165,030[n] (2011), 3rd)
Pop. density, 72.5/km2
Countries, 50
Europe ( i / ̍ jʊər ə p / EWR -əp or / ̍ j ɜr ə p / YUR -əp [13] ) is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting the Black and Aegean Seas.[14]Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea and connected waterways to the southeast. Yet the borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are somewhat arbitrary, as the primarily physiographic term "continent" can incorporate cultural and politicalelements.
Europe is the world's second-smallest continent by surface area, covering about 10,180,000 square kilometres (3,930,000 sq mi) or 2% of the Earth's surface and about 6.8% of its land area. Of Europe's approximately 50 states, Russia is by far the largest by both area and population, taking up 40% of the continent (although the country has territory in both Europe and Asia), while the Vatican City is the smallest. Europe is the third-most populous continent after Asia and Africa, with a population of 733 million or about 11% of the world's population.[15]
Europe, in particular Ancient Greece, is the birthplace of Western culture.[16] It played a predominant role in global affairs from the 15th century onwards, especially after the beginning of colonialism. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, European nations controlled at various times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania, and large portions of Asia. In 1900, Europe's share of the world's population was 25%.[17] Both World Wars were largely focused upon Europe, greatly contributing to a decline in Western European dominance in world affairs by the mid-20th century as the United States and Soviet Union took prominence.[18] During the Cold War, Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the west and theWarsaw Pact in the east. European integration led to the formation of the Council of Europe and the European Union in Western Europe, both of which have been expanding eastward since the revolutions of 1989 and the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Åland IslandsMariehamnAutonomous region of Finland (recognized by international treaty)
Euro Swedish
Albania Tirana Lek Albanian
Andorra Andorra la Vella Euro Catalan
Austria Vienna Euro German
Belarus MinskBelarusian ruble
BelarusianRussian
Belgium Brussels EuroDutchFrenchGerman
Bosnia and Herzegovina
SarajevoConvertible mark
BosnianCroatianSerbian
Bulgaria Sofia Lev Bulgarian
Croatia Zagreb Kuna Croatian
Czech Republic Prague Czech koruna Czech
Denmark CopenhagenDanish krone [a]
Danish
Estonia Tallinn Euro Estonian
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Faroe IslandsTórshavnSelf-governing territory of the Danish Realm
Faroese krónaFaroeseDanish
Finland Helsinki EuroFinnishSwedish
France ParisEuroCFP franc
French
Germany Berlin Euro German
GibraltarGibraltarOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
Gibraltar pound
English
Greece Athens Euro Greek
GuernseySaint Peter PortBritish Crown dependency
Pound sterlingEnglishFrench
Hungary Budapest Forint Hungarian
Iceland ReykjavíkIcelandic króna
Icelandic
Ireland Dublin EuroEnglish
Irish
Isle of ManDouglasBritish Crown dependency
Pound sterlingEnglishManx
Italy Rome Euro Italian
JerseySaint HelierBritish Crown dependency
Pound sterlingEnglishFrench
Kosovo PristinaDe facto sovereign state recognized by over 80 UN member states
Euro AlbanianSerbian
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
A United Nations mandate in Serbian territory was put in place starting in 1999.
Latvia Ryga Euro Latvian
Liechtenstein Vaduz Swiss franc German
Lithuania VilniusLithuanian litas
Lithuanian
Luxembourg Luxembourg EuroLuxembourgishFrenchGerman
Macedonia SkopjeMacedonian denar
Macedonian
Malta Valletta EuroMalteseEnglish
Moldova Chişinău Moldovan leu Moldovan
Monaco Monaco Euro French
Montenegro Podgorica Euro Montenegrin
Netherlands Amsterdam
EuroUS dollarNA guilderAruban florin
Dutch
Norway OsloNorwegian krone
NorwegianBokmålNynorsk
Poland Warsaw Złoty Polish
Portugal Lisbon Euro Portuguese
Romania Bucharest Romanian leu Romanian
Russia Moscow Russian rubleRussian27 others co-official
San Marino San Marino Euro Italian
Serbia Belgrade Serbian dinar Serbian
Slovakia Bratislava Euro Slovak
Slovenia Ljubljana Euro Slovene
Spain Madrid Euro SpanishCatalan
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
GalicianBasque
SvalbardLongyearbyenSpecial territory of Norway (recognized by international treaty)
Norwegian krone
Norwegian
Sweden StockholmSwedish krona
Swedish
Switzerland Bern Swiss franc
GermanFrenchItalianRomansh
Transnistria
TiraspolDe facto sovereign state lacking general international recognitionRecognized by United Nations as de jure part of Moldova
Transnistrian ruble
RussianMoldovanUkrainian
Ukraine KievUkrainian hryvnia
Ukrainian
United Kingdom
London Pound sterling English
Vatican City Vatican City Euro Italian
Notes
1. Transcontinental countries in Europe and Asia, classified as West Asian countries by the United Nations
Statistics Division: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia.
In West Asia, but a member of the European Union: Cyprus.
North America
Area, 24,709,000 km2 (9,540,000 sq mi)
Population, 528,720,588 (2008, 4th)
Pop. density, 22.9/km2 (59.3/sq mi)[b]
Countries, 23
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of theAmericas.[19] It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and theCaribbean Sea.
North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 4.8% of the planet's surface or about 16.5% of its land area. As of July 2008, its population was estimated at nearly 529 million people across 23 independent states. North America is the third-largest continent in area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth in population after Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
AnguillaThe ValleyOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
East Caribbean Dollar
English
Antigua and Barbuda
St. John'sEast Caribbean Dollar
English
ArubaOranjestadConstituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Aruban florinPapiamentoDutch
Bahamas Nassau Bahamian Dollar English
Barbados Bridgetown Barbadian Dollar English
Belize Belmopan Belize Dollar English
BermudaHamiltonOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
Bermudian Dollar English
BonaireKralendijkSpecial municipality of the Netherlands
United States Dollar Dutch
British Virgin IslandsRoad TownOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
United States Dollar English
Canada Ottawa Canadian DollarFrenchEnglish
Cayman IslandsGeorge TownOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
Cayman Islands Dollar
English
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Clipperton IslanduninhabitedOverseas territory of France
Euro French
Costa Rica San José Costa Rican colon Spanish
Cuba Havana Cuban peso Spanish
CuraçaoWillemstadConstituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Netherlands Antillean guilder
PapiamentoDutch
Dominica RoseauEast Caribbean Dollar
English
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Dominican peso Spanish
El Salvador San Salvador United States Dollar Spanish
GreenlandNuukSelf-governing territory of the Danish Realm
Danish Krone Greenlandic
Grenada St. George'sEast Caribbean Dollar
English
GuadeloupeBasse-TerreOverseas department of France
Euro French
Guatemala Guatemala City Guatemalan quetzal Spanish
Haiti Port-au-Prince Haitian gourde French
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Honduras Tegucigalpa Honduran lempira Spanish
Jamaica Kingston Jamaican Dollar English
MartiniqueFort-de-FranceOverseas department of France
Euro French
Mexico Mexico City Mexican peso Spanish
Montserrat
Plymouth (official)Brades (seat of government)Overseas territory of the United Kingdom
East Caribbean Dollar
English
Navassa Island-Insular area of the United States of America
United States Dollar English
Nicaragua Managua Nicaraguan cordoba Spanish
Panama Panama CityUnited States DollarPanamanian balboa
Spanish
Puerto RicoSan JuanInsular area of the United States of America
United States DollarEnglishSpanish
SabaThe BottomSpecial municipality of the Netherlands
United States Dollar
Saint BarthélemyGustaviaOverseas collectivity of France
Euro French
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Saint Kitts and Nevis BasseterreEast Caribbean Dollar
English
Saint Lucia CastriesEast Caribbean Dollar
English
Saint MartinMarigotOverseas collectivity of France
Euro French
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint-PierreOverseas collectivity of France
Euro French
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
KingstownEast Caribbean Dollar
English
Sint EustatiusOranjestadSpecial municipality of the Netherlands
United States Dollar
Sint MaartenPhilipsburgConstituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Netherlands Antillean guilder
Trinidad and Tobago
Port of SpainTrinidad and Tobago Dollar
English
Turks and Caicos Islands
Cockburn TownOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
United States Dollar English
United States Washington, D.C. United States Dollar many
United States Virgin Islands
Charlotte AmalieInsular area of the United States of America
United States Dollar English
South America
Area, 17,840,000 km2
(6,890,000 sq mi)
Population, 387,489,196 (2011, 5th)
Pop. density, 21.4 per km2 (56.0 per sq mi)
Countries, 12
South America is a continent located in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere.[20][21]
It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. It is formed by twelve sovereign states - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela - the French Guiana, which is an overseas region ofFrance, and the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory. In addition to this, the ABC islands of the Netherlands may also be considered part of South America, as well as Trinidad and Tobago. The South American states that border the Caribbean Sea – Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana – are also known as Caribbean South America.
South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi). Its population as of 2005 has been estimated at more than 371,090,000. South America ranks fourth in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America). The word America was coined in 1507 by cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann, after Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first European to suggest that the lands newly discovered by Europeans were not India, but a New Worldunknown to Europeans.
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Argentina Buenos Aires Peso Spanish
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
BoliviaSucre (official)La Paz (seat of government)
BolivianoSpanishQuechuaAymara
Brazil Brasília Real Portuguese
Chile Santiago Peso Spanish
Colombia Bogotá Peso Spanish
Ecuador Quito United States dollar Spanish
Falkland Islands
StanleyOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
Falkland Islands pound
English
French GuianaCayenneOverseas department of France
Euro French
Guyana Georgetown Guyanese dollar English
Paraguay Asunción GuaraníSpanishGuaraní
Peru Lima Nuevo sol Spanish
Suriname Paramaribo Surinamese dollar Dutch
Uruguay Montevideo Uruguayan peso Spanish
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Venezuela Caracas Bolívar fuerte Spanish
Oceania
Geopolitical Oceania
Area, 8,560,000 km2
(3,310,000 sq mi)
Population, 38,304,000 (2013, 5th)
Pop. density, 4.47 per km2 (11.57 per sq mi)
Countries, 14
Australia (UK / ̩ oʊ ʃ ɪ ̍ ɑː n ɪ ə / or / ̩ oʊ s ɪ ̍ ɑː n ɪ ə / ;[22] US / ̩ oʊ ʃ iː ̍ æ n iː ə / )[23] is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean.[24] Opinions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific (ethnologically divided into the subregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia)[25] to the entire insular region between Asiaand the Americas, including Australasia and the Maritime Southeast Asia.The term is sometimes used more specifically to denote a continent comprising Australia and proximate islands,[26][27][28][29] or biogeographically as a synonym for either the Australasian ecozone (Wallacea and Australasia) or the Pacific ecozone (Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia apart either from New Zealand [30] or from mainland New Guinea).[31]
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
American Samoa
Pago PagoInsular area of the United States of America
United States dollarEnglishSamoan
Ashmore and Cartier IslandsExternal territory of Australia
— —
Australia Canberra Australian dollar None[c]
Baker Island —Insular area of the United States of America
Cook Islands
AvaruaSelf-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand
New Zealand dollarCook Islands dollar
EnglishCook Islands Māori
Coral Sea Islands
—External territory of Australia
Fiji Suva Fijian dollar
French Polynesia
PapeeteOverseas collectivity of France
CFP Franc French
Guam HagåtñaInsular area of the United States of America
Howland Island
—Insular area of the United States of America
Jarvis Island —Insular area of the United States of America
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Johnston Atoll —Insular area of the United States of America
Kingman Reef —Insular area of the United States of America
Kiribati South Tarawa
Marshall Islands
Majuro
Micronesia Palikir
Midway Atoll —Insular area of the United States of America
Nauru Yaren (seat of government)
New CaledoniaNouméaSui generis collectivity (special collectivity) of France
CFP Franc French
New Zealand Wellington New Zealand Dollar
MaoriNew Zealand SignEnglish
Niue Alofi
Self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand
Norfolk Island KingstonSelf-governing territory of Australia
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Northern Mariana Islands
SaipanInsular area of the United States of America
Palau Ngerulmud
Palmyra Atoll —Insular area of the United States of America
Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby
Pitcairn Islands
AdamstownOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
Samoa Apia
Solomon Islands
Honiara
TokelauNukunonu (main settlement, although each atoll has its own administrative centre)
Dependent territory of New Zealand
Tonga Nukuʻalofa
Tuvalu Funafuti
Vanuatu Port Vila Vanuatu vatuBislamaFrenchEnglish
Wake Island—Insular area of the United States of America
United States dollar
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
language
Wallis and Futuna
Mata-UtuOverseas collectivity of France
CFP Franc French
Antarctica
Area, 14,000,000 km2 (5,400,000 sq mi)[32]
Antarctica ( i / æ n t ̍ ɑr t ɨ k ə / or / æ n ̍ t ɑr k t ɨ k ə / )[d] is Earth's southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km2 (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa,North America, and South America. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages at least 1 mile (1.6 km) in thickness.
Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.[35] Antarctica is considered a desert, with annualprecipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland.[36] The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89 °C (−129 °F). There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Only cold-adapted organisms survive there, including many types of algae, animals (for example mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades), bacteria, fungi, plants, and protista. Vegetation where it occurs is tundra.
Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") date back to antiquity, the first confirmed sighting of the continent is commonly accepted to have occurred in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev on Vostok and Mirny. The continent, however, remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of resources, and isolation. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 countries; to date, 49 countries have signed the treaty. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, prohibits nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists from many nations.
Antarctica is regulated by the Antarctic Treaty System, which defines it as all land and ice shelves south of 60°S, and has no government and belongs to no country. However, the following territorial claims in Antarctica have been made:
Argentina: Argentine Antarctica Australia: Australian Antarctic Territory Brazil: Brazilian Antarctica (unofficial) Chile: Antártica France: Adélie Land New Zealand: Ross Dependency Norway: Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land United Kingdom: British Antarctic Territory (Unclaimed: Marie Byrd Land)
Moreover, the following dependent territories are situated in the wider Antarctic Region:
Flag Name Capital CurrencyOfficial
Language
Bouvet IslandDependent territory of Norway
— — —
French Southern Territories
Alfred Faure (Crozet Islands)Port-aux-Français (Kerguelen Islands)Martin-de-Viviès (Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands)Overseas territory of France
Euro French
Heard Island and McDonald IslandsExternal territory of Australia
— — —
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
King Edward PointOverseas territory of the United Kingdom
Pound sterling
English