Official Listing of Countries by World Region

I have divided the 196 countries of the world into eight regions. These eight regions provide a clear division of the world's countries.

Asia

There are 27 countries in Asia; Asia stretches from former "stans" of the USSR to the Pacific Ocean.

Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
North Korea
South Korea
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
Philippines
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Vietnam

Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia

The 23 countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia include some countries not traditionally part of the Middle East but their cultures cause their placement in this region (such as Pakistan).

Afghanistan
Algeria
Azerbaijan*
Bahrain
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel**
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Morocco
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
The United Arab Emirates
Yemen

* The former republics of the Soviet Union are typically lumped into one region, even twenty years after independence. In this listing, they've been placed where most appropriate.

** Israel may be located in the Middle East but it is certainly an outsider and perhaps better belongs attached to Europe, like its seaward neighbor and European Union member state, Cyprus.

Europe

With 48 countries, there aren't many surprises on this list. However, this region stretches from North America and back to North America as it encompasses Iceland and all of Russia.

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland*
Ireland
Italy
Kosovo
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland**
Vatican City

* Iceland straddles the Eurasian plate and the North American plate so geographically it is halfway between Europe and North America. However, its culture and settlement are clearly European in nature.

** The United Kingdom is the country composed of the constituent entities known as England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

North America

Economic powerhouse North America only includes three countries but it is most of a continent and thus a region onto itself.

Canada
Greenland*
Mexico
The United States of America

* Greenland is not yet an independent country.

Central America and the Caribbean

There are no landlocked countries among these twenty countries of Central America and the Caribbean.

Antigua and Barbuda
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Nicaragua
Panama
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago

South America

Twelve countries occupy this continent that stretches from the equator to nearly the Antarctic Circle.

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela

Sub-Saharan Africa

There are 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This region of Africa is often called Sub-Saharan Africa but some of these countries are actually Intra-Saharan (within the Sahara Desert).

Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
The Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
The Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Australia and Oceania

These fifteen countries vary widely in their cultures and occupy a large swath of the world ocean although (with the exception of the continent-country Australia), do not occupy much land.

Australia
East Timor*
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
The Federated States of Micronesia
Nauru
New Zealand
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu

* While East Timor lies on an Indonesian (Asian) island, its eastern location requires that it be located in the Oceania nations of the world.