Countries and their Official Names
Many countries have an official name (which usually includes the word republic) and a common name. The official name may have the definite article, whilst the common name doesn’t.
For example, Argentina does not use an article. But the official name of this country is The Argentine Republic. Because this includes the word republic, it requires the definite article. We have included these examples in the table below with the common name (without an article) in brackets.
Democratic The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (East Timor) The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ethiopia) The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos)
The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (Nepal)
The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe (São Tomé and Príncipe)
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)
Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Australia (Australia)
The Commonwealth of The Bahamas (The Bahamas) The Commonwealth of Dominica (Dominica)
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (The Northern Mariana Islands)
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico)
Federation The Federation of Malaysia (Malaysia) The Russian Federation (Russia)
The Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
Islands The Islands of Bermuda (Bermuda)
The Territory of Christmas Island (Christmas Island) Kingdom The Kingdom of Bahrain (Bahrain)
The Kingdom of Belgium (Belgium) The Kingdom of Bhutan (Bhutan) The Kingdom of Cambodia (Cambodia) The Kingdom of Denmark (Denmark) The Kingdom of Eswatini (Eswatini)
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Jordan) The Kingdom of Lesotho (Lesotho)
The Kingdom of Morocco (Morocco) The Kingdom of Norway (Norway)
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) The Kingdom of Spain (Spain)
The Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland) The Kingdom of Sweden (Sweden) The Kingdom of Thailand (Thailand) The Kingdom of Tonga (Tonga)
Principality The Principality of Andorra (Andorra)
The Principality of Liechtenstein (Liechtenstein) The Principality of Monaco (Monaco)
Republic The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan) The Republic of Albania (Albania)
The Republic of Angola (Angola) The Argentine Republic (Argentina) The Republic of Armenia (Armenia) The Republic of Austria (Austria)
The Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan)
The People’s Republic of Bangladesh (Bangladesh) The Republic of Belarus (Belarus)
The Republic of Benin (Benin)
The Republic of Botswana (Botswana)
Republic (continued)
The Federative Republic of Brazil (Brazil) The Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
The Republic of Burkina Faso (Burkina Faso) The Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Myanmar) The Republic of Burundi (Burundi)
The Republic of Cameroon (Cameroon) The Republic of Chad (Chad)
The Republic of Chile (Chile)
The People’s Republic of China (China) The Republic of Colombia (Colombia) The Republic of Costa Rica (Costa Rica) The Republic of Croatia (Croatia)
The Republic of Cuba (Cuba) The Republic of Cyprus (Cyprus) The Republic of Djibouti (Djibouti) The Republic of Ecuador (Ecuador) The Arab Republic of Egypt (Egypt) The Republic of El Salvador (El Salvador)
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea (Equatorial Guinea) The Republic of Estonia (Estonia)
The Republic of Fiji (Fiji)
The Republic of Finland (Finland) The French Republic (France) The Gabonese Republic (Gabon)
The Republic of Gambia (The Gambia) The Republic of Georgia (Georgia)
The Federal Republic of Germany (Germany) The Republic of Ghana (Ghana)
The Hellenic Republic (Greece)
The Republic of Guatemala (Guatemala) The Republic of Guinea (Guinea)
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau (Guinea-Bissau) The Co-operative Republic of Guyana (Guyana) The Republic of Haiti (Haiti)
The Republic of Honduras (Honduras)
The Hong Kong Special Administrative of the People’s Republic of China (Hong Kong)
The Republic of India (India)
The Republic of Indonesia (Indonesia)
Republic (continued)
The Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) The Republic of Iraq (Iraq)
The Republic of Ireland (Ireland) The Italian Republic (Italy)
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) The Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan) The Republic of Kenya (Kenya)
The Republic of Kiribati (Kiribati) The Republic of Korea (South Korea) The Republic of Kosovo (Kosovo) The Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan) The Republic of Latvia (Latvia) The Lebanese Republic (Lebanon) The Republic of Liberia (Liberia) The Republic of Lithuania (Lithuania)
The Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Repub of China (Macau)
The Republic of North Macedonia (North Macedonia) The Republic of Madagascar (Madagascar)
The Republic of Malawi (Malawi)
The Republic of Maldives (The Maldives) The Republic of Mali (Mali)
The Republic of Malta (Malta)
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (The Marshall Islands) The Islamic Republic of Mauritania (Mauritania)
The Republic of Mauritius (Mauritius) The Republic of Moldova (Moldova)
The Republic of Mozambique (Mozambique)
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Myanmar) The Republic of Namibia (Namibia)
The Republic of Nauru (Nauru)
The Republic of Nicaragua (Nicaragua) The Republic of the Niger (The Niger) The Federal Republic of Nigeria (Nigeria) The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Pakistan) The Republic of Palau (Palau)
The Republic of Panama (Panama) The Republic of Paraguay (Paraguay) The Republic of Peru (Peru)
Republic (continued)
The Republic of the Philippines (The Philippines) The Republic of Poland (Poland)
The Portuguese Republic (Portugal
The Republic of San Marino (San Marino) The Republic of Senegal (Senegal)
The Republic of Serbia (Serbia)
The Republic of The Seychelles (The Seychelles) The Republic of Sierra Leone (Sierra Leona) The Republic of Singapore (Singapore) The Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
The Republic of Rwanda (Rwanda) The Republic of Slovenia (Slovenia)
The Federal Republic of Somalia (Somalia) The Republic of Somaliland (Somaliland) The Republic of South Africa (South Africa)
The Republic of South Ossetia - the State of Alania (South Ossetia) The Republic of South Sudan (South Sudan)
The Republic of Sudan (Sudan)
The Republic of Suriname (Suriname) The Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) The Republic of Tajikistan (Tajikistan)
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago) The Togolese Republic (Togo)
The Republic of Tunisia (Tunisia) The Republic of Turkey (Turkey) The Republic of Uganda (Uganda) The Republic of Uruguay (Uruguay)
The Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan) The Republic of Vanuatu (Vanuatu)
The Bolvarian Republic of Venezuela (Venezuela) The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) The Republic of Yemen (Yemen)
The Republic of Zambia (Zambia) The Republic of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
State The Plurinational State of Bolivia (Bolivia) The State of Eritrea (Eritrea)
The State of Israel (Israel) The State of Kuwait (Kuwait) The State of Libya (Libya)
The Federated States of Micronesia (Micronesia) The State of Palestine (Palestine)
The Independent State of Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea) The State of Qatar (Qatar)
The Independent State of Samoa (Samoa)
United The United Mexican States (Mexico)
The United Republic of Tanzania (Tanzania)
Other The Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (Brunei) The Union of the Comoros (Comoros)
The Bailiwick of Jersey (Jersey) The Country of Curaçao (Curaçao)
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) The Department of Mayotte (Mayotte)
The Territory of Norfolk Island (Norfolk Island) The Sultanate of Oman (Oman)
The Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy (Saint Barthélemy) The Collectivity of Saint Martin (Saint Martin)
The Overseas Collectivity of Sant Pierre and Miquelon (Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
The Swiss Confederation (Switzerland)
The Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (Wallis and Futuna)
