Country Names With 10 Letters

The United Nations (UN) recognizes 195 countries or sovereign states, which includes 193 member states and 2 observer states. Of this total, 18 countries have names in the English language that contain 10 letters. These countries are spread all over the world, and the distribution by continent is as follows: Asia (10); Africa (4); Europe (3), and North America (1). These countries are listed below.

Examples of Countries with 10 Letter Names

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, officially known as the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a country located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. The name "Azerbaijan" was derived from Atropates, a Persian nobleman and trader who served Darius III and Alexander the Great, and was adopted by the government of the Musavat Party when the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was formed in 1918 following the collapse of the Roman Empire. Until that time, the name had been used in a region of northwestern Iran.

Kazakhstan

The Republic of Kazakhstan, simply known as Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia and the ninth largest in the world in terms of area. The country's name is derived from the term "Khazakh" which comes from the ancient Turkic word "qaz" and means "to wander," and describes the nomadic life of the early Kazakhs people. Additionally, the suffix "-stan" means land. Therefore, "Kazakhstan" literally translates to "the land of wanderers."

El Salvador

El Salvador is the only country in the Americas that has ten letters in its name. Officially known as the Republic of El Salvador, it is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. El Salvador was part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1609 until its independence in 1821. Originally a province in Guatemala, the country was named by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado after Jesus Christ, as "El Salvador" means "The Savior" in Spanish.

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar, formerly known as the Malagasy Republic, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean. The island of Madagascar was called "Madagasikara" in the indigenous Malagasy language, and later referred to and popularized as "Madagascar" by Europeans.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg, officially known as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a tiny landlocked country located in Western Europe. The country obtained its name from Lucilinburhuc Castle, which translated to "Little Fortress." The anglicized version of the word "Lucilinburhuc" is Luxembourg.

Official Country Names

The number of letters in a country's name has been determined based on its commonly used name. For example, "Kazakhstan" contains 10 letters, but the country's official name, the "Republic of Kazakhstan" contains many more. Similarly, if the "Republic of Korea" or the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" were counted instead of "South Korea" and "North Korea," respectively, the list would be much different. Additionally, words such as "the" that are sometime used in a country's name, officially or unofficially, such as "The Seychelles," have been excluded from letter totals.