TLDR
39 countries end in “ia.” That’s the count using the 193 member states of the United Nations and each country’s common short name. The full alphabetical list:
Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Colombia, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Namibia, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia.
Quiz sites disagree on the number (you’ll see 38 and 39). The difference comes down to a few edge cases, covered below, so you can see exactly how this count was reached.
Contents
- The rule used for this count
- Countries that end in “ia” by continent
- Where the “-ia” ending comes from
- The edge cases, ruled on
- Quick quiz
- FAQ
The rule used for this count
Most lists never say how they decided what counts. This one does:
- A country must be one of the 193 UN member states. That excludes Kosovo, Taiwan and Palestine, none of which are UN members.
- The name is the common short name, not the full formal one. “Russian Federation” and “Syrian Arab Republic” are the formal titles, but nobody searches for them that way. The CIA World Factbook lists the same short forms.
- The last letters of that name must be “ia.”
Change any of those and the number moves. Keep them and it’s 39.
Countries that end in “ia” by continent
Africa (11)
- Algeria: capital Algiers, North Africa
- Ethiopia: Addis Ababa, East Africa
- Gambia: Banjul, West Africa
- Liberia: Monrovia, West Africa
- Mauritania: Nouakchott, northwest Africa
- Namibia: Windhoek, southern Africa
- Nigeria: Abuja, West Africa
- Somalia: Mogadishu, Horn of Africa
- Tanzania: Dodoma (not Dar es Salaam), East Africa
- Tunisia: Tunis, North Africa
- Zambia: Lusaka, southern Africa
Europe (14)
- Albania: Tirana, Balkans
- Austria: Vienna, Central Europe
- Bulgaria: Sofia, Balkans
- Croatia: Zagreb, Balkans
- Czechia: Prague, Central Europe
- Estonia: Tallinn, Baltic
- Latvia: Riga, Baltic
- Lithuania: Vilnius, Baltic
- North Macedonia: Skopje, Balkans
- Romania: Bucharest, southeastern Europe
- Russia: Moscow, spans Europe and Asia but most of its people and its capital are in Europe
- Serbia: Belgrade, Balkans
- Slovakia: Bratislava, Central Europe
- Slovenia: Ljubljana, Central Europe
Asia (9)
- Armenia: Yerevan, Caucasus
- Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Southeast Asia
- Georgia: Tbilisi, Caucasus
- India: New Delhi, South Asia
- Indonesia: Jakarta, Southeast Asia
- Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asia
- Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar, East Asia
- Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, Middle East
- Syria: Damascus, Middle East
The Americas (3)
- Bolivia: Sucre is the constitutional capital, La Paz is the seat of government
- Colombia: Bogotá
- Saint Lucia: Castries, Caribbean
Oceania (2)
- Australia: Canberra
- Micronesia: Palikir, formally the Federated States of Micronesia
Add it up: 11 + 14 + 9 + 3 + 2 = 39.
By ending: “-nia” is the biggest family with eight (Albania, Armenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Mauritania, Romania, Slovenia, Tanzania). “-ria” has six (Algeria, Austria, Bulgaria, Liberia, Nigeria, Syria). “-sia” has five (Indonesia, Malaysia, Micronesia, Russia, Tunisia). Europe holds the most of all, with 14 of the 39. South America has only Bolivia and Colombia.
Where the “-ia” ending comes from
The ending is a Latin and Greek place-name suffix. Roman writers stuck it onto a people’s name to mean their territory: Britannia, Hispania, Germania. It means roughly “the country of,” not a literal word for land. The “-stan” in Kazakhstan or Pakistan is the Persian word for land.
Many names on the list show the pattern:
- Romania comes from Romanus, “Roman.”
- Bulgaria from the Bulgars, Serbia from the Serbs, Slovakia and Slovenia from Slavic roots.
- Nigeria is named for the Niger River, Zambia for the Zambezi, Namibia for the Namib Desert.
- Colombia honors Columbus, Bolivia honors Simón Bolívar.
- Liberia comes from the Latin liber, “free.”
- Australia from the Latin australis, “southern.”
- Indonesia and Micronesia are Greek: “Indian islands” and “small islands.”
- Tanzania was fused in 1964 from Tanganyika and Zanzibar, with “-ia” added to the blend.
Two changes are recent. Macedonia became North Macedonia in 2019, and Czechia was adopted in 2016 as the official short name for the Czech Republic. Both are the reason older lists have different totals.
The edge cases, ruled on
Czechia: counts. The Czech government registered “Czechia” as the short name with the UN in 2016. The long form, Czech Republic, doesn’t end in “ia.” If you count only the long form, the total drops to 38. That is likely the gap between 38 and 39 on the quiz sites.
Gambia / The Gambia: counts. The UN lists it as “Gambia.” Writing “The Gambia” doesn’t change the final letters either way.
Saint Lucia: counts. It ends in “Lucia,” so the last two letters are “ia.” People miss it because it’s not a name they associate with the suffix.
Georgia: counts. It’s the country, not the US state, and it ends in “ia.” Quizzes sometimes skip it for the confusion.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: doesn’t count. “Bosnia” ends in “ia,” but the UN name ends in “na.” Quiz players who accept the informal “Bosnia” get 40. This list sticks to the official name.
Libya: doesn’t count. It ends in “ya,” not “ia,” despite sounding the same.
Quick quiz
Cover the list and try these:
- Which “ia” country has the world’s largest population?
- Which is the only “ia” country in the Caribbean?
- Which two “ia” countries were renamed or re-shortened in 2016 and 2019?
- Which “ia” country sits on both sides of the Europe-Asia line?
Answers: India (the most populous country on Earth). Saint Lucia. Czechia and North Macedonia. Russia.
FAQ
How many countries end in “ia”?
39, using the UN’s 193 member states and common short names. The count is 38 if you use “Czech Republic” and 40 if you also accept the informal “Bosnia.”
What African countries end in “ia”?
Eleven: Algeria, Ethiopia, Gambia, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Somalia, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia.
What European countries end in “ia”?
Fourteen: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Which “ia” country is the largest by area?
Russia, which is also the largest country in the world.
What does the “-ia” ending mean?
It’s a Latin and Greek suffix used to form place names, often from a people, a river or a geographic feature.
Are there other lists like this?
Yes. Seven countries end in “-stan”: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.