There are currently twenty-five countries in the world with names that begin with the letter ‘S’, making it the starting letter with the highest number of countries. The following table lists them all. You can find some general information about each below.
| Country | Flag | Population | Capital | Foundation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |  |
53,000 | Basseterre | 1983 |
| Saint Lucia |  |
184,000 | Castries | 1979 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |  |
111,000 | Kingstown | 1979 |
| Samoa |  |
203,000 | Apia | 1962 |
| San Marino |  |
34,000 | San Marino | 301 |
| Sao Tome and Principe |  |
219,000 | São Tomé | 1975 |
| Saudi Arabia |  |
35,340,000 | Riyadh | 1932 |
| Senegal |  |
17,196,000 | Dakar | 1960 |
| Serbia |  |
6,834,000 | Belgrade | 2006 |
| Seychelles |  |
99,000 | Victoria | 1976 |
| Sierra Leone |  |
8,141,000 | Freetown | 1961 |
| Singapore |  |
5,704,000 | Singapore | 1965 |
| Slovakia |  |
5,460,000 | Bratislava | 1993 |
| Slovenia |  |
2,108,000 | Ljubljana | 1991 |
| Solomon Islands |  |
703,000 | Honiara | 1978 |
| Somalia |  |
16,360,000 | Mogadishu | 1960 |
| South Africa |  |
60,041,000 | Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein | 1910 |
| South Sudan |  |
11,381,000 | Juba | 2011 |
| Spain |  |
47,420,000 | Madrid | 1492 |
| Sri Lanka |  |
22,156,000 | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte | 1948 |
| Sudan |  |
44,909,000 | Khartoum | 1956 |
| Suriname |  |
587,000 | Paramaribo | 1975 |
| Sweden |  |
10,415,000 | Stockholm | 1523 |
| Switzerland |  |
8,698,000 | Bern | 1291 |
| Syria |  |
18,276,000 | Damascus | 1946 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a dual-island nation situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It’s the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, both in area and population. The country enjoys a tropical climate with hot, humid conditions year-round. The name “Saint Kitts” is derived from “Saint Christopher,” shortened to “St. Kitt’s Island” by British sailors. “Nevis” comes from the Spanish “Nuestra Señora de las Nieves” (Our Lady of the Snows), referring to the cloud-capped Nevis Peak.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island nation in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Known for its pair of dramatically tapered mountains, the Pitons, it features volcanic beaches, reef-diving sites, luxury resorts, and fishing villages. The climate is tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds. The island’s name originated from Saint Lucy of Syracuse, with the first European settlers being French.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a southern Caribbean nation comprising a main island, Saint Vincent, and a chain of smaller islands. The country features lush tropical forests, white sand beaches, and coral reefs. It has a tropical climate with a dry season from January to May and a rainy season from June to December. The name “Saint Vincent” was given by Columbus on Saint Vincent’s feast day in 1498, while “Grenadines” likely comes from the Spanish “granada” (pomegranate), referring to the small, round islands.
Samoa
Samoa is a Polynesian island country in the central South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands, Upolu and Savai’i, characterized by rugged, mountainous interiors surrounded by coral reefs. Samoa has a tropical climate with a rainy season from November to April. The country’s name comes from the indigenous Samoan language, though its exact meaning is debated.
San Marino
San Marino is a microstate surrounded by Italy, situated on the eastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains. It’s one of the world’s oldest republics and has a hilly terrain. The climate is Mediterranean with mild to cool winters and warm summers. San Marino is named after Saint Marinus, who founded a monastic community on Monte Titano in 301 CE, which later evolved into the modern state.
Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe is an island nation off the western coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It consists of two archipelagos around two main islands: São Tomé and Príncipe. The country has a tropical climate with abundant rainfall. The islands were named by Portuguese explorers who discovered them on Saint Thomas’ Day (São Tomé) in the 1470s, with Príncipe meaning “Prince” in Portuguese.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula, with coastlines on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. It’s known for its desert landscape, including the world’s largest contiguous sand desert, the Rub’ al Khali. The climate is generally arid with extreme temperature variations. The country’s name combines the ruling dynasty’s name, “Al Saud,” with “Arabia,” referring to its geographic location.
Senegal
Senegal is a country in West Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. It features a diverse landscape including semi-desert in the north and tropical forests in the south. The climate is hot and humid with a rainy season from June to October. The country’s name comes from the Senegal River, which forms its northern border, possibly derived from the Wolof phrase “Sunuu Gaal,” meaning “our boat.”
Serbia
Serbia is a landlocked country in southeastern Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkans. It has a varied landscape ranging from the north’s fertile plains to the east’s limestone ranges and basins. Serbia experiences a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. The country’s name derives from the Serbian word “Srbi,” referring to the South Slavic tribes who settled the region in the 6th century.
Seychelles
Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa. It’s known for its beaches, coral reefs, nature reserves, and rare wildlife like giant Aldabra tortoises. The climate is tropical, warm and humid year-round. The name “Seychelles” honors Jean Moreau de Séchelles, Louis XV’s Minister of Finance, after whom the islands were named when they became a French colony in 1756.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa, known for its white-sand beaches and rainforests. The climate is tropical with two seasons: the dry season from November to April and the rainy season from May to October. The country’s name, meaning “Lion Mountains,” was given by Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra in 1462, referring to the range of hills surrounding Freetown Harbour.
Singapore
Singapore is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. Despite its small size, it’s a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population. The country experiences uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. The name “Singapore” derives from the Sanskrit words “singa” (lion) and “pura” (city), though it’s unlikely lions ever lived on the island.
Slovakia
Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe, known for its dramatic natural landscape and many castles. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with the Carpathian Mountains extending across most of the northern half of the country. Slovakia has a continental climate with warm summers and cold, cloudy, and humid winters. The country’s name comes from the Slovaks, a West Slavic people who settled in the area in the 5th and 6th centuries.
Slovenia
Slovenia is a country in Central Europe, known for its mountains, ski resorts, and lakes. It has diverse landscapes, including the Alps, the Mediterranean coast, and the Pannonian Plain. Slovenia experiences a continental climate in the northeast, a severe Alpine climate in the mountains, and a sub-Mediterranean climate on the coast. The country’s name derives from “Slovenes,” the name of the South Slavic people who settled the area in the 6th century.
Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands is a sovereign country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania. The islands are characterized by rugged mountainous terrain and extensive tropical rainforests. The climate is tropical monsoon with high temperatures, humidity, and rainfall year-round. The archipelago was named by Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña in 1568, believing it to be the source of King Solomon’s wealth.
Somalia
Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. Somalia has a semi-arid to arid climate with hot conditions year-round and seasonal monsoon winds. The country’s name likely comes from the Somali people, the largest ethnic group in the region, though its exact origin is uncertain.
South Africa
South Africa is a country at the southern tip of Africa, known for its diversity in landscapes, peoples, and cultures. It features a varied terrain from coastal areas to central plateaus and mountains. The climate ranges from Mediterranean in the southwest to temperate in the interior plateau and subtropical in the northeast. The country’s name refers to its geographical location on the continent.
South Sudan
South Sudan is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa, the world’s newest country after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. The terrain is primarily tropical forest, swamps, and grassland. The climate is hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. The country’s name reflects its location in the southern region of the former united Sudan.
Spain
Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It has diverse landscapes, from the Pyrenees Mountains to the Mediterranean coast and the Canary Islands. The climate varies from the mild temperatures of the northern Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean climate of the south and east. The name “Spain” derives from the Roman name for the region, “Hispania,” possibly of Phoenician origin meaning “land of rabbits.”
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal. It’s known for its diverse landscapes ranging from rainforest and arid plains to highlands and sandy beaches. The climate is tropical and warm, with monsoon winds bringing rainfall to the southwest from May to September and to the north and east from December to February. The name “Sri Lanka” means “resplendent island” in Sanskrit.
Sudan
Sudan is a country in Northeast Africa, bordered by Egypt to the north and the Red Sea to the northeast. Its landscape includes flat plains, mountains, and the Nile Valley. Sudan has a hot, dry climate with seasonal rainfall in the south. The country’s name comes from the Arabic “bilad al-sudan,” meaning “land of the blacks,” historically referring to the region south of the Sahara.
Suriname
Suriname is a small country on the northeastern coast of South America. It’s known for its vast swaths of tropical rainforest, diverse wildlife, and multicultural capital, Paramaribo. The country has a tropical climate with abundant rainfall. Suriname’s name is derived from its earliest known inhabitants, the Surinen people, though it was also formerly known as Dutch Guiana when it was a Dutch colony.
Sweden
Sweden is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe, characterized by thousands of coastal islands, inland lakes, forests, and mountains. The climate varies from temperate in the south to subarctic in the north. Sweden experiences extreme seasonal variation in daylight hours. The country’s name comes from the Old English “Sweoðeod,” meaning “people of the Swedes,” with the exact origin of “Swedes” being debated.
Switzerland
Switzerland is a landlocked country in Central Europe, known for its mountains, lakes, and glaciers. The Swiss Alps occupy about 60% of the country. Switzerland’s climate is generally temperate, but can vary greatly between localities due to differences in altitude. The country’s name is derived from “Schwyz,” one of its founding cantons, possibly originating from an Alemannic proper name.
Syria
Syria is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. Its landscape includes coastal plains, mountains, and desert. Syria has a mostly arid climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters along the coast. The country’s name derives from the ancient Greek name for Syrians, possibly originating from “Assyria,” an ancient empire in the region.
Check out countries with names that start with different letters:
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