Foreign Pronunciation and Geographic Location Guide

Now you can enjoy your worldwide stamp collection even more by learning how to pronounce the name of almost any foreign country. This guide also increases your knowledge of each country’s geography and history.

Every listing gives you the pronunciation and location of the country you’re looking for, as well as its current or former name and colonial status. As you can see, the countries are listed in alphabetical order.

A

Abu Dhabi – AH boo DAH bee – sheikdom of the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf

Aden – AY d’n – former British colony; now part of the People’s Republic of Southern Yemen

Aegean Islands – ay JEE un – Greek islands located in the Aegean Sea

Afars and Issas – ah FARZ ee SAHZ – French overseas territory in northeast Africa; formerly the French colony of Somali Coast; current name Djibouti

Afghanistan – af GAN ih stan – republic in Central Asia bordering Iran and Pakistan

Aguera – ah GWAY rah – former Spanish administrative district of Africa

Aitutaki – EYE too TAH kee – one of the Cook islands

Ajman – AHJ mahn – sheikdom in Eastern Arabia; now part of the United Arab Emirates

Aland Islands – AH lund – Finnish island group located between Finland and Sweden; part of Scandinavia

Alaouites – ah lah WEET – formerly a French division of Syria; known later as Latakia

Albania – al BAY nee uh – republic in southeast Europe on the Adriatic Sea

Alderney – AWL dur nee – British island in the English Channel

Alexandretta – AL ig zan dret uh – district of Turkey; formerly part of the French mandate in Syria; before its return to Turkey, known as Hatay

Algeria – al JEER ee ah – republic in northwest Africa on the Mediterranean Sea; formerly a French colony

Allenstein – AHL en shtine – district of Prussia

Alsace and Lorraine – AL says lo RAIN – region of northeastern France; ownership long disputed by Germany

Andorra – an DOOR ah – principality in the Pyranees Mountains; administered jointly by France and Spain

Angola – an GOH luh – former Portuguese colony in southwest Africa

Angra – AN grah – administrative district of the Azores

Anguilla – an GWIL uh – British island colony in the West Indies; formerly part of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla

Anjouan – AHN joo AHN – one of the Comoro islands

Annam & Tonkin – uh Nahm TON KIN – formerly part of French Indo-China; currently Vietnam

Antigua – an TEE guh – island in the West Indies; former British colony

Argentina – AHR jun TEEN uh – republic in South America between Chile and the Atlantic

Armenia – ar MEEN ee yuh – republic in southwestern Asia bordering Turkey andIran; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Aruba – ah ROO bah – island in the Netherlands Antilles

Ascension – uh SEN shun – island in the South Atlantic Ocean; part of the British colony of St. Helena

Australia – aws TRAIL yuh – island continent between the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Austria – AWS tree uh – republic in central Europe

Azerbaijan – AH zer by JAHN – republic in southwestern Asia bordering Iran and the Caspian Sea; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Azores – AY zorz – Portuguese islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, north of Portugal

B

Baden – BAH dun – former grand duchy of Germany

Bahamas – buh HAH muhz – islands in the Atlantic, east of Florida; former British colony

Bahawalpur – buh HAH wal POOR – state in central Pakistan; formerly part of India

Bahrain – bah RAIN – sheikdom in the Persian Gulf between Qatar and Saudi Arabia

Bangladesh – BAHNG luh desh – republic in southern Asia; formerly East Pakistan

Barbados – bar BAY dose – island in the West Indies formerly a British colony now part of the British Commonwealth

Barbuda – bar BOO dah – island in the West Indies, a dependency of Antigua

Basutoland – buh SOO toe LAND – former British colony in southern Africa; current name Lesotho

Batum – bah TOOM – port city in the republic of Georgia, on the Black Sea

Bavaria – buh VAIR ee uh – former kingdom in southern Germany

Bechuanaland Protectorate – BEK oo AN ah LAND pro TEK tor et – former British district in south central Africa; current name
Republic of Botswana

Belarus – bay luh ROOS – Eastern European republic; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Belgian Congo – BEL jun KON go – former Belgian colony in central Africa; name changed to Congo Democratic Republic with independence; current name Zaire

Belgium – BEL jum – constitutional monarchy in Western Europe

Belize – buh LEEZ – country of central America; formerly British Honduras

Benin – beh NEEN – republic in Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; formerly the French colony of Dahomey

Bequia – buh KEE yuh – island in the West Indies, north of Trinidad

Berlin – bur LIN – capital city of the former kingdom of Prussia; currently the capital of re-unified Germany

Bermuda – bur MYOO duh – island in the central Atlantic; British colony

Bhutan – byoo TAHN – kingdom which lies in the Himalayas between India and Tibet

Biafra – be AH fruh – short-lived republic of eastern Nigeria

Bohemia – boh HEE mee uh – former kingdom of western Czechoslovakia

Bolivia – boh LIV ee uh – republic in South America

Bophuthatswana – BO poo tah SWAH nah – Black South African homeland region

Bosnia – BAHZ nee uh – region of west-central Yugoslavia

Botswana – boh TSWAH nah – republic in central Africa; formerly British Bechuanaland Protectorate

Brazil – bruh ZIL – republic in eastern South America

British Antarctic Territory – ant ARK tik – British island territory of the Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica

British Columbia – koh LUM bee uh – province of western Canada bordering the Pacific Ocean

British East Africa – eest AF rick uh – former British territories in eastern Africa

British Guiana – gee AHN nuh – former colony on the northern coast of South America; current name Guyana

British Honduras – hahn DUR us – former colony in Central America on the Caribbean Sea; current name Belize

British Virgin Islands – VUR jin – British colony in the West Indies. The western portion ofthe Virgin Islands belongs to the U.S.

Brunei – broo NYE – sultanate of Borneo; former British colony

Brunswick – BRUNZ wik – former state of central Germany

Bulgaria – bul GAIR ee uh – former Communist republic in southeastern Europe, on the Black Sea

Burkina Faso – bur KEEN ah FAH soh – republic in West Africa; formerly the French colony of Upper Volta

Burma – BUR muh – socialist republic of southeast Asia; current name Myanmar

Burundi – boo ROON dee – republic in central Africa; former French colony

Bushire – boo sheer – Iranian port on the Persian Gulf

C

Caicos – KAY kus – island group south of the Bahamas; part of the British colony of Turks and Caicos Islands

Cambodia – kam BO dee uh – Communist republic in southeast Asia between Thailand and Vietnam; current name Kampuchea

Cameroun – kam uh ROON – republic in western Africa

Canada – KAN uh duh – Self-governing dominion of the British Commonwealth, occupying the northern portion of North America

Canal Zone – kuh NAL ZOHN – territory on either side of the Panama Canal administered by the U.S.

Canary Islands – kuh NAIR ee – Spanish islands off the northwest coast of Africa

Cape Juby – JOO bee – Spanish possession in the western Sahara on the Atlantic Coast of Africa

Cape Verde – vurd – group of islands in the Atlantic, off the west coast of Senegal; former Portuguese colony

Caroline Islands – kair uh line – islands in the western Pacific; a U.S. trust territory

Castellorizo – kahs TEL lo REET so – island in the Mediterranean Sea

Cayman Islands – kay MAN – island group and British colony in the West Indies, northwest of Jamaica

Central African Republic – SEN trul AF rick an – country of central Africa; formerly the French colony of Ubangi-Shari

Ceylon – see LON – Indian Ocean island and former British colony; current name Sri Lanka

Chad – chad – republic and former French colony of central Africa

Chile – CHIL ee – southernmost republic of South America, extending from Peru to the southern end of the continent

China – CHY nuh – country of eastern Asia, bordered by Mongolia, Indo-China and the China Sea

Christmas Islands – KRIS mus – Australian islands in the eastern Indian Ocean

Cilicia – sil EEZH uh – district of southern Turkey

Ciskei – sis kay – Black South African homeland

Cochin – ko CHIN – site of Portuguese settlement in southwest India

Cochin China – area in southern VietNam; formerly part of French Indo-China

Cocos – KOH kohs – island group in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sumatra

Colombia – koh LUM bee uh – country in northern South America

Comoro – ko MORE oh – island group off the southeastern coast of Africa; former French colony

Congo Democratic Republic – KON goh – nation of west central Africa; formerly the Belgian Congo; current name Zaire

Congo People’s Republic – KON goh – nation in west central Africa; formerly the French colony of Middle Congo

Cook Islands – cook – group of islands in the South Pacific, northeast of New Zealand

Costa Rica – KAHS tuh REE kuh – republic in central America

Crete – kreet – Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea

Crimea – cry ME uh – Russian peninsula on the Black Sea

Croatia – kroh AY shuh – an eastern European republic; formerly a province of northern Yugoslavia

Cuba – CUE buh – Communist island republic in the West Indies

Curacao – KOO rah SA oh – island in the Netherlands Antilles

Cyprus – SI prus – island republic in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

Cyrenaica – SEAR uh NAY kuh – ancient region of northeast Libya

Czechoslovakia – CHEK oh slah VAH kee ah – former Communist republic of central Europe

D

Dahomey – duh HO mee – former republic in western Africa; current name PeopleÕs Republic of Benin

Dalmatia – dal MAY sha – region on the coast of Yugoslavia

Danish West Indies – DAIN ish IN deez – group of islands east of Puerto Rico; Danish colony until U.S. purchase in 1916; current name U.S. Virgin Islands

Danzig – DAHN sig – formerly part of German kingdom of Prussia

Denmark – DEN mark – kingdom in northern Europe; part of Scandinavia

Diego-Suarez – DYAY go SWAH rays – northern port in Madagascar

Djibouti – gee boo tee – republic in eastern Africa; former French Overseas Territory of Afars and Issas; until 1967 French colony of Somali Coast

Dodecanese – DOE duh kah NEECE – Greek islands in the Aegean Sea

Dominica – duh MIN ik uh – island republic in the Caribbean Sea; former British colony

Dominican Republic – duh MIN ih kun – eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola

Dubai – doo BEE – city and sheikdom in the United Arab Emirates

Dutch West Indies – see Netherlands Antilles

E

Ecuador – ECK wah door – republic on the western coast of South America

Egypt – EE jipt – republic in northern Africa

El Salvador – ell SAL vuh door – republic in Central America bordering the Pacific

Elobey, Annobon & Corisco – EL oh bay AN oh bon kor EES ko – group of Spanish islands off the coast of western Africa; now part of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea

Epirus – eh PIE ruhs – region in southeastern Albania

Equatorial Guinea – EK wah TOR ee al GIN ee – African republic on the gulf of Guinea

Eritrea – ER ih TREE uh – region of northern Ethiopia

Estonia – es TOH nee uh – republic in Eastern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Ethiopia – EE thee OH pee uh – republic of northeast Africa

Eupen and Malmedy – YOO pin MAL maid EE – German towns annexed by Belgium after World War I

F

Falkland Islands – FAWK lund – group of islands in the southern Atlantic off the coast of South America; British colony also claimed by Argentina

Faroe Islands – FAIR oh – group of islands in the North Atlantic belonging to Denmark

Fernando Po – fur NAN doe POE – former Spanish island in the Gulf of Guinea west of Africa; today part of Equatorial Guinea

Fezzan-Ghadames – feh ZAHN geh DAHM – districts of southwest Libya

Fiji – FEE jee – group of islands in the South Pacific; British colony

Finland – FIN lund – republic of northern Europe; part of Scandinavia

Fiume – FYOO may – city on the Adriatic Sea which has been by turns Hungarian, Italian, and Yugoslavian

France – frans – republic of western Europe

French Guiana – gee AH nuh – former French colony off the northeast coast of South America; now an overseas department of
France

French Morocco – muh ROCK oh – former French protectorate in Africa; now part of the kingdom of Morocco

French Polynesia – POL uh NEE zhuh – French Overseas Territory in the South Pacific

French Sudan – soo DAN – former French colony; current name Mali

French West Africa – AF rick uh – former French administrative unit of Africa, comprised of many French African colonies before independence

Fujeira – foo JEE rah – sheikdom of the United Arab Emirates on the Gulf of Oman

Funafuti – FOON ah FOO tee – one of the Tuvalu Islands

Funchal – fun SHAHL – city in the Madeira Islands, a Portuguese colony in the Atlantic

G

Gabon – gah BON – republic of west-central Africa; former French colony

Gambia – GAM bee uh – republic of West Africa, bordering the Atlantic; former British colony

Geneva – juh NEEV uh – city in Switzerland; site of United Nations offices

Georgia – JOR juh – republic in southeastern Europe, bordering Russia and the Black Sea; formerly part of the Soviet Union

German Democratic Republic – JUR man – formerly East Germany; now part of re-unified Germany

German East Africa – eest AF rick uh – former German protectorate

German New Guinea – NOO GIN ee – former German colony in Papua New Guinea

Germany – JUR man ee – republic in Western Europe

Ghana – GAH nuh – republic in west Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; former British colony

Gibraltar – jih BRAWL tur – a fortified peninsula on the strait of Gibraltar; British colony, also claimed by Spain

Gilbert & Ellice – GILL burt EL ihs – two Pacific island groups, northeast of Australia; formerly a British colony

Gold Coast – GOHLD kohst – section of coastal West Africa; formerly a British colony; current name Ghana

Great Britain – BRIT ’n – island nation off the coast of Western Europe; comprised of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

Greece – grees – republic of southeastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula

Greenland – GREEN lund – Danish island in North Atlantic, off the northeast coast of Canada; current name Nalatdlit Nunat

Grenada – gruh NAY dah – island in the West Indies; former British colony

Grenadines – GREN uh deenz – small groups of islands in the West Indies; one group associated with St. Vincent, the other with Grenada

Griqualand West – GREE kwah land – British territory located in South Africa

Guadeloupe – gwah d’l OOP – group of 7 islands in the West Indies; French colony

Guam – gwahm – U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean

Guanacaste – GWAH nah KAHS tay – province of Costa Rica

Guatemala – GWAH tuh MAH luh – northernmost republic in Central America, bordering Mexico

Guernsey – GURN zee – island in the English Channel belonging to Great Britain

Guinea – GIN ee – republic in West Africa; formerly French Guinea

Guinea-Bissau – GIN ee bih SOO – republic in Western Africa; formerly Portuguese Guinea

Guyana – guy AN nuh – republic on northeast coast of South America; formerly British Guiana

Gwalior – GWAH lee or – state in north-central India

H

Haiti – HAY tee – western third of the island of Hispaniola

Hamburg – HAM berg – seaport in northern Germany

Hanover – HAN oh ver – former kingdom in northern Germany

Hatay – HA TAH ih – district of Syria under French mandate

Hawaii – huh WHY ee – former kingdom in the central Pacific Ocean; 50th U.S. state

Hejaz – HEE jazz – located on the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula, including holy city of Mecca and Medina, in what is now Saudi Arabia

Heligoland – HEL ih go LAND – island in the North Sea, off the north coast of Germany

Herzegovina – HER tsuh goh VEE nuh – region of west-central Yugoslavia

Hispaniola – HISS pen YO luh – island in the West Indies, east of Cuba; comprised of Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Honan – HOH nan – province in central China

Honduras – hahn DOO ras – republic in Central America

Hong Kong – HONG KONG – British crown colony on the southeast coast of China; reverts to mainland China in 1997

Horta – OR tah – district of the Azore Islands; a Portuguese colony

Hungary – HUN gah ree – former Communist country in Eastern Europe

Hyderabad – HYE dur uh BAHD – princely state of central India

I

Iceland – ICE lund – island republic in the north Atlantic, near the Arctic Circle

Ifni – IF nee – Spanish enclave on the Atlantic Coast of Morocco

Ile Rouad – EEL RWAHD – island in the Mediterranean; formerly a French mandate, now part of Syria

India – IN dee uh – republic of southern Asia

Indo-China – IN doh CHY nuh – former French unit in Southeast Asia, comprised of what is currently Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

Indonesia – IN doh NEE shuh – republic of southeastern Asia

Inhambane – IN yam BAH nay – former Portuguese colony in eastern Africa

Inini – ee nee NEE – former territory of French Guiana

Ionian – eye OH nee un – group of islands off the western coast of Africa

Iran – ih RAHN – Islamic nation of the Middle East, formerly called Persia

Iraq – ih RAHK – Arab republic in the Middle East; formerly Mesopotamia

Ireland – IRE lund – republic in the Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Isle of Man – I’LL man – British island in the Irish Sea, west of Great Britain

Israel – IS ray ell – republic in the Middle East, on the Mediterranean Sea

Istria – IS tree uh – peninsula of Yugoslavia on the Adriatic Sea

Italy – IT’l ee – republic in southern Europe

Ivory Coast – EYE vuh ree KOHST – country in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; former French colony

J

Jamaica – juh MAY kuh – island in West Indies, south of Cuba; former British colony

Japan – juh PAN – group of islands off the northeast coast of Asia

Jersey – JUR zee – island in the English Channel belonging to Great Britain

Jordan – JAWR d’n – Arab kingdom of the Middle East, located between Israel and Saudi Arabia

K

Kampuchea – KAM poo CHEE uh – Communist nation of Southeast Asia; formerly Cambodia

Katanga – kuh TAHN guh – region of southeastern Zaire

Kathiri State of Seiyun – ka THEAR ee say YOON – former British protectorate in Southern Arabia; now part of People’s Republic of Southern Yemen

Kazakhstan – ka zahk STAHN – republic of central Asia, northeast of the Caspian Sea; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Kedah – KAY dah – sultanate in southwestern Malaya; former British colony; now part of Malaysia

Kelantan – kay LAHN TAHN – sultanate in northeastern Malaya; former British colony; now part of Malaysia

Kenya – KEN yah – republic of east-central Africa; former British protectorate

Kiauchau – JYOO joh – former German colony in southern China

Kionga – KYOHN guh – area in northern Mozambique; formerly part of German East Africa

Kiribati – KEER a boss – island republic of west-central Pacific; formerly the British colony of Gilbert Islands

Korea – koh REE ah – peninsula divided into North and South Korea and located in eastern Asia on the Sea of Japan

Kuwait – koo WAIT – sheikdom at the northern end of the Persian Gulf

Kyrgyzstan – kir geez STAHN – republic of central Asia, bordering on China; formerly part of the Soviet Union

L

Lagos – LAH gus – territory of the former British colony of Nigeria

Laos – LAH ohs – a Communist nation in Southeast Asia; formerly part of French Indo-China

Latakia – LAT uh KEE uh – former French-mandated area of Syria; previously called Alaouites

Latvia – LAT vee uh – republic of eastern Europe on the Baltic Sea; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Lebanon – LEB uh non – republic in the Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean, Syria,

Leeward Islands – LEE word – islands in the West Indies, south of Puerto Rico

Lesotho – luh SO toe – kingdom in southern Africa; formerly British colony of Basutoland

Liberia – lie BEER ee uh – country of western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; originally colonised by freed slaves from the U.S.

Libya – LIB ee uh – country of northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea

Liechtenstein – LIHK ten shtine – principality of Central Europe between Switzerland and Austria

Lithuania – LITH oo AY nee uh – republic of eastern Europe on the Baltic Sea; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Lombardy-Venetia – LAHM bar dee ven EE shuh – former kingdom in northern Italy

Lourenco-Marques – lo REHN SO mar KESS – district of southern Mozambique

Lubeck – LOO beck – former city and state of northern Germany

Luxembourg – LUCK sem boorg – grand duchy in Western Europe

M

Macao – muh KOW – Portuguese province on the South China Sea

Madagascar – MAD uh GAS kur – island republic in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa

Madeira – muh DEER uh – Portuguese islands in the Atlantic, northwest of Africa

Malawi – muh LAH wee – republic in eastern South Africa; formerly the British Nyasaland Protectorate

Malaya – muh LAY uh – region in southeast Asia on the Malayan Peninsula; together with other states in the region, known as Malaysia

Malaysia – muh LAY zhuh – country of southeast Asia, composed of Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah and until 1965, Singapore

Maldive Islands – mal DEEV – islands in Indian Ocean southwest of Ceylon; former British colony

Mali – mah lee – republic in western Africa; formerly the French colony of French Sudan

Malta – MAWL tuh – island in the Mediterranean, south of Sicily; formerly a British colony

Manama – mah NAH muh – capital of Bahrain

Manchukuo – man CHOO kwo – former state in eastern Asia

Mariana Islands – MAIR ee AN uh – islands in the western Pacific; former German colony; currently under U.S. administration

Marienwerder – mah REE ehn VER der – district of Prussia

Marshall Islands – MAHR shull – islands in the central Pacific, a former U.S. Trust Territory

Martinique – MAHR t’n EEK – former French island colony in the West Indies

Mauritania – MORE ih TAY nee uh – Africanrepublic; formerly part of French West Africa

Mauritius – maw RISH us – island in the Indian Ocean; former British colony

Mayotte – mah YAHT – one of the Comoro islands

Mecklenburg-Schwerin – MECK lun BURG shvair in – former grand duchy of Germany

Mecklenburg-Strelitz – MECK lun BURG STRAY litz – former grand duchy of Germany

Memel – MAY mul – district of Lithuania, on the Baltic Sea

Mesopotamia – MES oh poh TAY mee uh – former Turkish province; current name Iraq

Mexico – MEK sih ko – republic of north central America

Micronesia – my kro NEE shuh – islands of the western Pacific, north of the equator; a former U.S. Trust Territory

Middle Congo – KONG goh – former French colony in west Africa

Modena – MOD’n uh – former duchy in northern Italy

Moheli – maw uh LEE – one of the Comoro Islands

Moldavia – mahl DAY vee uh – former name of Moldova

Moldova – mahl DOH vuh – republic of southeastern Europe north of Romania; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Monaco – MAHN uh koh – principality on the Mediterranean Sea

Mongolia – mahn GOH lee uh – republic in central Asia between China and Siberia

Montenegro – MAHN tuh NEE groh – former kingdom in the Balkans; currently part of Yugoslavia

Montserrrat – MAWNT sehr RAHT – island in the West Indies; former British colony

Morocco – muh ROCK oh – kingdom in northwest Africa

Mozambique – mo zum BEEK – Socialist republic on the southeast coast of Africa; former Portuguese colony

Mozambique Co. – mo zum BEEK KOM pan ee – private company that acquired rights in districts of Mozambique, ending in 1942

Myanmar – my AN mar – republic of Southeast Asia; former name Burma

N

Nalatdlit Nunat – nah LAHT lit NEW not – official name of Greenland

Namibia – nah MIHB ee ya – formerly the German colony of South-West Africa; currently administered by South Africa in defiance of U.N. demands for withdrawal

Nanumaga – nah noo MA gah – one of the Tuvalu islands

Nanumea – nah noo MAY ah – one of the Tuvalu islands

Natal – nuh TAHL – former British colony on the southeast coast of Africa; now part of South Africa

Nauru – nah oo roo – island in the central Pacific Ocean; formerly under British mandate

Negri Sembilan – NAY grih SEM beh LON – sultanate on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula; now part of Malaysia

Nejd – NEH jid – region of central Saudi Arabia

Nepal – neh PAHL – kingdom in southern Asia between India and Tibet

Netherlands – NETH ur lundz – kingdom of northwest Europe

Netherlands Antilles – NETH ur lundz ahn TIL eez – group of islands in the West Indies belonging to the Kingdom of the
Netherlands; comprised of Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire

Netherlands Indies – NETH ur lundz IN deez – former Dutch colony in the East Indies

Netherlands New Guinea – NETH ur lundz noo GIN ee – western half of the island of New Guinea; now a possession of Indonesia

Nevis – NEE vis – formerly part of the British Leeward Islands Colony in the West Indies; currently with St. Kitts, an associated state of the British Commonwealth New Britain – BRIT ’n – one of the islands of Papua New Guinea

New Brunswick – BRUHNZ wick – former British colony in eastern Canada

New Caledonia – KAL uh DOHN yuh – French island in the South Pacific Ocean

New Guinea – GIN ee – island in the South Pacific, north of Australia; now part of Papua New Guinea

New Hebrides – HEB rih deez – islands in the South Pacific; previously administered jointly by France and Great Britain; now the independent republic of Vanuatu

New Republic – ree PUHB lik – former Boer (Dutch) republic and British colony; now part of South Africa

New South Wales – whales – former British colony in southern Australia

New Zealand – ZEE lund – island country in the South Pacific, southeast of Australia

Newfoundland – NOO fun lund – province of eastern Canada

Nicaragua – NICK uh RAH gwah – republic in Central America

Niger – NYE jur – republic in northern Africa; former French colony

Niger Coast Protectorate – part of the former British colony of Nigeria

Nigeria – nye JEER ee uh – republic in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; former British colony

Niue – nee OO ay – coral island in the South Pacific; associated with New Zealand

Niutao – nee oo TAH oh – one of the Tuvalu Islands

Norfolk Island – NOR fohk – island in the South Pacific under Australian administration

North Borneo – BOR nee oh – northeastern region of the island of Borneo; former British colony now part of the Malaysian Federation; current name Sabah

North German Confederation – kon FED er AY shun – former association of German states

Northern Rhodesia – roh DEE shuh – former British protectorate in southern Africa; current name Zambia

Norway – NOR way – kingdom of northern Europe; part of Scandinavia

Nossi-Be – NAW see BAY – island in Indian Ocean; former French protectorate

Nova Scotia – NO vah SKO shuh – former British colony in eastern Canada

Nui – NOO ee – one of the Tuvalu islands

Nukufetau – NOO koo FAY ta – one of the Tuvalu islands

Nukulaelae – NOO koo LAY lay – one of the Tuvalu islands

Nyasaland Protectorate – ny AHS uh LAND – former British territory in south-central Africa; current name Malawi

Nyassa – nye AHS uh – district in northwest Mozambique

O

Obock – OH boc – African seaport on the Gulf of Aden; part of the former French Somali Coast colony

Oltre Giuba – OHL trah JOO bah – part of Italian Somaliland in eastern Africa

Oman – oh MAHN – independent sultanate on the southeast coast of Arabia, on the Persian Gulf

Orange Free State – former British colony in South Africa

Ostland – AHST lund – German military district of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

P

Pahang – puh HANG – Malaysian state

Pakistan – PACK ih STAN – republic in south central Asia; formerly part of British India

Palau – pah LOO – island in Western Pacific; U.S. Trust Territory

Palestine – PAL es tine – region in the Middle East on the Mediterranean; now part of Israel

Panama – PAN uh maw – republic in Central America occupying the Isthmus of Panama

Papua New Guinea – PAH pooh uh NOO GIN ee – independent state occupying eastern New Guinea; former Australian colony

Paraguay – PAR ah gway – republic in central South America

Penang – pee NANG – former British possession on the Malay peninsula; now part of Malaysia

Penrhyn Island – PEN rihn – island in the South Pacific; part of the Cook Islands

Perak – PAY rahk – sultanate on the Malay peninsula; part of Malaysia

Perlis – PER lihs – former Siamese state on the Malay peninsula, now part of Malaysia

Peru – puh ROO – republic on the Pacific Coast of South America

Philippines – FILL ih peenz – large island republic in the southwest Pacific Ocean

Pitcairn Islands – PIT kairn – group of British-owned islands in the South Pacific Ocean

Poland – POE lund – republic of central Europe on the Baltic Sea

Ponta Delgada – PAHN tuh del GAH duh – chief city of the Azores

Portugal – POOR chew gull – republic in southwestern Europe

Portuguese Congo – POOR chew geese KON go – former Portuguese colony; now part of Angola

Portuguese Guinea – POOR chew geese Gin ee – former Portuguese Overseas Territory; now part of Guinea-Bissau

Portuguese India – POOR chew geese former Portuguese holdings; now part of India

Prince Edward Island – PRINTS ED wurd – Canadian island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; former British colony

Prussia – PRUSH ah – former kingdom in northern Germany

Puerto Rico – PWEAR toh REE koh – island in the West Indies; former Spanish colony, now a commonwealth in association with the U.S.

Q

Qatar – KAH tahr – Arab sheikdom on the Persian Gulf

Qu’aiti State – kwah AY tee – former British protectorate in south Arabia; now part of PeopleÕs Republic of Southern Yemen

Queensland – KWEENZ lund – former British colony in Australia

Quelimane – KEL ee MAHN uh – province in Mozambique

R

Ras al Khaima – RAS al KYE ma – sheikdom in eastern Arabia

Redonda – rih DON dah – an island of Antigua

Reunion – re YOON yun – island in the Indian Ocean; former French colony, now part of France

Rhodesia – roh DEE shuh – former British colony in southeastern Africa; current name Zimbabwe

Rio De Oro – REE oh day OR oh – former Spanish colony on the northwestern coast of Africa

Rio Muni – REE oh MOO nee – former Spanish colony on the Gulf of Guinea; now part of Equatorial Guinea

Roman States – ROH mahn – until 1870 the greater part of central Italy under papal control

Romania – roh main ee uh – former Communist republic in southeastern Europe

Ruanda-Urundi – roo AHN dah oo ROON dee – area of central Africa which became independent from Belgium as the Republic of Rwanda and the Kingdom of Burundi

Russia – RUSH uh – republic occupying the greater portion of eastern Europe and northern Asia; formerly the core of the Soviet Union

Rwanda – r WAHN duh – country in east-central Africa, south of the equator

Ryukyu Islands – ree OO kyoo – Japanese islands in the Pacific, extending from Japan to Taiwan

S

Saar – ZAHR – former state in western Germany

Sabah – SAH bah – state in northeast Borneo, part of Malaysia; formerly British North Borneo

Samoa – suh MOH uh – islands in the South Pacific, east of Fiji; Western Samoa is independent while eastern (American) Samoa is administered by the U.S.

San Marino – muh REE noh – independent republic in central Italy

Sao Tome & Principe – sow too MAY PREN see puh – former Portuguese colony of St. Thomas & Prince

Sarawak – suh RAH wahk – state on northwest coast of Borneo; part of Malaysia

Sardinia – sahr DIN ee uh – former kingdom in northwest Italy

Saudi Arabia – sah OO dee uh RAY bee uh – kingdom and largest country on the Arabian Peninsula

Saxony – SACK son ee – former German state

Schleswig – SCHLES vig – area of central Jutland Peninsula

Schleswig-Holstein – SCHLES vig HOLE schtine – former German duchies

Selangor – sah LAHNG gor – sultanate on the Malay Peninsula; now part of Malaysia

Senegal – sen eh GAWL – republic on the western coast of Africa; former French colony

Senegambia – SEN ih GAHM bee uh – former French colony in northwest Africa; now part of the republic of Mali

Serbia – SUR bee uh – former state in the Balkans; now part of Yugoslavia

Seychelles – say SHELL – group of islands in the western Indian Ocean; formerly a British colony, now a socialist state

Shanghai – SHANG high – major city and port of China

Sharjah – shahr JAH – sheikdom of the United Arab Emirates

Siberia – sy BEER ee uh – region of Asiatic Russia, stretching from the Ural mountains to the Pacific Ocean; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Sierra Leone – see AIR uh lee OHN – republic in western Africa; formerly a British colony

Singapore – SING uh pore – island republic on the Malay Peninsula; formerly a British colony

Slovakia – sloh VAH kee uh – province in eastern Czechkoslovakia

Slovenia – slo VEE nee uh – province of northwestern Yugoslavia

Solomon Islands – SAHL uh mun – former British islands in the western Pacific, east of New Guinea

Somali Coast – soh MAH lee – former French African colony on the Gulf of Aden

Somalia – soh MAHL uh – independent region on the eastern coast of Africa; formerly Italian Somaliland

Somaliland Protectorate – soh MAH lee LAND proh TECK tor et – former British protectorate in eastern Africa

South Africa – AF rick uh – republic bordered by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

South Arabia – uh RAY bee uh – former federation of British territories in southwestern Arabia

South Georgia – JOR juh – British island colony in the south Atlantic; part of the Falkland Islands

South Moluccas – mah LUCK us – a group of Indonesian islands which attempted unsuccessfully to gain independence from Indonesia
South-West Africa – former German colony now administered by South Africa; renamed Namibia by the United Nations

Spain – spayn – republic of southwestern Europe

Spanish Morocco – SPAN ish muh ROCK oh – northern region of Morocco; now part of the kingdom of Morocco

Spanish Sahara – SPAN ish suh HAIR uh – former Spanish colony in northwestern Africa; now claimed by Morocco

Sri Lanka – sree LAHNG kuh – island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of India; former British colony of Ceylon

St. Christopher – saynt KRIS toh fer – island in West Indies; current name St. Kitts

St. Helena – saynt huh LEE nuh – British colony in the Atlantic Ocean, including the islands of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

St. Kitts-Nevis – saynt kits NEE vis – islands in the West Indies; associated states in the British Commonwealth, now issuing stamps separately

St. Lucia – saynt LOO shuh – former British island colony in the West Indies

St. Pierre and Miquelon – SAWNT pee AIR MICK uh lahn – French islands south of Newfoundland

St. Thomas and Prince Islands – saynt TOM us prins – former Portuguese colony islands in the Gulf of Guinea; currently the independent Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe

St. Vincent – saynt VIN sunt – former British colony island in the West Indies

Stellaland – STEL ah LAND – Boer (Dutch) republic in southern Africa

Straits Settlement – strayts former British colony in Malaya

Sudan – soo DAN – republic in northeastern Africa, south of Egypt

Surinam – SOOR uh nahm – former Dutch colony in South America

Swaziland – SWAH zee land – kingdom in southern Africa; formerly a British protectorate

Sweden – SWEE dun – monarchy in northern Europe; part of Scandinavia

Switzerland – SWIHT sur lund – republic in western Europe

Syria – SIHR ee uh – Middle Eastern republic bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey and Lebanon

T

Tahiti – tah HEE tee – island in the South Pacific, now part of French Polynesia, a French Overseas Territory

Taiwan – tie WAHN – island home of the Nationalist Chinese government; located off the Pacific coast of The People’s Republic of China; also called China Republic; former name Formosa

Tajikistan – tah jeek ee STAHN – republic of south central Asia bordering Afghanistan and China; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Tanganyika – TAN gun YEE kuh – former German and British colony; current name Tanzania

Tangier – tan JEER – Moroccan city on the Strait of Gibraltar

Tannu Tuva – TAH noo TOO vah – area in northern Asia between Mongolia and Siberia; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Tanzania – tan ZAY nee uh – central African republic on the Indian Ocean; formerly the British colony of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Tasmania – taz MAY nee uh – island off the southeast coast of Australia; formerly the British colony of Van Diemen’s Land, now part of the Commonwealth of Australia

Thailand – TIE land – republic on the Malay Peninsula of southeast Asia; formerly the kingdom of Siam

Thurn and Taxis – thurn tahk sis-princely house which issued stamps in central Europe between the 1500’s and 1800’s

Tibet – tih BET – former independent nation in Himalayan region of central Asia, seized by China in the 1950’s. Tibet’s leader, the Dalai Lama, maintains a government-in- exile in India

Timor – tee MORE – southeast Indonesian island; a Portuguese colony

Tobago – tuh BAY go – former British island colony in the Caribbean Sea; now united with Trinidad

Togo – TOH goh – republic in West Africa bordering the Gulf of Guinea; formerly a German Protectorate, then a French mandate

Tokelau Islands – TOH kuh LOH – island group north of Samoa in the South Pacific; a dependency of New Zealand

Tonga – TAWNG guh – islands in the South Pacific, south of Samoa; formerly a British colony

Transkei – trans KAY – Black South African homeland on the Indian Ocean

Transvaal – tranz VAHL – province of the republic of South Africa

Travancore – trav an KOR – former state of southern India

Trengganu – tren GAH noo – former British protectorate; now part of Malaysia

Trieste – tree EST – former Italian territory at the north end of the Adriatic Sea

Trinidad – TRIH nih dad – island in the West Indies, now united with Tobago; former British colony

Tripolitania – TRIP uh lih TAY nee uh – former Italian colony in northern Africa

Tristan da Cunha – TRISS tan duh KOON yuh – British island in the South Atlantic Ocean

Trucial States – TROO shull – Arab sheikdoms of eastern Arabia

Tunisia – too NEE shuh – republic in northern Africa on the Mediterranean Sea; former French protectorate

Turkey – TUR kee – republic of southeastern Europe and western Asia, bordering the Black Sea, Syria and Iraq

Turkmenistan – turk men ee STAHN – republic of south central Asia, bordering Iran and Afghanistan; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Turks & Caicos Islands – turks KAY kus – British island group in the West Indies, south of the Bahamas

Tuscany – TUS kuh nee – former grand duchy in west-central Italy

Tuvalu – TOO vah loo – British islands in central-south Pacific; formerly Ellice Islands

Two Sicilies – SIS ill eez – former kingdom of Italy and Sicily

U

Ubangi-Shari – oo BON gee shah REE – former French colony in West Africa; current name Central African Republic

Uganda – yoo GAHN duh – country of east-central Africa; formerly a British protectorate

Ukraine – yoo KRANE – republic in southeastern Europe; formerly part of the Soviet Union

Umm al Qiwain – OOM ahl kye WINE – sheikdom of the United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates – Yoo nye ted AIR eb EM er its – federation of sheikdoms on the Persian Gulf side of the Arabian peninsula

United Nations – Yoo nye ted NAY shunz -organization for maintenance of international peace, with offices in New York City, Geneva, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria

Upper Silesia – UH per sih LEE shee uh – former German territory; now part of Poland

Upper Volta – UH per VOLE tuh – republic of western Africa; former French colony; current name Burkina Faso

Uruguay – YUR uh gway – republic in South America on the Atlantic Ocean

Uzbekistan – ooz bek ee STAHN – republic of south central Asia; formerly part of the Soviet Union

V

Vaitupu – vye TOO poo – one of the Tuvalu islands

Vanuatu – vaH noo ah too – island republic of South Pacific; formerly the British-French condominium of New Hebrides

Vatican City – VAT ih ken – independent papal state in Rome, Italy

Venda – VEHN duh – Black South African homeland

Venezuela – VEN uh ZWAY luh – republic on the northern coast of South America

Victoria – vick TOR ee uh – former British colony in southern Australia

Victoria Land – vick TOR ee uh LAND – region of Antarctica

Vietnam – VEE et NAHM – country in Southeast Asia; formerly part of French Indo-China

W

Wallis & Futuna Islands – WAHL is foo TOO nah – two island groups in the South Pacific; a French protectorate

Wenden – vehn dehn – former district of the Russian province of Livonia; now part of Latvia and Estonia

West Indies – IN deez – several groups of islands lying between North and South America, separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea; also called the Antilles – an TILL eez

West Irian – EAR ee in – western half of New Guinea; former Dutch colony nowunder Indonesian administration

Western Sahara – sah HAIR ah – region of northwest Africa claimed by Morocco; formerly called Spanish Sahara

Wurttemberg – VUR tem BURG – former kingdom in Germany

Y

Yemen – YEM un – ancient state in southwest Arabia; divided today into the Yemen Arab Republic and South Yemen

Yugoslavia – YOO goh SLAH vee uh – former Communist republic in southeastern Europe bordering the Adriatic Sea

Z

Zaire – zah EAR – republic of west-central Africa; formerly the Belgian Congo and Congo Democratic Republic

Zambezia – zam BEE zee uh – a former district of Mozambique

Zambia – ZAM bee yuh – republic in southern Africa; formerly the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia

Zanzibar – ZAN zuh BAR – group of islands off the eastern coast of Africa; formerly a British protectorate; now part of Tanzania

Zimbabwe – zim BOB way – republic of south-central Africa; formerly the British colony of Rhodesia

Zululand – ZOO loo land – province of South Africa; formerly part of the British colony of Natal

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