Different searches yield different results, but the fact is that there are 195 countries in this world. However, On July 9, 2011, South Sudan will be declared as independent, and will be the newest addition in the list of countries, changing the figure from 195 to 196.
A very common misconception is that there are 192 countries in the world. There are 192 countries as part of the United Nations, and that is the usually the figure used to represent the number of countries in the world, but as mentioned, that is incorrect. Vatican City, and Kosovo are two countries which are not part of the United Nation, but are nevertheless self-ruling countries (although the name Vatican City would make you think it is a city but in actual it is an independent country) .
That totals to 194. The 195th country is Taiwan. Some say Taiwan is an independent country, while others say it is not. China says Taiwan is simply a province of itself, while Taiwan struggles to be recognized as a self-governing country. Assuming Taiwan is independent, we have our 195th in the count.
It is important to note that there are several territories and colonies which are mixed up as countries. Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland form one country, which is the United Kingdom. Palestine, Puerto Rico, Greenland. Bermuda, and Western Sahara are actually governed by other countries hence they lack the independence required to be officially counted as a country.
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