Today a common way to define a country is say that if it's a member of the United Nations, it's a country. However, the Holy See, or Vatican, isn't a member of the United Nations, but it certainly is a country. The United Kingdom is a member of the United Nations, but the countries of England, Scotland and Ireland aren't, so by the UN rule, they aren't countries.
That of course goes against what the UK government states where it declares that " The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. " So yes voters should be supporting the UK Gov. You know it makes sense!
So, if you really want to know how many countries there are, first select the definition you want to use, then allow for where you are and what political views you have, then you have a chance of making an educated guess at the answer!
However the following are generally accepted as Countries.
Afghanistan - Kabul
Albania - Tirane
Algeria - Algiers
Andorra - Andorra la Vella
Angola - Luanda
Antigua and Barbuda - Saint John's
Argentina - Buenos Aires
Armenia - Yerevan
Australia - Canberra
Austria - Vienna
Azerbaijan - Baku
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B
The Bahamas - Nassau
Bahrain - Manama
Bangladesh - Dhaka
Barbados - Bridgetown
Belarus - Minsk
Belgium - Brussels
Belize - Belmopan
Benin - Porto-Novo
Bhutan - Thimphu
Bolivia - La Paz (administrative) Sucre (judicial)
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo
Botswana - Gaborone
Brazil - Brasilia
Brunei - Bandar Seri Begawan
Bulgaria - Sofia
Burkina Faso - Ouagadougou
Burundi - Bujumbura
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C
Cambodia - Phnom Penh
Cameroon - Yaounde
Canada - Ottawa
Cape Verde - Praia
Central African Republic - Bangui
Chad - N'Djamena
Chile - Santiago
China - Beijing
Colombia - Bogota
Comoros - Moroni
Congo, Republic of the - Brazzaville
Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Kinshasa
Costa Rica - San Jose
Cote d'Ivoire - Yamoussoukro (official) Abidjan (de facto)
Croatia - Zagreb
Cuba - Havana
Cyprus - Nicosia
Czech Republic - Prague
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D
Denmark - Copenhagen
Djibouti - Djibouti
Dominica - Roseau
Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo
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E
East Timor - Dili
Ecuador - Quito
Egypt - Cairo
El Salvador - San Salvador
Equatorial Guinea - Malabo
Eritrea - Asmara
Estonia - Tallinn
Ethiopia - Addis Ababa
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F
Fiji - Suva
Finland - Helsinki
France - Paris
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G
Gabon - Libreville
Gambia (The)- Banjul
Georgia - Tbilisi
Germany - Berlin
Ghana - Accra
Greece - Athens
Grenada - Saint George's
Guatemala - Guatemala City
Guinea - Conakry
Guinea-Bissau - Bissau
Guyana - Georgetown
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H
Haiti - Port-au-Prince
Honduras - Tegucigalpa
Hungary - Budapest
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I
Iceland - Reykjavik
India - New Delhi
Indonesia - Jakarta
Iran - Tehran
Iraq - Baghdad
Ireland (Southern)- Dublin
Israel - Jerusalem
Italy - Rome
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J
Jamaica - Kingston
Japan - Tokyo
Jordan - Amman
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K
Kazakhstan - Astana
Kenya - Nairobi
Kiribati - Tarawa
Korea, North - Pyongyang
Korea, South - Seoul
Kuwait - Kuwait City
Kyrgyzstan - Bishtek
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L
Laos - Vientiane
Latvia - Riga
Lebanon - Beirut
Lesotho - Maseru
Liberia - Monrovia
Libya - Tripoli
Liechtenstein - Vaduz
Lithuania - Vilnius
Luxembourg - Luxembourg
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M
Macedonia - Skopje
Madagascar - Antananarivo
Malawi - Lilongwe
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
Maldives - Male
Mali - Bamako
Malta - Valletta
Marshall Islands - Majuro
Mauritania - Nouakchott
Mauritius - Port Louis
Mexico - Mexico City
Federated States of Micronesia - Palikir
Moldova - Chisinau
Monaco - Monaco
Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar
Montenegro - Podgorica
Morocco - Rabat
Mozambique - Maputo
Myanmar (Burma) - Rangoon but moving to Pyinmana
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N
Namibia - Windhoek
Nauru - has no official capital
Nepal - Kathmandu
Netherlands - Amsterdam
New Zealand - Wellington
Nicaragua - Managua
Niger - Niamey
Nigeria - Abuja
Norway - Oslo
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O
Oman - Muscat
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P
Pakistan - Islamabad
Palau - Koror
Panama - Panama City
Papua New Guinea - Port Moresby
Paraguay - Asuncion
Peru - Lima
Philippines - Manila
Poland - Warsaw
Portugal - Lisbon
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Q
Qatar - Doha
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R
Romania - Bucharest
Russia - Moscow
Rwanda - Kigali
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S
Saint Kitts and Nevis - Basseterre
Saint Lucia - Castries
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Kingstown
Samoa - Apia
San Marino - San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe - Sao Tome
Saudi Arabia - Riyadh
Senegal - Dakar
Serbia and Montenegro - Belgrade
Seychelles - Victoria
Sierra Leone - Freetown
Singapore - Singapore
Slovakia - Bratislava
Slovenia - Ljubljana
Solomon Islands - Honiara
Somalia - Mogadishu
South Africa - Pretoria (administrative) Bloemfontein (judiciary) and Cape Town (legislative)
Spain - Madrid
Sri Lanka - Colombo
Sudan - Khartoum
Suriname - Paramaribo
Swaziland - Mbabana
Sweden - Stockholm
Switzerland - Bern
Syria - Damascus
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T
Taiwan - Taipei
Tajikistan - Dushanbe
Tanzania - Dar es Salaam
Thailand - Bangkok
Togo - Lome
Tonga - Nuku'alofa
Trinidad and Tobago - Port-of-Spain
Tunisia - Tunis
Turkey - Ankara
Turkmenistan - Ashgabat
Tuvalu - Funafuti
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U
Uganda - Kampala
Ukraine - Kiev
United Arab Emirates (UAE)- Abu Dhabi
United Kingdom - London
United States - Washington D.C.
Uruguay - Montevideo
Uzbekistan - Tashkent
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V
Vanuatu - Port-Vila
Vatican City (Holy See) - Vatican City
Venezuela - Caracas
Vietnam - Hanoi
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W
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X
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Y
Yemen - Sanaa
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Z
Zambia - Lusaka
Zimbabwe - Harare
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