Countries That Start With N: Complete List of 11 Nations

There are 11 countries that start with the letter N: Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, and Norway.

Introduction

The N countries include Nigeria — Africa's most populous nation — and the Netherlands, one of the world's most densely populated countries. They span four continents and include everything from Pacific island micro-states to wealthy Nordic nations.

This guide covers all 11 N countries with key geographic data and interesting facts.

Namibia

• Capital: Windhoek
• Continent: Africa
• Population: ~2.6 million
• Area: 824,292 km²

Namibia is a large, sparsely populated Southern African country home to the Namib Desert — considered the world's oldest desert at 55–80 million years. Its Skeleton Coast is famous for shipwrecks and seal colonies.

Fun fact: Namibia was the first country in the world to incorporate environmental protection into its constitution, and over 40% of its land is under conservation management.

Nauru

• Capital: Yaren (de facto)
• Continent: Oceania
• Population: ~12,500
• Area: 21 km²

Nauru is the third-smallest country by area and the smallest republic in the world. This tiny phosphate island in the Pacific was once the richest country per capita due to phosphate mining, but strip mining left 80% of the island barren.

Fun fact: Nauru has no official capital city — Yaren is the de facto capital but has no formal designation.

Nepal

• Capital: Kathmandu
• Continent: Asia
• Population: ~31 million
• Area: 147,181 km²

Nepal is a landlocked Himalayan country between China and India, home to eight of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, including Mount Everest (8,849 m), the highest point on Earth.

Fun fact: Nepal's flag is the only non-rectangular national flag in the world — it consists of two stacked triangular pennants.

Netherlands

• Capital: Amsterdam
• Continent: Europe
• Population: ~17.9 million
• Area: 41,543 km²

The Netherlands is a low-lying Western European country, with about a third of its land below sea level. It is a global leader in water management, having reclaimed vast areas of land from the sea over centuries.

Fun fact: The Netherlands is the world's second-largest agricultural exporter by value, despite being only about the size of Maryland — a testament to its hyper-efficient farming.

New Zealand

• Capital: Wellington
• Continent: Oceania
• Population: ~5.2 million
• Area: 268,021 km²

New Zealand is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific, known for its stunning landscapes — from volcanoes to fjords — that served as the filming location for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Fun fact: New Zealand has roughly 10 sheep for every person and was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893.

Nicaragua

• Capital: Managua
• Continent: North America (Central America)
• Population: ~7 million
• Area: 130,373 km²

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, with two large lakes — Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua. Lake Nicaragua is one of the few freshwater lakes in the world that contains bull sharks.

Fun fact: Nicaragua's Lake Nicaragua (Cocibolca) is the largest lake in Central America and one of only two places in the world where freshwater sharks are found.

Niger

• Capital: Niamey
• Continent: Africa
• Population: ~27 million
• Area: 1,267,000 km²

Niger is a large landlocked Saharan/Sahelian country in West Africa with the world's highest fertility rate at approximately 6.7 children per woman. Over 80% of its territory is covered by the Sahara Desert.

Fun fact: Niger's Saharan region contains some of the most spectacular dinosaur fossil sites in the world, including the remains of the massive Nigersaurus.

Nigeria

• Capital: Abuja
• Continent: Africa
• Population: ~230 million
• Area: 923,768 km²

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and its largest economy. It has over 250 ethnic groups speaking more than 500 languages. Lagos, its largest city, is one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world.

Fun fact: Nigeria's film industry, "Nollywood," is the second-largest in the world by volume of films produced, surpassing Hollywood and second only to India's Bollywood.

North Korea

• Capital: Pyongyang
• Continent: Asia
• Population: ~26 million
• Area: 120,538 km²

North Korea (DPRK) is one of the most isolated and secretive nations on Earth, a single-party state under the Kim dynasty since 1948. It is separated from South Korea by the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Fun fact: North Korea and Finland are separated by just one country — Russia borders both, making them geographically closer than most people realize.

North Macedonia

• Capital: Skopje
• Continent: Europe
• Population: ~2 million
• Area: 25,713 km²

North Macedonia is a landlocked Balkan country that changed its name from "Macedonia" to "North Macedonia" in 2019 to resolve a decades-long naming dispute with Greece.

Fun fact: Ohrid Lake, shared with Albania, is one of Europe's oldest and deepest lakes, estimated to be 2–3 million years old, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Norway

• Capital: Oslo
• Continent: Europe
• Population: ~5.5 million
• Area: 385,207 km²

Norway is a Nordic country famous for its dramatic fjords, northern lights, and one of the world's highest standards of living. Its sovereign wealth fund, generated from North Sea oil revenues, is the largest in the world at over $1.5 trillion.

Fun fact: Norway's coastline, including all its fjords and islands, stretches over 100,000 km — enough to circle the Earth roughly 2.5 times.

Key Facts

• There are 11 countries that start with the letter N.
• Nigeria is the largest N country by population (230 million).
• Niger is the largest N country by area (1.27 million km²).
• Nauru is the smallest N country and the smallest republic in the world.
• Nepal is home to 8 of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.

Fun Facts

• Nepal's flag is the only non-rectangular national flag in the world.
• Norway's sovereign wealth fund owns about 1.5% of all global stocks.
• Nauru went from richest country per capita to one of the poorest in just decades.
• The Netherlands would be largely underwater without its system of dikes and levees.

Final Thoughts

The 11 N countries range from Africa's most populous nation to the world's smallest republic, from Himalayan peaks to North Sea fjords. Each offers unique geographic and cultural lessons that enrich our understanding of the world.