The 5 Countries That Start With R in 2024

Countries that start with the letter R include the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the Republic of the Congo, Romania, Russia, and Rwanda. Read on to learn more about these fascinating countries!

Somehow, you’d think there would be a long list of countries that start with the letter R. After all, so many countries consider themselves republics. However, according to the U.S. State Department, there are only five countries in the world whose official names begin with the letter R. We’ll briefly introduce each of these countries, as well as compare their vital statistics.

1. Republic of Korea (South Korea)

The country commonly known as South Korea is officially named the Republic of Korea. Its neighbor to the north is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or North Korea. Before World War II, Japan took over the Korean Peninsula and ruled it harshly as a colony. After the war, the Allies decided to divide the peninsula. The zone of Russian occupation was in the north and the American occupation was in the south. This was not intended to be a permanent arrangement. However, as the Cold War heated up, the two sides could not agree on a way to reunite the peninsula. As a result, each half was organized into a state ideologically similar to the powers occupying it.

North Korea attacked South Korea in 1950 and nearly succeeded in reuniting the peninsula by force. However, the Allies pushed troops back nearly to the Chinese border. This provoked a Chinese invasion that forced the Allies back to the halfway point of the peninsula again. Since 1953, the conflict has been frozen, as each side builds up military forces. In the case of North Korea, these forces include nuclear weapons. Military power is the only area where North Korea has the advantage, though. South Korea is a wealthy, highly educated, and technologically advanced society. In recent years, it has had a growing influence on Western culture through K-pop music and K-drama film. This has also helped make it an increasingly popular tourist destination.

2. Republic of the Congo

Don’t confuse the Republic of the Congo with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, its larger neighbor to the east. The Republic of the Congo was part of the French colony of Equatorial Africa before it gained independence in 1960. After experimenting with Marxism from 1969-1992, the country began having democratic elections. For most of the country’s history, Denis Sassou Nguesso has ruled.

The economy is based largely on oil production, but the wealth is not distributed equally. This has led to unrest, including a civil war in 1997. Agriculture, logging, and handicrafts are major contributors to the economy. Additionally, significant mineral deposits have not yet been fully exploited. The Republic of the Congo has a wide variety of natural habitats, including beaches, savannas, wetlands, forests, and mountains. The country has an estimated 125,000 western lowland gorillas. An inhospitable swamp that keeps people away has preserved their territory.

3. Romania

Romania is a country in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. It shares borders with Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria. In popular culture, its Transylvanian region is associated with vampire legends. This is thanks to the cruel exploits of the 15th-century regional ruler Vlad the Impaler, whose name speaks for itself. Over the last several hundred years, Romania has been caught in the middle of conflicts between larger powers. These included the Ottoman Empire versus the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany versus Russia, and the Soviet Union versus the United States.

At the end of World War II, Romania was occupied by Russia and had a communist dictatorship forced upon it. The Romanian people violently removed this government from power in 1989 and went on to build a democratic, pro-western society. Today, it is a member of the European Union and the NATO military alliance.

4. Russia

The origins of Russia are usually traced to the state of Kievan Rus. The Vikings founded this state in Kyiv, Ukraine. It expanded to include a large part of Ukraine, Belarus, and European Russia. An invasion and over 240 years of occupation by the Mongols interrupted and altered Russia’s growth and development. But in the 15th century, Russia regained its autonomy and began expanding across the thinly populated frozen lands across Northern Asia. It became the largest country in the world in land area.

Despite its large size, Russia has a generally poor geographic position. Most of its territory is frozen for much of the year and inhospitable for development. It’s pointless to build roads in much of Siberia because the cycles of freezing and thawing would require annual rebuilding. Most of the rivers in the country flow north into the Arctic Ocean, away from the hotter, drier regions to the south where residents need water.

Russia has very few warm-water ports. Instead, most of its ports freeze over in winter and are unusable. And many of Russia’s borders don’t follow any natural features like mountains or rivers that would aid in defensibility. Instead, they are often arbitrary lines across flat plains and forests. These issues have contributed to Russia’s aggressive approach to neighboring countries to try to extend its sphere of influence.

5. Rwanda

Rwanda is a small country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa. It shares borders with Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Even though it is small in land area, it is the most densely populated country in mainland Africa. The two main tribes in the country are the Hutus and the Tutsis, and unfortunately, they are sharp rivals. The worst of their power struggle culminated in a genocide in 1994 that tragically claimed up to 800,000 lives.

However, there’s much more to Rwanda than this unspeakably tragic historical episode. Rwanda sits at a high altitude, so even though it is near the Equator it has a temperate climate. It’s called the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” as the center of the country is full of rolling hills. The west has high volcanic mountains, and to the east are savannas, plains, and swamps. The country has a remarkable number of lakes for its small size, including Lake Kivu, one of the deepest lakes in the world.

This terrain supports a large number of iconic African animals, including 1/3 of the world’s mountain gorilla population, large numbers of chimpanzees and other primates, and savanna animals like giraffes and elephants. South Africa has helped Rwanda re-introduce lions and endangered white and black rhinos into the wild. Rwanda also has over 670 bird species and a large variety of praying mantises.

Countries That Start With R, by Population

Among the countries that start with R, Russia has the largest population by far. However, it is only the 9th most populous country in the world. Other countries’ populations are rapidly surpassing Russia’s because of its low population growth rate, high levels of emigration, and losses in the war with Ukraine.

Countries that Start with R, by Land Area

Russia is the largest country in the world by land area. It spans 11 time zones from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean. Most of Russia’s population is in the European part of the country and in a line of cities along the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean.

Countries that Start with R, by Date of Independence

Surprisingly, Romania is the oldest country that starts with R by date of independence, and Russia is actually the youngest. Although Romania has had several changes of government since it became an independent country in 1877, it has continued to exist as an entity. Russia, on the other hand, was part of the Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1990. Only from that date has Russia existed as an independent country in its present borders.

Summary of the 5 Countries That Start With R

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