Sovereign states by year: List of sovereign states in 1978 – Events of 1979 – List of sovereign states in 1980

States With Wide Recognition

A

• Afghanistan - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
•  Albania - Socialist People's Republic of Albania
•  Algeria - People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
•  Andorra - Principality of Andorra
•  Angola - People's Republic of Angola
•  Argentina - Argentine Republic
•  Australia - Commonwealth of Australia
•  Austria - Republic of Austria

B

•  The Bahamas - Commonwealth of the Bahamas
•  Bahrain - State of Bahrain
•  Bangladesh - People's Republic of Bangladesh
•  Barbados
•  Belgium - Kingdom of Belgium
•  Benin - People's Republic of Benin
•  Bhutan - Kingdom of Bhutan
•  Bolivia - Republic of Bolivia
•  Botswana - Republic of Botswana
•  Brazil - Federative Republic of Brazil
•  Bulgaria - People's Republic of Bulgaria
•  Burma - Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
• Burundi - Republic of Burundi

C

•  Cameroon - United Republic of Cameroon
•  Canada - Dominion of Canada
•  Cape Verde - Republic of Cape Verde
• Central African Empire (to September 20), Central African Republic (from September 20)
  • Central African Empire (to September 20),
  • Central African Republic (from September 20)
•  Chad - Republic of Chad
•  Chile - Republic of Chile
•  China - People's Republic of China
•  Colombia - Republic of Colombia
•  Comoros - Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros
•  Congo - People's Republic of Congo
•  Costa Rica - Republic of Costa Rica
•  Cuba - Republic of Cuba
•  Cyprus - Republic of Cyprus
•  Czechoslovakia - Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

D

•  Denmark - Kingdom of Denmark
•  Djibouti - Republic of Djibouti
•  Dominica - Commonwealth of Dominica
•  Dominican Republic

E

•  Ecuador - Republic of Ecuador
•  Egypt - Arab Republic of Egypt
•  El Salvador - Republic of El Salvador
•  Equatorial Guinea – Republic of Equatorial Guinea
•  Ethiopia - Socialist Ethiopia

F

•  Fiji - Dominion of Fiji
•  Finland - Republic of Finland
•  France - French Republic

G

•  Gabon - Gabonese Republic
•  The Gambia - Republic of the Gambia
•  Germany, East - German Democratic Republic
•  Germany, West - Federal Republic of Germany
•  Ghana - Republic of Ghana
•  Greece - Hellenic Republic
•  Grenada
•  Guatemala - Republic of Guatemala
•  Guinea - Republic of Guinea
•  Guinea-Bissau - Republic of Guinea-Bissau
•  Guyana - Co-operative Republic of Guyana

H

•  Haiti - Republic of Haiti
•  Honduras - Republic of Honduras
•  Hungary - People's Republic of Hungary

I

•  Iceland - Republic of Iceland
•  India - Republic of India
•  Indonesia - Republic of Indonesia
• Iran
  • Imperial State of Iran (to April 1)
  • Islamic Republic of Iran (from April 1)
•  Iraq - Republic of Iraq
•  Ireland - Republic of Ireland
•  Israel - State of Israel
•  Italy - Italian Republic
•  Ivory Coast - Republic of Ivory Coast

J

•  Jamaica
•  Japan
•  Jordan - Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

K

• Kampuchea (Disputed between two governments from January 10)
  • Democratic Kampuchea
  • People's Republic of Kampuchea (from January 10)
•  Kenya - Republic of Kenya
•  Kiribati - Republic of Kiribati (from July 12)
•  Korea, North - Democratic People's Republic of Korea
•  Korea, South - Republic of Korea
•  Kuwait - State of Kuwait

L

•  Laos - Lao People's Democratic Republic
•  Lebanon - Lebanese Republic
•  Lesotho - Kingdom of Lesotho
•  Liberia - Republic of Liberia
•  Libya - Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
•  Liechtenstein - Principality of Liechtenstein
•  Luxembourg - Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

M

•  Madagascar - Democratic Republic of Madagascar
•  Malawi - Republic of Malawi
•  Malaysia
•  Maldives - Republic of Maldives
•  Mali - Republic of Mali
•  Malta - Republic of Malta
•  Mauritania - Islamic Republic of Mauritania
•  Mauritius
•  Mexico - United Mexican States
•  Monaco - Principality of Monaco
•  Mongolia - People's Republic of Mongolia
•  Morocco - Kingdom of Morocco
•  Mozambique - People's Republic of Mozambique

N

•  Nauru - Republic of Nauru
•  Nepal - Kingdom of Nepal
•  Netherlands - Kingdom of the Netherlands
•  New Zealand - Dominion of New Zealand
•  Nicaragua - Republic of Nicaragua
•  Niger - Republic of Niger
•  Nigeria - Federal Republic of Nigeria
•  Norway - Kingdom of Norway

O

• Oman - Sultanate of Oman

P

•  Pakistan - Islamic Republic of Pakistan
•  Panama - Republic of Panama
•  Papua New Guinea - Independent State of Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay - Republic of Paraguay
•  Peru - Peruvian Republic
•  Philippines - Republic of the Philippines
•  Poland - People's Republic of Poland
•  Portugal - Portuguese Republic

Q

•  Qatar - State of Qatar

R

•  Romania - Socialist Republic of Romania
•  Rwanda - Rwandan Republic

S

• Saint Lucia (from February 22)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (from October 27)
•  San Marino - Most Serene Republic of San Marino
•  São Tomé and Príncipe - Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
•  Saudi Arabia - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
•  Senegal - Republic of Senegal
•  Seychelles - Republic of Seychelles
•  Sierra Leone - Republic of Sierra Leone
•  Singapore - Republic of Singapore
•  Solomon Islands
•  Somalia - Somali Democratic Republic
•  South Africa - Republic of South Africa
•  Soviet Union - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
• Spain - Kingdom of Spain
•  Sri Lanka - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
•  Sudan - Democratic Republic of the Sudan
•  Suriname - Republic of Suriname
•  Swaziland - Kingdom of Swaziland
•  Sweden - Kingdom of Sweden
•  Switzerland - Swiss Confederation
•  Syria - Syrian Arab Republic

T

•  Tanzania - United Republic of Tanzania
•  Thailand - Kingdom of Thailand
•  Togo - Togolese Republic
•  Tonga - Kingdom of Tonga
•  Trinidad and Tobago - Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
•  Tunisia - Republic of Tunisia
•  Turkey - Republic of Turkey
•  Tuvalu

U

•  Uganda - Republic of Uganda
•  United Arab Emirates
•  United Kingdom - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
•  United States - United States of America
•  Upper Volta - Republic of Upper Volta
•  Uruguay - Eastern Republic of Uruguay

V

•  Vatican City - State of the Vatican City
•  Venezuela - United States of Venezuela
•  Vietnam - Socialist Republic of Vietnam

W

•  Western Samoa - Independent State of Western Samoa

Y

•  Yemen, North - Yemen Arab Republic
•  Yemen, South - People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
•  Yugoslavia - Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Z

•  Zaire - Republic of Zaire
• Zambia - Republic of Zambia

States Without Wide Recognition

•  Bophuthatswana - Republic of Bophuthatswana
• Rhodesia (to June 1), Zimbabwe Rhodesia (June 1 to December 12)
  • Republic of Rhodesia (to June 1)
  • Republic of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia (June 1 to December 12)
• Rwenzururu - Kingdom of Rwenzururu
•  Sahrawi Republic - Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic^[1]
•  Taiwan - Republic of China^[2]
•  Transkei - Republic of Transkei
•  Venda - Republic of Venda (from September 13)
• For Zimbabwe Rhodesia, see Rhodesia

United Nations Trust Territories

•  Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (administered by the United States)
  •  Marshall Islands - Republic of the Marshall Islands (from May 1)
  •  Micronesia - Federated States of Micronesia (from May 10)

Notes