3 (or 4) Countries That Start With R

Russia, officially the Russian Federation, is the biggest example among countries that start with R. It is the largest country in the world and stretches across eastern Europe and northern Asia, crossing 11 time zones.

Its landscape includes tundra, taiga, steppe, and mountain systems. One famous example is Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake on Earth and one of Russia's most remarkable natural landmarks.

Moscow and St. Petersburg are the country's best-known urban centers, while the Ural Mountains help mark the divide between Europe and Asia. Russia's size, population, and political history make it one of the most prominent countries in the world.

Romania is another country that starts with the letter R. It is located in southeastern Europe—part of the broader eastern Europe region in many geographic groupings—and it borders Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria.

The capital is Bucharest, a major city with more than 1.7 million people according to the 2021 census. Romania's terrain includes the Carpathian Mountains, plains, and the Danube River, which eventually reaches the Black Sea.

Romania's most famous region is Transylvania, a name closely tied to Dracula stories in popular culture. Bran Castle is one of the country's best-known places to visit because of that connection, though Romania's real history goes far beyond vampire legends.

The country's name comes from the Latin word Romanus, which means a citizen of the Roman Empire. That helps explain why the Romanian language is a Romance language even though Romania sits among many Slavic-speaking neighbors such as Bulgaria, Serbia and Ukraine and other states in eastern Europe.

Rwanda is the third commonly listed country among countries that start with R. It is a small, landlocked nation in Africa—often described as being in East-Central Africa or Central Africa, depending on the source.

Rwanda is widely known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills" because of its mountainous terrain. Kigali, the capital, is the country's political and economic center and has become well known for its clean streets, growing arts scene, and active markets.

One major reason travelers visit Rwanda is Volcanoes National Park, where people can trek to see endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. The country has earned global attention for conservation as well as for the rebuilding and reforms that followed the 1994 genocide.

Rwanda also became known for environmental policy when it introduced a nationwide ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags in 2008. In recent years the country has continued to focus on development, though challenges such as unemployment still affect daily life.

Whether the Republic of the Congo belongs on a list of countries that start with R depends on how strictly you read country names. In formal English, its official name absolutely starts with the letter R, which is why some articles count four countries instead of three.

This country is often called Congo-Brazzaville to distinguish it from the much larger Democratic Republic of the Congo across the river. The shorter everyday name, Congo, can make it look like it should not appear in lists built around the letter R, but the full official name says otherwise.

The Republic of the Congo lies in Central Africa and includes a large stretch of rainforest. More than 60 percent of its territory is covered by forest that forms part of the Congo Basin, the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world after the Amazon.

The reason the answer can shift is simple: Country names are not always used the same way in every list. If you count only the most common short names in English, there are three countries that start with R: Russia, Romania, and Rwanda.

If you include the Republic of the Congo by its official name, then it becomes a fourth example. That is why some articles say three while others say four.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.