Are There Countries That Start With Y? Just 1

In English, Yemen is the only country that starts with the letter Y. robert paul van beets / Shutterstock

When people ask how many countries start with the letter Y, the answer is surprisingly simple: There is only one country whose English name begins with that letter.

That country is Yemen. While many countries contain the letter Y somewhere in their names—such as Norway, Hungary, Paraguay or Malaysia—only Yemen actually starts with the letter Y.

Contents

Yemen: The Only Country That Starts With Y
Culture, Religion, and Language in Yemen
Former Countries That Started With Y
Dependent Territories and Other Places With Y

Yemen: The Only Country That Starts With Y

Yemen is the only country in the world whose name begins with the letter Y in the English language. Officially known as the Republic of Yemen, the state sits on the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East.

The country borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east, while its southern coastline faces the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Yemen's capital city is Sana'a, although the ongoing conflict has complicated political control in the country.

With a population of tens of millions of people, Yemen has a long and rich history. Archaeological evidence shows that humans have lived in the region since at least the Paleolithic period. Ancient Yemen once consisted of powerful trading city‑states that controlled valuable trade routes across Arabia.

The production and sale of frankincense and myrrh helped make these early kingdoms wealthy and influential. Because of this trade network, Yemen became an important center linking Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

Culture, Religion, and Language in Yemen

Today Yemen remains known for its strong traditions and cultural identity. Yemeni culture places great value on family, community, and clan relationships.

Islam plays a central role in society. Nearly the entire population is Muslim, with roughly 60 percent identifying as Sunni and about 40 percent as Shi'a.

Arabic is the official language of Yemen and is widely spoken across the country. It is used in government services, education, and media throughout the republic.

Despite its cultural heritage, Yemen is considered the poorest country in the Middle East. The nation has faced severe economic challenges and has been engulfed in a civil war that began in 2014.

Former Countries That Started With Y

Some former countries once appeared in lists using the letter Y. The most famous example is Yugoslavia, a state that existed in southeastern Europe during much of the 20th century.

Yugoslavia began to break apart in the early 1990s into several independent states. Today those countries include Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

Although Yugoslavia is no longer a country today, it still appears in many historical articles discussing countries that once started with the letter Y.

Dependent Territories and Other Places With Y

In addition to former countries, some dependent territories and geographic places also start with the letter Y. However these locations are not independent sovereign states, so they are not included when counting countries.

This distinction explains why the list of countries that start with Y contains only one entry in the modern world.

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