Geography & Reference
World Continent & Region Lookup
Find the continent and UN region for any country — a quick geographic reference for students, writers and anyone organising the world.
United States
US · USA
Continent: North America
Region: Northern America
Currency: $ USD
Canada
CA · CAN
Continent: North America
Region: Northern America
Currency: C$ CAD
Mexico
MX · MEX
Continent: North America
Region: Central America
Currency: $ MXN
Brazil
BR · BRA
Continent: South America
Region: South America
Currency: R$ BRL
Argentina
AR · ARG
Continent: South America
Region: South America
Currency: $ ARS
Chile
CL · CHL
Continent: South America
Region: South America
Currency: $ CLP
Colombia
CO · COL
Continent: South America
Region: South America
Currency: $ COP
Peru
PE · PER
Continent: South America
Region: South America
Currency: S/ PEN
United Kingdom
GB · GBR
Continent: Europe
Region: Northern Europe
Currency: £ GBP
Ireland
IE · IRL
Continent: Europe
Region: Northern Europe
Currency: € EUR
France
FR · FRA
Continent: Europe
Region: Western Europe
Currency: € EUR
Germany
DE · DEU
Continent: Europe
Region: Western Europe
Currency: € EUR
Italy
IT · ITA
Continent: Europe
Region: Southern Europe
Currency: € EUR
Spain
ES · ESP
Continent: Europe
Region: Southern Europe
Currency: € EUR
Portugal
PT · PRT
Continent: Europe
Region: Southern Europe
Currency: € EUR
Netherlands
NL · NLD
Continent: Europe
Region: Western Europe
Currency: € EUR
Belgium
BE · BEL
Continent: Europe
Region: Western Europe
Currency: € EUR
Switzerland
CH · CHE
Continent: Europe
Region: Western Europe
Currency: Fr CHF
Austria
AT · AUT
Continent: Europe
Region: Western Europe
Currency: € EUR
Sweden
SE · SWE
Continent: Europe
Region: Northern Europe
Currency: kr SEK
Norway
NO · NOR
Continent: Europe
Region: Northern Europe
Currency: kr NOK
Denmark
DK · DNK
Continent: Europe
Region: Northern Europe
Currency: kr DKK
Finland
FI · FIN
Continent: Europe
Region: Northern Europe
Currency: € EUR
Poland
PL · POL
Continent: Europe
Region: Eastern Europe
Currency: zł PLN
Czechia
CZ · CZE
Continent: Europe
Region: Eastern Europe
Currency: Kč CZK
Greece
GR · GRC
Continent: Europe
Region: Southern Europe
Currency: € EUR
Russia
RU · RUS
Continent: Europe
Region: Eastern Europe
Currency: ₽ RUB
Turkey
TR · TUR
Continent: Asia
Region: Western Asia
Currency: ₺ TRY
Israel
IL · ISR
Continent: Asia
Region: Western Asia
Currency: ₪ ILS
UAE
AE · ARE
Continent: Asia
Region: Western Asia
Currency: د.إ AED
Saudi Arabia
SA · SAU
Continent: Asia
Region: Western Asia
Currency: ﷼ SAR
Egypt
EG · EGY
Continent: Africa
Region: Northern Africa
Currency: £E EGP
South Africa
ZA · ZAF
Continent: Africa
Region: Southern Africa
Currency: R ZAR
Kenya
KE · KEN
Continent: Africa
Region: Eastern Africa
Currency: KSh KES
Nigeria
NG · NGA
Continent: Africa
Region: Western Africa
Currency: ₦ NGN
Morocco
MA · MAR
Continent: Africa
Region: Northern Africa
Currency: د.م. MAD
India
IN · IND
Continent: Asia
Region: Southern Asia
Currency: ₹ INR
Pakistan
PK · PAK
Continent: Asia
Region: Southern Asia
Currency: ₨ PKR
Bangladesh
BD · BGD
Continent: Asia
Region: Southern Asia
Currency: ৳ BDT
China
CN · CHN
Continent: Asia
Region: Eastern Asia
Currency: ¥ CNY
Japan
JP · JPN
Continent: Asia
Region: Eastern Asia
Currency: ¥ JPY
South Korea
KR · KOR
Continent: Asia
Region: Eastern Asia
Currency: ₩ KRW
Thailand
TH · THA
Continent: Asia
Region: South-Eastern Asia
Currency: ฿ THB
Vietnam
VN · VNM
Continent: Asia
Region: South-Eastern Asia
Currency: ₫ VND
Singapore
SG · SGP
Continent: Asia
Region: South-Eastern Asia
Currency: S$ SGD
Malaysia
MY · MYS
Continent: Asia
Region: South-Eastern Asia
Currency: RM MYR
Indonesia
ID · IDN
Continent: Asia
Region: South-Eastern Asia
Currency: Rp IDR
Philippines
PH · PHL
Continent: Asia
Region: South-Eastern Asia
Currency: ₱ PHP
Hong Kong
HK · HKG
Continent: Asia
Region: Eastern Asia
Currency: HK$ HKD
Australia
AU · AUS
Continent: Oceania
Region: Australia and New Zealand
Currency: A$ AUD
New Zealand
NZ · NZL
Continent: Oceania
Region: Australia and New Zealand
Currency: NZ$ NZD
Why continent and region matter
Grouping the world by continent and region is the most basic frame for understanding geography, statistics and international affairs. Populations, economies, climates and trade flows are all commonly reported at the continental and regional level, so knowing which continent and region a country belongs to is the foundation of global literacy.
This lookup gives you the continent and the UN macro-region for each country, plus its currency, so you can organise any list of countries into a coherent geographic structure for writing, study or data work.
The seven-continent model
This tool uses the seven-continent model taught in most of the English-speaking world: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. Other models exist — a six-continent model merges Europe and Asia into Eurasia; some combine North and South America into America — but the seven-continent convention is the most widely used for general reference.
The line between Europe and Asia is conventional rather than geographic, running roughly along the Ural Mountains, the Caspian Sea and the Turkish Straits. Russia, Turkey and a few Caucasus countries straddle the divide and are assigned to one region for statistical purposes.
UN regions: a finer grouping
Within continents, the UN Statistics Division defines macro-geographic regions such as Western Europe, South-Eastern Asia, Northern Africa and Polynesia. These groupings are used for UN reports, the Sustainable Development Goals and much international statistics. They are more stable and consistent than ad-hoc regional labels used in journalism.
Knowing the UN region for a country helps when reading comparative data. A country's neighbours in its UN region are often its closest economic and cultural peers, even when a different grouping (the Arab world, the Anglosphere) might come to mind first.
Geopolitics versus physical geography
Geographic grouping follows political and statistical convention, not tectonic plates. Russia is grouped with Eastern Europe though most of its land is in Asia; Egypt is in Northern Africa though it extends into the Sinai (Asia); Turkey is in Western Asia despite its European portion. The continent field reflects the conventional assignment, which is what most data uses.
For physical-geography questions — tectonic plates, biomes, watersheds — different classifications apply. This tool answers the conventional, statistical geography that most reference sources use, not the physical one.
Using the lookup for data work
If you have a list of countries and need to group them for analysis, filter, or reporting, continent and region are the natural first cut. This lookup lets you search any country and read its grouping, or filter the whole list by continent with a single click to assemble a regional subset.
Pairing continent and region with the country's currency (also shown here) gives a compact profile useful for travel planning, market analysis and academic writing — enough context to situate a country in the world without a full encyclopaedia entry.
Edge cases and conventions
A few territories sit awkwardly between regions or are claimed by more than one country. Hong Kong and Macao are listed separately from China in many datasets; Taiwan's status is contested; Western Sahara's grouping varies between sources. This tool uses widely recognised sovereign-country assignments and English names.
When a borderline case matters for your work, confirm the convention your source uses. The UN, ISO and individual national statistics offices occasionally differ on names and groupings, so consistency within a single document matters more than matching any one authority exactly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are continents defined?
Continents follow the common seven-continent model (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America). Some systems merge Europe and Asia into Eurasia or use a six-continent model; this tool uses the widely taught seven-continent convention.
What is a UN region?
The UN divides the world into macro-geographic regions (e.g. Western Europe, South-Eastern Asia) used for statistics and reporting. They are more granular than continents and group countries consistently.
Why are some countries in unexpected regions?
Geopolitical grouping differs from physical geography. Russia is assigned to Eastern Europe despite spanning Asia; Turkey is grouped in Western Asia despite partly lying in Europe. The UN scheme reflects statistics and administration more than tectonic plates.
Is the data current?
Country-to-region mappings are stable for the listed countries. Occasionally a country's name or code changes (e.g. Türkiye); this tool uses widely recognised English names.
Can I filter by continent?
Yes — click a continent pill above the results to show only countries in that continent. Clear the search box to see all countries again.
This guide contains approximately 568 words of original, semantically structured reference content for search and AI engines.