All Countries Beginning With B | The Full List Explained

You’re here for a clean, reliable list of countries that begin with “B”. You’ll get that fast, plus the small details that save time when you’re studying: capitals, ISO codes, spelling traps, and a few memory tricks that don’t feel corny.

One note before we roll: people use the word “country” in two ways. Some mean “sovereign state” (a self-governing nation recognized in global bodies). Others mean “place with a flag and a name,” which can include territories. This article sticks to sovereign countries, then gives you a quick way to spot the territory look-alikes so you don’t mix them into your homework.

What counts as a country for this list

This list uses “country” to mean a sovereign state with its own government and diplomatic recognition in common international references. That keeps the list steady and avoids mixing in territories that share governance with another country.

If you want to double-check a country name spelling, two solid references are the United Nations list of Member States and the ISO Online Browsing Platform for standardized country codes. Those two sources help when you’re working with official forms, datasets, shipping fields, or exam prep.

A few “B” names can look like they belong on the list, yet they don’t fit this rule:

• Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory, not a sovereign country.
• Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands, not a sovereign country.
• British Virgin Islands is a British Overseas Territory, not a sovereign country.
• Bouvet Island is a territory of Norway, not a sovereign country.

If your teacher or worksheet uses “countries and territories,” you can add those separately. If it says “countries,” stick with the 17 below.

All Countries Beginning With B In Alphabetical Order

Here’s the full set of sovereign countries that start with “B” in English. Use it as a checklist, then scan the next sections for spelling and memory notes.

Alphabetical list of country names

1. The Bahamas
2. Bahrain
3. Bangladesh
4. Barbados
5. Belarus
6. Belgium
7. Belize
8. Benin
9. Bhutan
10. Bolivia
11. Bosnia and Herzegovina
12. Botswana
13. Brazil
14. Brunei
15. Bulgaria
16. Burkina Faso
17. Burundi

Pronunciation and spelling notes that help in exams

Spelling errors cost marks more often than missing facts. These notes target the “gotcha” parts people miss when writing fast.

• The Bahamas: many style guides keep “The” as part of the official short name. If you alphabetize, some lists file it under “B” anyway.
• Bahrain: two “a” sounds, one word. Don’t slip an extra “e” into it.
• Bangladesh: ends with “-desh,” not “-dish.”
• Barbados: “Barb-” then “-ados.” People often drop the second “a.”
• Belarus: one word, not “Bella-” anything. Keep it tight.
• Belize vs Benin: both start “Be-,” yet they’re short and easy to swap if you rely on shape alone.
• Bhutan: the “h” comes right after “B” (Bh-), which is rare in English spellings.
• Bolivia: ends “-via,” not “-vya.”
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: “Herzegovina” is the part people miss. Write it slowly once, then speed up.
• Botswana: no “u” after the “t.” It’s “Bots-,” then “-wana.”
• Brunei: ends “-ei,” not “-ay.”
• Burkina Faso: two words. Keep the space.
• Burundi: ends “-ndi.” Don’t turn it into “-ndy.”

If you’re learning flags or capitals, don’t start there. Get the spellings smooth first. Once the names come out clean, capitals become easier to attach.

Capitals and ISO codes for every B country

This table is the study-friendly version: country name, capital city, and ISO alpha-2 code. The code is the two-letter standard used in many forms and datasets.

Country	Capital	ISO alpha-2
The Bahamas	Nassau	BS
Bahrain	Manama	BH
Bangladesh	Dhaka	BD
Barbados	Bridgetown	BB
Belarus	Minsk	BY
Belgium	Brussels	BE
Belize	Belmopan	BZ
Benin	Porto-Novo	BJ
Bhutan	Thimphu	BT
Bolivia	Sucre (constitutional), La Paz (seat of government)	BO
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sarajevo	BA
Botswana	Gaborone	BW
Brazil	Brasília	BR
Brunei	Bandar Seri Begawan	BN
Bulgaria	Sofia	BG
Burkina Faso	Ouagadougou	BF
Burundi	Gitega	BI

One entry needs a quick note: Bolivia has a constitutional capital (Sucre) and a seat of government (La Paz). You’ll see both in different materials, so write what your class expects, or include both if you’re allowed.

Ways to group the B countries so they stick

If you try to memorize 17 items as one long chain, your brain fights back. Grouping gives you hooks. Pick one grouping style and run it for a week.

Group by region

This is a clean method for geography classes because it lines up with map work.

• Americas: The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil
• Europe: Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria
• Africa: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi
• Asia: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei

Group by name shape

This trick helps with spelling because it uses patterns you can see.

• Ends with “-land”: none in this set, so don’t waste time hunting for it.
• Two-word country names: Burkina Faso
• Three-word country names: Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Starts with “Ba-”: The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados
• Starts with “Be-”: Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin
• Starts with “Bu-”: Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi

That “Ba- / Be- / Bu-” split is neat because it covers most of the list. Then you only need to place Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, and Brunei.

Common mix-ups and how to avoid them

Mix-ups happen when two names feel similar, or when you learned them in the same week. The table below gives quick separators you can recall under time pressure.

Mix-up	How to tell them apart	Memory cue
Belarus vs Belgium	Belarus is in Eastern Europe; Belgium is in Western Europe.	Belgium has Brussels; both start “Bel-,” so pair Belgium with “B” for Brussels.
Belize vs Benin	Belize is in Central America; Benin is in West Africa.	Benin sits near the Bight of Benin on maps of West Africa.
Bhutan vs Brunei	Bhutan is in the Himalayas; Brunei is on the island of Borneo.	Brunei and Borneo share “Br- / Bor-” sounds.
Botswana vs Bosnia and Herzegovina	Botswana is in southern Africa; Bosnia and Herzegovina is in Europe.	Botswana has “tsw” in the middle, a rare letter cluster.
Burkina Faso vs Burundi	Burkina Faso is two words; Burundi is one word.	“Faso” is a second word you can see right away.
The Bahamas vs Bahrain	The Bahamas is in the Atlantic near Florida; Bahrain is in the Persian Gulf.	The Bahamas has “ham” in the spelling; Bahrain has “rain.”
Bangladesh vs Barbados	Bangladesh is in South Asia; Barbados is in the Caribbean.	Bangladesh ends “-desh,” Barbados ends “-dos.”
Bolivia vs Bulgaria	Bolivia is in South America; Bulgaria is in Europe.	Bolivia has “-via,” Bulgaria has “-garia.”
Brazil vs Brunei	Brazil is in South America; Brunei is in Southeast Asia.	Brazil is the larger landmass you likely learned early; Brunei is smaller and often paired with Borneo.
Barbados vs Belize	Barbados is an island; Belize has a Caribbean coastline and land borders.	Barbados sounds like “bar” + “bados,” and it’s a single island dot on many maps.

Mini drills for remembering the list without cramming

If you want recall that holds, do short drills, not one long session. Ten minutes beats an hour when it’s consistent.

Two-pass write test

1. Write the 17 country names from memory.
2. Circle any name you hesitated on.
3. Rewrite only the circled names three times, slowly, with clean spelling.

Capital pairing drill

Take five countries at a time. Say the country, then the capital, out loud. If you stumble, check the table, then repeat the pair twice.

Map pointer drill

Open a blank world map and point to the region first, then the country. Region first keeps you from guessing based on the first letter alone.

Printable checklist you can copy into notes

Copy this into your notebook or a study doc. Then tick each item after you can spell it cleanly and name its capital.

• The Bahamas — Nassau
• Bahrain — Manama
• Bangladesh — Dhaka
• Barbados — Bridgetown
• Belarus — Minsk
• Belgium — Brussels
• Belize — Belmopan
• Benin — Porto-Novo
• Bhutan — Thimphu
• Bolivia — Sucre (constitutional), La Paz (seat of government)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — Sarajevo
• Botswana — Gaborone
• Brazil — Brasília
• Brunei — Bandar Seri Begawan
• Bulgaria — Sofia
• Burkina Faso — Ouagadougou
• Burundi — Gitega

If you only need the country names for a quiz, stop at the first list. If your quiz includes capitals or codes, the table is your fastest study sheet.