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Countries Beginning with I

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There are nine countries in the world whose names start with the letter “I.”

1. Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast is a state in West Africa. As the world’s largest cocoa producer and exporter, the country has secured relative prosperity. 40 percent of the world’s total production comes from the Ivory Coast. A total of six million people live from the export or cultivation of cocoa.

  • Continent/Region: West Africa
  • Language: French
  • Capital: Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative capital)
  • Currency: CFA Franc (West) (XOF)

2. India

India is a state in South Asia that covers most of the Indian subcontinent. With a current population of 1.25 billion, India is the second most populous country on earth after China. India is one of the leading countries in the world in industries such as information technology or research, including biotechnology in particular. India is also known for its Hindi film production, also known as Bollywood.

  • Continent/Region: South Asia
  • Languages: English, Hindi
  • Capital: New Delhi
  • Currency: Indian rupee (INR)

3. Indonesia

Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world, consists of more than 13,000 islands, 6,000 of which are uninhabited, stretching over 5,150 km and located in the volcanic zone with over 300 mostly extinct volcanoes. In terms of landscape, the islands are quite different; some have mountains or plateaus, others consist of flat coastal plains and alluvial land. Tourism is an important source of income for the country. Bali alone is visited by around four million tourists every year.

  • Continent/Region: Southeast Asia
  • Language: Indonesian
  • Capital: Jakarta
  • Currency: Rupiah (IDR)

4. Iraq

Known as the “cradle of civilization”, Iraq is currently rather crisis-ridden. The north of the country is the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan, which has its own parliament and its own official language, Kurdish. After the fall of the old regime under Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s economy is slowly recovering.

  • Continent/Region: West Asia
  • Language: Kurdish
  • Capital: Baghdad
  • Currency: Iraq Dinar (IQD)

5. Iran

Iran, located on the border between the Middle East and Asia, is around four and a half times the size of Germany at 1,648,195 km². Imports and exports from and to Iran are restricted by the embargo that has existed for years, but are basically possible.

  • Continent/Region: West Asia
  • Language: Persian
  • Capital: Tehran
  • Currency: Rial (IRR)

6. Ireland

Ireland is an island nation in Western Europe. In March 2014, Ireland became the first EU country to introduce a total smoking ban in all public places. With this decision, Ireland took a pioneering role in Europe. Likewise, permission to enter into same-sex marriage – Ireland was the first country in the world to vote in a referendum in 2015 for legalization.

  • Continent/Region: North Europe
  • Language: English, Irish
  • Capital: Dublin
  • Currency: Euro (EUR)

7. Iceland

With around 103,000 square kilometers, Iceland is the second largest island state in Europe in terms of area. Iceland does not officially have its own military, but is still a member of NATO. In the event of an alliance, it has agreed to provide medical assistance. In 2015, accession to the EU was refused.

  • Continent/Region: North Europe
  • Language: Icelandic
  • Capital: Reykjavik
  • Currency: Icelandic krona (ISK)

8. Israel

The independent State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948, and since its independence the State of Israel has had a checkered and troubled history. The Palestine conflict grew into the Arab-Israeli Middle East conflict, but Israel is a highly developed industrial country, the 36th largest economy in the world and a member of the OECD. It has the highest standard of living in the Middle East and the third highest in Asia.

  • Continent/Region: West Asia
  • Languages: Arabic, Hebrew
  • Capital: Jerusalem
  • Currency: Shekel (ILS)

9. Italy

Italy is a parliamentary republic in southern Europe and a founding member of the European Economic Community (EEC) from 1957. Italy has the fourth largest economy in the EU and the eighth largest in the world.

  • Continent/Region: South Europe
  • Language: Italian
  • Capital: Rome
  • Currency: Euro (EUR)