How many nations are there in the Naruto universe? How many total countries are present in the Naruto universe, including small or less significant ones? Are there only the five nations which participated in the war?
There are for sure more than the big five nations. I never watched a single episode of Naruto, but I will try to provide an answer here. You only ask for the nations, but I will add a list of the villages too.



This map is made by xShadowRebirthx. This is not a official map and also some places could be differ from the original! Click on the image to enlarge the map.

The countries in Naruto operate as separate political entities and are presumably all monarchies, ruled by feudal lords who stand equally in rank with the hidden villages' leaders.

The great five countries

Five of the countries are considered to be the most powerful and influential of them all.


Land of Earth





  The country is mostly comprised of desolate, rocky areas. The border
  of the Land of Earth runs along a rocky mountain range, blocking
  communication with other countries. The wind blowing from the north
  passes over these mountains, carrying small rocks from the Land of
  Earth to the surrounding countries.



Land of Fire





  The Land of Fire is appropriately oriented towards the element of
  fire, typically having very bright and warm weather. While not the
  physically largest country, it has the largest hidden village.



Land of Lightning





  In the centre of the country are vast mountain ranges, whose many
  thunderstorms are said to give the country its name. From these
  mountain ranges, many rivers flow to the sea, creating a very crooked
  coastline that displays an impressive oceanic beauty. There are many
  hot springs located within the country.



Land of Water





  The country's weather is typically cool and the islands are usually
  covered by mist. The islands themselves also feature many lakes. The
  nation is oriented towards the element of water.



Land of Wind





  The country covers a vast realm, but that realm is largely composed of
  deserts. Because there is very little rainfall throughout the year,
  the people of the country live in villages built on one of the
  desert's many oases. Despite the country's extremely harsh
  environment, it has a large population.


So there are all countries listed, here are four more of the bigger ones


Land of Iron
Land of Snow
Land of Sound
Land of Sky


Minor countries



I also found some other wich I could not assign to a catagory. These are the Land of Grass, Land of Rain, Land of Read Beans, Land of Rice Fields, Land of the Waterfall, Land of Udon and Land of Waves.

Shinobi Villages/Hidden Villages

Shinobi villages, or also called hidden villages, are ninja villages that serve as the military force for their country.



In summary, there are the 5 big nations, the 4 smaller one which make 9 nations. There are 28 minor countries (or 7 more if you count the not categorized countries) and 31 hidden villages.

Most of the information are from the Narutopedia. Other information from the frozen site narutoarikiri. A cached version is available here.