I study countries! I think it's fascinating how each is a distinct entity in political geography!
What is a country?
It can actually mean several things. Most are independent sovereign states or a country could be occupied by another state. In the latter case, they are known as non-sovereign. 
How many countries do we have in the world
195! Can you believe that?! The concept of a country is very old. It comes from the latin word "contrata" which meant land spread before.
Wow I never knew, what more can you tell me about country
independent states".
Etymology and usage.
The word "country" comes from Old French "contrée", which derives from Vulgar Latin ("terra") "contrata" ("(land) lying opposite"; "(land) spread before"), derived from "contra" ("against, opposite"). It most likely entered the English language after the Franco-Norman invasion during the 11th century.
In English the word has increasingly become associated with political divisions, so that
Country
A country is a region that is identified as a distinct entity in political geography. 
A country may be an independent sovereign state or part of a larger state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with sets of previously independent or differently associated people with distinct political characteristics. Regardless of the physical geography, in the modern internationally accepted legal definition as defined by the League of Nations in 1937 and reaffirmed by the United Nations in 1945, a resident of a country