 Independent sovereign nations claim the planet 's entire land surface , except for some parts of Antarctica , a few land parcels along the Danube river 's western bank , and the odd unclaimed area of Bir Tawil between Egypt and Sudan . As of 2015 , there are 193 sovereign states that are member states of the United Nations , plus two observer states and 72 dependent territories and states with limited recognition . Historically , Earth has never had a sovereign government with authority over the entire globe although a number of nation @-@ states have striven for world domination and failed . 
