Top 10 Most Influential Countries in the History of the World

The continued development of the changing times also life people in the world. More countries are more advanced civilization of the change. But did you know that the most influential countries of the world be like now?
The Top Ten
1 United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly shortened to United Kingdom, UK or Britain is a Sovereign State located of the Northwestern coast of Europe. It is a Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy currently lead by Monarch Queen Elizabeth II and its current prime minister is Boris Johnson. The UK is a Unitary State consisting of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is currently a member state of the European Union, but as of 2016 has start the withdrawal process, and is set to leave the Union in October 2019. ...read more.

USA number 1? Pah! England/Britain has invented world-changing things such as: television, trains, discovery of DNA, football, rugby, cricket, tennis, golf, the telephone, the first police force, underground travel system, the internet... We gave the world the English language; America has to contend with just having a bad accent. England has the most famous royal family in the world and our Queen is the most powerful woman in the world. England has to be number one just for the fact that we are such a small country but we are the most powerful and influential country on Earth. I'm so proud to tell everyond that I am ENGLISH! Long live this green and pleasant land. The world would be nothing without this tiny but mighty country. VOTE ENGLAND!

I think this should be combined with the rest of the British Isles as our people are one. Britain has made valuable contributions to politics, law, warfare, science, medicine, mechanics, communication, art, literature, music, education, etc. Our Empire stretched across the world, we owned much of the North American continent, the Australian continent, the Indian subcontinent, parts of Southeast Asia, much of the African continent, most of the Middle East and countless islands.

Though Britain is the most influential in history, I think it's also important to note that we have a much longer history than the USA. The US has definitely been more influential since its conception, though it wouldn't exist if not for Britain.

England has the best history. They ruled the sea and the most powerful country of them all. They shaped the world we know today. They saved us from 2 world wars, with the population to this day of 53.01 million.

England also is the birth place for the most famous writers of all time J. K Rowling, Lewis carol, Charles Dickens and many, many more. A British man named Alan Turing made the very first computer in the second world war. It was also home to the most smartest famous people of all time such as: Robert Stephenson, Isaac newton and many, many, many more. The history of kings and queens is huge. They to this day have one of the strongest army's. They to this day rule the sky. They made almost all the inventions you use to this day. They also have the best University's such as Cambridge, Oxford and more. The Britannia empire is still to this day an amazing beautiful country. I myself have been their several times and love it their. The people are courteous, knowledgeable and ...more

As a country don't talk about England but Britain. It is not England but Britain that made the modern world. The industrial revolution began here, Capitalism began here, Governance through mass participation began here, Almost every modern scientific theory (Newton, Faraday, Darwin, Tim Berners -Lee, Fleming, Francis Crick, Paul Dirac) not to mention the engineers and of course Shakespeare, etc. What country has given more to the modern world that Britain? The world as we know it is the product of Britain, For good or bad no country in human history has influenced the world more. The USA is after all nothing more than the product of a people who drove its concept of equality before the law. Lets be fair Washington himself said "he was and always would be an Englishman".

2 United States of America The United States of America, or the U.S.A. for short, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, 48 of them are contiguous states. There are two other states, Alaska and Hawaii, which are north and south of the contiguous states, respectively. The United States declared its independence from the British Empire in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence. They won their independence in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris. Its capital, Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) is defined by imposing neoclassical monuments and buildings including the iconic ones that house the federal government's 3 branches: the Capitol, White House and Supreme Court. Though it has no official language, English and ...read more.

For being such a short-lived country no other in history has accomplished so much. There are many flaws and abuses; however, no conquering country has been as lenient and helpful to the conquered as the U.S. (Germany, Japan, and the former Soviet bloc). The current Pax Americana has led to more world freedom and prosperity than any other ruling civilization in history. The U.S Constitution is the longest living ruling document in history and continues to serve the U.S. very well - a tribute to it's writers. Even the lower middle class of the world live better than most kings of antiquity. Without the U.S. and its pivotal role in stopping tyranny in the 20th century this would not be the case.

I think most people do forget that Rock and Roll, R&B, Jazz, Blues and genres all originated in the U.S. and for some reason every other country has benefited from the sounds that were created here in the U.S.. It's not a brag it is a part of history as any other historical creation from any country. I just have to say they are rather popular and originated here in the U.S.. I'm not saying anything about which groups are better and from what countries. To me that is not important since I enjoy music from many countries. I just want younger people from any country to understand where the main sounds that influence modern music anywhere came from as an art form. It's not the most important contribution but since music is considered to be an important form of expression they should understand where these genres of music originated. Recognize those individuals who are the pioneers even if they are from America and are from a past that sounds simple to today's music. These pioneers did not ...more

I shamefully admit I voted for two countries. Italy and USA. Great Britain is mighty but I have to stop at some point. I pick USA because it's the most powerful nation in human history and is the leader and protector of Western civilization. It was the fist nation to be founded on the principles of liberty; a splendid libertarian experiment of gargantuan significance in the annals of human history. I don't think this can be repeated enough. It IS the quintessential entrepreneurial, cutting edge society. There's a spirit to America I can't quite place my finger on. I see it everywhere I go. People will claim America's culture is superficial - and to this they may have a point but the country is only a couple of centuries old. But in that time frame it changed the course of history - but I feel there's depth (outstanding music, inventors and intellects, wonderful food, wicked sports culture, jaw dropping metropolises, vibrant and engaged political debate open FOR ALL TO SEE, great ...more

From a military stand point the United States is the most powerful country in the history of the world. Its m4 carbine with its small profile and high rate of accuracy means that the Americans are equipped with one of the best rifles in the world. The Bravado, M60, and Mk43, Light machine guns used by the American armed forces are some of the best 308 machine guns in the world. The 300 win mag and Barret 50 caliber sniper rifle are very accurate and deadly. The Americans also have some of the best training in the world as it takes over 2 million dollars just to get one soldier all the way through basic training and equip them. The US Navy Seals are also highly trained and some of the best soldiers in the world. The M1a2 Abrams main battle tank has only one equal found in the British challenger 2. America also has an large fleet consisting of several aircraft carriers. The United States also has a large nuclear arsenal. America has also developed a new improved version of its railgun ...more

3 Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin, featuring thousands of islands. The country consists of nine traditional geographic regions, and has a population of approximately 10.7 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest ...read more.

Not so much influential now, but historically yes, a lot of history. Now it's not that populated, doesn't have the best economy, not a useful language, probably heavily relies on tourism

Greece, is the most influential! The world runs with Greece's achievements! The people of ancient Greece lived nearly 4,000 years ago. Yet even today, their culture impacts our lives! We received many gifts from the ancient Greeks, and we should respect and acknowledge them! The largest accomplishment the Ancient Greeks did was that they developed, and introduced Philosophy, Literature, theater, poetry, music, physics, Beauty pageants, astronomy, laws, Mathematics, and just about everything to the West, and to the whole world, which is the basis of their own cultures today. Greece should be first without a question!

This votes are crap. After I typed this topic into google, I discovered this in google search. It is really weird to vote USA on top or England on second. It is not like, that those countries have influenced the world with totally new technologies. They just improved them. What is Japan's best thing to do. For me, it is a race between The Roman Empire, Greece, Germany (in modern influences), Egypt, Assyrian. Because they discovered and influenced new technologies and the way to them the most.
And Greek should definitely be first. I don't know what stupid persons are voting here, but I am stupid myself to go here...

If there is 1 "good" category where Greece deserves to be 1st, then this is the one. Most Influential country in history hands down, and really you can remove all the others from the list, there is no competition. That's how much important Greece is. Without her (and the Italian renaissance afterwards) the rest of us would really be like thousands of years in the dark. Anyone that thinks the opposite, is simply uneducated and needs to go back to school. And no I am not Greek.

4 France France, officially the French Republic, is a sovereign state comprising territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European part of France, called metropolitan France, extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. France spans 675,000 km2 (251,000 mi2) and has a total population of 67 million (data from 2017). ...read more.

France has a pretty corrupt bad government honestly, but they were historically powerful. They are super rich (mainly Paris) Kinda snooty though.

This largest country is situated in West European region. This country stands at sixth level in the list of world's most powerful and influential countries. The education level of this country is famous all over the world. The main earning industry of this country is perfume industry and the country earns a lot from this industry. According to a survey report issued by WHO, the France has world's top class health facilities infrastructure. France is also permanent member of United Nations Security Council. There are no religious laws in the legal framework of this country. The space industry of this country is also very powerful and the army of this country is also very strong. It is said about this country that in addition to providing, the air force of this country is well equipped with the latest helicopters and aircraft. By "countries," I mean current countries based on current boundaries, so France of course is in top 8. And based on the last 500 years, France anyway is in the ...more

Quite simply no other country except perhaps England and Spain has had such an impact on the world. France for most of its multi-millenial history dominated Europe, controlling it very directly for decades as late as the 19th century, and its power within Europe was responsible for example for the alliance of Scotland with England, and the unifications of both Germany and Italy. These countries developed out of opposition to France. France also colonised half of North America, large parts of Africa (and as such drew the borders of many countries there), had a strong influence in Japan and colonised many Southeast Asian countries (Indochina). I am not talking about any cultural influence which has also been huge, just political and military influence here. So much of the world we know today has been influenced and often even designed by France. If you know any history, you know France should take #1.

"Haute couture", "Haute cuisine", enlightenment, French poetry, literature, French revolution, Napoleon's "Code civil", croissants, "Guide Michelin", Le Tour de France, French House (Daft Punk, Bob Sinclar, Justice etc), the metric system, which has been created after the revolution and is still used by a lot of countries, Norman conquest of England, the French is spoken in 40 countries, French "Champagne", which is drunk in many opportunities (weddings...), French wine, French cheese, lingerie, French cinema, tourism, museums (Le Louvre, which is the biggest museum in the world), many French inventions or discoveries: Polonium/radium, radioactivity, blood transfusion, stethoscope, aspirin, first hand transplant, first face transplant, taxi, airplanes, internal combustion engine, submarines, helicopter, Concorde, Denim, modern Bikini, Tanks, modern olympic games, FIFA world cup, UEFA Euro cup...

5 China China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of more than 1.4 billion. China spans five geographical time zones and borders 14 countries, the second most of any country in the world after Russia. Covering an area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the world's third or fourth largest country. The country consists of 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The national capital is Beijing, and the most populous city and financial center is Shanghai. Chinese (Mandarin) is the only official ...read more.

Super powerful nation, competes with the U.S, is one of the oldest nations. Has a very corrupt government, but I like their food and some aspects of Chinese culture

I am a proud Chinese. Yes the Americans have somehow played a big role in the 19th, 20th and 21st century, but China is the origin of the Chinese, Japanese and Korean culture. China had been the strongest nation on earth some centuries ago. Its culture is the only one of the four great ancient civilizations(Egyptian, Indian, Babylon and Chinese) to last to today. If the Europeans and the Americans had not attacked China, and if China was a part of the Industrial Revolution, China would be way stronger than America now. It is very possible that China will rise to a world superpower in the 21st century. China will eventually get out of communism and have the real democracy. Though China will be a big nation, it would not invade any nation on earth because the most important Chinese value is to make peace between every man.

China, a country that is made up of more than 1.5 billion people. Even before the massive acceleration of the growth of the human race, China still remains a great country. The Ancient Chinese managed to unify many lands and people together and as time went on, this got more stable and bigger.
It also affected directly most of Asia. Their culture is one of the oldest ones around, and pierced its way, through direct and indirect contact with other countries. Countries like Mongolia, North and South Korea, Japan, all use scripts that are derived from the Chinese. Their religions are also because of their influence.
And as of today, it'd be no understatement to say that China is one of the strongest countries and most influential in the global economy and trade.

China is unparalleled in history. It was one of the first centralized states as we think of a centralized state today - Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria and India being the others. What's different for China is that it undoubtedly was the largest one by far. For most of human history China had the biggest population and economy BY FAR, centralized within the same state. This was very conducive for huge innovation in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. In modern history China fell a bit short but it looks like China is rising again.

6 Italy Italy, (Italian: Repubblica Italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe.

Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2. With almost 62 million inhabitants, it is the 3rd most populous EU member state. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino and Vatican City. The Capital and largest city is Rome. Other major cities are Milano, Naples, Turino, Venice, Florence. Italy's official language is Italian. ...read more.

Influential back then, not much now. The economy is okay, the food is good, not a useful language but they speak good English, Italy is becoming more diverse and progressive

Italy was known as "The Mother of the World" during the Roman period; thus implying its major contributions to the world. From art, to food even language and government. Every corner of the world has a piece of Italian influence. Latin America was colonized by Spain and Portugal, but the language of Spanish and Portuguese are based off of Latin which was Proto-Italian. China was visited by Marco Polo, the African country of Somalia got its name from Italian. And there is speculation that the first non-native people to set foot onto North America were Romans; needless to say that Europe as a whole was influenced by Italy as well, especially during the Roman period and the renaissance.

Without the Italian culture, the world as we know today would not exist. First, the Italian nation should come first. Second thing: England is part of the United Kingdom. Third thing: Italy is culture, including its fabulous gastronomy, ( not French cuisine that it's a copy of Italian, like Paris with Rome) if you go to Italy you will go home happy. Italy is the country with the largest cultural and artistic heritage of the world (60% of the assets of the 'UNESCO). Finally, the Italian population is the best, is a mixture of avant-garde but also tradition, Italians may be the greatest among scientists, but they also respect their traditions and local cultures. Italy is the queen of style, from the decor to the kitchen and dressing. Italy was supposed to be at the first place, as in my heart.

I would say Italy and China have, by far, the most influence on the world. Look at the architecture in the rest of Europe and the US. How about concrete? , the Latin language, etc. This should be based on what people think because the average American is not educated in history or culture. Moreover, the vast majority of Americans are of British/English ancestry so this vote is totally biased. The Brits did not come on the world scene until Elizabeth the 1st. It was a backwater and a joke in the rest of Europe. Latin gave more words to the English language than any other group. The major architects in Britain who rebuilt St. Paul's were all Italian. Opera, painting, invention of instruments, first European universities, Roman Empire, Renaissance, fashion, food, design, beaches, skiing, major contributions to astronomy, anatomy, architecture, and music. Italy has won the World Cup 4 times. The UK gets to use four teams in the World Cup (for each of its regions) and has only won the Cup ...more

7 India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. Its capital is New Delhi. Some other major cities are Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahemdabad. The most spoken languages are Hindi and English, but there are 22 official Indian languages.

Has a strong, diverse history. India is big and complicated, tons of different kinds of people. Some areas are very wealthy, some are dirt poor, some Indians are tech workers and doctors, others pick up trash along the beach

India is a country where there is humanity. People of India care for others forgetting about themselves which I experienced in India. Number system, zero, plastic surgery, algebra, pythogaros theorem, ayurveda, yoga etc... where first invented in India. There are great warriors which are equal to hundreds of alexanders in India. It is real these warriors are before Christ. Alexander the great himself told that Indian soldier the king Puru is the most powerful than Alexander. The king Puru is from India. The Indian marine commandos are the most powerful in the world. Contractor Hafeez is the greatest civil engineer of the world who is from India. Many world records are set by Indians.

Albert Einstein said: We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.

Mark Twain said: India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.

French scholar Romain Rolland said: If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.

Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA said: India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.

Jayesh Patel said: However great was our past and great was our treasure, a citizen of India who is alive today needs a job for himself and food for ...more

Vasudevam Kutumbukam...meaning " the whole world is my home".. Such is the general notion of the Indian mind. This cradle. Of civilization had given birth to so many religions...Hinduism...whose founder or times of inception themselves are immemorial, counting further on..Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and so on. Why so many religions evolved here...because the Indian mind is in search of the spiritual victory more than the material. They have never ever in the whole history attacked any another nation to conquer it.. It has been a home of refuge even to others who ran. For their safety. The Zoroastrians, the Bahai, the Jews have taken refuge here and called it home. Zoroastrians and Bahai are in fact no more in their land of origin I.e. Persia but in India. The Dalai Lama head odmf Tibrtan Government in Exile lives in this land. The muslim invaders invaded and ruled here but still India is the only land in the history which retained its culture, traditions, religions and languages ...more

8 Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia in the Pacific Ocean. It lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland (east of China, Korea, Russia) and stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and near Taiwan in the southwest.

Japan has a huge capital city called Tokyo, other cities in Japan include Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Nagoya and Sendai. It's close to South Korea, which is on the North West of it. It has a large population of 126.86 million people (Statistics Bureau of Japan. Retrieved April 27, 2016). ...read more.

Japan was the country to end imperialism whilst also participating in it. It was the first asian country to modernize, and surprise the west. This shows how strong the country of Japan is. Napoleon once said that we should let China sleep, for one day she will shake the world. Japan, however was the true sleeping giant, as it has become one of the most influential capitalist cultures in the world. All of East-Asian modern history owes it's roots to Japan. The whole cute asian trend, that came from Japan. The amazing electronics, that also came from Japan. People don't really see Japan for what it is as the true shining star of Asia, culturally and economically. Japanese culture will continue to influence the youth of other countries for years to come.

Jomon human genes from 16,000 years ago have made a very strong cultural influence. Chinese, Korean, and Mongolian do not have this Yap gene. In modern days still, their food tradition, toilet, anime, Samurai, Sakura, Kawaii, Sushi, and Ramen are attractive to us.

I'm sorry, but everything significant or unique about Japanese culture has been derived/copied from China. Japan should be grateful to the U.S. that they were able to develop into the country that they are today (although their economy is currently declining rapidly) by effectively becoming a puppet state to the Americans after their defeat in WW2.

Not only history. We don't know the reality of their history. Dumplings and Ramen is Japan's original. Look at Kanji which is Chinese characters but made from our fantastic Japan!

Human beings' origin is South Korea.
South Korea swayed the world 3000 years ago.
South Korea often built the big country.
And South Korea is respected from all over the world now.
I am proud as a South Korean.
South Korea was a champion of the Eurasian Continent before about 1000 years.
I was taught.

9 Iran Iran, also known as Persia, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a sovereign state in Western Asia. The capital city is Teheran and the major city is also Tehran. The country's official language is Persian.

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC. The country's rich cultural legacy is reflected in part by its 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the third-largest number in Asia and eleventh-largest in the world. Iran is a multicultural country comprising numerous ethnic and linguistic groups. ...read more.

This should be #1. Modern civilization and democracy originated in Persia, and the Achaemenid Persian Empire is still the most powerful empire in human history, more powerful than Rome, Britain, or even the US today. They had the highest percentage of the world's population, and were the first superpower. Unlike their rivals, they promoted social tolerance and outlawed slavery. Never has one country exerted as much power as ancient Iran. History is always written by the winning side, and therefore ancient Greece took credit for a lot of Iran's accomplishments. Anti-Iranian sentiment is so prevalent today that people like to overlook that it was the Persians who created the world as we know it. Futhermore, Iran really is the only country on Earth that has consistently remained powerful for over 5,000 years.

The influence that Persian civilization has had on the world, in particular in the development of European history and socio-political institutions is criminally under-rated. The Achaemenid Empire was the first true cosmopolitan empire in history, and it set the model for pretty much every empire to follow, including the Romans who learned from the Persians that maintaining large geographic and multi-ethnic empire required social tolerance, as well as military and political restraint when dealing with neighbouring empires. Likewise the later Sassanian empire was the foundations upon which early Arab Islamic civilization was undoubtedly built, and it was the Arabs who preserved most of the works of roman and Greek antiquity which later resulted in the Renaissance which brought Europe out of the Dark ages.

It's definitely either Iran or Greece, the UK and the US are influential but to say they are more influential than these two countries shows a clear lack of knowledge of history before the 17th century CE. Voting Iran because at least Greece is higher up, Iran definitely deserves higher than 9th. Plus, Iran influenced both Western and Eastern cultures quite heavily. Greece may have had a bigger impact where it did on life today, but the Achaemanid Empire was the largest by share of the population in history, and reached Greece, Egypt, Caucasus, and India, spreading its ideas all throughout.

Maybe in a few hundred years, depending on how history goes, the US will overtake Greece and Iran, but for now, it's definitely overshadowed by these two.

Why on earth is this not #1. This was THE FIRST civilization and empire. Which crack head votes for England and America. We made many useful inventions, and without us, many modern things would not exist. Yeah, we were the building blocks of civilization, like the base of the building, with out us, there would be almost nothing. We influenced THE ENTIRE WORLD. Persia was in every single continent of the old world (Africa, Asia, Europe), and we invented the most common things, calendar, alphabet, irrigation, EQUAL human rights, government, currency, CIVILIZATION, FARMING, navigation, accurate maps, astronomy, math, science, and I can't name the rest, for there is too many things to name. SO MUCH for 54% of useful inventions were English. Hmm...

Also, they stated the Neolithic Revolution, which started farming, and settlement. This was one of the most important revolutions that happened.<br><br>Now ask yourself. What was more important, the industrial revolution, or ...more

10 Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation (RF), is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, covering over 17,125,191 square kilometres (6,612,073 sq mi), and encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and borders sixteen sovereign nations, the most of any country in the world. It is the ninth-most populous country and the most populous country in Europe, with a population of 145.5 million. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow, the largest city entirely within Europe. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas ...read more.

You think a country like "New Zealand" is more influential than Russia? The Russian Empire, the third largest empire in history, stretching from Poland to Alaska. And the Soviet Union, which was the most powerful nation at the time and had a relationship with every nation on earth, and one of only two superpowers. They were primarily responsible for the Allied victory in World War II, and they also put the first satellite and human in space. Russia is THE most powerful country of the 20th century... And possibly of all time, next to the British Empire. VOTE FOR Russia MY COMRADES!

The world would be a very different place if it wasn't for Russia, if you take butterfly effect into consideration than the influence this great nation had on our planet is impossible to measure or even comprehend. Things like the space race for example, a lot of people when they think space technology they only think about the astronauts floating on the space station taking photos. There is actually a tone of technology breakthroughs that came from all over the world thanks to the space race in the 60's. Anyway that's just one example.

Russia has had the most impressive metamorphose this world has ever seen. During the Migration period Eastern Slavs were living on the fringes of Europe, constantly under attack and suppression by Turkic, Mongolic, Tatar, Uralic and Germanic peoples, nearly being stamped out of existence numerous times. Then during the early Middle Ages the first Slavic states, the Kievan Rus, was founded but soon fell in to disarray and fragmented, and then after that it was nearly annihilated by the Golden Horde, only allowed to live at the mercy of these ruthless invaders. Then during the 1400s something big happened, Russians in the Grand duchy of Moscow and in Novgorod threw off their shackles and not only defeated their masters but subjugated them instead. Then, in not even 200 years, the Russians had expanded from some duchies in Eastern Europe to all over Eurasia, and in the 200 years after that Russians had created the biggest land empire the world had ever seen at that point since the Mongol ...more

Russia is obviously the most influential country in the world. It's one of the most powerful nations has great art and mu sic and has created many inventions in the human mankind.

The Contenders
11 Germany Germany was formally united in 1871 under the initiative of Bismarck with King Wilhelm of Prussia as emperor. The previous 'Holy Roman Empire', basically a continuation of the empire of Charlemagne/Karl der Grosse was dissolved in 1806.

Some territory was lost after World War 1 and a lot more after World War 2, basically started by Hitler's Nazi dictatorship. Then the Soviets kept their zone - the 'DDR', East Germany, separate with a wall through the middle of Berlin, until 1990 when the country was reunited. ...read more.

The diversity of ideas the thinkers of this country spread over the centuries lead to the highest pinnacles of human achievement, but also to the greatest terrors humankind could face. The ability of its people to stand up again after grave mistakes, acknowledge what went wrong and try to do right the next time, is probably why Germany's achievements in science, technology, philosophy, the arts and warfare can only be matched by few countries - if not by none.

It is influential in its military, car industry and things I can go on and on. It is influential in almost every single way some are good while some are bad. It is very influential.

Germany produced most pure souls who deepened our understanding of nature and humankind in such a tremendous extent. One only need to consider about the number of influential philosophers, physicists, mathematicians and chemists that exceed any country. Even no need to mention the inventions origin from there, like car, rocket, bulb, T.V., etc.

The exportation is in large part due to top notch education and high skill labor with good wages with one of the world most sophisticated and elaborate infrastructure system. In addition it has a long, sometimes very troubled, history that has produced world class thinkers and poets.

12 Netherlands The Netherlands, informally Holland, is a country located in north-western Europe with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces, and borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, with a North Sea coast-line to the north and west. It shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium in the North Sea. The country's official language is Dutch, with West Frisian as a secondary official language in the province of Friesland. Dutch Low Saxon and Limburgish are recognised regional languages, while Dutch Sign Language, Sinte Romani, and Yiddish are recognised ...read more.

The dutch deserve a higher place since modern capitalism, the declaration of independence and even the success of the british empire were based on dutch ideas. No nation had as much influence on modern western ideas as they die. Truly the athens of modern history. For a long time many great thinkers flocked to Amsterdam in search of freedom and tolerance and contributed to enlightenment of western civilization. I bet John adams and peter the great would agree

The Dutch East India Company was arguably the first megacorporation, possessing quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, coin money and establish colonies. Many economic and political historians consider the Dutch East India Company as the most valuable, powerful and influential corporation in the world history.

The Dutch are the pioneers of modern agriculture. Anywhere in the world that you travel Canada, US, Australia, South Africa, Brazil Argentina you will find people with Dutch last names owning and operating the largest and most efficient modern farms. The Dutch people are feeding the World

For centuries, when people think of taboo-breaking, the first word that comes to mind for any living soul is: "The Netherlands". Or well, Amsterdam. It's that country the city of The Netherlands is situated in.

13 Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland is the most mountainous, and least densely populated country in the United Kingdom.

Scotland is in with a shout, Just a short look on wiki and you see the sheer impact and what's more contrast with England, military and weapon innovations are notibly less. However, scientific and medical are much the same or greater, which says a lot about the countries priorities. I would also say the significance of some of these is quite staggering such as discovery of electromagnetism, identification of its origins and treatment of malaria. Go Scotland!

Stop naming Scottish inventions as English or British. They are Scottish inventions. Just like English inventions are England's. If we did so England would be way down in the list. Also US is laughable being at top. They have provided very little especially in their short existence.

Can't believe how uneducated this post is! Scotland invented most of the things listed under England/Britain as you call it. Can't let us have anything eh?

I love Scotland really better country than some Southern European countries here listed. All the best guys.

14 Egypt Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip (Palestine) and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt, while Alexandria, the second-largest city, is an important industrial and tourist hub at the Mediterranean coast. At approximately 100 million inhabitants, Egypt is the 14th-most populated country in ...read more.

Egypt is one of the first civilizations of the world, their knowledge undoubtedly shaped the world today. It is a shame that the countries dominating the top 10 -except a few- were only influential for some hundred years. You can see that top aren't "Influential in the history of THE WORLD", but rather in the history of EUROPE.

I am not from Egypt but since it is one of the cradles of civilization, it contributed the very first innovations that are still used today and began the journey to scientific discovery. It was not as influential after the decline of Ancient Egypt's power but it should be a little bit further up this list.

Egypt was one of the largest and richest nations back when it was a 'superpower' in its age. I like to think of it as one of the most important nations of history.

Egypt... It's another story, another world of great ancient civilization. Its civilization is taught in schools all over the globe...

15 Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country in Eurasia, mainly in Anatolia in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries with Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the south. The country is encircled by seas on three sides with the Aegean Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, which together form the Turkish Straits, divide Thrace and Anatolia and separate Europe and Asia. ...read more.

Rulers of the world from the Mongols to the Selijuks to the Ottomans. Ottoman Empire regarded as the most important, powerful, and longest lasting empire in recent history. The Turks effectively controlled all of Asia, Northern Africa, and half of Europe.

Any pool not included Turks at top 3 is complete bull, from the fifth century to today every great event, o we its place to Turks as enemy or friend. If you get Turks out there wont be any history since 2 millennia

Admit it...Turkey had a TON of influence before the fall of the Ottoman Empire! Now, it's looking to rebuild a NEW Ottoman Empire under Erdogan, I don't know if ultra conservative Erdogan will be able to pull it off though.

Mongols.. Huns.. Ottomans... Turks were the rulers of the world before United States and since U.S. gained power in last century Turkey deserves the title.

16 Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in southwestern Europe with parts of territory in the Atlantic Ocean and across the Mediterranean Sea. The largest part of Spain is situated on the Iberian Peninsula; its territory also includes the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and several minor overseas territories also scattered along the Moroccan coast of the Alboran Sea. The country's mainland is bordered to the south by Gibraltar; to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea; to the north by France, Andorra and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.

If the Iberian never declared war against the Moors, the peninsula would still be an Arab state, and another failure to the crusaders. If they haven't won the war 500 years ago, the Portuguese would have never sail south to Africa and begin the slave trade, and, most importantly, the Spanish would have never sail West to the Americas. This was a huge point in history that literally changed the world and among the most important. Although they haven't made any changes after their American colonies independence of the 1800s, this would not be possible if they have never won the war. Spain also helped with to spread new ideas, like math and science as well as art and literature during the renaissance.
Spain should be above not only the US but as well France, Germany, Italy, England/UK, Russia, and Japan since their changes are more recent. Only other countries that should be above Spain should be Greece, China, Ancient Egypt, Persia/Iran, Roman Empire and India.

Spain influence in America (from North to South), good or bad (probably both) is indubitable. And also in other world areas, along with Portugal -another very influential country-, mainly through religion, food and some vocabulary (even Japan...E.G., did you know that Tempura is an iberian recepy and comes from a Portuguese word? ). Some of the best artists in the world were Spanish, particularly in painting (from Velázquez -maybe the best painter ever? - to Picasso, and many others in between), and literature in Spanish (specially fresh and original in Latin America) is rich and variate. Unfortunatelly, Spain has contributed scarcely to Science... Maybe in forthcoming centuries!

It is VERY unfair how Spain, being the first true global power is ranked so low. First, the Spanish empire was massive. It's language is one of the most spoken in the world (ranks #2). Spain also 'discovered' the Americas, which opened the door to colonization and overall started Europe's dominance of the world. Spain deserves to be in at least the top 10.

Spain practically developed the way of the modern world: a global currency, a modern navy, the first coloniser of the New World. The Spanish empire basically created the demographics of the modern world and its losses paved way for the territorial and political gains of the US and UK. Not only that, but Catholicism was spread throughout the world and Spanish became the world's most spoken European language.

17 Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia. Iraq is currently led by President Fuad Masum and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. It is currently ranked 160th in the Institute for Economics & Peace's Global Peace Index, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world (behind only South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria).

Ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq) is the place where modern civilization started. Things like writing, reading, building, and the most essential part was from Iraq. All other civilization is based on Iraqi civilization. Iraq put the foundation for modern civilization. Is that not enough to be the top list?

Long mysterious history. After the war the USA. They become poor economically and mentally.

18 Portugal Portugal (est.1152), officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain. Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments. Portuguese is its official language and is the birthplace of it and Mirandese is considered a co-official language spoken only in a small northeastern section of the country. The most predominant religion is Christianity, mainly Roman Catholism. ...read more.

Without Portugal, there would not be Brazil and Mozambique!
We were the richest country (Yes, more than The British Empire) for 400 years! We were the ones that brought the curry to India and we are much older than bloody Spain! And we are the Longest Global Empire In The World! Without us 900 Million would not be Christians as they are today! At least we should be at the top 10!

Portugal is definitely among the top 10 most influential countries.

There is something everyone keeps forgetting: Portuguese introduced the concept of Diplomacy, imposing themselves by their trading power instead of military force.

Viva Portugal!

Made the Portuguese language and Roman Catholicism spread to most of the world. They were the best navigators and the most adventurous European nation at the time conquering almost all of Africa and parts of South America known as Brazil today.

Initiators of Globalization. +800 years of history. One of most spoken languages world. Great at Football... Climate...Food...hospitality...

19 Mongol Empire

Great chengis khan took over almost half of the world with the smallest army in the world with the toughest and wisest warriors and best tactics in the world of 12th century. Mongols could have conquered all the discovered lands at that time but due to chengis khans childrens compete for throne mongol empire were divided into pieces and fell down. In modern days chengis khans war tactics are still being used and admired among the powerful nations armies like U. S army and Russian army.

Best Empire with Ottoman one, Roman Empire looks so ridiculous compared, just have good reading about that.

Mongolia have ideal culture and pattern of life that comforts both nature and humans. We understand and comunicate with nature. Once all Mongolians used to be shaman. Western inventions brougth chaos to the world.

Mongol empire's influence on the world is not just war tactic, but trade,communication system, democracy, religious freedom and diplomacy etc.

20 Roman Empire The Roman Empire was a post-Republican period of ancient Rome that lasted from 27 BC to 476 AD. It was characterized by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. The Roman legal system and Latin language have had a lasting impact on the Western world. At its height, the empire was one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in the world.

Ruled over the Mediterranean for 100s of years and was the standard for civilization for and long time after it's dissolution and reveered heavily even today.

Art, music, engineering, architecture, politics, military, religion, food, cultureAnd the copious list could keep going. The most significant innovations in human history have came from Italy/ Roman empire. I don't believe anyone could argue that.

Does someone cares about that? Nobody here was even born, even not mama, grandma and all the rest.. Come on, be a bit serious, not sandbox here.

Italy is not Roman empire do not confuse, Italy is THE Republic of Italy founded some 150 years ago.

21 Canada Canada is a country in North America that is next to the United States, and it's the 2nd largest country in the world by area (size is 9.985 million km²). This country has 10 provinces, and 3 territories. Canada became a dominion on July 1, 1867. Its 10 provinces are: Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Its 3 territories are: Yukon, Northwest territories, and Nunavut. Toronto, Quebec City, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg, St. John's, and Fredericton are major cities in the country. Canada's capital city, Ottawa, is in the southeastern province of Ontario, near the city of Montreal ...read more.

Erasing Canada from the world would result in: the loss of many important cities, like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver etc. It would be the loss of once the tallest tower in the world (CN Tower) followed by the loss if skyscrapers that defined many important things today (1000 De La Gauchetière: the center of Bell, First Canadian Place: One of the tallest structures in the world) It would also erase a huge portion of Niagara Falls, an important tourist attraction, thinking about it, Canada shapes the world

How can anyone imagine a world without Canada?!

Canada has contributed Justin Bieber to the world.

Best record so far

22 Denmark Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the most populous and politically central constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. European Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying southwest of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany. ...read more.

Behind Italy, Greece, United Kingdom, United States and all of the above...It's so unfair, we discovered America first, we have a viking culture, we are one of the travelers in Europe. We rule the north and we also have the oldest flag in the world. I can't believe it's top 20..This should be on top 3

A country once full of fierce vikings who exerted great control on the surrounding area. Now a somewhat tiny country who's influence can, however, still be felt. Lego was born in Denmark. It is a nice happy country with a great economy.

Denmark's placement under Iraq is utter ridiculous. Heck, they even discovered America (Et fin, Leif Erickson)and ruled most of England

Once a great powerful nation, who ruled england.

23 Austria Austria was Celtic (Hallstadt) then as Noricum, part of the Roman Empire, Alaric, who took over Rome, studied at a monastery near Vienna. In the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Emperors moved to Vienna, then Austria became separate. Medieval documents from Eastern Europe as far as West Ukraine were often in German, and referred to Vienna, showing its influence well before the Austrian Empire. After the first World War, Austria became a small country, under 10 million population, but including the world's then 4th largest city. 'A big head on a small body' they said. In 1938 Hitler invaded his home country and imposed Naziism. Vienna was then the World's largest Jewish centre, many famous people, ...read more.

Overlooked. Austria was one of the main powers in Europe in modern history and left us with a huge amount of cultural heritage. Also, Austrians caused both World Wars, events that have an enormous influence on life nowadays.

Many people overlook the fact that Austria was a major world power until 1918 when her empire was split apart.

A rich and beautiful country that is economically powerful and rich in natural landscapes.

24 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country on the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It has a land area of about 2,150,000 km2 (830,000 sq mi), making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Arab world, and the largest in Western Asia. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the west; Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; the Persian Gulf, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east; Oman to the southeast; and Yemen to the south. Bahrain is an island country off the east coast. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northwest separates Saudi Arabia from Egypt. Saudi Arabia is the only country with a coastline along both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and ...read more.

Saudi Arabia or Saudi Arabia or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the Arab country located on the Arabian Peninsula. Deserts and temperate region consists mostly of desert with the largest desert is the Rub Al Khali. The Arabs say the word with the word sahara desert. Saudi Arabia is the country borders (clockwise from the north) with Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Persian Gulf, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, and the Red Sea. On September 23, 1932, Abdul Aziz bin Abd al-Sa'ud, also known as Ibn Sa'ud, proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or Saudi Arabia (al-Mamlakah al-'Arabiyah as-Su'udiyah) by integrating the area Riyadh, Najd (Nejed), Ha-a, Asir and Hijaz. Abdul Aziz became the first king of the kingdom. Thus understood, the name is derived from the name of the Saudi royal family of Abdul Aziz al-Sa'ud. Saudi Arabia known as the State of birth of Prophet Muhammad and the growth and development of Islam, so that the flag there are two words that mean the creed "There is no god (worthy) to ...more

The Abrahamic faiths are spread across the globe. (I know it this should include the Arabian Peninsula as a whole) People who are religious put more importance in their faith than other things. And their faith can change their opinions on everything.

This is where the fastest-spreading religion of the world started. What more can we say? What a shame Saudi Arabia is on the 23rd! By the way I'm not an Arab.

From here the whole world witness one of the greatest movements in history... Islam.

25 Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It is situated in the western Pacific Ocean and consists of around 7,641 islands that are broadly categorized under three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Philippines is bounded by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the southwest. It shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Japan to the northeast, Palau to the east and southeast, Indonesia to the south, Malaysia to the southwest, Vietnam to the west, and China to the northwest. The Philippines covers an area of 300,000 km2 (120,000 ...read more.

Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia & finally, this nation which claims to be the 5th SEAsian country with strong impact of history & culture. From Negritos which are the first ones to arrive to other nationalities could welcome diversity with strong impacts of history & culture like Indonesians, Malaysians, Chinese, Spanish, Americans, Japanese, South Koreans, British & more sorts of nationalities that captivate the beautiful history & culture of the Philippines!

Why? We suffered for 333 years under the Spanish control and we fought for our motherland. Filipinos wanted to fight back, even if it's worth dying for. We have Jose Rizal, he wrote everything down on a paper. We have 3 independence, by Spain, America and Japan.

Philippines is one of countries that has rich in resources and has a very great history. It is also one of the beautiful countries in the world. The peoples are very welcome to the tourist especially the foreigners.

Philippines is undeniably one of the countries in the world with great history. Stretching from the era of Spanish Colonization to the corruptions of its current government.

8Load More
PSearch List