Country Collocation

country noun

1 area of land with its own government

adjective

beautiful , fascinating , great

this great ~ of ours

hot , tropical

cold

landlocked

different , foreign , overseas , strange

It's difficult to live in a foreign ~ when you don't speak the language.

students from overseas countries

What must it be like, to grow old in a strange ~?

home , native , own

adopted

Many servicemen gave their lives for their adopted ~.

host

The refugees do jobs that workers in the host ~ refuse to do.

neighbouring/neighboring

distant , far , faraway

independent , sovereign ( esp. AmE )

occupied

free

‘It's a free ~!’ he shouted. ‘I can do what I like!’

enemy , friendly

neutral , non-aligned ( esp. BrE )

war - ravaged , war-torn

African , Arab , etc.

Eastern , Western , etc.

English - speaking , francophone , etc.

EU , NATO , etc.

member , non - member

OECD member countries

developed , industrial , industrialized

developing , Third-World , underdeveloped

advanced

economically advanced countries

impoverished , low - income , poor

middle - income

affluent , high - income , rich , wealthy

densely populated , populous

capitalist , communist , democratic , socialist

Catholic , Islamic , etc.

oil - exporting , oil - producing , oil - rich

verb + country

govern , rule , run

The ~ was ruled by a brutal dictatorship.

the politicians who run the ~

lead

He accused the government of leading the ~ to disaster.

attack , conquer , invade , occupy

defend , protect

We must remember those who died defending their ~.

serve

I'm proud to serve my ~.

liberate , save

a commander who saved his ~ from invasion

divide , polarize , split

The issue of the single currency has divided the ~.

unite

destabilize , destroy , devastate , ravage

Years of civil war had ravaged the ~.

rebuild

democratize , modernize , pacify , stabilize

flee , leave

The former president has been forced to flee the ~.

enter

new restrictions on goods entering the ~

love

He loved his ~ deeply.

betray

play for , represent

She represented her ~ at the Beijing Olympics.

tour , travel , visit

He plans to travel the ~ by motorcycle.

country + verb

border sth

countries bordering the Black Sea

produce sth

export sth , import sth

The ~ exports around 80% of its output.

agree sth , ratify sth , sign sth

The two countries signed a basic treaty of cooperation.

compete , participate

Over 30 countries participated in the Games.

need sth

Our ~ needs a leader like her.

face sth , struggle (with sth) , suffer (from sth)

The ~ is suffering from rising unemployment.

preposition

across a/the   ~

They drove across the ~.

all over a/the   ~

They are holding special events all over the ~.

around a/the   ~ , round a/the   ~ ( esp. BrE )

This is just one of 33 sites around the ~.

in a/the   ~

people who live in this ~

throughout a/the   ~

New schools are being built throughout the ~.

phrases

countries around the globe , countries around the world

We operate in ten countries around the globe.

~ of (sb's) birth , ~ of origin

the ~ of his birth

He cannot be deported to his ~ of origin.

in this ~ and abroad

The play has been enjoyed by audiences in this ~ and abroad for many years.

a part of a ~

There will be rain in many parts of the ~ tomorrow.

the ~ as a whole

The rich benefited from the reforms, not the ~ as a whole.

2 area of land with particular features

adjective

desert , hill , hilly , mountain , mountainous , open

The town is surrounded by miles and miles of open ~.

rough , wild

farming , wine

This part of Africa is rich farming ~.

hunting , walking ( both esp. BrE )

superb walking ~

… of country

stretch , tract

a beautiful stretch of ~

Whole tracts of ~, once fertile, have become arid.

3 land away from towns/cities

country + noun

life

air

lane , road

area , district ( both esp. BrE )

town , village ( esp. BrE )

cottage , estate , home , house ( esp. BrE ) , manor , mansion , residence ( esp. BrE ) , retreat , seat ( BrE )

inn , pub ( BrE )

park ( BrE )

fair

walk ( esp. BrE )

boy , girl

gentleman , squire ( esp. BrE )

bumpkin , dweller , folk , people

preposition

across   ~

They rode across ~.

in the   ~

She lives in the ~.