Explain It Like I’m 5

Why Do We Have Countries? (Couldn’t Earth Just Be One Big Clubhouse?)


Listen Later

Why do we have countries at all? Couldn’t Earth just be one big global clubhouse? 🌍

In this episode of Explain It Like I’m 5, host Alex unpacks one of humanity’s biggest—and strangest—ideas: borders. From ancient tribes and empires to the Treaty of Westphalia and modern nation-states, we’ll explore how humans went from “our cave vs. your cave” to nearly 200 separate countries—each with its own flag, snacks, and rules.

You’ll learn:

  • What a “nation-state” really is

  • Why countries exist (organization, identity, protection, resources)

  • How borders were born

  • Whether one world government could actually work

  • And some wild geography trivia—like the unclaimed land between Egypt and Sudan and why Canada is basically 90% lakes

    So grab your map (or your fries) and join Alex for a fun, curious dive into the invisible lines that shape our world.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Explain It Like I’m 5By Alex