How many countries are there in the world to travel to?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 21 Jul, 2023
- |
The most comprehensive list of countries, states and territories that I’m aware of is the 1281 regions list by “The Best Traveled”. They attempt to list every region of the world with it’s own unique culture and natural sights. There is also a registration system which lets you write down the places you’ve visited so far and compete against other travelers.
Another interesting ranking is from Most Traveled People, which includes “875 countries, territories, autonomous regions, enclaves, geographically separated island groups, and major states and provinces of the world”. It likewise has a virtual club you can join to track your results.
The Travelers’ Century Club, or TCC, is a club for people who have visited 100 or more countries.
However these guys have their own definition of a country, from Wikipedia:
The TCC has a fairly loose definition of what constitutes a country
and has established its own list of currently 321 “countries”. This
includes not only sovereign states but also certain territories,
exclaves and island groups. The club argues that “although some are
not actually countries in their own right, they have been included
because they are removed from parent, either geographically,
politically or ethnologically”, based on rules established in 1970
These rules make it much easier to visit 100 countries, however they make it somewhat harder to visit all 321.
The two most authoritative answers are from United Nations already mentioned, and from FIFA which counts 208 members.
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I am using the Globetrotterslogbook to keep track of where I have been. Nice feature is that they also distinguish dependencies and overseas territories, making it possible to even track the journey dreamed about in the “most remote exclave” question
There are 192 members by the UN (193 if you count the Vatican, which is an observer without voting rights). There are 196 that qualify as ‘independent countries’. List of countries by capital. Arguments via about.com
This is debatable. For instance, I would say Taiwan is a country… many people would disagree with me.
Scotland and Wales I would not count as separate countries as they form a willing commonwealth in the UN as the United Kingdom.
Wikipedia’s list of sovereign states puts it at 204 (including the new South Sudan). I would say this one is a little more controversial. It is up for debate if Northern Cyprus is sovereign.
I prefer to use this definition of an independent country (I’ve seen it before, but I can’t remember who came up with it) and say there are 196 countries in the world. The criteria are:
- Has space or territory which has internationally recognized boundaries (boundary disputes are OK).
- Has people who live there on an ongoing basis.
- Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates foreign and domestic trade and issues money.
- Has the power of social engineering, such as education.
- Has a transportation system for moving goods and people.
- Has a government which provides public services and police power.
- Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the country’s territory.
- Has external recognition. A country has been “voted into the club” by other countries
Although, admittedly, some of these criteria are rather subjective.
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Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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