There are many ways to keep track of the places one visits in the world. Here I list six options. I use 197 – 193 UN countries + the two independent countries not in the UN – Taiwan and Kosovo + the two UN observer states – the Vatican and Palestine. Nomad Mania (used to be Best Traveled) is the travel site used by most “big” travellers and allows you to keep track easily of where you have traveled. It lists the 193 UN countries and divides the world into 1301 regions – and covers everywhere and everything. It includes Traveler’s Century Club and The Best Traveled. In 2017, it added the Series with over 59,000 places to see. Go to my post about Nomad Mania.
My main goal is to see all the 193 countries in the UN. I have seen the other 4 that make up my method of counting countries – 197. Secondary goals are to be the most traveled Canadian of all time, to see the most World Heritage Sites, and to lead the Series total in Nomad Mania.
HOW MANY COUNTRIES ARE THERE? I use 197 – 193 members are in the UN.
United Nations – 193 + 2 non-member observer states: the Holy See (Vatican City) and Palestine + Taiwan and Kosovo, the two independent countries in the world that do not belong to the UN.
There are 61 dependent areas, and six disputed territories. Places commonly confused as being countries include Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland, Western Sahara, Somaliland, and even the components of the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England) – they’re not countries, states, or nation-states.
A 206 list. 193+ 2 UN observers (Vatican City and Palestine) = 195 + 2 some UN recognition (Taiwan and Kosovo) = 197 + 2 some UN involvement / free assoc. with NZ (Niue + Cook Islands) = 199 + 7 self-declared, non-UN states (Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Western Sahara, Northern Cyprus, Somaliland, Transnistria, N-K/Artsakh) = 206
A great Google Sheets list of all 107 disputed territories:
https://docs.google.com/…/1ni6COaq0pIDPfLbdR0x9…/edit…
Another with 249: https://www.jetpunk.com/…/249-countries-of-the-world…
Diplomatic recognition is clearly not much of a guide to real life. Taiwan for example, which due to pressure from China is recognized less and less (countries with formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan has shriveled to around 19 – mostly small, cash-strapped islands). It is the one outsider – Taiwan meets most of the requirements of an independent country or state status – is not just a country, but a rather important one, but it fails to be recognized by much of the world, so most count 196. The other non-UN member that can clearly be defined as a country or ‘sovereign’ state is Kosovo. A third of UN members do recognize Kosovo, but the UN itself does not!
Also, note Israel joined the UN in 1949, but 19 of its members do not accept the Jewish state’s existence.
So UN full-members 193 + 2 observers + Taiwan & Kosovo = 197. Some like to include Western Sahara, Somaliland, and other countries of questionable or not fully recognized status to make a round number like 200. It all depends on how you want to define the word country.
South Sudan, Kosovo, Montenegro, and East Timor are the world’s youngest countries. Although another way to look at it is Uganda is the world’s youngest country since ~50% of the population is under 14. By those rights, Italy is the oldest.
Olympic Countries – 206 National Olympic Committees comprise the International Olympic Committee. Ones not included in my 197 list are Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Guam, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, British Virgin Islands, and US Virgin Islands.
Fifa Countries – 209: Avid football fans have made seeing football games in all FIFA member states their “country” goal. There are about 500 Germans and a few British in this loosely affiliated “club” and most know each other. One well-advertised traveller visited 207 “countries” in 3 years (and didn’t fly to any of them) and became famous. I always wondered what his 207 countries were but they were FIFA states. The German man with the most FIFA countries has 180, the fellow I talked to had 129.
In total, FIFA recognizes 209 national associations and their associated men’s national teams as well as 129 women’s national teams. FIFA has more member states than the UN as FIFA recognizes 23 non-sovereign entities as distinct nations, such as the four Home Nations within the United Kingdom and politically disputed territories such as Palestine.
Of the 196 sovereign states in the world, 8 countries are not members of FIFA: FS Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Palau, United Kingdom, Republic of China (Chinese Taipei or Taiwan), Kosovo, and Vatican City. 24 are not internationally recognized sovereign states but are members of FIFA: American Samoa, Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chinese Taipei, Cook Islands, Curacao, England, Faroe Islands, Guam, Hong Kong, Macau, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Northern Ireland, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Tahiti, Turks and Caicos Islands and US Virgin Islands.
Potential FIFA members have been divided into three categories: 1. Independent states not in FIFA (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Niue, Palau, Tuvalu) 2. Non-independent territories (Guadeloupe, Greenland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Martinique, Northern Mariana Islands, Réunion, Sint Maarten, Zanzibar), and 3. Politically sensitive areas (Abkhazia, Crimea, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Northern Cyprus, South Ossetia).
In addition to the 206 Olympic Countries are: Anguilla, Curacao, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Macau, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Tahiti, Turks and Caicos, England and Wales. That makes 219 so some independent UN countries that are not part of Fifa.
Define what makes a country. Apply online for visa-free entry to the United States you have more than 250 choices for ‘country where you live’. That is probably a pretty ambitious number as it includes Bouvet Island, an uninhabitable icy knoll belonging to Norway in the South Atlantic (for Penguins that need a visa).
For Star Trek fans there is even a ‘Neutral Zone’, a diamond-shaped bit of desert between Saudi Arabia and Iraq that vanished after the 1991 Gulf war. That is the trouble with such lists. Places that are not real countries at all end up on them and places that approximate a bit more closely to countries (at least in their own eyes) may be absent. For example, the list excludes Abkhazia and South Ossetia, self-proclaimed states that broke away from Georgia with Russian backing. Just three other countries: Nicaragua, Venezuela and the islet of Nauru – recognize those breakaway ‘statelets’ as independent.
Private-sector lists are just as odd as those compiled by governments. There are 242 ‘countries/territories’ on the options Hotmail offers from which you can register an e-mail account.
German thinker, Max Weber, defined statehood as “the monopoly of the legitimate use of violence”. That may be a practical approach but it doesn’t end the confusion. Somalia spectacularly fails to meet this criterion, yet still counts as a sovereign state. However its northern bit, Somaliland, has met this standard with increasing impressiveness since it declared independence in 1991. It has a currency, car registrations and even biometric passports. But only private firms such as DHL, a courier company, link it to the outside world. International postal service requires membership of the Universal Postal Union, which for non-members of the UN need approval by at least two-thirds of that body’s members. The African Union refuses to recognize Somaliland’s independence because it dislikes changing any African borders….. the debate goes on. Any attempt to find a clear definition of a ‘country’ soon runs into a thicket of exceptions and anomalies.
It is interesting to think that on the eve of the First World War, imperialism had reduced the number of independent countries in the world to just 59. The advent of decolonization was the leading cause of the dramatic increase in the number. In 1946 the number of independent countries was 74. In 1950, 89, and today 195, with the biggest increases coming in the 1960s mainly in Africa where 25 new states were formed in 1960-64 alone, and in Eastern Europe as the Soviet Union fell apart. Today many of the new countries are tiny. No fewer than 36 have less than 500,000 inhabitants and many are formed as a result of civil war or multi-ethnic policy, which is the most common form of conflict since the Second World War.
A. MY COUNTRY LIST (I use 197 as this seems the most reasonable. Note the nonUN countries: Taiwan, Western Sahara, Palestine, Vatican, Kosovo, Somaliland).
1. Canada. Born in Saskatchewan, raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta, MD degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and lived from 1976-2010 in the West Kootenay of southern British Columbia. Now live in Courtenay on Vancouver Island. Have driven across Canada to Nova Scotia but have still not visited Newfoundland and most of Nova Scotia. Drove through the Yukon. Worked in the Canadian Arctic five times in all towns west of Hudson’s Bay so have seen all the territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
2. United States. Hundreds of trips including 37 trips to the desert South West.
1990 – drive down the West Coast to San Diego and back.
2008 Spring – drove the entire west coast.
2008-09 – drive camper down Eastern Seaboard through Boston, NYC, Washington DC, Skyline Drive and Appalachians, Georgia, Florida to Key West and Dry Tortugas.
2016 – Alaska, Mt McKinley, Alaska Marine Highway through southeast Alaska.
2020 – drive camper Midwest, Northeast, Great Lake States seeing 35 states and finishing all 50 states in the USA.
Jan 10-12, 2023 – Honolulu on my way home from the Marshall Islands.
a. Guam. Dec 14-15, 2014
3. Mexico. 1980 Mexico City, climbed Popocatepetl
2006-07: Baja Mexico to Cabo San Lucas.
2007-08: drove down the west coast to Yucatan, 3 big trips inland, and up the Gulf coast.
Feb 12-21, 2022: Mexico City (10-day quarantine for +Covid PCR)
4. Argentina. 1995: Bariloche, Perito Moreno Glacier, Fitzroy.
2012: Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls.
5. Chile. 1995: Buenos Aires, South lakes to Puerto Montt, Patagonia – Torres del Paine, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Perito Moreno, Fitzroy and El Chalten
2012: San Pedro de Atacama, Valparaiso, Santiago, Easter Island, south Lake district
6. Cuba. Dec 2008: Havana, north coast resort, Trinidad
2009-10
7. New Zealand. 2009-10 – 3 1/2 months, did all nine Great Walks, 10-day kayaking trip Bay of Islands and saw just about everything. Doubtful Sound
2010
8. Guatemala 2010 (Flores and Tikal), fall 2009: Guatemala City, Lake Atitlan, Antigua
9. Honduras. Fall 2010: Copan, Utila, Bay Islands.
10. Nicaragua. Fall, 2010. Grenada
11. Costa Rica. Fall, 2010 Fortuna, Monte Verde, Corcovado NP.
12. Panama. Panama City, cloud forest above Panama City
13. Belize. 2011 Belize City, Caye Caulker, sail to Placentia, kayak Glovers Caye, San Ignacio area
2011
14. France. Paris, Chemin de St Jacque (750 kms Le Puy to St Jean Pied de Port). Mar 2018: Provence, Languedoc-Rousisillon, Toulouse, Atlantic Coast, Brittany, Normandy. Feb 2019: Picardie, Champagne, West central part of country. Feb 25-7 2019: Corsica, Lorraine (Metz, Nancy) September 12, 2019, Alsace (Strasbourg) September 12-15. 2019, Franche-Comté (Besançon, Belfort) September 13, 2019, Burgundy (Dijon) September 14-15, 2019, Rhône-Alpes (Lyon) September 15, 2019.
Sept 2021 – southern provinces, all western provinces on the drive from Spain to the Netherlands.
November 14-20, 2022 – Paris – saw everything including over 100 NM sites.
a. French Guiana. Jan 12-14, 2022. Saint Laurant and Cayenne.
b. St Martin – Mar 13, 20, 2022. MSC cruise
c. Guadeloupe – Mar 21-22, 2022
15. Spain. 2011 Camino de Santiago (850 km Pyrenees to Santiago), 6300 km road trip to everywhere.
Jan 2018 Camino Portugués from Tui to Santiago. Barcelona.
Feb 1-3 2019: Basque, Cantabria.
Feb 4-11 2019: Madrid, Barcelona.
Sept 2021 – Road trip around entire coast – east, south and north on the way to the Netherlands
a. Canary Islands – July 2021
b. Mallorca – July 2021
16. Portugal. 2011 road trip through the south. 2017/2018 Lisbon, Porto and Camino Portugués.
August 2021, drive through most of the country
a. Azores – July 2021
b. Madeira – July 2021
Sept 2021 – saw virtually all of the country on a road trip on way to the Netherlands
17. Andorra. 2011 drove through in one day
18. Colombia. Fall 2011. Almost every city except Cali
19. Ecuador. Dec, 2011. Quito, Banos, Cuenca, Galapagos Islands
2012
20. Peru. 2012. Archaeology N coast, Cordillera Blanca, Nasca, Arequipa and Colca Canyon, Cusco, Machu Picchu,
21. Bolivia. 2012. Lake Titicaca, La Paz, Pampas and jungle, Oruro carnival, Potosi, Tupiza, Uyuni salt flats
22. Uruguay. 2012. Colonia, Montevideo,
23. Brazil. 2012 – Pantanal, Isla Grande, Rio de Janeiro, plus much more
Jan 15-Feb 12, 2022 – started in the northeast and saw every state in the country (except Amazonas West). Robbed in Salvador and had a + PCR on Feb 11.
April 12-May 3, 2022. After Paraguay returned to Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo, South
24. Venezuela. 2012 – Angel Falls, climbed Roraima
25. Nepal. 2012: Kathmandu, 28-day trek across the south side of the Annapurnas, Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, all 7 World Heritage Sites
2013
26. India. 2012-13: 4 months went almost everywhere except Kashmir, Ladach, NE states
27. Sri Lanka 2013: 20 days, everywhere but extreme north, all 8 World Heritage Sites
28. Maldives 2013: 7 days snorkeling and diving, Male
29. Singapore. April 2013. Feb 14-17, 2023.
30. Malaysia. April 2013: Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands, Perhentian, Penang,
Feb 2014: Sabah – Mt Kinabalu, Sipadan diving.
May 28-June 6, 2016: Sarawak – Miri, Mulu NP.
Feb 18-23, 2023 Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Penang.
31. Bhutan. November 2013
32. Myanmar. November 2013: Yangon, Inle, Mandalay, Bhamo, Began, Golden Rock, diving liveaboard Mergui Archipelago.
33. Thailand. November, December 2013: Bangkok, South Islands, Ayuthaya, Kanchipuri, Sokathai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai.
Feb 24-March 6, 2023: Bangkok by scooter, rented a car to see East South, East, Northeast and Central NM regions.
34. Laos. December 2013: Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang, Phonsavan, Vientiane, Khon Lo Caves, 4000 Islands
2014
35. Cambodia. December, January 2014: Temples of Angkor/Siem Reap, Phnom Penh
36. Vietnam. January 2014: Ho Chi Minh City, Na Trang, Hoi An, Hui, Phong Na, Halong Bay, Hanoi. Nov 2016: Hanoi and Sapa
37. Philippines. Jan, Feb 2014: Manila, Luzon, Palawan, Cebu, Apo Island
38. Brunei. Feb 2014
*39. Taiwan. Feb. 2014: Taipei, Toroko Gorge. Aug 20-26, 2023: all four regions.
40. South Korea. March 2014: Seoul, DMZ, Jeju Island. Aug 9-20, 2023: all four regi0ns and all WHS. Rented a car and drove 3,000 km.
41. Japan. March, April 2014: everywhere but Hokkaido and Okinawa
42. Russia. Sept 10-27, 2014: St Petersburg, Moscow, Suzdal, Trans-Siberian RR, Irkutsk
43. Mongolia. Sept 28-Oct 11, 2014: Ulan Bator, Ulgii and the Golden Eagle Festival
44. North Korea. Oct 13-19, 2014: Pyongyang, Kaeson, DMZ
45. China. Oct 11-13, Oct 19-Dec 15, 2014: All of eastern China, 20 provinces, 23 Unesco sites.
Aug 25-Sept 30: Gansu, Tibet (Lhasa, Everest Base Camp), Xinjiang (Turpan, Urumqi, Kyqa, Kashgar).
Dec 17-Jan 7 2016, March/April 2016, May 9-June 7 2017: Zhejiang.
June 19-Aug 9 2023: Beijing, Yunnan (see Anna). Sichuan Tibetan Autonomous Area, Guizhou, Beijing 3 days (Peking Man WHS). Tianjin, Liaoning Northwest (Shenyang), Jilin East (Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom WHS), Jilin West (Changchun), Heilongjiang South (Harbin), Inner Mongolia AR – Central East (Hohhot), Inner Mongolia AR – West (Baotou), Ningxia (Yinchuan, Western Xia Imperial Tombs Tentative WHS), Shanxi South (Tiajuan), Henan North (Longmen Grottoes, Dengfeng – Centre of Heaven and Earth, Anyang – Yin Xu – all WHS), Hebei South (Shijiazhuang), Beijing, fly (2 weeks with Anna), Yunnan East (Kunming, Chengjiang Fossil Site, Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, both WHS), Yunnan West (Dali), Sichuan East (Chengdu), Sichuan Tibetan Autonomous Zone, Guizhou (Guiyang, Fanjingshan WHS),
Hubei East (Wuhan), Hubei West (Tusi Sites, Wudangshan, both WHS), Henan South (Nanyang), Annui North (Hefei), Jiangsu North (Yangzhou, Migratory Bird Sanctuary WHS), Shandong Inland (Mt Taishan, Temple & Cemetery of Confucius, both WHS), Shanxi North (Mount Wutai WHS), Hebei North (Chengde WHS), Zhejiang West (Modan Shan 4 days Anna on her birthday, Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City WHS, Hangzhou), Zhejiang West, Shanghai. I finished this trip with 50/56 WHS and all but 4 provinces in China.
June 20-July 1, 2024: Kahsgar, Xining, Wenzhou, Nibo
46. Palau Dec 15-24, 2014: 28 dives from live-aboard including Blue Corner, German Channel, Ulong Channel, and Jellyfish Lake.
2015
47. Indonesia Dec 24-Feb?, 2014-2015: Java, Bali, Lombok, Flores, Sulawesi, Papua diving Raja Ampats 7-day liveaboard. Aug 29-Sept 12, 2023: Sumatra, Kalimantan, Jakarta.
48. Timor Leste Jan 18-21, 2015. Dili
49. Kyrgyzstan Sept 30-Oct 5, October 19-23, Nov 12015. Bishkek, Karakol, Arashan Valley, Osh.
50. Kazakhstan October 5-19, 2015. Almaty, Astana, Karaganda, Shymkent, Turkistan, Sauran.
51. Tajikistan Oct 24-Nov 3, 2015. Murgab, Pamir Highway, Wakhan, Khorog, Dushanbe, Khojand.
52. Afghanistan Oct 31, 2015. Sheghnan.
May 31-June 10, 2024. Kabul, Mazur, Bamiyan.
53. Uzbekistan Nov 3-17, 2015 Kokand, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Nukus.
54. United Arab Emirates Nov 17-27, Dec 4-5, Dec 8-14, 2015. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, all 7 Emirates
May 21-20, 2024. Drive all 7 Emirates.
55. Oman Nov 27-Dec 4, 2015. Muscat, Nizwa, Sur, Khasab.
56. Qatar Dec 6-8, 2015. Doha.
57. Bahrain Dec 14-16, 2015. Manama
58. Kuwait Dec 16-17, 2015. Kuwait City
2016
59. Tunisia Jan 8-24 2016. Tunis, Carthage, Matmata, Bedouin villages, Jerba, Tozeur, El-Jem, Kairouan, Dougga, Bulla Regia.
60. Lebanon Jan 24- Feb 1-8, 2016. Beirut, Balbek, Byblos, Caves, Tripoli, Bcharre, Sidon, Tyre, Chouf Mountains.
61. Jordan Feb 7-17 2016. Amman, Desert castles, Madaba, Jalash, Ajloun, Irbid, Umm Qais, Karak, Dana, Shobak, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba.
62. Israel Feb 17- Mar 7, 2016. Eilat, Tamna, Mitzpe Ramon, Masada, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee, Golan Heights, Haifa, Acre, Caesarea, Tel Aviv
*63. Palestinian Territories Feb 26 2015. Bethlehem, March 2 Janine, Nablus, Sebastiya.
64. Morocco Nov 15-Dec 1, 2016. Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Fez, Meknes, Rabat, Marrakesh, Essaouiria, Agadir
*65. Western Sahara Dec 1-4, 2016. Layonne. Not a recognized country, it has been completely controlled by Morocco, although this occupation is not recognized by the UN.
66. Mauritania Dec 4-9, 2016. Nouadhibou, Nouakchott.
Oct 15-22, 2022 – Nouakchott, Terjit, Chinguetti, Oudane, Eye of the Sahara, Ben Amera.
67. Senegal Dec 9-16, 2016. Saint Louis, Lac Rose, Dakar, Ile de Goree
68. Mali Dec 16-22, 2016. Bamako, Siby and Kamajan Arch.
Oct 11-15, 2022 – Djenne, Segou, Bamako.
69. Guinea Dec 22-28, 2016 & Jan 2-5, 2017. Daboula, Tinkisso Falls, Conakry, Bossou Chimpanzee Sanctuary
70. Sierra Leone Dec 28, 2016 – Jan 2, 2017. Tokeh Beach, Freetown
2017
71. Liberia Jan 2-5, 2017. Robertsport, Monrovia
72. Cote d’Ivoire Jan 9-11, 2017. Yamoussoukro and Basilica
73. Ghana Jan 11-29, 2017. Kintamo Falls, Mole NP, Kinte weaving, Kumasi, Accra, Cape Coast, El Mina, Volta, Whi Waterfall, Akosombo
74. Togo Jan 29 – Feb 2, 2017. Cascade de Wone, Mt Agou, Lome, Ancho, Togoville
75. Benin Feb 2-5, 2017 Grand Popo, Ouidah, Ganvie, Porto Novo, Ahomey
76. Nigeria Feb 5-13,2017. Abeokuta, Lagos, Abuja, Drill Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary
77. Cameroon Feb 13- March 1, 2017. Bamenda, Ring Road, Foumban, Buea and Mt Cameroon, Limbe, Yaounde
78. Gabon March 1-4, 2017. Lambarene and Albert Schweitzer
79. Republic of Congo March 4-9, 2017. Pointe Noire
80. Democratic Republic of Congo March 9-14, 2017. Boma, Matadi
81. Angola. Cabinda March 9-10. Angola March 14-28, 2017. Moon Viewpoint, Luanda, Pungo Andogo, Kalendula Waterfall, Gabela, Binga Waterfall, Tunla-Vala Volcanic Fissures, Serra de Leba Pass, Lubango
82. Namibia March 28-April 14, 2017. Etosha NP, Odjitotangwae Cheetah Farm, Himba village, Petrified Forest, Damara Cultural Visit, Twyfelfontein, Burnt Mountain/Organ Pipes, Brandberg, Skeleton Coast, Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Swakopmund, Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Luderitz, Kokmanskop Ghost Town, Fish River Canyon.
83. South Africa April 14-May 7, 2017. Cape Town, Robben Island, Table Mountain, Agulhas NP, Bontebok NP, Garden Route, Robberg Nature Reserve, Addo Elephant NP, Camdeboo NP, Golden Gate NP, Royal Natal NP, Central Drakenbergs, Kruger NP (Satara and Pretoriakop Rest Camps – saw big five in one day), Blyde River Canyon, Pretoria, Johannesburg.
May 27-31, June 6-7, 2023. Jo’berg, Pretoria, Mpumalga, Limpopo, NW Province (rented car).
84. Lesotho April 25-27, 2017. Drive north and east to Sani Pass.
85. Eswatini (Swaziland). April 29-30, 2017 – Sibebe Rock, Mbabane, Milwane Wildlife Sanctuary.
2018
86. Italy. Jan 2018. Genoa, Siena, Rome, Florence.
Feb & March 2018: South Tyrol, Sicily, Bacilica, Puglia, Le March, Emilia Romagna, Lakes, Turin.
March 2019: Liguria, Naples and area, Tuscany, Veneto, Fruili.
Aug 2022 – Northwest, Sardinia.
Oct 2022 – Rome, Pelagie Islands
*87. Vatican (Holy See) Jan 2018.
88. Germany. Jan 31-Feb 8, 2018. Leipzig. Drive via Munich to Sicily. Lower Saxony(Hannover, Braunschweig)– Jan 17-18, 2019, August 28-29, 2019, North Rhine – Westphalia Jan 18-23 2019, Rhineland-Palantine Jan 23-24, 2019, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Schwerin, Rostock) Aug 24, 2019, Schleswig-Holstein (Lübeck, Helgoland) August 25, 2019, Hamburg August 25-27, 2019, Bremen January 17-18, 2019, Saxony-Anhalt August 30-31, 2019, Brandenburg (Potsdam) August 31, September 3, 2019, Berlin August 31- Sept 2, 2019, Saxony (Dresden, Leipzig) Sept 2-4 2019, Bavaria (Munich, Nuremberg) September 9-10, 21, 2019, Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart) September 11, 2019, Saarland (Saarbrücken) September 12, 2019
89. Monaco. Mar 15, 2018
90. United Kingdom. March 25-May 9 & June 2-28, 2018. Drove everywhere in the UK.
April 26-May 9, 2024. London, rented a car and drove ~1200 km through South England.
a. British Virgin Islands – Tortola and Virgin Gorda – Mar 11, 2022. MSC cruise
b. Anguilla – Mar 20, 2022
91. Ireland. May 9-June 2, 2018
92. Belgium. June 27-July 7 2018. West Flanders, Wallonia, East Flanders, Brussels, Antwerp. Southeast corner Jan 29, 2019. Sept 2021 – road trip on the way to the Netherlands.
93. Netherlands. July 7-23, 2018. Maastricht & SE, Central, Rotterdam & South, Utrecht, Amsterdam.
Jan 14-18 2019 West and North.
Sept 2021 – a road trip through southwest and Amsterdam on the way to sell VW California in Naarden
a. Sint Maarten Mar 13, 20, 2022 – MSC cruise
94. Iceland. July 24-Aug 12 2018. Ring Road, Reykjavik.
95. Denmark. July 24 2018 drove the length of the country to Hirtshals not visiting anywhere.
July 10-12 2018 – August 13-31, 2018 All of Denmark.
a. Faroe Islands. Aug 7-8, 2018
96. Sweden. August 31-Sept 4 – Southwest Sweden. Sept 12-18 – Central and Southeast Sweden, Norrland Lapland (Luleå) July 20, 2019, Norrland East and Jämtland (Umeå, Östersund) July 25-26, 2019, Svealand (Stockholm) September 10, 17-18, 2018, July 28-31, 2019, Gotland (Visby) July 29, 2019
97. Norway. Sept 4-12, 2018. Oslo, South Norway, Nord-Norge (Tromso) July 21-24, 2019, Lofoten July 24, 2019, Trøndelag (Trondheim) July 25, 2019
2019
98. Luxembourg. Jan 21-23, 2019. Everything
99. Malta. March 3-7, 2019
100. Slovenia. March 18-22, 2019: West. May 17-19, 2019: East.
101. Croatia. March 22-25, 2019: Dalmatia. May 15-17, 2019: Central (Zagreb) & Medimurije. May 19-20, 2019: Slavonia & Baranja.
102. Bosnia and Herzegovina. March 25-26, 2019: Mostar area. May 12-13, 2019: Fed. Bosnia (Sarajevo). May 13-14, 2019: Srpska East. May 14, 2019: Srpska West
103. Montenegro. March 27-29 2019: Central and Coast. May 17-19, 2019: East
104. Albania. March 29-31, 2019: North and South. April 10, 2019: Far west corner
105. Greece. Thrace & Thessaly Mar 31-April 1, April 8-14, Dec 23-31, 2019. Epirus April 2-4 2019. Peloponnese April 5-6 2019: Attica (Athens), April 6-8, 2019: Crete. April 9-13, 2019: Dodecanese Islands Dec 22, 2019, North Aegean Islands Dec 23, 2019; Mt Athos Dec 26, 2019, Ionian Islands (Corfu) Dec 26, 2019. Minorca and Santorini Oct 2021
106. North Macedonia. April 11, 2019: Far West. May 5-7, 2019: Pelagonia & West. May 7-8,2019: Vardar & East.
107. Turkey. April 14-28, 2019: Thrace, Istanbul, Ege (Dec 20-24), Marmara (Dec 25, 2019), Ege, Oct 10-11, Dec 22-24, 2019, West and Central Anatolia November 11-16, 2019 (Ankara Oct 8-11, 2019); Black Sea Coast West Nov 17, 2019; Black Sea Coast East (Nov 18-19, 2019; East Anatolia Dec 4-8, 2019; SE Anatolia Dec 14-17, 2019; Mediterranean East Dec 17-19, 2019, Mediterranean West Dec 19-20, 2019;
108. Bulgaria. April 28-May 3, 2019. Black Sea Coast, North (Sofia), South
*109. Kosovo. May 8-10, 2019: South, West & East (Skopje). May 11, 2019: North Kosovo
110. Serbia. May 20-22, 2019: Vojovdina (Novi Sad), May 23-25: 2019 Belgrade & West,
May 26-27, 2019: South East
111. Romania. West: May 29-30, 2019, Northwest: May 30-31, 2019, Centre: May 28-June 3, 2019, Southwest: June 7, 2019, Northeast: June 8-10, 2019
112. Moldova. Chisinau: June 10-11. 2019, Gagarzia: June 12, 2019, Transnistria: June 12, 2019
113. Ukraine. Odessa & South: June 13-15, 2019, Centre East: June 15-16, 2019, North East: June 17, 24, 2019, Central (Kiev): June 16-20, 23, 2019, Central West: June 21, 2019, West Southern: June 21-22, 2019, West Northern: June 22, 2019
114. Belarus. Homel, Narva, Minsk, Brest, Hrodna: June 24-28, 2019
115. Latvia. Daugvapils: June 28-29, 2019, Riga, Pieriga and Vidzeme August 4-6, 2019, Kurzeme and Zemgale (Jelgava, Ventspils, Liepāja) August 6, 2019
116. Lithuania. Vilnius, Kaunas, Northeast: June 29-July 4, 2019, Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Utena July 3-4, 2019, Klaipeda, Telsiai, Tauragė, Marijampole Aug 8, 2019,
117. Estonia. Voru, Tartu, Narva, Tallinn July 4-9, 2019, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa August 3, 2019
118. Finland. Helsinki: July 9-14, 2019, North & East: July 14-15, 2019, Northern Ostrobothnia and Eastern (Oulu, Kajaani, Joensuu) July 15-17, July 20, 2019, Western and Central (Turku, Tampere, Jyväskylä) July 18-20, 2019, Lapland (Rovaniemi) July 20-21, 2019
119. Poland. Warmia-Mazuria, Podlaskie (Olsztyn, Białystok) August 9- 10 2019, Mazovia (Warsaw, Radom and Łódź) August 10-12, 2019, Lublin, Świętokrzyskie (Kielce) August 14, 2019, Lesser Poland and Subcarpathia (Kraków, Rzeszów) August 15-19, 2019, Silesia, Lower Silesia, Opole (Katowice, Wrocław) August 20-21, 2019, Great Poland August 21, 2019, Pomerania, West Pomerania (Gdańsk, Szczecin) August 22-24, 2019
120. Switzerland. Valais (Sion, Brig) September 17, 2019, Ticino (Lugano, Locarno, Bellinzona) September 17, 2019, Graubünden (Chur) September 18, 2019, Mittelland (Zürich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne) September 19-20, 2019
121. Austria. Tyrol, Vorarlberg (Innsbruck) Sept 21-22, 2019, Burgenland, Styria (Graz) September 23, 2019, Salzburg, Carinthia September 22, 2019, Vienna, Lower and Upper Austria (Linz, Steyr) September 23-24, 26, 2019
122. Liechtenstein September 18, 2019
123. Czech Republic. Central, South, West (Prague, Karlovy Vary, Plzeň) September 26,28, 2019, Highlands September 27-28, 2019, Moravia (Brno, Olomouc) September 28-29, 2019
124. Slovakia. Bratislava September 29-30 2019, Banská Bystrica & area October 2, 2019, Košice, Prešov September 30, 2019
125. Hungary. Transdanubia Oct 1-2 2019, Central & East (Budapest) Oct 3-5 2019, Great Plains Oct 5-6, 2019
126. Iran. Tehran Oct 12-13, 24-25 2019, Shiraz Oct 14-17 2019, Yazd Oct 17-19, Isfahan Oct 19-21 2019
127. Turkmenistan. Ashgabat, Gas Crater, Mary October 22-31, 2019
128. Syria. Damascus, Alep0, Homs, Palmyra November 1-10, 2019
129. Georgia. Batumis, Katasia, Tbilisi November 17-23
130. Azerbaijan. West November 24-27, 2019, East and Baku Nov 25-26, 2019
131. Armenia. North, Center (Yerevan), South Nov 27-Dec 4, Nagorno Karabakh Dec 3, 2019
132. Iraq. Kurdistan – Amedi, Erbil Dec 9-10, 2019. Sept 16-25, 2022 – I rented a car and drove alone from Baghdad to Basra (Madain, Wasit), back to Baghdad (Najaf, Karbala, Babylon), to Mosul (Samarra, Tikrit) and back to Baghdad (Kirkuk).
133. Syria. Damascus, Aleppo, Palmyra, Dec 11-18, 2019
2021
134. Cape Verde. July 18-20, 2021
135. Cyprus. South and North. Oct 12-24, 2021
136. Egypt – North.- Cairo, Siwa, Alexandria, Sinai. Oct 25 – Nov 19, 2021, Cairo, Harghada, Kharga Oasis, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel Dec 11-18, 2022.
137. Seychelles – Nov 20-22, 2021
138. Mauritius – Nov 23-27, 2021
139. Saudi Arabia – Nov 27-Dec 9, 2021 – Mecca Province, Asir & Jaizan/Nazran Provinces, Riyadh, Eastern Province, Al Qasim, Al Jawf and Tabuk Provinces, Medina Province
140. Pakistan – Dec 10-28, 2021 – Karachi, North Sindh, Punjab South, Balochistan
Kyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Punjab North.
June 10-20, 2024 – Islamabad, Chitral, Gilgit, Karakarum Highway. |
2022
141. Trinidad & Tobago – Dec 30-Jan 3, 2022. Visited both islands.
142. Guyana – Jan 4-8, 2022. Georgetown and area, Kaieteur Falls.
143. Suriname – Jan 9-12. Paramaribo
144. Dominica – Mar 9, 2022. Drove around the entire island. MSC cruise.
145. Antigua – Mar 12, 2022
146. Barbados – Mar 15, 2022
147. Saint Lucia – Mar 17, 2022
148. Grenada & the Grenadines – Mar 18, 2022
149. Saint Kitts & Nevis – Mar 19, 2022
150. Dominican Republic – March 21-27, 2022. Santo Domingo. 3-day drive around the rest of the country.
151. Haiti. March 28-31, 2022. Cap Haitian, Port au Prince
152. El Salvador – April 1-7, 2022. Rented a car San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Miguel, and most of the country.
153. Paraguay – April 8-11, 2022. Asuncion, rented car Encarncion and Ciudad el Este.
154. Jamaica – May 4-7, 2022. Rented a car and drove around the island starting in Montego Bay.
155. Bahamas – May 8-9, 2022. Nassau (New Providence Island)
156. Libya – Sept 9-14, 2022. Tripoli, Ghadames, Sabratha, Leptis Magna.
157. Chad – Sept 25-28, 2022 – D’ndjamena.
158. Niger – Sept 28-Oct 5, 2022 – Niamey, Agadez, Gerewol, Koni. Defrauded by a dishonest guide.
159. Burkina Faso – Oct 5-11, 2022. Ouagadougou, Tiebele, Bobo, crossed land border to Mali.
160. Algeria – Oct 22-Nov 3, 2022. Algiers, Constantine, Ghardaia, Oran, Tlemcen, Djanet and south for 5 days in the desert.
161. Sao Tome & Principe. Nov 5-9, 2022. Sao Tome City and west.
162. Central African Republic. Nov 10-13, 2022. Benjui, Boali Waterfall.
163. Guinea Bissau. Nov 26-27, 2022. 1 day in Bissau.
164. Gambia. Nov 27-Dec 1. 2022. North and South.
165. Sudan. Dec 18-21, 2022. Entered overland from Egypt, Wadi Halaf, Kerima, Moroe, Kartoum
166. Ethiopia. Dec 21, 22 – Jan 8, 2023. Addis Ababa, Afar, Lalibela, Gondar, Simien Mountains, Omo Valley, Dere Dawa, Harar, Jijia
2023
167. Somalia. Jan 8-10. Mogadishu. 2 days $1250 + flights and visa
168. Djibouti. Jan 10-14. Djibouti City, Lake Abbe, Lake Assal, Moucha Island.
*169. Somaliland. Jan 14-16. Hargeisa.
170. Eritrea. Jan 16-20. Asmara, Massawa, The North Korea of Africa
171. Bangladesh. Mar 7-16. Dhaka, Khulna and the Sunderbans, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi (all 5 regions and 3 WHS)
172. Burundi. Mar 17-22. Bujumbura, drive around the country. (2 regions)
173. Rwanda. Mar 22-27. Kigali and drive around the country. (2 regions)
174. Uganda. Mar 27-Apr 5. Kampala and drive around the country.
175. South Sudan. Apr 6-9. Juba and cattle camps (with Ammon Watkins)
176. Kenya. Apr 10-22. All NM regions except Northeast. Rented car.
177. Tanzania. April 22-May 7. All regions except the West. All WHS. Rented a car for 7 days.
178, Zambia. May 7-12. Train Dar es Salaam to Kapiri, Ndola, Lusaka, Livingstone.
179. Zimbabwe. May 12-21. Victoria Falls, Bulawayo (rented car), Maputo Hills, Great Zimbabwe, Harare.
180. Mozambique. May 21-22. Tete. May 25-27 Maputo.
181. Malawi. May 22-25. Blantyre (rented car), Lake Malawi, Lilongwe
182. Botswana. May 31-June 6. All three regions (rented car).
183. Madagascar. June 7-16 Tana, Morondava, Ave Baobabs, Tsingy,
184. Comoros. June 16-17. Moroni.
185. Papua New Guinea. Sept 14-19: Port Moresby, Goroka Show
186. Australia. Sept 19-Dec 8. Rented a station wagon with camping gear, and drove around the country.
187. Solomon Islands. Dec 8-11. Honiara
188. Vanuatu. Dec 11-12. Port Vila
189. Fiji. Dec 12-29. Nadi and three flights to Tuvalu, Tonga, and Samoa.
190. Tonga. Dec 18-21. Toni’s Tour – the best.
191. Samoa. Dec 22-25.
193. Nauru. Dec 29-Jan 1, 2024.
194. Kiribati. Jan 1-5. Tawara
195. Micronesia. Jan 5-8. Pohnei.
196. Marshall Islands. Jan 8-10 Majuro
2024
197. St Vincent & the Grenadines. April 23-25. Georgetown
198. Equatorial Guinea. May 10-12. Bioko
199. Yemen – Socrata. May 14-21.
200. Tuvalu – Oct 24-26. #193
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES
Started in 1972, this is the foremost international treaty for the protection of major natural and cultural heritage around the world. Today, more than 1197 sites are on the list. Located in 153 countries, they include cultural, natural, and mixed sites. About 30 are added from the Tentative List every year.
I try my best to not miss either WHS or Tentative WHS which are probably only second to countries and NM regions in importance. I hope to lead the world in WHS. I am presently #1 when WHS and Tentative WHS are added together.
