Doc posted a long index on a recent thread of every *country* that exists in the world, which is quite some reading. No list is ever going to 100% "correct" but these 2 lists below from WorldAtlas seem pretty darn close to me. It gives a total of 250 different countries and recognised territories/dependencies that are all possible for a tourist to visit.

(I can think of a few like Ross Dependency and British Antarctic Territory that should be added, and some like Palmyra Atoll, Coral Sea Islands, Kingman Reef, Navassa Island etc that should not be in there in a fit, but that's for another thread.)

These 2 lists do NOT include non-existent "countries" or "territories/dependencies" often commonly misidentified as such - like Scotland, Tasmania, Easter Island, Wales, Newfoundland, Alaska, Micronesia, Lapland, Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, etc, etc


http://www.worldatlas.com/dependtr.htm in conjunction WITH -

http://www.worldatlas.com/nations.htm

Be interesting to see postings here of where FlyerTalkers have been on their travels. Be nice if countries from these two lists were the only ones "claimed", for the sake of some overall consistency.

And opinions will also vary on this, but I personally do not think/regard a purely transit stop via an airport at Bahrain, Singapore, Frankfurt, Reyjkavik, etc counts as "visiting" that country.

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~ Glen ~

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[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 10-01-2003).]