How nations are there in the world

So you need to manage all your own affairs AND have other countries understand and recognise that you are indeed a country. Initially, being a huge football fan, I wanted to ask FIFA how many countries are there in the world. But, alas, politics still plays a part. Despite all using the same British pound, same British passport, having the same British queen and all using the same British Government albeit slightly differently.

So, scratch that. Onto the next one. The United Nations. The United Nations list is probably the best to work off. So they say they have members. So that means there are countries in the world, right? Not quite. Both of which I see as countries. Palestine, in particular, is one of my favourites. So countries in the world? That list still excludes Taiwan recognised by 22 countries , and Kosovo recognised by other countries , so what to do?

Taiwan is excluded because China claims ownership over Taiwan. Despite the fact that very much is a country. So that makes the final cut for sure. Anyway, that brings us to countries in the world. Kosovo is a country. Yes, kind of.

There are countries in the world if you are aligned with the technical aspects of things alone, rather than a practical sense. Bearing that in mind, there are Where the British Virgin Islands are? Where Kurdistan is? This is where it gets a little tricky. Why do some people say there are MORE than countries in the world?

Disputed territories! First up, 2 very dubious visits are included on my personal journey to every country in the world on my list. And I feel like a bit of a fraud. Somalia has an autonomous region in the north called Somaliland. Passport, government, currency, culture, sports teams. Somaliland is the cheat mode all travelers who try to visit every country in the world use. Myself included. Shame on us. Next up, Iraq. Similar situation, but different politics.

They fly their flag proudly, drink Guinness at Irish pub quizzes at the weekend to that, I can testify! It should be about seeing the world, experiencing everything we can. Nothing is simple when defining what makes a country.

For that reason, there are a lot of disputed territories around the world. Same for Scotland within the United Kingdom. This is not a political endorsement, just a simple fact. Declared its independence from Somalia in Not recognised as a country by any other country, officially still a part of Somalia proper.

I had quite a crazy experience in Somaliland complete with terrorists, tycoons and prostitutes. I personally visited Declared its independence in Officially part of Azerbaijan. It is only recognised by 1 UN member state, Turkey. Officially still part of Cyprus proper. It is recognised by 47 UN member states plus 37 additional member states who used to recognise it as well as South Ossetia. Officially still part of Morocco proper.

Officially part of Moldova. I undertook a bit of Transnistria tourism a few years ago from Moldova. A fascinating place. Officially part of Georgia proper.

I travelled to Abkhazia a few years ago with my mum, from Georgia. It has its own flag, its own sports teams. Cook Islanders are New Zealand passport holders, and New Zealand is officially responsible for the defence and foreign affairs of the Cook Islands and Niue. However, these responsibilities confer New Zealand no rights of control per se. It is however recognised by 11 UN member states. As of , the Cook Islands, Niue, and Kosovo are the only states that participate in UN specialised agencies, but which are not member or observer states of the UN itself.

Niueans are New Zealand passport holders, and New Zealand is officially responsible for the defence and foreign affairs of Niue and the Cook Islands. It is however recognised by 7 UN member states. First, I must risk offending everyone by stating 4 facts:.

What is a country vs a nation, for example? If you consider a country to be anything that sees itself as a country, then you may consider it differently. But what about Northern Ireland for example?

Furthermore, there are other places that lots of people consider countries but all belong to an actual sovereign member state. See you on the road I guess!

I live like this because I love to travel, though. I mean, does that even really count? Sooooo, are there countries in the world, and will I visit them all? No cheating involved! I wrote a list of frequently asked questions about my journey to every country in the world. You can read that here. My plans are to have a crazy schedule of being based in Thailand 6 months a year, then somewhere else 3 months a year, and travelling 3 months a year.

What are the least visited countries in the world? Also, it has great digital nomad insurance for people who are constantly travelling too! You can read my review here , and you can sign-up here. Also, if you want to start a blog, and start to change your life, I'd love to help you! Email me on johnny onestep4ward.

In the meantime, check out my super easy blog post on how to start a travel blog in under 30 minutes, here! And if you just want to get cracking, use BlueHost at a discount, through me. Oh, one last thing! Sources do not always agree on the total number of countries in the world. Other sources claim there are countries. They count Holy See and Palestine as UN observers but also consider Taiwan and Kosovo to be self-governed territories that both have substantial economic resources of their own.

The latter fact is because Taiwan is considered as part of the Chinese territory; the same is correct for Kosovo being part of Serbia. With all the socio-economic, geographical, and political difficulties, this can all be subject to change over time.

Generally, the UN seems to be a reliable source for the total number of countries. For a country to be a part of this organization, a country must apply for membership, be assessed, and then be voted in.

The country has to be approved by the five permanent member countries: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The constant flux of politics and globalization are continually redefining countries, so agreeing on a final count can be difficult. In addition to the reasons already described, here are some additional facts. Some researchers believe that there could be even more countries in the future. This is because Libya has often been in turmoil, because of extremists there fighting for control and different governments trying to take over since Gaddafi was overthrown.

Based in Barcelona, Spain, Catalonia is the country's financial center. Sierra Leone. El Salvador. State of Palestine. Costa Rica. Central African Republic.

New Zealand. Bosnia and Herzegovina. North Macedonia. Equatorial Guinea. Trinidad and Tobago. Solomon Islands. Cabo Verde. Saint Lucia. Antigua and Barbuda. Marshall Islands. San Marino. Holy See. Hong Kong. Puerto Rico.