A common question when people ask me about my travels is, “How many countries have you been to?” I thought this question would be easy to answer; I just need to list the foreign places I have visited and then make a simple count.
However, as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend.” The definitions for countries and nations are varied, and there is no set list or description to follow. The most widely accepted list is from the United Nations. It includes 193 member states and two non-member states with associated status, the Holy See (Vatican) and the State of Palestine.
Countries and territories are much harder to define, and sometimes they must be looked at on a case-by-case basis (Kingdom of Netherlands, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America). Besides definitions and governmental descriptions, there is the question of sovereignty, a concept first defined by the Romans but later clarified by Frenchman Jean Bodin with his Theory of Sovereignty. Sovereignty depends on a nation’s de jure (legal right) and de facto (factual ability) to make or change policy. Sovereignty today involves four main parts; Domestic Sovereignty, Interdependence Sovereignty, International Legal Sovereignty, and Westphalian Sovereignty.
Once I gathered the definitions and did the count, the short answer was that I have visited 30 different nations. I look forward to writing about my experiences with these nations and the ones I hope to experience. I also look forward to growing and updating the list of countries as I travel.