Country List to date 48/192

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When I first started traveling, I was a bit obsessed by the number of countries in the world, and trying to go to each one of them. Invariably, like many other wanderers, when I started I tried to go to as many places as I could without really appreciating them, so there are a places on my list where I literally did a day trip, got the passport stamp and moved on. The virtue of patience is something that comes with time and you learn that there is no way to rush the process.

As for the number of countries, it is still useful as a guide towards a life goal. I set a goal of 30 countries by the age of 30, then reset the goal to 50 countries by age 35 (Hopefully, I will be fortunate enough to reset the goal before my ‘deadline’ again). There is no success or failure in this goal, but rather a sense of personal achievement. As I get a bit older, I realize that the traveling goals might not resonate with everyone. We all have our own paths and goals and there are people who are completely content living in their own realities (kids, 2.2 kids, dog, huge house, fancy car). I have learnt that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that – the only failure is the failure to find your passion and source of happiness in this life.

So how many countries are there in the world???
Currently there are different numbers for total countries in the world.

The most common answer is 192 – the number of member states in the United Nations. This number, though, does not include Vatican City, which is generally recognized by most world almanacs as an independently governed country.
There are also 10 sovereign states that lack general international recognition but are worth mentioning.

States like Kosovo, like Taiwan, Somaliland, Northern Cyprus and Western Sahara. The U.S. Department of State has its own list of 194 approved countries that is independent from the UN – of course the US wouldn’t care what the UN has to say! As a frame of reference, I prefer to use the United Nations list to track how many countries I have visited