This is the list of the sovereign states which I have visited. There are 191 UN member states, 2 observer states, and 13 non-member states making for a grand total of 206 countries. For this list, I will count all 206 as legitimate independent states. Why? It just seems silly to me not to count a county like Taiwan. If you have complete autonomous control over your territory, including passports, trade agreements, and international embassies, you should be considered a country.
As of August, 2013, I’ve been to 14/206 countries
1) Mexico
The biosphere reserve of Sian Ka’an.
2) United States of America
Shark Valley trail of the Everglades National Park.
3) Canada
One of the rookie horses in Stanley Park, Vancouver.
4) South Korea
One of the four main gates into ancient Seoul, Namdaemun.
5) People’s Republic of China (Mainland China)*
The drum tower in Xi’an.
6) Cambodia
Ta Prohm, truly the best temple in Angkor.
7) Vietnam
Long Beach in Phu Quoc Island. The sand may have some trash, but the water is truly majestic.
8) Italy
Naples and Mt. Vesuvius, which destroyed Pompeii two thousand years ago.
9) Vatican City
St. Peter’s Basillica is one of the largest churches I have ever seen. It looks even bigger from the inside.
10) Netherlands
Amsterdam Centraal Station has to be one of the most beautiful in the world.
11) Japan
The Golden Pavillion in Kyoto Japan is a top attraction for a reason. That reflection is priceless.
12) Republic of China (Taiwan)
Once the tallest building in the world, Taipei 101 has a fantastic fireworks show every New Year’s Eve.
13) Peru
The Huacachina Oasis is the only one of its kind in the Americas. It looks straight out of the Sahara Desert.
14) Indonesia
At three meters long and equipped with a poisonous bite, the Komodo dragon, not humans, rules this land.
It’s a small list, but I am just getting started.
*Note: When people ask me, I usually count Hong Kong and Macau as independent, as you do need to go through immigration to go to either of them.
