Countries of the World

So, during Womancation, 2011, my friends, Mindy, Mariellen and I started discussing how many countries of the world we had been to. None of us were quite sure as we had never sat down and really counted. I decided I wanted to know, so I just sat down and counted. I went to the website www.listofcountriesoftheworld.com and wrote down the countries according to that website. For the most part, that is what is listed here, totaling  252 Countries.  However, officially, there are 196 undisputed countries. Well I guess 195 since Taiwan is disputed.  So anyway, it depends on what list you use, but here is my list in alphabetical order:

1) Afghanistan
2) Albania
3) Algeria
4) Andorra
5) Angola
6) Antarctica
7) Antigua and Barbuda
8) Argentina
9) Armenia
10) Aruba (2017 and 2021)
11) Australia
12) Austria (1999)
13) Azerbaijan
14) Bahamas (2012, 2024)
15) Bahrain
16) Bangladesh
17) Barbados (2017)
18) Belarus

19) Belgium (1999)

20) Belize (2003)
21) Benin

22) Bermuda (2007)
23) Bhutan
24) Bolivia
25) Bosnia and Herzegovina
26) Botswana
27) Brazil
28) British Virgin Islands (2018)
29) Brunei
30) Bulgaria
31) Burkina Faso
32) Burma
33) Burundi
34) Cambodia (2018 - #42)
35) Cameroon

36) Canada (2012, 2018, 2019)
37) Cape Verde

38) Cayman Islands (2003)
39) Central African Republic
40) Chad
41) Chile
42) China
43) Clipperton Island
44) Cocos (Keeling) Islands
45) Columbia
46) Comoros
47) Congo, Democratic Republic of the
48) Congo, Republic of the
49) Cook Islands
50) Coral Sea Islands

51) Costa Rica (2009)
52) Cote d'Ivoire
53) Croatia (2024)
54) Cuba
55) Cyprus
56) Czech Republic (2015)
57) Denmark (2018) #44
58) Dhekelia
59) Djibouti
60) Dominica (2017)

61) Dominican Republic (2008, 2024)

62) Ecuador (2010)

63) Egypt (1997)
64) El Salvador
65) Equatorial Guinea
66) Eritrea
67) Estonia
68) Ethiopia
69) Europa Island
70) Falkland Islands
71) Faroe Islands
72) Fiji
73) Finland

74) France (1999, 2015)
75) French Guiana
76) French Polynesia
77) French Southern and Antarctic Lands
78) Gabon
79) Gambia
80) Gaza Strip
81) Georgia

82) Germany (1999, 2022)
83) Ghana

84) Gibralter (2004)
85) Glorioso Islands
86) Greece (2019)
87) Greenland
88) Grenada (2017)
89) Guam
90) Guatemala
91) Guernsey
92) Guinea
93) Guinea-Bissau
94) Guyana
95) Haiti
96) Heard Island and McDonald Islands

97) Holy See/Vatican City (1999)

98) Honduras
99) Hong Kong
100) Hungary

101) Iceland (2005)
102) India
103) Indonesia
104) Iran
105) Iraq
106) Ireland
107) Isle of Man

108) Israel (1997)

109) Italy (1999, 2021, 2022, 2024)
110) Jamaica
111) Jan Mayen
112) Japan
113) Jersey

114) Jordan (1997)
115) Juan de Nova Island
116) Kazakhstan
117) Kenya
118) Kiribati
119) Korea, North (2014)
120) Korea, South (2014)
121) Kuwait
122) Kyrgyzstan
123) Laos
124) Latvia
125) Lebanon
126) Lesotho
127) Liberia
128) Libya
129) Liechtenstein
130) Lithuania
131) Luxembourg
132) Macau
133) Macedona
134) Madagascar
135) Malawi
136) Malaysia
137) Maldives
138) Mali
139) Malta
140) Marshall Islands
141) Martinique
142) Mauritania
143) Mauritius
144) Mayotte

145) Mexico (2012)
146) Micronesia, Federated States of
147) Moldova
148) Monaco
149) Mongolia
150) Montserrat

151) Morocco (2004)
152) Mozambique
153) Namibia
154) Nauru
155) Navassa Island
156) Nepal 

157) Netherlands (1999)
158) New Caledonia
159) New Zealand
160) Nicaragua
161) Niger
162) Nigeria
163) Niue
164) Norfolk Island
165) Northern Mariana Islands
166) Norway
167) Oman
168) Pakistan
169) Palau
170) Panama
171) Papua New Guinea
172) Paracel Islands
173) Paraguay

174) Peru (2006)
175) Philippines
176) Pitcairn Islands
177) Poland
178) Portugal (2019, #47)

179) Puerto Rico (2006, 2021, 2022) (So, I know this is a US ter. but this website listed as a country, so I'm going with it!)

180) Qatar
181) Reunion
182) Romania
183) Russia
184) Rwanda
185) Saint Helena
186) Saint Kitts and Nevis (2018)
187) St. Lucia (2005)
188) Saint Pierre and Miquelon
189) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
190) Samoa
191) San Marino
192) Sao Tome and Principe
193) Saudi Arabia
194) Scotland (2018) #43
195) Senegal
196) Serbia and Montenegro
197) Seychelles
198) Sierra Leone
199) Singapore
200) Slovakia
201) Slovenia (2024)
202) Solomon Islands
203) Somalia

204) South Africa (2011)
205) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

206) Spain (2004, 2009, 2019)
207) Spratly Islands
208) Sri Lanka
209) Sudan
210) Suriname
211) Svalbard
212) Swaziland

213) Sweden (2005)

214) Switzerland (1999)
215) Syria
216) Taiwan
217) Tajikistan
218) Tanzania

219) Thailand (2004 and 2018)
220) Timor-Leste
221) Togo
222) Tokelau
223) Tonga
224) Trinidad and Tobago
225) Tromelin Island
226) Tunisia
227) Turkey
228) Turkmenistan
229) Turks and Caicos Islands (2024)
230) Tuvalu
231) Uganda
232) Ukraine
233) United Arab Emirates

234) United Kingdom (1999, 2004, 2022)

235) United States (1976 - 2022)
236) Uruguay
237) Uzbekistan
238) Vanuatu
239) Venezuela
240) Vietnam (2014)

241) Virgin Islands
242) Wake Island
243) Wallis and Futuna
244) West Bank
245) Western Sahara
246) Yemen
247) Zambia
248) Zimbabwe

20%

51/248

Asia: 7/50

Antarctica: 0/1

Australia: 0/1

Africa: 3/54
Europe: 15/44
North America: 12 /23

South America: 2/14

#113: West Virginia's White-Water Rafting (pg 737, 2nd Ed pg 901)

August 1, 2011: It was a deal on Travelzoo I couldn't refuse. $65 per person for a White Water Rafting expedition on the Lower New River that included two nights of camping, a light breakfast both mornings and lunch along the river during the White Water Rafting adventure. I've been White Water Rafting once in Colorado during high school and once in Dec. 2009 in Costa Rica. And I had an absolute blast, so I was very excited about checking out the West Virginia rapids!

We booked our excursion through River Expeditions and our guide in our raft was named Joe. He was 43 years old and had been a guide for 12 years. He knew everything there was to know about that River!

And going through rapids like this, I'm glad he did! I'm the one in the back left with the pink helmet and sunglasses.

And can you believe, nobody fell out of our raft during this?

See? All in one piece!

Verdict: Yes. SO much fun! I would do it again in a heartbeat. Only next time, I want to do the Gauley. Joe tells us that the Lower Gauley (did he say Upper or Lower? I can't remember?) Anyway, one of the Gauleys is "a few steps up from what we did today" and the other Gauley is "a whole staircase." How fun would THAT be? BTW, if you have young children, you can book a rafting adventure on the Upper New River for some Level 1-2 rapids and maybe a couple 3's. Kids as young as six are allowed to raft that river.