Disputed territories: how do travellers count them?

Counting countries sounds like arithmetic, until you meet a place whose status is contested. Is Taiwan a country? What about Kosovo, Palestine or Western Sahara? Governments answer differently, and so do the lists that travellers use. The result is that two honest people can have a different number for the same trip.

This guide does not pick a side. It explains why the disagreement exists and how to keep a count you can explain.

Why lists differ

Recognition is the heart of it. A place can have a government, borders and a passport, yet be recognised as a state by only some of the world. Others are administered by one country but claimed by another. Lists then follow different rules:

• Members of the United Nations. A clear, official test, with 193 members, but it leaves out a few places that behave as countries in daily life.
• Members plus observers. Adds the places that have a standing at the UN without being full members.
• Broader travel lists. Used by travel clubs and apps, these add places with their own border control and a distinct travel experience.

We explain the usual numbers in how many countries are there.

The types of disputed place

1. Partly recognised states. They run their own affairs and issue passports, but not every government recognises them.
2. Territories claimed by more than one country. Different governments control and claim the same land, and maps differ by who draws them.
3. Dependencies. Places that belong to a state but have their own border arrangements, such as some islands.
4. Regions with an autonomous status. Parts of a country with their own government and, in some cases, their own entry rules.

How the experience matters

Travellers often decide by what the visit felt like, rather than by diplomacy. A place with its own border control, currency or stamp feels like a separate country when you cross into it. A place that is simply a region of a larger one usually does not. Neither view is a statement about legitimacy. It is a way to describe where you went.

Practical issues to check

• Entry through one side only. Some territories can be entered from one country but not from the other, and entering through the wrong one can cause problems later.
• Stamps and records. A stamp from a disputed place may affect entry elsewhere, so check the rules for your passport.
• Government advice. Many of these places carry a high advisory level. Read travel advice levels explained and check the current guidance.
• Maps. A map in one country may show borders differently from a map in another. Be aware of that when you share yours.

How to keep a fair count

1. Pick a list and write down why you chose it.
2. Say which list you use whenever you give your total, for example "197 on the Explo list".
3. Keep a separate note for contested places, so your record shows the visit even if a list leaves it out.
4. Respect that other travellers will choose differently.

If you set targets, see country count milestones from 10 to 197 for how the numbers add up. And since what counts as a visit is a second question, read does a layover count as visiting a country.

In Explo

Explo counts 197 places: the 193 UN members plus Vatican City, Palestine, Taiwan and Kosovo. That is a travel list, designed so the places most travellers consider separate stops appear on the map. It is not a political statement, and you can ignore any place you prefer not to count. The map and your totals are yours.