Saturday 24 September 2005

How many countries we've been to

A few months ago, we were a group of friends discussing travelling. The eternal subject came up: Who has been where. And man's weakness for numbers ignited the below list.
A such debate also causes discussions as to what is to be considered as a country. For example, Koen wanted Carpetland, Disneyland and heel veel Weiland to be taken into account but rejected Christophe's Plopsaland suggestion. And what about countries you have not actually been to but looked into across the border or in the horizon ― Christophe mentioned Algeria and Saudi Arabia; Bjørn mentioned Bolivia, Paraguay and the Soviet Union, the latter he has even 'seen' both from Finland and Norway)?
The list counts only countries one has physically been to, and at least overnight. This eliminates Monaco, San Marino, the Vatican, and even Hong Kong and Switzerland from some people's list. As for what to consider as a separate country, it's a little more fuzzy. Places with a certain degree of independency such as Denmark's dependencies, the Acores, Sint-Maarten and even French Guyana have been counted, but not Rapa Nui/Easter Island or Zanzibar, as these have no particular autonomy and are geographically somehow connected to their ruling country. [Due to several comments on the Acores, it was after all not counted as a country.] Moreover, the UK is considered just one country though there are differennces between the 'competitors' as to how many of the lands they have been to.


Europe
Andorra Christophe
Austria Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn
Belgium Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn
Croatia Christophe - Koen
Cyprus Kris
Czech Republic (or the Czech part of Czechoslovakia) Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Bjørn
Denmark Noëlle - Christophe - Bjørn
Estonia Noëlle - Bjørn
Faroe Islands Noëlle - Bjørn
Finland Noëlle - Bjørn
France Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn
Germany Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn
Greece Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen
Hungary Christophe - Bjørn
Iceland Noëlle - Bjørn
Ireland Christophe - Bjørn
Italy Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn
Latvia Noëlle - Bjørn
Lithuania Noëlle - Bjørn
Luxembourg Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn
The Netherlands Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn
Norway Noëlle - Bjørn
Poland Bjørn
Portugal Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Bjørn
Slovakia Koen
Slovenia Noëlle - Christophe - Bjørn
Spain Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn
Sweden Noëlle - Christophe - Bjørn
Switzerland Noëlle - Koen
United Kingdom Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen - Bjørn

Africa
Morocco Kris - Noëlle
South Africa Koen
Tanzania Kris
Tunisia Noëlle - Christophe - Koen

North America
Bahamas Koen
Canada Kris - Noëlle - Koen
Cuba Kris
Dominican Republic Kris - Christophe
Greenland Bjørn
Mexico Noëlle
Sint-Maarten Kris
USA Noëlle - Koen

South America
Argentina Noëlle - Bjørn
Brazil Noëlle - Bjørn
Chile Noëlle - Bjørn
Ecuador Kris
French Guyana Kris
Surinam Kris

Asia
Israel Christophe
Jordan Christophe - Koen
Thailand Kris
Turkey Kris - Noëlle - Christophe - Koen

Oceania
Australia Koen
New Zealand Noëlle - Bjørn

Total (countries/continents)
Noëlle 33/6
Bjørn 29/4
Kris 24/5
Christophe 24/4
Koen 21/5

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