When I was researching the number of countries, I discovered that it ranges between 193 to 237, depending on your source.
According to The World Factbook by the United States CIA, there're 254 countries in total.
On the other hand, the United Nations has 193 members states + 2 member observer states (Vatican City and Palestine) making it a total of 195 countries.
The difference in numbers is largely due to disputed zones, special administrative regions, and nations that hold either full or partial sovereignty. Some of these areas include Crimea, Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Kosovo and Taiwan.
It's in my bucket list to visit 50 countries by the time I reach half a century old. At the point of writing, I'm at country 47.
So which figure should I use to chart my travel plans?
I've decided to use the United Nations figure of 195 countries.
