A countries visited checklist for the whole world

The quick answer

The checklist below has 200 places, grouped by continent. Tick the ones you've visited and count your ticks.

That's your total. Rather not do the sums? Tap the same countries on your Gan map and it counts for you.

How to use it

Start with the continent you know best. Work through the rest one at a time.

• Agree your rule first, before you tick anything
• Tick every country that passes the rule
• Count the ticks continent by continent
• Add the totals together

Pick a rule before you tick

Overnight stay? Left the airport? Touched down on the runway? Pick one and stick to it.

A rule only works if you apply it to everyone, you included.

The guide to counting countries visited has the common rules and where each one falls down.

Why 200 and not 195?

Most lists use 195. That's the 193 UN member states plus Vatican City and Palestine.

Gan splits the UK into England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. That makes 198.

Add Kosovo and Taiwan and you get 200.

Want every remote island too? Turn territories on in Gan and the count grows to match.

The awkward ones

A few entries need a decision. Here is how the list treats them.

• Kosovo and Taiwan: on the list, though not every country recognises them
• Palestine and Vatican City: UN observers, counted as countries
• Ireland and Northern Ireland: separate, because they are separate places to visit
• Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man: territories, so off the list by default
• Countries that span two continents: shown under one continent each

Doing Europe first?

Europe is the easiest place to rack up a total. Borders are close and the trains are good.

The tiny ones are quick wins: Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Malta.

Where Europe ends is a debate. Turkey, Russia, Cyprus and the Caucasus all argue the point.

Checklist or map?

A checklist is great for counting. It's useless for showing you where you haven't been.

On the Gan map, every tick turns a country on. The gaps jump out at you.

Keep it somewhere that counts for you

A printed list gets lost. Your Gan map is private by design and keeps the running total.

The map and ticking off countries are free and stay on your device. Saving your map to your account is part of the £4.99 a year plan.

Questions

How many countries are on the checklist?

200. That's the 195 most lists use, with the UK split into four nations, plus Kosovo and Taiwan.

Does a layover count as visiting?

Only if your rule says so. Pick one rule and apply it to everyone.

Why does the list split the UK?

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are four separate places to visit. You can read more in the guide on whether they count as separate countries.

Can I tick off places like Scotland or Cornwall?

Gan has region maps for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. You can tick off counties and areas too.

Is the checklist free?

The list on this page is, and so is the Gan map. Saving your map to an account is £4.99 a year.