How many non-countries have you been to?

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Gavin Chipper
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How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Non-countries are territories (or whatever the word is) that aren't even in a country. So this would include things like the Isle of Man and Gibraltar. I don't have a definitive list of these (is there a Sporcle quiz?) but if you go here or here or here or here you'll get some of them.

Edit - This is a good list. Ignore all the actual countries in there, obviously. And I think this probably has the same places listed.
Last edited by Gavin Chipper on Fri Apr 14, 2017 6:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Thomas Cappleman »

Just Guernsey for me.
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Jennifer Steadman
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Jennifer Steadman »

None on the wiki page but a couple of really tenuous ones - Republic of Užupis (Lithuania) and Christiania (Denmark). Both located in their real countries' respective capitals. Stopped off for 15 minutes in Republika Srpska in Bos-Herz too.
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Matt Morrison
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Matt Morrison »

I'm almost tempted to include the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, but it doesn't really fit the bill.

So for me it's just Tenerife and Majorca.

EDIT: fucking Isle of Wight and Jersey too you pricks
Last edited by Matt Morrison on Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JimBentley
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by JimBentley »

None at all for me, although I'm considering declaring my house an independent state. Not so sure it'll work - there are serious infrastructure problems for a start and I don't have a nuclear status symbol (yet) - but hey, you gotta dream.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Jon Corby »

Tenerife, Ibiza, Gran Canaria
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Jennifer Steadman
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Jennifer Steadman »

Jennifer Steadman wrote:None on the wiki page but a couple of really tenuous ones - Republic of Užupis (Lithuania) and Christiania (Denmark). Both located in their real countries' respective capitals. Stopped off for 15 minutes in Republika Srpska in Bos-Herz too.
Oops, forgot to include islands. So: Lanzarote, Tenerife, Ibiza, Minorca (all Spain), Gozo (Malta) and Capri (Italy).
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

JimBentley wrote:None at all for me, although I'm considering declaring my house an independent state. Not so sure it'll work - there are serious infrastructure problems for a start and I don't have a nuclear status symbol (yet) - but hey, you gotta dream.
I've considered doing that sort of thing before, but why can't it be full country status, unless that's what you meant but just posted in this thread anyway?

I know people would come along and say it wouldn't be officially recognised etc., but what's "officially" mean? The best thing to do is to divide your house into 198+ countries and go on the counter-offensive and not recognise the other 197 countries yourself. Then you've got the majority of the countries on your side.

Did anyone watch this? I quite enjoyed it. Just seen this list that it's on too!
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by JimBentley »

Gavin Chipper wrote: ...this list...
That's a really good page, lots of funny stories if you look into them. To be honest I'm unclear on the difference between a micro-nation and an independent state within part of an existing nation anyway, but I'm sure there are several.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by sean d »

Do all these off shore islands count as "non countries"? Ok, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey are defined as crown dependencies, but the Isle of Wight (for example) is just an off shore island. I've been to a couple of Spanish islands and Irish ones, but would just have considered them as bits of the bigger country that happen to have water around them. I don't think any of the Spanish isialnds mentioned are in any way more autonomous than, say, Andalucia. Certainly the US states would have a lot more autonomy.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland aren't on the Sporcle list. Interestingly the Republic of Ireland isn't either, just "Ireland".
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Isle of Wight is part of England. It doesn't have any "special powers". As for other places, I suppose it's a case by case thing.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by sean d »

Gavin Chipper wrote:Isle of Wight is part of England. It doesn't have any "special powers". As for other places, I suppose it's a case by case thing.
Well it's your thread, so where do you stand on the Balearics, Canaries, Greek islands? If Jen's having Gozo I'm having Gozo AND Malta(the island which forms part of the country of Malta but which is not in itself a country). I somehow doubt Jen made it to Gozo without going via the island of Malta, but she's made her Gozoan non-country bed.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Jennifer Steadman »

sean d wrote:
Gavin Chipper wrote:Isle of Wight is part of England. It doesn't have any "special powers". As for other places, I suppose it's a case by case thing.
Well it's your thread, so where do you stand on the Balearics, Canaries, Greek islands? If Jen's having Gozo I'm having Gozo AND Malta(the island which forms part of the country of Malta but which is not in itself a country). I somehow doubt Jen made it to Gozo without going via the island of Malta, but she's made her Gozoan non-country bed.
Malta is the main island of Malta though, and Gozo has fielded teams at football world cups for unofficial countries before.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by sean d »

Jennifer Steadman wrote:
sean d wrote:
Gavin Chipper wrote:Isle of Wight is part of England. It doesn't have any "special powers". As for other places, I suppose it's a case by case thing.
Well it's your thread, so where do you stand on the Balearics, Canaries, Greek islands? If Jen's having Gozo I'm having Gozo AND Malta(the island which forms part of the country of Malta but which is not in itself a country). I somehow doubt Jen made it to Gozo without going via the island of Malta, but she's made her Gozoan non-country bed.
Malta is the main island of Malta though, and Gozo has fielded teams at football world cups for unofficial countries before.
If we're counting VIVA world cup (etc) participants then I'll add Padania, The Two Sicilies, Provence and Occitania :-) Many an hour's idle clicking awaits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-FIFA_ ... l_football

Gozo has it's own football association but is clearly part of Malta, imo. But Gev's the rule setter having opened is this can of disposessed worms.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by sean d »

fwiw a few non-countries I've visited:
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Britain, Ireland.
Catalunya
Dubai

Other bits n bobs that might count but probably shouldn't: Majorca, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Corfu, Gozo (and Malta), Provence, Occitaine, Padania, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Capri, Achill, Aran Mor, The Aran Islands, Valentia, Great Island, Little Island, Angelsey, Holy Island, Margitsziget, Tihany, Noirmoutier, Ile de la Cite, New York (state), New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, District of Columbia, Manhattan.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

sean d wrote:fwiw a few non-countries I've visited:
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Britain, Ireland.
Catalunya
Dubai

Other bits n bobs that might count but probably shouldn't: Majorca, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Corfu, Gozo (and Malta), Provence, Occitaine, Padania, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Capri, Achill, Aran Mor, The Aran Islands, Valentia, Great Island, Little Island, Angelsey, Holy Island, Margitsziget, Tihany, Noirmoutier, Ile de la Cite, New York (state), New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, District of Columbia, Manhattan.
England etc. don't count because they're in the UK which is counted as a country. But Ireland as in the republic is a country anyway so doesn't count. I would count Catalunya as Spain and Dubai is part of the UAE.

I won't go through all the rest, but US states certainly don't count. Basically a non-country isn't just a place that isn't a country - it has to also not be in a country. But I've just looked up Gozo and it doesn't count. It's part of the country of Malta. The ones that count have to not be officially part of the country they're connected with.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Ian Volante »

Aye, seen very little above that I'd count as a non-country - crown dependencies the most arguable along with eg Rep Srpska. My total is therefore zero. Have none of you been to Sealand? Pshaw.
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Peter Mabey »

Places which have their own coinage and postage stamps:
Isle of Man, Jersey
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Re: How many non-countries have you been to?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

A good list of countries and non-countries here.
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