About 193

As a life goal I wish to have visited more countries than I am old. It is not getting easier with age, and I am now only 7–8 countries ahead so I need to constantly explore new exciting areas of our amazing globe. I missed a good way of keeping track of countries, with the definition I use (the UN’s official list) — so with the advent of powerful AI tools I decided to simply develop the solution — for myself and for others to use as well.

Feel free to check my personal 193 world footprint page here. Happy to get input (and ideas for new badges) — just send an email.

Anders, August 2026

How many countries are there?

We use the 193 member states of the United Nations as our baseline. This is the most widely recognised, neutral and stable definition of sovereign countries in the world.

193.dk is inspired by The Travellers' Club of Denmark and their long tradition of defining what counts as a country visit. We have used their framework as a starting point for our own definitions. There is no single correct answer — other sites track 200+ countries or territories, and that is equally valid. We have chosen the 193 UN member states as our baseline because it is neutral, stable, and widely recognised.

Source: UN Member States

How are regions and continents defined?

193.dk uses two related but distinct concepts: regions and continents.

Regions — used for regional badges

Countries are grouped into 7 regions following the United Nations M49 standard. These regions are used for badges like Asia Hunter, Central America Complete etc.:

• Africa — 54 countries
• Asia — 48 countries, including Western Asia (Middle East), Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia and South-East Asia. Note: Cyprus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are classified as Asia per UN M49.
• Europe — 42 countries per UN M49
• North America — Canada and USA only (2 countries)
• Central America — Mexico, all of Central America and the Caribbean (21 countries), following M49’s “Latin America and the Caribbean” sub-region
• South America — 12 countries
• Oceania — 14 countries

Continents — used for continent badges

For the continent badges (Three Continents, Five Continents, All Continents), we follow the standard 7-continent geographical model:

• Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, Oceania — as defined above
• North America — in the geographical sense, this includes USA, Canada, Mexico, all of Central America and the Caribbean. So visiting Cuba, Mexico or Guatemala counts as North America for continent badges, even though these countries belong to the “Central America” region.

Source: UN M49 Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use

What counts as a visit?

This is a gentleman's rule. You register yourself and are accountable for what you record. There is no verification — and no judgement.

Territories

Beyond the 193 countries, we track 76 territories — destinations that are distinct enough to warrant separate tracking, even though they are not UN member states. Territories can be registered with the same overnight/transit distinction and are shown separately on your profile.

Our list of 76 territories is based directly on The Travellers' Club of Denmark and their established framework — which also defines exactly 76 territories. We generally include a destination as a territory if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

• It requires separate transport to reach (e.g. a flight or ferry distinct from the parent country)
• It has a distinct political or administrative status (e.g. autonomous region, overseas territory, crown dependency)
• It is culturally or geographically distinct in a way that makes it a recognisable separate destination
• It has its own entry requirements or visa regime

We reserve the right to adjust the list of territories over time as new destinations gain or lose relevant status. If you believe a destination should be added or removed, let us know.

Data sources for statistics and comparisons

Comparison

When two travel maps are compared, the site shows a shared map highlighting countries both have visited, followed by each person's unique badges and their shared badges. This gives a quick, personal picture of how two travellers' experiences overlap.

What we don't do

• We don't track CO₂ emissions or flight distances.
• We don't claim one way of travelling is better than another.
• We don't have a single "best traveller" score — everyone travels differently.
• We don't share or sell your data.

Version

Country list v1.0 July 2026 — 193 UN member states, 7 regions per M49 standard, 76 territories.

Questions or corrections? Write to info@193.dk