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Defining a country is often a debated situation in many parts of the world and there are still some unclaimed lands out there. In 2011, South Sudan became the world’s newest recognised country, while Gibraltar and Kosovo joined FIFA recently and attempted to qualify for the World Cup.
Where borders are undefined, and land disputed, some parts of the planet remain unrecognised yet life goes on in these places, often peacefully and with their own cultures remaining intact. If you want to break out of the normal travel regions and into the obscure, these are 10 unrecognised countries that you can check out, with the full lowdown on how to visit them.

10
Transnistria

One of the most famous and notorious unrecognised countries is Transnistria, whose official name is actually Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. It’s a thin narrow strip of land nestled in between Ukraine and Moldova. The country has its own borders, passports, flag, currency and independence day but is not recognised by Moldova. The capital city is Tiraspol which has no shortage of Lenin statues and reminders of the Soviet regime. The country is often referred to as “the last remnants of the USSR”.

9
Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a large disputed territory in the Maghreb region of North-West Africa. It has its own flag and claimed borders and is jointly controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Morocco. It also has borders with Algeria and Mauritania and is part of the Sahara Desert. The country’s population is estimated at just over 500,000, of which a significant chunk live in El Aaiún, the largest city in Western Sahara. Western Sahara has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1963 after a request by Morocco, at one point the region was also owned by the Kingdom of Spain.

8
The Republic of Užupis

One of the most quirky and odd self-declared republics, The Republic of Užupis was formed in 1997 by residents of an artistic neighbourhood in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital. The country welcomes tourists, you can even get your passport stamped in the post office or art gallery, you can pick up the local currency (the Uza) and sample Uzupian beer. The country has its own flag, currency, president, cabinet of ministers, a quirky constitution, an anthem, a national monument, an army and a national day, which is April 1.

7
South Ossetia

South Ossetia is the other disputed territory within what the UN term as part of Georgia. However, with South Ossetia you must enter from the Russia side and have organised your trip in advance. It has a population of just over 50,000 and the capital city is Tskhinvali. South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia way back in 1991, but this was rejected by Georgia who refused to grant them autonomy and there was a war from 1991 – 1992. Since then there have been further conflicts in the region and it remains disputed to this day.

6
French Guyana

French Guyana is an enigma in itself as officially the name of the country is France and its capital city is Paris. Yet somehow, it borders Brazil and Suriname. It’s also a member of the European Union and uses the Euro currency yet geographically it’s in South America. Confused? You should be. Basically French Guyana is a mere colony of France but it doesn’t want to be a separate country or declare independence, which means you can cross an actual border from Brazil into France. One of the country’s key sights is the French Space Base, which is actually the main South American centre where rockets are launched into space. The official flag is the French flag and the official language is France, though somehow it really feels like it’s another world from mainland France.

5
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta

One of the most unusual “countries” in the world is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which is not to be confused with the Republic of Malta. This is an ancient order which has its own flag, stamps, currency and is even recognised by over 100 UN countries. The problem is, they have no official land. So apart from a base in Rome (which is rented) and the residencies of the Knights of the Order, there is not much physical geographical proof the country exists. However, they have a 99-year lease on a fort in Malta, so you can actually organise a private tour of Fort St. Angelo and get the lowdown on what the Sovereign Military Order of Malta really is.

4
Sealand

Last but by no means least on the list is Sealand. A pioneer in the Micronations world and a peculiar country in that it is man-made rather than natural. The country is based on a platform in the North Sea, just 12 kilometres off the coast of England. The country has its own coins, banknotes, Prince, flag, passports and national football team! There have also been music videos filmed on Sealand and despite it being just a platform, in 2015 it hosted a half-marathon on a treadmill which gave more publicity to the country which is still unrecognised.

3
Wadiya

Wadiya is a country in North East Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean to the east, Djibouti to the northwest and Ethiopia to the west.
Wadiya was founded by Abrahamadeen in 934 (or 1039 B.A.) and has since been subject to colonization and coups, up until 11 B.A., after which the modern day single-party lead government was established under the rule of Supreme Leader Omar Aladeen. Since then, the country has been under strict rule of the Aladeen Dynasty.
As a result, the Western states became increasingly critical of the supreme leader, His Excellency Hafez Aladeen, who succeeded his father after legislative elections voted him as president with 99.999% of the vote. Due to his dangerous alliegance with nations such as North Korea, international relations and foreign investment in Wadiya has plummeted.
P.S Joko Widodo Thank you!

2
Kurdistan

Kurdistan, Arabic Kurdistān, Persian Kordestān, broadly defined geographic region traditionally inhabited mainly by Kurds. It consists of an extensive plateau and mountain area, spread over large parts of what are now eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and western Iran and smaller parts of northern Syria and Armenia. Two of these countries officially recognize internal entities by this name: Iran’s northwestern province of Kordestān and Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region.
The Kurdistan (“Land of the Kurds&rdquo designation refers to an area of Kurdish settlement that roughly includes the mountain systems of the Zagros and the eastern extension of the Taurus. Since ancient times the area has been the home of the Kurds, a people whose ethnic origins are uncertain. For 600 years after the Arab conquest and their conversion to Islam, the Kurds played a recognizable and considerable part in the troubled history of western Asia—but as tribes, individuals, or turbulent groups rather than as a people.

1
Palestine

Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn), officially the State of Palestine (Arabic: دولة فلسطين‎ Dawlat Filasṭīn), is a de jure sovereign state in the Middle East claiming the West Bank (bordering Israel and Jordan) and Gaza Strip (bordering Israel and Egypt) with East Jerusalem as the designated capital, although its administrative center is currently located in Ramallah. Most of the areas claimed by the State of Palestine have been occupied by Israel since 1967 in the consequence of the Six-Day War. The population is 4,550,368 as of 2014, ranked 123rd in the world.
After World War II, in 1947, the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem. After the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, neighboring Arab armies invaded the former British mandate on the next day and fought the Israeli forces. Later, the All-Palestine Government was established by the Arab League on 22 September 1948 to govern the Egyptian-controlled enclave in Gaza. It was soon recognized by all Arab League members except Transjordan. Though jurisdiction of the Government was declared to cover the whole of the former Mandatory Palestine, its effective jurisdiction was limited to the Gaza Strip. Israel later captured the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria in June 1967 following the Six-Day War.

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