Country vs. Territory?


Puerto Rico does not count as a separate country, depite being allowed to
to compete as one in the Olympics and other international competitions. It is
instead a self-governing territory of the United States.

Likewise, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands
are Overseas Territories of Britain and the U.S., respectively.

The Netherlands Antilles no longer formally exists as an Overseas Country,
and is instead now known as the Dutch Carribbean, an Overseas Territory,
but Sint Maarten is a contituent Country, not just a territory.

French Polynesia (which includes Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and several other
South Pacific islands) was designated by France as an Overseas Country,
beginning in 2004.

Dominica and the Dominican Republica are not the same country.
Dominica is a small island country in the Lesser Antilles, while
the Dominican Republic is a country located on the eastern side of the
island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago, with Haiti
occupying the western side.

St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Aruba, Curaçao and Singapore are independent island countries.

The Vatican is an independent City-State (country), since 1929.

Several of my trips have included multiple countries visited,
but those still only count as a single trip.

A few of my international trips were taken while was on leave, during the
time that I was in the Army, in Europe, such as a week in Rome, and a week
at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, or weekend side-trips into France
or Switzerland, but don't count them as separate trips from my Army time in Germany.

June 1976 to February 1977 visits to Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Israel were all part
of 9 months of additional travel that I did combined with other places in France,
Italy and Austria, after I left the Army. I just count those all as part of one
very long additional trip.