Where's the country? The city? The airport? The challenge. Where's the tourist office?

Would you expect to recognize a country from its shape and the surrounding sea or the neighbouring countries?

Can you position the capital? You might expect the capital to be the centre, or on a river. Some capitals have moved. Some countries have changed shape. A guide in Poland will tell you that the capital is now Warsaw but it used to be Krakow.

Can you identify countries from a blank map? I can remember cities I have visited, such as News York, Paris, Moscow, Singapore, but I have to check many. Where is a handy source?

Problem
I have trouble remembering which is Serbia, and which is Slovenia, Montenegro and Macedonia, Afghanistan, and the other stars, Iran and Iraq, Mauritius and the Maldives.

Cities also confuse me. Minsk and Pinsk. I have a really hazy idea of where to find Burma and Bhutan. I lose whole countries. I shall have to make myself a jigsaw, the sort I had as a child with all the countries of Europe and the counties of the British Isles.

As for placing Bermuda and the Bahamas in the right place, to me it's like pin the tail on the donkey. The tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn sound like a foreign language or the name of an exciting novel.

The tourist board will send me a map and tell me. But where is the tourist office? Some of the websites you visit are incoming tour operators. How do I find free maps and independent information?

Answers
Most years I go to at least one of the international tourism exhibitions such as The World Travel Market which takes place in London, UK, in November. Other tourist events include the Pow Wow in America.

Whilst the world has about 196 states, some of them are war zones or not places I have visited or can recommend. Here are the main tourist and business travel countries which have offices in London and / or tourist information websites. I shall add details later when I find them. I suggest if you are in another country that you screen capture the list of countries, add any extras you need, and add the addresses or websites as you come across them on the internet or on the backs of maps from your holidays or trips to tourist offices and travel agents and tour operators.

Answer
UK

www.VisitEngland is the official tourist board for England. More tourist boards in the next post. Many of them use the word visit at the start.

USA

Albania
Andorra
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burma - see Myanmar
Cambodia
Canada
Chile
China
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Egypt
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Korea, South
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malta
Mexico
Monaco
Montenegro
Monaco
Myanmar
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
North Cyprus
Norway
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saint Lucia
Samoa
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Ukraine
UK
USA

Captals
UK London
England London
Scotland Edinburgh (but Glasgow is larger)
Wales Cardiff

Albania
Andorra
Argentina
Armenia
Australia The capital is Canberra but the big city is Sydney.
Austria Vienna
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium Brussels
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burma - see Myanmar
Cambodia Capital Phnom Penh but tourist city Seam Reap
Canada capital Ottawa but major tourist cities Toronto and Montreal
Chile
China capital Beijing but tourists are equally attracted to Shanghai and Xian
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus N
Cyprus S
Czech Republic Prague
Denmark Copenhagen
Egypt - Cairo or Alexandria?
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France Paris
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
India Delhi
Indonesia Jakarta
Iran
Ireland, Dublin
Israel Jerusalem
Italy Rome
Jamaica
Japan Tokyo
Jordan
Korea, South
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
Malta
Mexico
Monaco
Montenegro
Myanmar
Nepal
Netherlands - Amsterdam?
New Zealand
Northern Ireland, Belfast
North Cyprus
Norway
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia - Moscow?
Saint Lucia
Samoa
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore - Singapore - a city state
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa - Pretoria (Johannesburg, Durban)
Spain - Madrid?
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand - Bangkok
Tunisia - Tunis?
Turkey - (Istanbul or Ankara?)
Ukraine - Kiev (Lvov and Odessa)

Now try adding the capital city. It's a challenge, isn't it! Tricky. The capital is not always the largest city nor the main tourist centre.

To give but two examples, the USA, the city everybody thinks of first, for shopping and entertainment, is New York. But the capital, or seat of government, is Washington DC.

Cambodia's capital is Pnomh Penh, but most tourists go first to Seam Reap to see Ankor Wat.

The capitals of many US states are places nobody has heard of, unless they live in the place or the state.

Tips
List the countries you are visiting this year and note the three vital facts you need in the back of your diary so you have it handy when you travel.

See my next post for tourist board websites and cities.

The following website lists capitals in alphabetical order, useful for a quiz.
http://geographyfieldwork.com/WorldCapitalCities.htm

For the countries in alphabetical order
https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/capitals-of-the-world.html

I have several other posts on this subject. For example:
Capital cities - alphabetically - and the largest cities - would you have guessed?

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links.