In light of a recent “controversial” story on Australia’s very existence as a nation, I thought I’d poke around the internet and find some other fun examples to share with our readers!
Guys, New Zealand has to be real. They even have sheep!
New Zealand
The peanut butter to Australia’s jelly, this is another country that gets forgotten about a bit more than you’d think. It happens to across the Tasman sea, and much farther away from Australia than a lot of people think. People forget about New Zealand so much, there’s a whole Subreddit dedicated to it! Don’t worry guys, New Zealand is actually there.
Vatican City
According to Guinness, The Vatican is the smallest sovereign country in the world, measuring under a half kilometer square. To visit, you’ll be flying into one of Rome’s airports, and heading just a bit west of the city’s center. Along with Australia, New Zealand, and Estonia below, I can’t imagine most folks would argue against the Vatican’s status as a sovereign entity, and I bet a lot of you have even been there!
Yup, that’s almost the whole country. I know people say it a lot, but you really could see everything in a day.
Liberland
Want to be a citizen of Liberland? Just apply here! Due to an unresolved border dispute between Croatia and Serbia, Liberland was founded on a small tract of land along the western bank of the Danube River. Notably, Croatia and Serbia have both denied that the border disputes result in any “unclaimed land”, and therefore Liberland has no claim.
For some further reading, check out an interesting American exclave here. Interested in the inner workings of international borders? If you fancy falling down the rabbit hole a bit, take a look at these videos!
Estonia
Following hot on the heels of Liberland, Estonia offers e-residency to those that wish to apply. The unique option has benefited many entrepreneurs and digital nomads looking to do business within the EU. Currently, E-stonia is the only country to embrace this new, somewhat borderless approach. Don’t worry guys…Estonia is definitely still a country.
You might be able to come a resident online, but you’ll have to actually travel to Estonia to experience the culture and see the sights. This one’s on my bucket list!
Bir Tawil
Not claimed by any country? Check. Conflicting border policies? Check. Multiple attempts by endeavoring individuals to found their own country? Yup, they’ve been there too.
Bir Tawil sits on the border between Sudan and Egypt, and due to conflicting borders set forth in 1899 and 1902, neither country wants the land – though both claim sovereignty over the Hala’ib Triangle just east of Bir Tawil.
Fancy yourself a king? Go ahead and put a flag up, apparently, it doesn’t take much…
The Republic of Molossia
Founded by a lone Nevadan close to the California-Nevada border, Molossia is not formally recognized by any nation. As far as we can tell, some guy just wanted to make his own country. I guess it…kind of worked? If you’d like to support the micronation, feel free to buy warbonds here. After all, it’ll be a long and bitter war against East Germany. Which, by the way, isn’t real anymore either.
How’s your country-savvy? Can you name all of them? What are some of the lesser known places you’ve been? We’d love to hear more in the comments!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
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