| Why do Kosovo and Taiwan count as countries and not Western Sahara and Palestine? Because Kosovo and Taiwan are both de facto states that are recognized by a number of other sovereign states. Neither Western Sahara (whose government is currently in exile in Algeria) nor the Palestinian Authority exercise full control over their territories. It's a rather practical definition and has little to do with whether the US or UN recognize it. For example, Taiwan is recognized by neither the US nor UN, yet it remains a de facto state that functions as a country and meets the definition of a state according to the Montevideo Convention of 1931. I think Sporcle has made the correct call for now, but things change. Interesting discussion of these issues here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states#Other_states |
US States
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Countries of the World
