Too Many Books... Not Enough Time

[dotinthesky]

Below is a list of every single country, city state, principality and territory. I've gone through the list and bolded every one of them from which I've read a book (either fiction or non-fiction). The one exception is Mexico, from where I've only read a few short stories by Octavio Paz; I figured that was good enough for this exercise.

A
Abkhazia – Republic of Abkhazia
Afghanistan – Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Akrotiri and Dhekelia – Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (UK overseas territory)
Åland – Åland Islands (Autonomous province of Finland)
Albania – Republic of Albania
Algeria – People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
American Samoa – Territory of American Samoa (US territory)
Andorra – Principality of Andorra
Angola – Republic of Angola
Anguilla (UK overseas territory)
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina – Argentine Republic
Armenia – Republic of Armenia
Aruba (Self-governing country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Ascension Island (Dependency of the UK overseas territory of Saint Helena)
Australia – Commonwealth of Australia
Austria – Republic of Austria
Azerbaijan – Republic of Azerbaijan

B
Bahamas, The – Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Bahrain – Kingdom of Bahrain
Bangladesh – People's Republic of Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus – Republic of Belarus
Belgium – Kingdom of Belgium
Belize
Benin – Republic of Benin
Bermuda (UK overseas territory)
Bhutan – Kingdom of Bhutan
Bolivia – Republic of Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana – Republic of Botswana
Brasil – Federative Republic of Brasil
Brunei – Negara Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria – Republic of Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi – Republic of Burundi

C
Cambodia – Kingdom of Cambodia
Cameroon – Republic of Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde – Republic of Cape Verde
Cayman Islands (UK overseas territory)
Central African Republic
Chad – Republic of Chad
Chile – Republic of Chile
China – People's Republic of China
Christmas Island – Territory of Christmas Island (Australian overseas territory)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands – Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australian overseas territory)
Colombia – Republic of Colombia
Comoros – Union of the Comoros
Congo – Democratic Republic of the Congo
Congo – Republic of the Congo
Cook Islands (Associated state of New Zealand)
Costa Rica – Republic of Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire – Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia – Republic of Croatia
Cuba – Republic of Cuba
Cyprus – Republic of Cyprus
Czech Republic

D
Denmark – Kingdom of Denmark
Djibouti – Republic of Djibouti
Dominica – Commonwealth of Dominica
Dominican Republic

E
East Timor – Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Ecuador – Republic of Ecuador
Egypt – Arab Republic of Egypt
El Salvador – Republic of El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea – Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea – State of Eritrea
Estonia – Republic of Estonia
Ethiopia – Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

F
Falkland Islands (UK overseas territory)
Faroe Islands (Self-governing country in the Kingdom of Denmark)
Fiji – Republic of the Fiji Islands
Finland – Republic of Finland
France – French Republic
French Polynesia (French overseas collectivity)

G
Gabon – Gabonese Republic
Gambia, The – Republic of The Gambia
Georgia
Germany – Federal Republic of Germany
Ghana – Republic of Ghana
Gibraltar (UK overseas territory)
Greece – Hellenic Republic
Greenland (Self-governing country in the Kingdom of Denmark)
Grenada
Guam – Territory of Guam (US organized territory)
Guatemala – Republic of Guatemala
Guernsey – Bailiwick of Guernsey (British Crown dependency)[23]
Guinea – Republic of Guinea
Guinea-Bissau – Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Guyana – Co-operative Republic of Guyana

H
Haiti – Republic of Haiti
Honduras – Republic of Honduras
Hong Kong – Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Area of special sovereignty)
Hungary – Republic of Hungary

I
Iceland – Republic of Iceland
India – Republic of India
Indonesia – Republic of Indonesia
Iran – Islamic Republic of Iran
Iraq – Republic of Iraq
Ireland - Ireland
Isle of Man (British Crown dependency)
Israel – State of Israel
Italy – Italian Republic

J
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey – Bailiwick of Jersey (British Crown dependency)
Jordan – Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

K
Kazakhstan – Republic of Kazakhstan
Kenya – Republic of Kenya
Kiribati – Republic of Kiribati
Korea, North – Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Korea, South – Republic of Korea
Kosovo – Republic of Kosovo
Kuwait – State of Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyz Republic

L
Laos – Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia – Republic of Latvia
Lebanon – Republic of Lebanon
Lesotho – Kingdom of Lesotho
Liberia – Republic of Liberia
Libya – Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Liechtenstein – Principality of Liechtenstein
Lithuania – Republic of Lithuania
Luxembourg – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

M
Macao – Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Area of special sovereignty)
Macedonia – Republic of Macedonia
Madagascar – Republic of Madagascar
Malawi – Republic of Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives – Republic of Maldives
Mali – Republic of Mali
Malta – Republic of Malta
Marshall Islands – Republic of the Marshall Islands
Mauritania – Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Mauritius – Republic of Mauritius
Mayotte – Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte (French overseas collectivity)
Mexico – United Mexican States
Micronesia – Federated States of Micronesia
Moldova – Republic of Moldova
Monaco – Principality of Monaco
Mongolia - Republic of Mongolia
Montenegro – Republic of Montenegro
Montserrat (UK overseas territory)
Morocco – Kingdom of Morocco
Mozambique – Republic of Mozambique
Myanmar – Union of Myanmar (also known as Burma)

N
Nagorno-Karabakh – Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Namibia – Republic of Namibia
Nauru – Republic of Nauru
Nepal – State of Nepal
Netherlands – Kingdom of the Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles (Self-governing country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
New Caledonia – Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies (French community sui generis)
New Zealand
Nicaragua – Republic of Nicaragua
Niger – Republic of Niger
Nigeria – Federal Republic of Nigeria
Niue (Associated state of New Zealand)
Norfolk Island – Territory of Norfolk Island (Australian overseas territory)
Northern Cyprus – Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Northern Mariana Islands – Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US commonwealth)
For "North Korea", see Korea, North
Norway – Kingdom of Norway

O
Oman – Sultanate of Oman

P
Pakistan – Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Palau – Republic of Palau
Palestine – Occupied Palestinian Territories
Panama – Republic of Panama
Papua New Guinea – Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Paraguay – Republic of Paraguay
Peru – Republic of Peru
Philippines – Republic of the Philippines
Pitcairn Islands – Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands (UK overseas territory)
Poland – Republic of Poland
Portugal – Portuguese Republic
Puerto Rico – Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (US commonwealth)

Q
Qatar – State of Qatar

R
Romania
Russia – Russian Federation
Rwanda – Republic of Rwanda

S
Saint Barthélemy – Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy (French overseas collectivity)
Saint Helena (UK overseas territory)
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin – Collectivity of Saint Martin (French overseas collectivity)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon – Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French overseas collectivity)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa – Independent State of Samoa
San Marino – Most Serene Republic of San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe – Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
Saudi Arabia – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Senegal – Republic of Senegal
Serbia – Republic of Serbia
Seychelles – Republic of Seychelles
Sierra Leone – Republic of Sierra Leone
Singapore – Republic of Singapore
Slovakia – Slovak Republic
Slovenia – Republic of Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
Somaliland – Republic of Somaliland
South Africa – Republic of South Africa
South Ossetia – Republic of South Ossetia
Spain – Kingdom of Spain
Sri Lanka – Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Sudan – Republic of the Sudan
Suriname – Republic of Suriname
Svalbard (Territory of Norway)
Swaziland – Kingdom of Swaziland
Sweden – Kingdom of Sweden
Switzerland – Swiss Confederation
Syria – Syrian Arab Republic

T
Taiwan – Republic of China
Tajikistan – Republic of Tajikistan
Tanzania – United Republic of Tanzania
Thailand – Kingdom of Thailand
Togo – Togolese Republic
Tokelau (Overseas territory of New Zealand)
Tonga – Kingdom of Tonga
Transnistria – Transnistrian Moldovan Republic
Trinidad and Tobago – Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Tristan da Cunha (Dependency of the UK overseas territory of Saint Helena)
Tunisia – Tunisian Republic
Turkey – Republic of Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands (UK overseas territory)
Tuvalu

U
Uganda – Republic of Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United States – United States of America
Uruguay – Eastern Republic of Uruguay
Uzbekistan – Republic of Uzbekistan

V
Vanuatu – Republic of Vanuatu
Vatican City – State of the Vatican City
Venezuela – Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Vietnam – Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Virgin Islands, British – British Virgin Islands (UK overseas territory)
Virgin Islands, United States – United States Virgin Islands (US organized territory)

W
Wallis and Futuna – Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands (French overseas collectivity)
Western Sahara - Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

Y
Yemen – Republic of Yemen

Z
Zambia – Republic of Zambia
Zimbabwe – Republic of Zimbabwe

I'm slightly ashamed of how Westerncentric I am. Can you suggest a book or an author from one of the countries, territories or city states I haven't read anything from yet?

Comments

[moveslikegiallo.livejournal.com]

Your list for crossing things off is so much more intellectual and grownup than mine. I am mildly ashamed.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

What do you mean? Is your list just the US and the UK? :-)

[moveslikegiallo.livejournal.com]

No, I meant - here's you, measuring your consumption of world literature, and there's me, measuring my consumption of Nicolas Cage movies.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Well, that's because you are cruising for a bruising, and I'm not. ;-P

[doraphilia.livejournal.com]

I think a few Octavio Paz stories are indeed enough of that guy.

[suede.livejournal.com]

i love this post ollie!!!
let me have a look!
(you should have put the book besides the country!)

Bolivia - Rafael Courtoisie
Netherlands - Cees Nooteboom

omg this is more difficult than it seems!
:D

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

There'd be too many books besides certain countries.

And yes, it is very difficult! But that's where Wikipedia comes into play.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to read her for a long time. Someone at work recommended The House of Spirits (or a similar title?) Which one of her books would you recommend?

[psyfi.livejournal.com]

I am Muslim by Dina Zaman from Malaysia. Apparently it became very controversial here in Malaysia. However, many can relate to what she wrote, gay, straight, malay, chinese, etc. Maybe I'll get a copy for you someday.....hehehe....email me ur address darling.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, I can't find that book by Dina Zaman on Amazon. It might not be translated to English yet (there's a job for you, if you want!) :-)

[psyfi.livejournal.com]

I guess she doesn't sell the book on amazon. The book is already in English, dear. I guess I might as well get a copy for you.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Awww! You don't have to worry about it. I'll have a look at the bookshops here; I'm sure I'll be able to find it. But thank you for the offer. :-)