# How many countries... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 11, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660 "2008-08-11T21:08:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/1 "2008-08-11T21:08:44Z")
…[can you name in five minutes](http://quizzes.divisibleby0.com/bb/view2/countries)? I got 56 on the first try. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/2 "2008-08-11T21:17:36Z")
I got 69. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/3 "2008-08-11T21:23:10Z")
81 for me. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/4 "2008-08-11T21:27:43Z")
69 here too. Wow. I completely blanked for ages once I got to the Urals or the Panama Canal. Oh yeah. I forgot Panama 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/5 "2008-08-11T21:34:59Z")
I got 74 but my score was limited by my poor typing skills ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/6 "2008-08-11T21:36:40Z")
69, first try. Common score, I wonder why. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/7 "2008-08-11T21:36:55Z")
It’s a bit of a typing skill test to some extent. Got 100 on the nose, but it took me a few tries to realize I couldn’t hit “enter.” ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/8 "2008-08-11T21:39:18Z")
I got 88, but I had an advantage. After hearing during the Olympic opening ceremonies that there were 204 countries represented in the Games, I mentally alphabetized the participating regimes during idle moments over the last few days. Even so, I skipped over a few while starting with the “A’s” and getting about 40% of the way through before the five-minute clock ran out. I also wasn’t sure how broad the game makers’ definition of “countries” was, so I listed only independent nations. I wonder how many players have actually come up with such outposts as Kingman Reef and Peter I Island? ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/9 "2008-08-11T21:41:34Z")
1. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/10 "2008-08-11T22:24:05Z")
I got 74, don’t think I could’ve typed faster than that. I DID waste about thirty Seconds trying to spell Kazakhstan, however (never did get it, thought it had an I). ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/11 "2008-08-11T22:46:42Z")
77, i forgot a lot ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/12 "2008-08-11T22:51:39Z")
[QUOTE=drm] I got 74, don’t think I could’ve typed faster than that. I DID waste about thirty Seconds trying to spell Kazakhstan, however (never did get it, thought it had an I). [/QUOTE] I had one bash at Kyrgyzstan and then moved on! ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/13 "2008-08-11T23:44:33Z")
61 the first try–and I don’t touch-type. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/14 "2008-08-12T00:13:01Z")
[QUOTE=cckerberos] 81 for me. [/QUOTE] Me too. Every time I do this thing, I end up with the [Animaniacs countries of the world song](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakko%27s_World) running through my head, but I only remember bits of it (when I was eight, I knew the whole thing). So after a couple minutes, I end up with one part of my brain repeating “SYRIA LEBANON ISRAEL JORDAN” and another part going “I GOT THOSE ALREADY, STFU.” ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/15 "2008-08-12T00:47:12Z")
It didn’t accept either “Holland” or “The Netherlands” so I gave it up as a pointless exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/16 "2008-08-12T01:01:23Z")
51 I also start doing the Animaniacs Countries of the World song, but I fail to remember the lyrics properly after Peru, so I have to force myself not to try to use it. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/17 "2008-08-12T01:25:10Z")
I got 96. I hate that at the end they tell you which countries you “forgot.” 5 minutes is not a lot of time to type - I didn’t “forget” any of them…at least not most of them. I just can’t type that fast. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/18 "2008-08-12T01:35:39Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] It didn’t accept either “Holland” or “The Netherlands” so I gave it up as a pointless exercise. [/QUOTE] It accepted “Netherlands” without “the”, though it’s odd that it would reject it with “the”. I got 78; can’t blame typing, just blanked out for periods. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/19 "2008-08-12T01:39:31Z")
1. I agree with **cmkellar** : the countries I “forgot” divided equally between the countries I didn’t have time to get to and the “countries” that are just bullshit, like Queen Maud Land. (Who’s the president – Opus?) ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660/20 "2008-08-12T05:40:05Z")
1. Thank you They Might Be Giants! Although I did use Western Sahara instead of West Xylophone 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries/459660.md?page=2)