🇽🇰
The smallest of Balkan countries, it has had a somewhat controversial country, as it broke away from Serbia, was deemed to be a sovereign nation by the International Court of Justice in 2010.
224 Country and Territories Controlled, 39 Uncontrolled, 39 days to go
🇦🇹
Austria, known officially as the Republic of Austria, has a history of having being a very progressive country and consistently ranks among the highest in terms of living standards. It’s also the country where the infamous Red Bull energy drink was created, having since gone on to sponsor various sports, especially so in the extreme sports scene.
225 Country and Territories Controlled, 38 Uncontrolled, 38 days to go
🇳🇴
Often known to be one of the largest oil producers in the whole of Europe, and possibly one of the largest in the world as well, Norway is a country that is incredibly wealthy, being the 6th wealthiest in the world in terms of GDP per capita, as well as having a Government Pension Fund of over a trillion dollars.
226 Country and Territories Controlled, 37 Uncontrolled, 37 days to go
🇸🇪
Sweden is a country that easily punches heads and shoulders above its weight. The country is home to various household brand names, such as H&M, IKEA, Spotify and Ericsson. Sweden also has a very progressive automobile scene, with major players such as Volvo, and one of the most infamous truck brands, Scania. It’s also the home to Koenigsegg, a Swedish hypercar brand and manufacturer.
227 Country and Territories Controlled, 36 Uncontrolled, 36 days to go
🇷🇴
Romania is the home to Francesco Illy, the founder of Illycaffè, who was born in Timisoara, Romania in 1892. He also invented the first automatic steam espresso coffee machine. And as a frequent coffee drinker, I can assure you that this invention is probably one of the best in the world.
230 Country and Territories Controlled, 33 Uncontrolled, 33 days to go
🇭🇺
Hungary is home to the Hungaroring. It’s the only F1 circuit in Eastern Europe, and is thought to be the “Monaco without the barriers”. In 2021 at least, it was the scene of one of the most insane first lap incidents, and while it wasn’t the best for the championship, it was nothing short of chaotic.
231 Country and Territories Controlled, 32 Uncontrolled, 32 days to go
🇧🇾
Known as Maslenitsa Week in Belarus, this is the last week before Lent where pancakes are served at home as well as in street festivals. Belarus is also a country that loves its sports, with thousands of venues open to the public, they are often either watching or playing some sport whenever they get the chance.
232 Country and Territories Controlled, 31 Uncontrolled, 31 days to go
1 month left!
🇫🇴
Faroe Island is a small island north of Scotland and to the southeast of Iceland, and is a part of Denmark. It has a somewhat sizeable population of about 50,000 people, though sheep still outnumber people with there being a population of about 70,000 sheep. Somewhat interestingly, the island only has a total of 5 traffic lights on their roads.
233 Country and Territories Controlled, 30 Uncontrolled, 30 days to go
🇫🇮
While it may not seem like it, Finland’s small size packs with it a massive punch in the world of extreme sports. Especially so in the world of motorsports, Finland has produced some of the most famous drivers to have driven in Formula One, with names such as Heikki Kovalainen, Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen and the legendary Kimi Raikkonen being frequent race winners, as well as having four world championships between them. In the upcoming 2022 season, Valterri Bottas will be the last remaining Finn on the grid after Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement, and while Valterri Bottas was once a semi-frequent race winner, his move from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo might bring with it an end to him being at the front of the grid.
234 Country and Territories Controlled, 29 Uncontrolled, 29 days to go
🇲🇹
The tenth smallest country in the world but also the fourth-most densely populated sovereign country, Malta is an island in the Mediterranean Sea lying south of Italy and north of Tunisia. Its climate year-round doesn’t vary too much. It is also a favourite for the very wealthy, given that Malta has long been considered a traditional tax haven due to some of the lowest taxes on profits of any country in the European Union.
235 Country and Territories Controlled, 28 Uncontrolled, 28 days to go
🇱🇹
Lithuania was once one of Europe’s largest country, occupying present-day Belarus, Ukraine, as well as large parts of Russia and Poland, this then broke up into the Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth.
236 Country and Territories Controlled, 27 Uncontrolled, 27 days to go
🇱🇻
Interestingly, in 1812, a large section of Riga was intentionally burned down in anticipation of an attack by Napoleon and his troops. The attack didn’t materialised, so hundreds of buildings were destroyed needlessly.
237 Country and Territories Controlled, 26 Uncontrolled, 26 days to go
🇪🇪
Estonia is the northernmost Baltic state, with Finland and Sweden only being separated by the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea too. They all share fairly good relations, with plenty of Finns visiting Estonia and vice versa. Alcohol taxes are also lower in Estonia than it is in Finland, and many Finns have bought alcohol there as it’s cheaper.
238 Country and Territories Controlled, 25 Uncontrolled, 25 days to go
You are so close to finishing!
This has been an incredible journey of exciting opportunities and commitment that will be recognised by the IFATC gods as being one of the top achievements ever achieved in the history of ATC…
I’ll shut up now…🤣
🇦🇿
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is famous for its buildings with unparalleled architectural intricacies, as well as being the centre of Azerbaijan’s oil and gas boom. More well known in recent years as being Formula One’s more exciting street circuits, the track itself brings you through the grandest, modern and well-built areas, as well as a tight and challenging castle section that punishes the smallest of mistakes. It is also thought to have been the fastest street circuit in the world, until the Jeddah Corniche Street Circuit, only completed about a month ago, hosted the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
239 Country and Territories Controlled, 24 Uncontrolled, 24 days to go
🇸🇾
Well known for its preserved history for a very long time, Syria was considered to be a popular holiday destination for many who are eager to explore the remnants of various civilisations such as the Roman, Ottoman and Greek Macedonian Empires, to name a few.
240 Country and Territories Controlled, 23 Uncontrolled, 23 days to go
🇺🇿
At the core of the Silk Road, Uzbekistan is one of only two double-landlocked countries in the world, other than Liechtenstein. It’s highly strategic location means that many parts of the Silk Road was well developed, with many buildings from the Soviet era also being architectural marvels.
241 Country and Territories Controlled, 22 Uncontrolled, 22 days to go
