Cycling through Jordan – May 2015
10 May
Because survival is insufficient
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PS, whether you (probably a British person) like it or not, England is not a country. Some people are offended by that, believing it to be disrespectful and dismissive of England’s status. It’s nothing to do with respect – what makes a country a country is by definition international recognition. Inside the UK, we commonly refer to the constituent UK provinces as countries, and why not. But on an international level, the United Kingdom is a country, not its constituent provinces. Internationally, a country has widespread (not necessarily universal) recognition of its status and borders, autonomy over foreign trade, prints its own money, controls foreign policy, education, and transport. England does not control any of those things – the United Kingdom government does. That’s an important distinction. England does not have its own military – the United Kingdom does. England does not have foreign embassies – the United Kingdom does. The Bank of England is the central bank for the United Kingdom. England is not externally recognised as a country – the United Kingdom is a member of the United Nations, not England. If you’re upset and railing against all these points as “mere semantics”, then you’re missing the whole point – what makes something a country is nothing to do with importance, heritage, cultural identity, language, geography, or history, it’s down to how you define a country for the purpose of international law and global political interaction. England is not an independent international country – the United Kingdom is.
Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea (South), Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mayotte, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland (eSwatini), Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Vietnam, Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOVEREIGN STATES | Been | DISPUTED STATES | Been | OVERSEAS TERRITORIES ETC | Been |
195 | 106 | 11 | 2 | 39 | 13 |
Afghanistan | Abkhazia | Aland Islands | |||
Albania | Y | Artsakh | American Samoa | ||
Algeria | Cook Islands | Anguilla | |||
Andorra | Y | Kosovo | Y | Antarctica | |
Angola | Niue | Aruba | |||
Antigua and Barbuda | Northern Cyprus | Azores | |||
Argentina | Y | Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | Bermuda | ||
Armenia | Y | Somaliland | British Virgin Islands | ||
Australia | Y | South Ossetia | Canary Islands | ||
Austria | Y | Taiwan | Y | Cayman Islands | |
Azerbaijan | Y | Transnistria | Curacao | ||
Bahamas, The | Falkland Islands | ||||
Bahrain | Y | Faroe Islands | Y | ||
Bangladesh | Y | French Guiana | |||
Barbados | French Polynesia | Y | |||
Belarus | Y | Gibraltar | Y | ||
Belgium | Y | Greenland | |||
Belize | Guadeloupe | ||||
Benin | Guam | ||||
Bhutan | Guernsey | Y | |||
Bolivia | Hong Kong | Y | |||
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Y | Isle of Man | Y | ||
Botswana | Y | Jersey | Y | ||
Brazil | Y | Macao | Y | ||
Brunei | Y | Madeira | |||
Bulgaria | Y | Martinique | |||
Burkina Faso | Mayotte | Y | |||
Burundi | Montserrat | ||||
Cambodia | Y | New Caledonia | |||
Cameroon | Northern Ireland | Y | |||
Canada | Y | Northern Mariana Islands | |||
Cape Verde | Puerto Rico | ||||
Central African Republic | Reunion | Y | |||
Chad | Scotland | Y | |||
Chile | Y | Sint Maarten | |||
China | Y | Turks and Caicos | |||
Colombia | US Virgin Islands | ||||
Comoros | Y | Wales | Y | ||
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Wallis and Fortuna | ||||
Congo, Republic of the | |||||
Costa Rica | Y | ||||
Croatia | Y | ||||
Cuba | Y | ||||
Cyprus | Y | ||||
Czech Republic | Y | ||||
Denmark | Y | ||||
Djibouti | |||||
Dominica | |||||
Dominican Republic | |||||
East Timor | |||||
Ecuador | |||||
Egypt | Y | ||||
El Salvador | |||||
Equatorial Guinea | |||||
Eritrea | |||||
Estonia | Y | ||||
Ethiopia | |||||
Fiji | Y | ||||
Finland | Y | ||||
France | Y | ||||
Gabon | |||||
Gambia, The | |||||
Georgia | Y | ||||
Germany | Y | ||||
Ghana | |||||
Greece | Y | ||||
Grenada | |||||
Guatemala | |||||
Guinea | |||||
Guinea-Bissau | |||||
Guyana | |||||
Haiti | |||||
Honduras | |||||
Hungary | Y | ||||
Iceland | Y | ||||
India | |||||
Indonesia | Y | ||||
Iran | |||||
Iraq | |||||
Ireland | Y | ||||
Israel | Y | ||||
Italy | Y | ||||
Ivory Coast | |||||
Jamaica | |||||
Japan | Y | ||||
Jordan | Y | ||||
Kazakhstan | Y | ||||
Kenya | |||||
Kiribati | |||||
Korea, North | |||||
Korea, South | Y | ||||
Kuwait | Y | ||||
Kyrgyzstan | Y | ||||
Laos | Y | ||||
Latvia | Y | ||||
Lebanon | Y | ||||
Lesotho | Y | ||||
Liberia | |||||
Libya | |||||
Liechtenstein | Y | ||||
Lithuania | Y | ||||
Luxembourg | Y | ||||
Macedonia | Y | ||||
Madagascar | Y | ||||
Malawi | |||||
Malaysia | Y | ||||
Maldives | Y | ||||
Mali | |||||
Malta | Y | ||||
Marshall Islands | |||||
Mauritania | |||||
Mauritius | Y | ||||
Mexico | |||||
Micronesia | |||||
Moldova | Y | ||||
Monaco | Y | ||||
Mongolia | Y | ||||
Montenegro | Y | ||||
Morocco | Y | ||||
Mozambique | |||||
Myanmar | Y | ||||
Namibia | Y | ||||
Nauru | |||||
Nepal | |||||
Netherlands | Y | ||||
New Zealand | Y | ||||
Nicaragua | Y | ||||
Niger | |||||
Nigeria | |||||
Norway | Y | ||||
Oman | Y | ||||
Pakistan | |||||
Palau | |||||
Palestine | |||||
Panama | Y | ||||
Papua New Guinea | |||||
Paraguay | |||||
Peru | |||||
Philippines | Y | ||||
Poland | Y | ||||
Portugal | Y | ||||
Qatar | Y | ||||
Romania | Y | ||||
Russia | Y | ||||
Rwanda | |||||
Saint Kitts and Nevis | |||||
Saint Lucia | |||||
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | |||||
Samoa | |||||
San Marino | Y | ||||
São Tomé and Príncipe | |||||
Saudi Arabia | |||||
Senegal | |||||
Serbia | Y | ||||
Seychelles | Y | ||||
Sierra Leone | |||||
Singapore | Y | ||||
Slovakia | Y | ||||
Slovenia | Y | ||||
Solomon Islands | |||||
Somalia | |||||
South Africa | Y | ||||
South Sudan | |||||
Spain | Y | ||||
Sri Lanka | Y | ||||
Sudan | |||||
Suriname | |||||
Swaziland | Y | ||||
Sweden | Y | ||||
Switzerland | Y | ||||
Syria | |||||
Tajikistan | Y | ||||
Tanzania | Y | ||||
Thailand | Y | ||||
Togo | |||||
Tonga | |||||
Trinidad and Tobago | |||||
Tunisia | |||||
Turkey | Y | ||||
Turkmenistan | Y | ||||
Tuvalu | |||||
Uganda | |||||
Ukraine | Y | ||||
United Arab Emirates | Y | ||||
United Kingdom | Y | ||||
United States | Y | ||||
Uruguay | |||||
Uzbekistan | Y | ||||
Vanuatu | Y | ||||
Vatican City | Y | ||||
Venezuela | |||||
Vietnam | Y | ||||
Yemen | |||||
Zambia | Y | ||||
Zimbabwe | Y |
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.
On the first of August, 2010, I went cycling and got hit by a car at 40mph. I suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, several skull fractures, a broken eye socket, broken nose, broken teeth, a dislocation of the hip that my orthopaedic surgeon describes as “almost a traumatic amputation”, and badly battered knees and ankles. I’m lucky to still be here.
Here’s some quite trippy views of the inside of my head and my body.