Hello Everyone,
Welcome to Day 3 of our 2021 new MTP location reveal. Yesterday, we added the 9 regions of Saudi Arabia to our MTP Master List, while on Day 1, we added the 10 regions of DRC. For those of you new to MTP, we adjust our list of locations every year, and try to spread out our annual unveilings over several days - kind of like a travel Hannukah, where one beautiful gift after another is revealed :)
Next up on our new locations for 2021 are the countries of Sudan and Libya. As discussed in last year's updates, we had already divided the 10 largest countries in the world by area, and the DRC and Saudi Arabia are #'s 11 and 12 respectively. We will continue to add locations along those lines. Mexico is #13 in the world, and Indonesia is #14, and we've already divided those, so that brings us to Sudan, the 15th largest country in the world by area. We've divided Sudan into 6 regions, which are:
- Khartoum & River Nile State
- Northern State
- Red Sea State
- Al Jazira, White Nile, Sennar & Blue Nile
- Kordufan
- Kassar & Al Qadarif
Note that we've already long ago separated out the Darfur Region from the rest of Sudan, so that stays as-is. Also, of course in 2011, South Sudan became an independent UN Country, so has long been listed separately from Sudan.
Sudan has changed dramatically for tourists in the last 2 years, following a revolution which deposed 30-year dictator (and war criminal) Omar el-Bashir, who initiated or perpetuated many conflicts, pitting Khartoum against South Sudan, Darfur, Blue Nile, and Kordufan, for example. Although the current situation is by no means stable, by many accounts tourist visas are easier to come by, and the recent prospect of diplomatic ties with Israel could make immigration even easier for tourists. We hope that this division into regions will encourage MTP travelers to explore the farther reaches of this huge and diverse country.
Libya is the 16th-largest country in the world by area, and we have divided it into 4 regions:
Libya remains relatively unstable to visit, although a recent official ceasefire has improved the situation compared to the last several years. Those travelers that do make it through, however, marvel at the quantity and quality of Roman ruins, as well as certain cultural themes remaining from prior Italian occupation. However, it's a long way from the Italian coffee bars of the mediterranean coast to the fighting in the southern desert among Berber, Tuareg and Toubou traders, combined with the desperate migrations of thousands trying to cross from sub-saharan Africa in hopes of setting sail to Lampedusa or Greece. It's not an easy country, but it is worth knowing in depth.
Note that, if you have already visited either Sudan or Libya, those counts will disappear. You will have to go in and select the specific region(s) you have visited. Your MTP Location and UN Country counts will appear reduced by 1 or 2 until you do this.
If you are an iPhone/iPad app user, you must be on the latest version of the app to see these changes (You can check your version by going to My Profile > Gear Icon > About The App). If you are on the latest version, and can't see the new locations, you can reinstall the app, or simply view all the latest changes on your browser.
If you are an Android app user, and don't see these changes, simply reboot your phone to clear the cache.
Although Sudan offically contains 13 States (outside of Darfur), and Libya officially contains 25 Governates, we've decided to match Nomadmania's division of these countries into 6 and 4 regions, respectively. MTP was started by reconciling existing lists like TCC, Guinness and DXCC, and there's no need to make travel accounting more complicated than it already is!
Thanks as always for your support. I'll be back tomorrow with Dy 4 of our new MTP locations.
Charles Veley | Founder & CEO