Unrecognized countries travel with Chechnya vacations? Amadiya (or Amedi) is my most favorite place in Iraqi Kurdistan. Basically, it is a 5,000-year old village located on the top of a flat mountain, super gorgeous, and the ancient stone gate to the village is still there, very well-preserved. Amedi is rather small but there are plenty of things to do around, like hiking to the surrounding peaks to see the village from above because, otherwise, you can’t really appreciate its composition. The village has been inhabited by several civilizations, including Persians, Christians, Jews and Assyrians and, today, it is a Muslim Sunni village, even though there are a few Christians living there, as there is one liquor store.

Abkhazia is a mostly mountainous country with many Abkhazians still living in rural areas. They live in old, hand-built stone houses in small towns throughout the mountains, relying on their own crops and livestock for food. Houses are usually shared by three to four generations of a family. More and more, Abkhazians have also settled in the cities and towns, where many live in high-rise apartments. Despite living in urban areas, a lot of Abkhazian families still keep their own livestock, including horses, cows, chickens and sheep. There are few fields to keep the animals enclosed, so they are usually free to wander around the surrounding roads and gardens, which is a true reminder of the laid-back lifestyle of Abkhazia. See more info on Iraqi Kurdistan Tours.

Though Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in 1999, there’s no end in sight for its political and economic reliance on Russia, the only major country to recognize the breakaway republic as a sovereign nation. The ruble is Abkhazia’s de facto currency, and—to the chagrin of many native Abkhaz—Russian remains the lingua franca. Russian guards patrol the conflict divide, and as recently as 2016, new Abkhaz-Russian military alliances were being formed, furthering Russia’s sphere of influence in the region and angering Georgia and the international community. But as one learns quickly in Abkhazia, foreign occupation and a burgeoning tourism industry aren’t mutually exclusive: According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Abkhazia, 3.5 million tourists visited in 2017 alone, some 90% of which were Russian (though many also visit from Turkey, Belarus, and to a lesser extent, Europe).

A number of entities have declared independence and sought diplomatic recognition from the international community as de jure sovereign states. However, they have not been internationally recognized as such and left in an ‘unrecognized state.’ These entities often have de facto control of their territory, a government, a military, and a legal system. A number of such entities exist today and operate as functioning states. See additional info at www.politicalholidays.com.