A Trivia Question

[Lianachan]

I stumbled across this surprising fact. What do the following countries have in common?

Andorra
Belarus
Bolivia
Burundi
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo, Republic of
Guatemala
Ivory Coast
Kyrgyzstan
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Mali
Marshall Islands
Monaco
Mongolia
Paraguay
Sao Tome and Principe
Sweden
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Vatican City

[Мастер]

Well, there is the obvious fact, they are all run by shape-shifting reptiles.

Not sure whether that's what you're looking for, though.

[Heid the Ba]

I can't think of anything offhand. I could get a few spoorting ones if it weren't for Sweden.

[Lianachan]

Ah, sorry, I meant what do they have in common as well as being run by shape shifting reptiles.

It's not sports related.

[tubeswell]

Predominantly catholic

[MM_Dandy]

Predominantly catholic

I think Sweden (officially Lutheran for some time until recently) at the least would throw that out.

[Arneb]

Mongolia, Mali, Kyrghisztan as well, I think

[Lianachan]

It's not related to religion.

[Enzo]

I think I know.

They are all in alphabetical order. Yes?

None has a standing navy?

[Мастер]

They're all either landlocked, or have a seacoast.

[Lianachan]

They're all either landlocked, or have a seacoast.

Technically correct, but it's not the answer I have on the card.

None has a standing navy?

Nope, but it is something related to the military.

[tubeswell]

They all have some variant of the swiss guard?

[Lianachan]

Nope.

The answer - those are the only countries in the world that Britain has never invaded.

[tubeswell]

And out of the 174 countries invaded by the UK and its predecessor states, only 15 are still colonies. So there's hope for you yet

[Enzo]

Well need to look into that. A sort of colony-oscopy.

[Arneb]

And they always say Germany was so bad...

[Heid the Ba]

I think we ought to be able to take Luxembourg off the list, in all the arsing about British armies have done in the cockpit of Europe someone must have wandered through it. There have also been incursions into Guatemala in the bickering over Belize, though not an invasion per se.

[Lianachan]

I was wondering what his definition of an invasion is. He seems to have counted the countries where the British were found to have achieved some sort of military presence in the territory – however transitory – either through force, the threat of force, negotiation or payment. So I'd be surprised if Luxembourg has managed to escape that.

(Just checked their WW2 liberation - but that was the US 1st Army)

[Heid the Ba]

(Just checked their WW2 liberation - but that was the US 1st Army)

The US Army in the Great War as well, which surprised me.

If that is his definition I'l have a think about some of the others as well.