Around The World In 80 Websites

The next generation

2006-04-11T21:42:00.000Z

If you've enjoyed looking through this blog, perhaps you might want to nominate a site for review in the World's Worst 100 Websites.

A last minute sub

2006-04-03T21:29:00.000Z

The Tanzanian website proved to be rather pointless, dull and out of date. Cue the last minute replacement, hot off the subs bench. Here is a Safari and Tourism site.

No Way

2006-04-01T17:32:00.000Z

It turns out that a site on Norwegian stem cell research isn't really all that interesting to a mere muggle like me. So, I've found a substitute - underwater photography.

That's 80

2006-03-29T21:41:00.000Z

Well, I now have the requisite 80 sites, each of which comes from a different country - or at least a different island with its own administration and TLD (top-level-domain). Most of the sites are actually routed in a domain from their own country.

All that remains now is to write approximately 6600 words about these sites. Yikes.

Against the 404 scam

2006-03-29T21:37:00.000Z

You've read the spam, claiming to come from Nigeria. Now see the Nigerian's strike back with this anti-scam site.

Another Non-Profit

2006-03-29T21:30:00.000Z

World Vision in Uganda. Have a read, maybe donate. Knock yourself out.

Tanzania

2006-03-29T21:28:00.000Z

The African Travel Review - a magazine about safari holidays, promoting tourism in the area.

Visual arts in South Africa

2006-03-29T21:22:00.000Z

The Liquid Fridge in South Africa is a melting pot for visual arts.

Sing, singapore

2006-03-29T21:21:00.000Z

Nightlife in Singapore.

The thing you gotta know is...

2006-03-29T21:12:00.000Z

Everything is showbiz at this Pakistani website.

Malawi rights

2006-03-29T21:07:00.000Z

An organisation for the promotion of Human Rights in Malawi.

Do you do sudoku?

2006-03-29T21:06:00.000Z

Jersey might only just count as another country. It does, however, have the Sudoku website that you've always wanted.

Hello mudder, hello faddah

2006-03-29T21:00:00.000Z

There aren't that many sites in Grenada. They do have an extensive meteorological service.

The Vibe from overseas

2006-03-29T20:52:00.000Z

You can listen online to Vibe FM.

Don't cry for me

2006-03-29T20:49:00.000Z

History of the Falkland Islands. Find out about this British-owned island that has its own penguins.

Cypriate Dance

2006-03-29T20:43:00.000Z

Latin dance in Cyprus provides us a Cypriate website.

A well presented blog

2006-03-29T20:30:00.000Z

I wasn't too keen to include that many blogs in this collection, but this Bermudan blogger seems to have a well organised-albeit personal site on his views on politics.

The Mexican Connection

2006-03-29T20:28:00.000Z

This mexican music history site seems worth a good read. Those universities provide much information to the world.

Bangla Beat

2006-03-26T13:48:00.000Z

Bangla Music for download.

Find a property

2006-03-26T13:47:00.000Z

Well, they're a bit pricey, like, but why not do some window shopping - properties in the Bahamas.

Another Pawn Site

2006-03-26T13:43:00.000Z

This Ukraine chess site appears to be about more than just online gaming. If you read the rather-hard-to-follow-English-instructions, you will find that you can use money to set up a kingdom in which you then play, bet, and... well, I don't know. It looks like you have to be good at chess before you start, and if you are good at chess, you'll probably get what it's all about.

Nothing like their Greek Counterparts

2006-03-26T13:24:00.000Z

The Turkish Air Force seem a lot more open about themselves.

A heap of online media

2006-03-26T13:15:00.000Z

These Latvians sure know how to party. This portal to a bunch of online TV and radio sites is well worth a visit. So what if it's all in a different language.

Tallinted

2006-03-26T13:08:00.000Z

A nice site all about the Estonian Ballet Company.

Clackety clack

2006-03-26T12:57:00.000Z

A Spanish site on castanets.

Algae

2006-03-26T12:56:00.000Z

An Algerian news agency.

Croatia

2006-03-21T22:18:00.000Z

A portal website for all of Croatia.

In a Country Famous for Beer - Belgium

2006-03-21T22:10:00.000Z

Here is a Belgian website from a collector of the glassware from which his country's most famous export (second to chocolate) can be dispensed.

Norwegian Wood

2006-03-21T21:55:00.000Z

Stem Cell research is of international significance. Here is a Norwegian site which offers a news feed.

Music in Austria

2006-03-21T21:50:00.000Z

Well, they're the home of Mozart and the location of the shooting of one of the most popular musicals of all time. This hotel website has all the details of touring in Salzberg.

Become a student in Florence

2006-03-21T21:48:00.000Z

Studentsville - a portal site for people considering going to study in one of the world's most beautiful cities.

Sudan

2006-03-21T21:41:00.000Z

Sudanese Petroleum Company stores statistics for the company's oil programme - some of their statistics are in the future!

Philippino Birds

2006-03-21T21:28:00.000Z

The Philippines are renowned for something to do with birds. Perhaps this is it.

Maltesers

2006-03-21T21:24:00.000Z

Etnika, a Maltese Folk Band with a swanky website.

The Real Kazakhstan

2006-03-21T21:12:00.000Z

A Kazakhstani discussion website - lots of text. Search this site to find out about what the Kazakhstani's made of Borat. Club.kz.

When you think of Gibraltar..

2006-03-21T21:00:00.000Z

You obviously think of homebrew.

Ecuadorian Pie

2006-03-21T20:57:00.000Z

Ecuadorian recipes here at Holiday Recipes.

The smallest url?

2006-03-15T23:04:00.000Z

Norfolk Island? Heard of it? Me neither. However, it's in the commonwealth and has its own website: www.nf - surely that must be one of the smallest web addresses you'll get.

Listen to the tunes

2006-03-15T22:55:00.000Z

Radio Cayman - listen live.

Don't stick your head in the sand

2006-03-15T22:50:00.000Z

Ostrich farming in Botswana - all you wanted to ask, but were frightened to.

Shhhhh

2006-03-15T22:38:00.000Z

The Society For A Quieter Barbados shows you the flipside of a country that's well known for its party and tourist culture.

Want a job in Afghanistan?

2006-03-15T22:34:00.000Z

The United Nations Development Programme for Afghanistan has its own website. You can even look at jobs on there. There are also photos of the country and programme.

41 found

2006-03-15T22:16:00.000Z

Over halfway there now. I've got some countries listed without sites, but I still have quite a few countries to think of before I find the remaining 39 sites to make my set of 80.

Back to Google, then.

Eye See

2006-03-13T21:30:00.000Z

Ethiopia needs our help, including Orbis the blindness charity.

Currant bun?

2006-03-13T21:26:00.000Z

Here comes The Sun. That's Fiji's paper.

Cost'Eureka

2006-03-13T21:19:00.000Z

This is a cracking Costa Rican site with a great photo of their tourism minister.

Tennis anyone?

2006-03-12T20:43:00.000Z

I quite enjoyed Tony Hawks' book - Playing the Moldovans at Tennis. So, here is a Moldovan news site which, appropriately, comments on the book, as well as general Moldovan affairs.

Include one website for the crazies

2006-03-12T20:23:00.000Z

Allegedly hosted for Lichtenstein, this website may or may not be registered through Switzerland for a U.S. Conspiracy theorist. Read this and stay sane if you can.

Nothing to do with Katie Price

2006-03-12T20:09:00.000Z

While our Jordan is clearly not a star, the residents of the country Jordan have access to an astronomy website which will tell you about some real stars.

A date with Q8

2006-03-12T19:57:00.000Z

This site in Kuwait is there to foster Arab/Western relations.

Khmer fun

2006-03-12T19:51:00.000Z

There's a natty website for Cambodians to use as their home page.

How times have changed

2006-03-12T19:46:00.000Z

Where perhaps previous generations used to tune into radio Luxembourg to hear the songs that the BBC wouldn't play, we now have much more free access to the world's media. Radio Luxembourg can now be played online.

Another sort of mash

2006-03-12T19:42:00.000Z

What did I know about Korea? Well, it had the Korean wars and was the location for M*A*S*H*. Here, however, is a different sort of mash - mashroom - an Korean artist's outlet.

Yeah Man!

2006-03-12T18:42:00.000Z

The Yemen Times is Yemen's main English language newspaper.

Thai Me Kangaroo Down Sport

2006-03-12T18:35:00.000Z

The Thai Redcross did a lot of work to aid the country after the Asian Tsunami. Worth a read. Maybe even a donation.

Gabes in Tunisia

2006-03-12T18:30:00.000Z

Check out this Tunisian school website - Gabes. Of interest are the write up on Matmata (used in Star Wars), and also the rather lame jokes.

28 and counting...

2006-03-12T13:05:00.000Z

As usual, I'm wondering why I didn't start this sooner and work more consistently, rather then forcing myself into large-scale bursts of frantic searching.

Anyway, I've 28 sites listed to my right, which means I've only a mere 52 more to find. Easy!

One comment-poster suggested that I treat Scotland as a separate country to England. I wish to avoid that, but perhaps I will have to.

Little White Bull

2006-03-12T12:49:00.000Z

When you think of Denmark you might think of Danish Pastries and bacon. I think of the fairy stories of Hans Christian Anderson.

The Boss o' Bossa Nova

2006-03-12T12:34:00.000Z

See Antonio Carlos Jobim on his own website in Brazil. You can listen to songs and see his entire discography. This is not lift music, but it will give you a lift.

The Melbourne Comedy Festival

2006-03-12T11:53:00.000Z

Everyone should know about the Melbourne Comedy Festival, which I never managed to go to... yet.

An Armenia Portal

2006-03-12T11:51:00.000Z

Check out this odd Armenian portal website - it's one of the first hits when you search Google for any Armenian website. Its "man of the day" photo feature seems a bit of a surprise.

Bogus Barbudan!

2006-03-12T11:39:00.000Z

This fellow called Chirag uses a .ag website address, but he's not based in Antigua/Barbuda. It's all just lies. Lies, I tell thee! He's just so keen on his own name that he's chosen a URL the same way that someone might choose a car registration plate.

However, after a lot of searching, I found a Digital photography website which contains a number of small but good looking views of the area.

Where is the man who broke the bank?

2006-03-11T19:39:00.000Z

Find out all about Monte Carlo.

It's the only country totally contained...

2006-03-11T19:33:00.000Z

See the Holy See.

Swaziland

2006-03-11T19:30:00.000Z

An unusual online newspaper - it's written with a specific cultural perspective.

It's not just PJ

2006-03-11T19:25:00.000Z

The other excellent New Zealand export: Flight of the Conchords.

Play it again...

2006-03-11T19:16:00.000Z

They really went and made a Rick's Cafe in Casablanca.

Where's mum gone?

2006-03-11T19:12:00.000Z

She's probably gone to Iceland... well, virtually.

Just for laughs

2006-03-11T19:02:00.000Z

The Montreal festival - I'd love to go Just For Laughs.

A different view on movie posters

2006-03-11T18:52:00.000Z

This Hong Kong movie memorabilia website is interesting for its alternative images of well known movies.

Kiss this?

2006-03-11T14:22:00.000Z

KissFM... Kenya! Yay.

Listen to their station and enjoy the music.

Yeah man

2006-03-11T14:12:00.000Z

I was going to pick a site from this one and then I realised that it's all here. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Jamaicans have their own portal to the top Jamaican websites. Enjoy.

This is harder than it looks

2006-03-11T14:06:00.000Z

I've found 13 websites so far. I've got a couple of weeks more to keep digging and, quite frankly, it's not as easy as it first seemed. There are some tips I can offer for the aspiring website finder.

1. Use Google to search.
2. Use the site: suffix to your search criteria
3. Use the TLD website here to find the country codes.
4. So, to find a snowboarding website in Jamaica, enter snowboarding site:.jm
5. Pray that there is a site
6. There is no snowboarding site for Jamaica - don't waste your time looking for one.

So, 67 more sites in 67 different countries, still to find.

More international understanding

2006-03-11T14:04:00.000Z

It might be depressing finding serious websites, but perhaps it's important to use the internet to further our understanding of the world. Here is Japan's Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

My Goodness

2006-03-11T14:00:00.000Z

Thanks to SteveL, I've added Guinness to the role-call. It's THE Irish export and so deserves to be the Irish site.

Flooby dooby doo wopwopwop

2006-03-06T22:47:00.000Z

www.sweden.se all about Swedish culture.

What do the Swiss watch?

2006-03-06T22:39:00.000Z

I've found an equivalent of the BBC in Switzerland: www.swissinfo.org.

The Hoff

2006-03-04T12:29:00.000Z

Thanks to my girlfriend for this suggestion. The only German site you need - www.davidhasselhoff.de - a tribute to KITT's driver.

Yoga

2006-03-04T12:26:00.000Z

A colleague recently mentioned Pranayama, which is related to Yoga. I've found an Indian yoga site www.yogapoint.com.

The Middle East continued

2006-02-22T22:55:00.000Z

A bit of editorial balance, I think. We should definitely include Yad Vashem, the holocaust memorial in Israel.

Algy who?

2006-02-22T22:53:00.000Z

Of course, one arabic intensive site wouldn't be enough. We have to include Al Jazeera, based in Qatar.

Egyptology - not a site about Pyramids.

2006-02-22T22:50:00.000Z

I found an Egyptian newspaper called Watani.

Are you a Coptophile?

Eurovision-a-rama

2006-02-22T22:38:00.000Z

Well, I've found a website hosted overseas and it's about Eurovision. Bonus. Eurosong / Euroclopedy in Holland.

Bien. Et Maintenant, Nous Avons...

2006-02-20T11:42:00.000Z

For France, the most sensible website would have to be The Louvre.

First things first

2006-02-17T14:15:00.000Z

I decided that my UK entry would be for Chortle, as it is a site I use a lot. It's also not that well known, and worthy of more general public members reading it.

For the US, Project Gutenberg seemed a good choice. This hosts 17,000 books online, including Around the World in 80 days.

So, just about 78 sites to list!

Some rules

2006-02-17T13:19:00.000Z

First things first, then. I'm going to be finding 80 websites for an article that I'm to write for Micro Mart magazine. Each website must be:

Good
From a different country
Understandable to an English-speaking reader
Not bloody obvious

That last requirement is one of my own,the first three are from the editor who commissioned the article.

Some sites I cannot, therefore include:

These rules might make it seem like I'm making it harder for myself, but realistically, it would be easy to find 100 websites in UK or US and I only need one for each. So, I want to bring something new to readership and not just cheat by using the country-specific version of a massive corporate site.

As a starting point, I'm going to use the list of countries from the Jules Verne novel from which the title was obviously cribbed. Wikipedia has a nice synopsis of the story, which gives me my first batch of countries.

The purpose of this blog is to track my progress finding 80 sites and arranging them into some sort of order for publication. I will be putting a description in the article for each site. I'll not be putting that description on here.

You can help me with comments that direct me to interesting international sites. You can enjoy my struggle to find the 80 sites.

Welcome

2006-02-16T15:20:00.000Z

Welcome to the new site I've set up to try to achieve this most ridiculous of tasks - disover 80 different websites from 80 different country that are good.

Feel free to help me along with this quest.