I Wonder If He’s Been To Africa Lately

An article in American Profile claims that a man has been to every nation on Earth:

The ink stamps in John Rheinberger’s passports read like the register of an experienced—and dedicated—world traveler: Algeria, Bolivia, China, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Japan, Libya, Namibia, North Korea, Spain, Ukraine, Vietnam.

Since 1974, the attorney from Stillwater, Minn. (pop. 18,225), has circled the globe, visiting every country on the planet from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe—196 in all—concluding his feat last November with a trip to Somalia.

Why do I mention Africa lately? Because the nation of South Sudan is only just over a year old.

The article says he’s been to all 196, which includes South Sudan (as enumerated by about.com). So he must have hit it on the last African swing. Either that, or he counts as visiting a country visiting a country from which the new country sprung, which would mean he would count South Sudan if he visited Sudan and would make sure that he was up-to-date on a lot of former Soviet republics and bits of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

To gain entrance last year to Cuba, Rheinberger, a tax and estate-planning attorney, created a resume giving him credence as an environmental expert.

It looks as though he is not above inflating paper claims to get what he wants.

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