As I often explain to non-hams: the places we contact around the world are not easy or difficult based on how far away they are… the main thing is that there needs to be a ham in that country!
If you check this map, you can see the reality – we are trying to contact 324 “countries,” but most of the hams are actually living in about 5 of them: Japan, USA, England, Germany, Spain… not to mention Australia and New Zealand, which also benefit from “next-door” quality propagation to the US… then there’s Mexico, which really IS next door.
But there are “popular exceptions” – countries with no hams living there permanently, but where hams (and everyone else) love to go for vacations/DXpeditions: Malta, Canary Islands, Fiji, Luxembourg, Montserrat, and of course, the entire Caribbean (Jamaica, Bermuda, Barbados, Grenada, Aruba, Curacao etc.)
Also the “military exceptions” – countries with a military or scientific presence including some hams: Macedonia, Cyprus, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Easter Island, Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, and several West African countries.
I just thought the map was really cool, and gives an idea what we are up against…
