There are 193 member states in the United Nations, and Paul Barbato has officially covered them all. Barbato is the creator behind Geography Now, a long-running YouTube series that concluded with an October 15 installment set in Zimbabwe.
Since 2014, Barbato — better known by the monosyllabic sobriquet “Barbs” — has profiled the countries of the world one video at a time. His series, released in alphabetical order, offers historical trivia, travel tips, and cultural context for the countries it covers. The result is a ten-year project that has attracted 3.3 million subscribers and totaled more than 465 million lifetime views.
The final country on Barbato’s list is not the biggest, richest, or most populous nation in the world, but the geography educator nevertheless chose to go out in grand style. He filmed his Zimbabwe episode on location and invited 18 of his fans to join him.
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Barbato also brought in other educational creators to share facts and historical tidbits related to the Southern African nation. As per usual, his analysis included some input from local subscribers. “I love having locals involved as they know their countries better than anyone else,” Barbato told Tubefilter. “I really believe people are the best source of information — you can’t have a country without its people right? In my view they are the best part of the channel.”
Barbato told Tubefilter that he initially planned to complete his Geography Now series in four years, but as he added segments on topics like food, sports, and music, his videos got longer and took more time to produce. “I guess ten years was the real number,” he told Tubefilter.
Geography content has undergone a seismic shift during the decade Barbato spent producing his series. What began as a niche category is now a sprawling community filled with GeoGuessr pros and map lovers. That growth gives Barbato an opportunity to continue his channel, and he is working hard to bring a new era of Geography Now to light.
“I’ll just say this,” Barbato said of his next project. “It involves a lot less ‘talking about countries of the world in a studio’ and a lot more ‘going out and actually seeing, smelling, tasting, touching and hearing’ places all around the world.”
Even after making his virtual visits to 193 countries, Barbato is keeping his finger on the map. He put it best: “It’s time to get out of the studio and DO geography!”
