Unpacking a popular wellness trend
The borders that surround countries may seem permanent on a map, but, in truth, the nation-states we know today are fleeting sketches in a much larger historical mural. Some nations are barely more than a few decades old, having emerged from the ashes of civil war or the collapse of larger federations. Then there are others that have existed, uninterrupted, for centuries.
There are 195 widely recognized sovereign states in the world. Of all these, the United Nations (UN) has 193 member states and two non-member states: the Holy See of Vatican City, and the State of Palestine.
Using historical data from the UN, we’ve assembled a list of the 15 youngest and 15 oldest fully recognized sovereign countries, based purely on how long they were able to maintain independent self-governance. Click through this gallery to see if your country is on the list!
The world’s youngest countries are not just new on paper. They are navigating the fragile early stages of sovereignty as they forge their own identity and stability. Some of these were borne from the collapse of larger powers, while others have struggled with conflict. Let’s see which nations made the list.
Brunei Darussalam, a country in Southeast Asia, resumed full sovereignty on January 1, 1984, when it gained independence from British protection. The small sultanate on Borneo had been a British-protected state since the 19th century.
Located in Southern Africa, Namibia became an independent state on March 21, 1990, ending some 75 years of South African administration and earlier German colonial rule. The transition to independence was supervised by the UN. Namibia was one of the last African colonies to gain freedom.
Slovenia was the first republic to break away from the former country of Yugoslavia when it dissolved in the early 1990s, declaring independence on June 25, 1991. Slovenia successfully defended its sovereignty in the Ten-Day War against Yugoslav forces and achieved quick de facto autonomy.
Similar to Slovenia, the country of Croatia also declared independence from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991. A brutal war of independence followed for several years before Croatia’s borders and sovereignty were secured.
The Republic of North Macedonia (known simply as Macedonia at the time) peacefully established its independence on September 8, 1991, when its citizens voted to secede from Yugoslavia. Unlike other Yugoslav republics, Macedonia’s path was largely non-violent.
Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet republics to proclaim independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union. It declared sovereignty on December 16, 1991, just before the USSR was formally dissolved.
Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from the disintegrating Yugoslavia in March 1992, following a referendum in which the majority voted for statehood. The European Community and the United States recognized Bosnian independence in April 1992, and Bosnia was admitted to the UN on May 22.
The Slovak Republic became a fully sovereign nation on January 1, 1993, alongside the Czech Republic, as the two halves of former Czechoslovakia went their separate ways. Slovakia’s sovereignty was restored in this peaceful split, ending a federation that had existed (with interruptions) since 1918.
The Czech Republic, along with Slovakia, came into being on January 1, 1993, when Czechoslovakia peacefully dissolved into two states. The split, which is known as the “Velvet Divorce,” ended the federation that had formed after World War I.
The East African nation of Eritrea gained internationally recognized independence on April 27, 1993, after a UN-supervised referendum ended decades of war. Formerly an Italian colony, Eritrea had been federated (and later annexed) by Ethiopia in the 1950s. A decades-long armed struggle followed, and only ended when the country’s sovereignty was confirmed.
Palau, an archipelago nation in Oceania, became a sovereign nation on October 1, 1994, ending its status as the last UN Trust Territory administered by the United States. This administration had been in place since after World War II.
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in Southeast Asia regained independence on May 20, 2002, after a period of UN administration. A former Portuguese colony, Timor-Leste had first declared independence in 1975, but was invaded and occupied by Indonesia shortly thereafter.
The Republic of Montenegro achieved internationally recognized sovereignty in 2006 when it peacefully dissolved its state union with Serbia. On June 3, Montenegro’s parliament declared independence, restoring a sovereignty it had lost in 1918 upon joining Yugoslavia.
Serbia became a fully sovereign state again in 2006 after Montenegro’s departure ended the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. On June 5, 2006, the Serbian parliament affirmed Serbia as the legal successor state, marking the first time Serbia was a separate sovereign nation since 1918.
The youngest official sovereign state in the world is South Sudan, located in East Africa. The country seceded from Sudan after decades of civil war, and formally declared independence on July 9, 2011. It became the world’s newest country and was quickly admitted to the UN in the same year.
It is an incredibly difficult feat for historians to determine the exact dates of every nation’s establishment. Some of the world’s oldest existing nations (such as Egypt and China) have been around for thousands of years, but they don’t appear on this list because they have not retained self-governance for long enough. On that note, let’s take a look at which countries have had the oldest independent sovereignty.
The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (now Argentina) declared independence from Spanish rule on July 9, 1816. After a successful revolution in 1810 and several years of war, Argentine leaders met and proclaimed a sovereign nation in July 1816. Spain’s forces were ultimately defeated, and Argentina’s independence was secured a few years later.
The Swiss Confederation’s independence was solidified at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Switzerland had actually been recognized as independent from the Holy Roman Empire earlier, in the Treaty of Westphalia (1648), but this was briefly interrupted when the French imposed their rule in the late 1700s.
The Kingdom of Spain is an older nation-state (unified in the late 15th century), but its sovereignty was disrupted during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1808, Napoleon invaded and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as king, triggering the Peninsular War. Spanish patriots continued to resist, and King Ferdinand VII was restored to the throne in 1814.
The Netherlands regained full sovereignty in 1813 after the defeat of Napoleon. The Dutch Republic had earlier been occupied and transformed into a French client state (the Batavian Republic and then the Kingdom of Holland under Napoleon). In late 1813, the Dutch expelled the French and welcomed the return of the Orange dynasty, reestablishing an independent Dutch state.
The South American nation of Paraguay declared independence from Spain on May 14, 1811, one of the earliest breaks from Spanish rule in Latin America. Under the leadership of patriots, Paraguay became a self-governing republic and gained de facto recognition of its independence within the first year.
Liechtenstein, a tiny principality in central Europe, became a fully sovereign state on July 12, 1806, when the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved by Emperor Francis II. As an imperial fief, Liechtenstein had existed since 1719, but it owed fealty to the Habsburg emperors before it gained sovereignty.
The United States of America declared independence on July 4, 1776, and its sovereignty was internationally confirmed by the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, in which Great Britain formally recognized the US as independent. From that date, the United States has maintained unbroken sovereign status.
The South Asian nation of Nepal has been continuously sovereign since the mid-18th century, having never been colonized. On September 25, 1768, the King of Gorkha conquered the city-state of Kathmandu and unified the many small principalities of the region into the Kingdom of Nepal. This unification is regarded as the birth of modern Nepal.
Thailand is often cited as the only Southeast Asian country never colonized by European powers. Its current dynasty and unbroken sovereignty date back to the late 18th century. Burmese forces temporarily ended the kingdom’s independence in 1767, but a military general rapidly rallied resistance in 1768, expelled the Burmese, and reunified the country.
The United Kingdom traces its sovereignty to the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain on May 1, 1707, when the kingdoms of England (which included Wales) and Scotland were merged by the Acts of Union. England itself had been an independent kingdom since the Middle Ages, but 1707 marks the start of the current British state’s continuity.
Portugal’s current uninterrupted sovereignty dates to December 1, 1640, when it regained independence after 60 years of annexation by Spain. The Portuguese Restoration War began with a coup that deposed the Spanish Habsburgs and acclaimed João IV as King of Portugal. This ended the Iberian Union that had placed Portugal under the Spanish crown since 1580.
The Nordic country of Sweden has enjoyed an unbroken period of sovereignty for more than 500 years. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected as king, which marked Sweden’s final secession from the Kalmar Union with Denmark and Norway.
Iran is one of the world’s oldest civilizations and has had an indigenous ruling state for over 2,500 years. In the modern era, Persia maintained its sovereignty and was never formally colonized by European powers. The beginning of modern Iranian history (and its recorded sovereignty) is considered to be the establishment of the Safavid dynasty in 1501, which reasserted a strong, independent Persian state.
The Principality of Andorra, a landlocked country nestled between France and Spain, has been independent since the late 13th century. Andorra’s sovereignty was established on September 8, 1278, via a feudal charter, which created a unique co-principality under the joint dominion of a French count and a Spanish bishop.
San Marino claims to be the world’s oldest republic, founded in 301 CE. According to legend, Saint Marinus (a stonemason from the island of Rab) established a monastic community on Mount Titano that grew into an independent microstate. San Marino’s independence has persisted for over 1,700 years.
Sources: (United Nations) (World Population Review) (Oldest.org) (Britannica) (Encyclopedia.com) (WorldAtlas) (History.com)
See also: The most peaceful countries to live in
The youngest (and oldest) countries in the world
The global map is always changing
LIFESTYLE Nations
The borders that surround countries may seem permanent on a map, but, in truth, the nation-states we know today are fleeting sketches in a much larger historical mural. Some nations are barely more than a few decades old, having emerged from the ashes of civil war or the collapse of larger federations. Then there are others that have existed, uninterrupted, for centuries.
There are 195 widely recognized sovereign states in the world. Of all these, the United Nations (UN) has 193 member states and two non-member states: the Holy See of Vatican City, and the State of Palestine.
Using historical data from the UN, we’ve assembled a list of the 15 youngest and 15 oldest fully recognized sovereign countries, based purely on how long they were able to maintain independent self-governance. Click through this gallery to see if your country is on the list!