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!