List of countries by date of statehood

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Below is a list of countries in chronological order of their statehood.

Nation-building is a long evolutionary process. It is therefore practically impossible to come up with a single date for a nation's "birth". However, most nations have accepted some dates in their respective histories as their symbolic starting points. This is usually done more for nationalistic propaganda than for scientific reasons. For many ancient and medieval nations these starting points are usually the dates when a nation was mentioned in a written document for the first time or simply a date from their national mythology. In Europe, this often coincides with the ruler's conversion to Christianity. For post-colonial nations, starting with the United States, the beginning of statehood is usually considered to be the date when independence was declared, granted or recognised.

The following list is mainly based on data published by the Central Intelligence Agency, and is therefore largely (but not entirely) restricted to states whose independence is recognised by the United States. Independence dates earlier than 1919 should be treated with caution, since prior to the founding of the League of Nations, there was no international body to recognise nationhood, and independence had no meaning beyond mutual recognition of de facto sovereigns (the role of the League of Nations was effectively taken over by the United Nations after the Second World War). See also: disputed territories.

The situation is further complicated by the confusion between the terms nation (generally considered an ethnic or cultural grouping) and state (an independent political entity). (These two words are commonly used as synonyms.)

Contents 1 Historical kingdoms and dynasties 2 Modern-day states 3 References 4 See also

[edit] Historical kingdoms and dynasties

Date	Nation	Event
3100 BC	Egypt	unification of Upper and Lower Egypt into one country by Pharaoh Narmer occurred in the 31st century BC. Despite subsequent conquests, Egypt has roughly remained a united nation geographically ever since. Egypt gained at least nominal independence from the United Kingdom on February 28, 1922.
3079 BC	Việt Nam	rise of Văn Lang Confederacy circa 3079 BC from Văn Lang Tribe. Continuous invasion however, Việt nation inside inside had abalding after that in the allied countries. Announced liberty after World War II in the fall of Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945 but French colonial Empire recognized in 1954
2700 BC	Iran (Persia)	first state which consisted all of western Iran was founded by the non-Indo-European Elamite Kingdom which lasted from around 2700 BC to 539 BC and had a significant influence on later Iranian dynasties. The Indo-European Medes created the first Iranian state which encompassed all of Iran and lasted from 728 to 550 BC, Cyrus I, founded the first Persian Empire, the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC (the Achaemenids had ruled Anshan for about a century before that). The Achaemenids conquered the neighbouring Mesopotamian Civilization, and was the world's first superstate, stretching from Greece to India. Persia was conquered by the Macedonians under Alexander the Great, Arab Islamic Caliphate and the Mongol Empire. Modern Iran was unified in 1501 by the Safavid dynasty. Iran was referred to in the West as Persia until March 21, 1935 when it was officially recognized as Iran. The modern Islamic Republic of Iran was established on February 11, 1979 after revolution against the Pahlavi dynasty
2500 BC	India Pakistan	first state founded by the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, which was likely an early kingdom or republic of some sort. "The regular planning of the streets, the layout of cities and the common weights and measures suggest a single state covering the entire area."[1] The first unified state incorporating the majority of modern India, was founded under the Maurya dynasty by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BC. Re-unification occurred in 1600 under the Mughal dynasty by Akbar the Great. Became part of the British Empire in 1757. Independence declared in 1947. Modern Pakistan was subsequently established on August 14, 1947 and the modern Republic of India was established on 26 January 1950
2333 BC	Korea	establishment occurred under the Altaic-Tungusic by Tangun in 2333 BC. Ancient contact between Kojoson and the two cradles of civilization, China and Việt Nam occurred. The area was subsequently ruled by various civilizations, including the Mongols, the neighbouring Russians, and the Manchus. The Japanese Empire controlled the area until World War II, when the Allies gained administration, but was divided into two republics. The modern Republic of Korea was established on August 15, 1948 mandate under US administration and the modern Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established on September 9, 1948 mandate under Soviet administration.
2070 BC	China	first state founded by the quasi-legendary Xia Dynasty, which was allegedly the beginning of Chinese hereditary monarchy until Xinhai Revolution in 1911, after a period of Neolithic cultures, according to historical texts. First archeologically confirmed state was the Shang dynasty. The first unified state incorporating the majority of modern China, was founded under the Qin dynasty by Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi in 221 BC. On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China succeeded the Qing Dynasty, but was itself forced to retreat to Taiwan and other islands after its defeat in the Chinese Civil War to the communists in 1949. The latter established the People's Republic of China on the mainland on 1 October 1949, and both governments continue to lay claim to be the successor state of all China
1300 BC	Georgia	Georgian Kingdom - Colchis was formed as a result of the increasing consolidation of the tribes inhabiting the Western Georgian Area. Colchis is sometimes mentioned with original Georgian names: კოლხეთი (Kolkheti) and ეგრისი (Egrisi) or also with ancient Greek name Κολχίς (Kolkis). This kingdom is described in Greek mythology as the destination of the Argonauts. Colchis is a homeland of Golden Fleece. The most significant thing is that the language of Colchians is still alive and widely used among Western Georgians. The modern Georgia declared independence from the USSR in April 9, 1991
1020 BC	Israel	unification under the Kingdom of Israel by King Saul of Israel, occurred after former slaves migrated away from the Egyptian Empire. The land was subsequently conquered by Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Sassandians, European Christians and Muslims. The Turkish Ottoman Empire annexed the area in the 1500s, until the British Empire took over administration after World War I. An irredentist movement sought to create a new state. The modern State of Israel was established on 14 May 1948 from League of Nations mandate under British administration after independence from the British Empire
900 BC	Italy (Rome)	a civilization that grew out of the city-state of Rome, founded in the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC
858 BC	Armenia	Aramu, first known king of Urartu, an ancient Armenian kingdom; Hurrians present by 2500 BC
c. 800 BC	Ethiopia	Foundation of D'mt in the early 8th century BC, succeeded by the Kingdom of Aksum; oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world. Punt is thought to have existed in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea from the 25th century BC preceding D'mt.
660 BC	Japan	in traditional discovery side Emperor Jimmu. Modern Japan was unified in 1598 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
337 BC	Greece	unification occurred under the Macedonians by King Philip II of Macedon in 337 BC. After decline in power, Greece was incorporated into the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire. The modern Hellenic Republic was established on 25 March 1821 after independence from the Ottoman Empire
302 BC	Georgia	Pharnavaz I of Iberia, victorious in power struggle, became the first king of an ancient Georgian Kingdom Iberia (302-237 BC).He has reformed a Georgian alphabet which is created in 5th century BC. Georgian alphabet is used to write the Georgian language - an official language in Georgia.
257 BC	Việt Nam	An Dương Vương (Thục Phán), Chief of the Thục Tribe of the Âu Việts, defeated Văn Lang Confederacy and unified all Âu Việt and Lạc Việt tribes, founded the Kingdom of Âu Lạc (Thục Dynasty) in 257 BC
40 AD	Việt Nam	Trưng Sisters became queens of the country
192	Champa	set up by the rebellion of a local official named Ku-Lien against the Han Empire in Annam (North Việt Nam)
270	Japan	unification by Emperor Ojin
3 September 301	San Marino	claims to be world's oldest surviving republic
c. 400	Champa	united under the rule of King Bhadravarman
486	France	conquered by Clovis, French Kingdom (West Francia) created in 843 with Treaty of Verdun, although present-day France (5th Republic) was created on October 5, 1958.
February, 544	Vietnam	Lý Bí was debateably considered the "first" emperor of Việt Nam by the Việt (Nanyue) people, renamed the empire Vạn Xuân
668	Korea	re-unification of the Korean peninsula by the Silla kingdom
681	Bulgaria	unification of Bulgars and Slavs by Asparukh after the Byzantine empire was forced to sign a peace treaty with them.
780	Serbia	unification of Serbian tribes under knez Višeslav, great-grandson of the Unknown Archont
789	Morocco	Idriss II founded the city of Fez and unified the tribes between the Moulouya and Um Rabiaa rivers under first Moroccan dynasty. The country took the name of Al Maghrib Al Aqsa. The Alaouite Dynasty is the name of the current Moroccan Dynasty since 1664.
790	Cambodia	Khmer Empire
7th century	Brunei	predecessor state of the Sultanate of Brunei established
843	Scotland	unified by Kenneth mac Alpin. Kenneth I of Scotland, King of the Scots, also becomes King of the Picts, thus becoming the first monarch of the new, united state, the Kingdom of Scotland. The resulting unified Scottish/Pictish Kingdom is called Alba (the Scottish gaelic word for Scotland). Beginning of the rule of the Alpin dynasty of Scottish kings
864	Bulgaria	khan Boris becomes the first Bulgarian Christian king
868	Portugal	Portugal emerges as an autonomous entity from Galicia under Count Vímara Peres
870	Wales	Offa, King of Mercia builds Offa's Dyke, separating the western Brythonic lands from the English, and catalysing a sense of shared identity, the lands being unified within a generation. Unification continued under Rhodri Mawr (The Great, d.877), and although it is difficult to outline a clear date, between the construction of the Dyke and when Welsh law was codified under Rhodri's grandson Hywel Dda (the Good) in c.940 at Hendy-gwyn, an identifiable Welsh nation came into being, and conceivably a Welsh state. Under Gruffudd ap Llywelyn who seized territories to the east of Offa's Dyke, even the English acknowledged the Welsh state.
872	Norway	first establishment of a unified Norwegian state by King Harald Hairfair in 872. Present-Day Norway regained partial independence on the 17 May 1814 and full independence on the 7 June 1905, after almost 500 years of unequal unions
895	Bohemia	from Great Moravia
910	León	independence of the Kingdom of Asturias by the king García I
926	Serbia	Serbia liberated from the Byzantine Empire and Bulgarians under Caslav Klonimirovic
927	England	Kings of Wessex unify, and become de jure monarchs of England. By 829 all other English kings had acknowledged Egbert of Wessex as their overlord. By 878 there was only one English king, however the Danes ruled the Danelaw in the north and east until 927, when Athelstan became the first de facto king of all-England.
930	Iceland	founding of a central parliament (Alþingi) for the newly settled country
931	Castile	independence of the county of Castile, future Crown of Castile, from the Kingdom of León
939	Vietnamese Empire	defeat of Chinese forces at the Battle of Bạch Đằng River, established as Đại Cồ Việt
966	Poland	Christianized after being unified by Mieszko I, the first Duke of Poland. Although, modern-day Poland only gained independence on the 11 November 1918 which was later confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919
988	Catalonia	De facto independence of Catalonia from French Kingdom, when Borrell II failed to swear fealty to Hugh Capet; but formally signed in Treaty of Corbeil (1258).
988	Ukraine	Start of Christianity for Kievan Rus
10th century	Denmark	organized as a unified state by Harold Bluetooth around 980. Denmark has been continuously independent ever since.
10th century	Croatia	transformation of the medieval Croatian state into a kingdom under Tomislav around 925
995	Sweden	Olof Skötkonung became the first king to rule both Svealand and Götaland. Sweden has been continuously independent ever since.
1 January 1001	Hungary	unification by King Stephen I
1002	Ireland	unified under King Brian I
1025	Poland	coronation of Boleslaus I the Brave, the first King of Poland
1035	Aragon	Born of the Kingdom of Aragon by the union of the counties of Aragon, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza by the king Ramiro I
1040	Duklja	becomes a kingdom under King Mihajlo Vojislavljević (today's Montenegro)
1085	Bohemia	coronation of Vratislaus II, the first King of Bohemia
23 June 1128	Portugal	Count Afonso Henriques is proclaimed sole ruler and Prince of Portugal, detaching the country from the Kingdom of Leon
1136	Sultanate of Kedah	the King of Kedah converts to Islam and becomes sultan
1137	Crown of Aragon	Birth of the Crown of Aragon after dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (Catalonia).
26 July 1139	Portugal	Afonso Henriques is proclaimed King of Portugal
5 October 1143	Portugal	King Afonso I of Portugal' rule recognized as independent by the Kingdom of Leon with assistance by the Holy See.
1147	Russia	First reference to Moscow about an obscure town in a small province inhabited mostly by Merya.
1153	Maldives	the last Buddhist king of Maldives converts to Islam and adopts the title Sultan.
1156	Austria	raised from a Bavarian margravate to an independent duchy under the Babenbergs in the Privilegium Minus. Modern-Day Austria was created on the 5th of May 1945 after the Fall of the Greater German Reich.
5 October 1179	Portugal	Afonso I of Portugal' is recognized as king by the Pope Alexander III
1190	Albania	Progon, Prince of Albania
1206	Mongolia	unification of Mongolian tribes by Genghis Khan
1217	Kingdom of Serbia	Stefan Prvovencani crowned by the pope
1230	Castile and Leon	unification of the Kingdoms of Castile and Leon by the king Ferdinand III
1238	Thailand	traditional founding date; never colonized
1236	Grand Duchy of Lithuania	Mindaugas becomes the first Grand Duke of Lithuania
1278	Andorra	formed under the joint suzerainty of the French count of Foix and the Catalan bishop of Urgell
1290	Wallachia	traditional founding date 1 August
1291	Switzerland	date of the Federal Charter
1325	Mexico	foundation of Tenochtitlan by legendary first Mexica (Aztec) ruler, Tenoch
1326	Champa	regained independence from Việt Nam
1330	Wallachia	independence from Hungary
1346	Serbian Empire	Serbian Empire is formed under Tzar Stefan Dušan
1349	Moldavia	independence from Hungary
1356	Principality of Zeta	Collapse of the Serbian Empire, became independent under Balša I's rule. {today's Montenegro)
1419	Monaco	beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi
28 November 1443	Albania	Skanderbeg liberated Kruja, then Albanian capital
1528	Perak	founding of the ruling dynasty of Perak
1533	Tonkin	Việt Nam broken up by civil war
1533	Annam	Việt Nam broken up by civil war
1579	Netherlands	declared independence from the Spanish Empire during the Eighty Years' War
1642	Confederate Ireland	A renewed period of Irish independence, when the Catholic nobility rebelled against England and created their own government, which was crushed by the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649.
1650	Oman	expulsion of the Portuguese
26 March 1707	Kingdom of Great Britain	Union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland
1714	Spain	With the Abolition of Crown of Aragon power, after War of the Spanish Succession. All former Iberian kingdoms, apart from Portugal, are merged in Crown of Castille, latter referred as Spain.

[edit] Modern-day states

The dates in the table below are celebrated as Independence Day or an equivalent holiday in the respective countries.

Date	Nation	Event
August 1, 1291	Switzerland	The Swiss Federal Charter is signed. Exact date of the charter's signing is still unknown.
23 January 1719	Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein
21 December 1768	Nepal	unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah
1773	Negeri Sembilan	founding of the confederation
4 July 1776	United States	declared independence from Great Britain
1 January 1801	United Kingdom	Union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland
1802	Vietnamese Empire	Annam absorbed Tonkin, Cochinchina and rest of Vietnamese kingdoms
1 January 1804	Haiti	from France
4 February 1804	Serbia	from Ottoman Empire
12 July 1806	Liechtenstein	from the Holy Roman Empire
20 July 1810	Colombia	from Spain
16 September 1810	Mexico	from Spain
18 September 1810	Chile	from Spain
14 May 1811	Paraguay	from Spain
5 July 1811	Venezuela	from Spain
17 May 1814	Norway	Declared independence from Denmark and established a constitutional monarchy. Forced into a personal union with Sweden on 4 November.
9 July 1816	Argentina	from Spain
1817	Serbia	became an autonomous state in Ottoman Empire
1817	Madagascar	King Radama I consolidates his authority over all but a small portion of the island and is recognized as King of Madagascar by the United Kingdom
25 March 1821	Greece	from the Ottoman Empire
28 July 1821	Peru	from Spain
15 September 1821	Costa Rica	from Spain
15 September 1821	El Salvador	from Spain
15 September 1821	Guatemala	from Spain
15 September 1821	Honduras	from Spain
15 September 1821	Nicaragua	from Spain
28 November 1821	Panama	from Spain
24 May 1822	Ecuador	from Spain
7 September 1822	Brazil	broken ties within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarve
6 August 1825	Bolivia	from Spain
25 August 1825	Uruguay	from Brazil
4 October 1830	Belgium	independence from the Netherlands
2 March 1836	Republic of Texas	declared independence from Mexico
1839	Luxembourg	from the Netherlands
24 September 1841	Sarawak	James Brooke becomes governor of Sarawak after the territory is ceded by the Sultan of Brunei
27 February 1844	Dominican Republic	from Haiti
26 July 1847	Liberia	founded by American black slaves
17 March 1861	Italy	Kingdom of Italy unified under King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
1867	Cochinchina	independence from Việt Nam
1 July 1867	Canada	the uniting of four British colonies to form a self-governing federal dominion
1868	Qatar	from Bahrain
23 September 1868	Puerto Rico	Grito de Lares uprising; unsuccessful declaration of independence
18 January 1871	German Empire	German Empire unification
9 May 1877	Romania	from the Ottoman Empire
3 March 1878	Bulgaria	Autonomy from the Ottoman Empire
13 July 1878	Serbia	Independence from the Ottoman Empire
13 July 1878	Montenegro	Independence from the Ottoman Empire
26 March 1881	Kingdom of Romania
11 February 1897	Korean Empire	from Chinese protectorate
12 June 1898	Philippines	from Spain (first colonial possession in Asia to achieve independence)
10 December 1898	Cuba	from Spain
1 January 1901	Australia	from the UK as a federation of 6 former colonies
20 May 1902	Cuba	from U.S. administration
3 November 1903	Panama	from Colombia
June 7, 1905	Norway	Declared dissolution of the personal union with Sweden
September 26, 1907	New Zealand	granted Dominion status by the UK
September 26, 1907	Newfoundland	granted Dominion status by the UK
September 22, 1908	Bulgaria	gained independence from Ottoman Empire
May 31, 1910	South Africa	granted Dominion status by the UK
January 1, 1912	Republic of China	from Qing Dynasty
November 28, 1912	Albania	from Ottoman Empire
December 6, 1917	Finland	from Russia
February 16, 1918	Lithuania	from Russia
February 24, 1918	Estonia	from Russia
March 25, 1918	Belarus	from Russia
May 26, 1918	Georgia	from Russia
May 28, 1918	Azerbaijan	from Russia
May 28, 1918	Armenia	from Russia
October 28, 1918	Czechoslovakia	from Austro-Hungary
October 28, 1918	State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs enters the union with Kingdom of Serbia	from Austro-Hungary
October 28, 1918	Serbian Vojvodina enters the union with Kingdom of Serbia	from Austro-Hungary
November 1, 1918	North Yemen	from the Ottoman Empire
November 11, 1918	Poland	regained independence, proclaimed as a republic
November 18, 1918	Latvia	from Russia
August 19, 1919	Afghanistan	from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs
July 11, 1921	Mongolia	from China
December 6, 1921	Ireland	from UK by treaty, most of Ireland (26 counties) became an independent nation known as the Irish Free State; while the six counties of the North (Northern Ireland with a unionist Protestant majority) remained part of the United Kingdom.
December 6, 1921	Northern Ireland	partition of Ireland formed State of Northern Ireland with own Senate and House of Commons but remained within the United Kingdom.
1922	Soviet Union	fall of the Russian Empire
October 29, 1923	Turkey	successor state to the Ottoman Empire
February 11, 1929	Vatican City	from Italy
September 23, 1932	Saudi Arabia	Unification of the Kingdom
November 22, 1943	Lebanon	from League of Nations mandate under French administration
June 17, 1944	Iceland	from Denmark
September 17, 1944	Estonia	from Ostland
March 10, 1945	Empire of Việt Nam	Japan's occupation of Vietnam ends after World War II
May 8, 1945	Latvia	from German Military Administration
August 15, 1945	Korea	from Japan
September 2, 1945	Democratic Republic of Việt Nam	declaration of independence from Japan.
April 17, 1946	Syria	from League of Nations mandate under French administration
May 25, 1946	Jordan	from League of Nations mandate under British administration
July 4, 1946	Philippines	regained independence from US
August 15, 1947	Hindustan and adopts the formal name "India"	from UK
December 30, 1947	Romania	proclaimed as a republic
1948	Republic of Ireland	26 counties of Ireland cuts off all lasting political links with the United Kingdom and is now fully independent with the exception of the 6 counties of Northern Ireland.
January 4, 1948	Myanmar	from UK
May 14, 1948	Israel	from League of Nations mandate under British administration
August 15, 1948	Republic of Korea	founding of the Republic of Korea
September 9, 1948	Democratic People's Republic of Korea	founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
May 23, 1949	Federal Republic of Germany	from the western part of occupied Germany
August 8, 1949	Bhutan	from India
October 1, 1949	People's Republic of China	from the Republic of China
October 7, 1949	German Democratic Republic	from the eastern part of occupied Germany
December 27, 1949	Indonesia	from the Netherlands
December 24, 1951	Libya	from UK and French administration
March 20, 1952	Japan	from Allied administration
October 22, 1953	Laos	from France
November 9, 1953	Cambodia	from France
July 21, 1954	North Việt Nam	from Việt Nam, Nominally France
July 21, 1954	South Việt Nam	from Việt Nam, Nominally France
January 1, 1956	Sudan	from Egypt and UK
March 20, 1956	Tunisia	from France
March 6, 1957	Ghana	from UK
August 31, 1957	Malaysia	from UK
October 2, 1958	Guinea	from France
October 5, 1958	France	French Fifth Republic declared
January 1, 1960	Cameroon	from French-administered UN trusteeship
April 4, 1960	Senegal	from France
April 27, 1960	Togo	from French-administered UN trusteeship
June 26, 1960	Madagascar	from France
June 26, 1960	Somalia	from the UK
June 30, 1960	Democratic Republic of the Congo	from Belgium
July 1, 1960	Somalia	from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship
August 1, 1960	Benin	from France
August 3, 1960	Niger	from France
August 5, 1960	Burkina Faso	from France
August 7, 1960	Côte d'Ivoire	from France
August 11, 1960	Chad	from France
August 13, 1960	Central African Republic	from France
August 15, 1960	Republic of the Congo	from France
August 16, 1960	Cyprus	from UK
August 17, 1960	Gabon	from France
September 22, 1960	Mali	from France
October 1, 1960	Nigeria	from UK
November 28, 1960	Mauritania	from France
April 27, 1961	Sierra Leone	from UK
June 19, 1961	Kuwait	from UK
January 1, 1962	Samoa	from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship
July 1, 1962	Burundi	from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration
July 1, 1962	Rwanda	from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship
July 5, 1962	Algeria	from France
August 6, 1962	Jamaica	from UK
August 31, 1962	Trinidad and Tobago	from UK
October 9, 1962	Uganda	from UK
December 12, 1963	Kenya	from UK
April 26, 1964	Tanzania	from UK-administered UN trusteeship
July 6, 1964	Malawi	from UK
September 21, 1964	Malta	from UK
October 24, 1964	Zambia	from UK
February 18, 1965	The Gambia	from UK
July 26, 1965	Maldives	from UK
August 9, 1965	Singapore	from Malaysian Federation
November 11, 1965	Rhodesia	UDI from UK
May 26, 1966	Guyana	from UK
September 30, 1966	Botswana	from UK
October 4, 1966	Lesotho	from UK
November 30, 1966	Barbados	from UK
November 30, 1967	South Yemen	from UK
January 31, 1968	Nauru	from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship
March 12, 1968	Mauritius	from UK
September 6, 1968	Swaziland	from UK
October 12, 1968	Equatorial Guinea	from Spain
June 4, 1970	Tonga	from UK protectorate
October 10, 1970	Fiji	from UK
August 15, 1971	Bahrain	from UK
September 3, 1971	Qatar	from UK
December 2, 1971	United Arab Emirates	from UK
July 10, 1973	The Bahamas	from UK
September 24, 1973	Guinea-Bissau	declared independence from Portugal
February 7, 1974	Grenada	from UK
October 19, 1974	Niue	became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand
June 25, 1975	Mozambique	from Portugal
July 5, 1975	Cape Verde	from Portugal
July 6, 1975	Comoros	from France
July 12, 1975	São Tomé and Principe	from Portugal
September 16, 1975	Papua New Guinea	from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship
November 11, 1975	Angola	from Portugal
November 25, 1975	Suriname	from Netherlands
June 29, 1976	Seychelles	from UK
July 2, 1976	Socialist Republic of Việt Nam	reunification of North Việt Nam and South Việt Nam
June 27, 1977	Djibouti	from France
July 7, 1978	Solomon Islands	from UK
October 1, 1978	Tuvalu	from UK
November 3, 1978	Dominica	from UK
February 22, 1979	Saint Lucia	from UK
July 12, 1979	Kiribati	from UK
October 27, 1979	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	from UK
April 18, 1980	Zimbabwe	from UK
July 30, 1980	Vanuatu	from France and UK
September 21, 1981	Belize	from UK
November 1, 1981	Antigua and Barbuda	from UK
September 19, 1983	Saint Kitts and Nevis	from UK
January 1, 1984	Brunei	from UK
October 21, 1986	Marshall Islands	from the US-administered UN trusteeship as Compact of Free Association takes effect
November 3, 1986	Federated States of Micronesia	from the US-administered UN Trusteeship as Compact of Free Association takes effect
September 26, 1989	People's Republic of Kampuchea	from Vietnamese Occupation
March 11, 1990	Lithuania	from the Soviet Union
March 21, 1990	Namibia	from South Africa
May 22, 1990	Yemen	unification of North Yemen and South Yemen
October 3, 1990	Germany	unification of West Germany and East Germany
April 9, 1991	Georgia	from the Soviet Union
June 25, 1991	Croatia	from Yugoslavia
June 25, 1991	Slovenia	from Yugoslavia
August 20, 1991	Estonia	from the Soviet Union
August 21, 1991	Latvia	from the Soviet Union
August 24, 1991	Russia	successor state of Soviet Union
August 24, 1991	Ukraine	from the Soviet Union
August 25, 1991	Belarus	from the Soviet Union
August 27, 1991	Moldova	from the Soviet Union
August 30, 1991	Azerbaijan	from the Soviet Union
August 31, 1991	Kyrgyzstan	from the Soviet Union
September 1, 1991	Uzbekistan	from the Soviet Union
September 8, 1991	Republic of Macedonia	from Yugoslavia
September 9, 1991	Tajikistan	from the Soviet Union
September 21, 1991	Armenia	from the Soviet Union
October 27, 1991	Turkmenistan	from the Soviet Union
December 16, 1991	Kazakhstan	from the Soviet Union
March 1, 1992	Bosnia and Herzegovina	from Yugoslavia
April 27, 1992	Serbia and Montenegro	from Yugoslavia
January 1, 1993	Czech Republic	Czechoslovakia dissolved
January 1, 1993	Slovakia	Czechoslovakia dissolved
May 24, 1993	Eritrea	from Ethiopia
October 1, 1994	Palau	from the US-administered UN Trusteeship as Compact of Free Association takes effect
May 20, 2002	East Timor	from Portugal (recognition, East Timor was invaded by Indonesia from 1975 to 1999, officially it never ceased to be considered as administrated by Portugal)
June 3, 2006	Montenegro	Montenegro declares independence from Serbia and Montenegro
June 5, 2006	Serbia	Serbia declares independence as the successor state of Serbia and Montenegro.

[edit] References

1. ^ Basham, A.L.. The Wonder that was India.

[edit] See also

• Civilization
• Timeline of country and capital changes
• List of countries by continent
• List of states by date of self-determination

v • d • e Rankings through lists of countries
Geography	Area* · Coastline · Highest point* · Lowest point · Compactness · Coast/area ratio · Northernmost point · Southernmost point · By continent
Demographics	Population* (graphical · by density) · Population growth rate* · Life expectancy* · Infant mortality rate* · Fertility rate* · Birth rate* · Death rate* · Homicide rate* · Human Development Index* · Income equality* · Literacy rate* · HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate* · Unemployment rate* · Employment rate · Population living in poverty* · Immigrant population · Suicide rate · Undernourishment rate*
Economy	Current account balance* · Imports* · Exports* (per capita) GDP nominal* (per capita*) · PPP* (per capita* · per capita per hour) · past (nominal · PPP) · future (nominal · PPP · PPP per capita) · growth (real) · sector composition*  · demographics comparison Debt external* · public* Consumption electricity* · natural gas*
Politics and society	Political rights and civil liberties* · Press freedom* · Privacy* · Perception of corruption* · Bribe Payers Index · Property Rights* · Economic freedom* · Ease of doing business* · Economic competitiveness* · Date of independence · Legal drinking age
Military	Military expenditures* · Number of active troops* · Possession of nuclear weapons* · UN peacekeepers currently deployed
Environment	* includes mapCarbon dioxide emissions* (per capita*) · GDP per emissions