Other Non-EU Countries Currently, 23 European countries, including the candidates and potential candidates, are not part of the EU. Not even the UK. Catalonia was an autonomous region of Spain. These include dependent territories and integral areas of primarily non-North American states. The Persian Empire extended from the Mediterranean Sea to India. Another interesting case was granting the European Commission the observer status and later on full rights, although it is not allowed to present candidates during a vote. The area has since been divided into the states of Bangladesh and India. Below are lists of the countries and territories formerly ruled or administered by the United … This means that those countries may have existed outside of those dates as well but not under full independence.) Yet many countries that meet these criteria aren‘t members of the United Nations (commonly accepted as the final seal of a country’s statehood). An article on the blog Jamyco claims 21 African countries have declared support for the independence of Biafra, a disputed territory in southeast Nigeria.. For his shortlist, Middleton focused on the countries that meet the Montevideo convention, with a fixed territory, population, and government, but which have no representation in the General Assembly. At the start of the 20th century, there were only a few dozen independent sovereign states on the planet; today, there are nearly 200! However, in 1990 the two rejoined to form a unified Yemen. The International Committee of the Red Cross does not have countries as members. The globe, or the atlas for that matter, is full of little regions that should ideally be recognised as a country, yet for various reasons they are not recognised by the United Nations and are ignored on most world maps. Territories, such as Hong Kong, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Greenland that belong to other countries are not considered countries. “If I had to plump for any, it would be Greenland,” he says – the autonomous region of Denmark that already has self-rule, often considered the first step to formal recognition. Attaining independence is one of the most important milestones in the history of a territory or a country.Although it is not clearly highlighted in international law, a country effectively becomes a sovereign state when the United Nations recognizes its independence. Modern Persia was founded in the 16th century and later became known as Iran. Christiania is a country within a city (Credit: Raymond Brooke / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0), Middleton’s quest began, appropriately enough, with Narnia. This South American country was part of Gran Colombia from 1819 to 1830 and was an independent country from 1830 to 1858. “They say if we take the money, it’ll be like saying the crime was alright,” says Middleton. Source: AP Photo/Jason Patinkin.There are 196 countries in the world today.Unless you don't count Taiwan…Taiwan is not considered an official country by many, which would bring the count down to 195 countries. Turkey, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are also grouped with Europe even though each one is technically located mostly in Asia. It's only occurred a handful of times in the last century. Of course, there's also the Falkland Islands, which are a British territory. The globe, it turns out, is full of small (and not so small) regions that have all the trappings of a real country – a fixed population, a government, a flag, and a currency. After decades of struggle, the government gave up the fight and the family no longer have to pay Australian taxes. Unless you don't count Taiwan… Taiwan is not considered an official country by many, which would bring the count down to 195 countries. One of the most beautiful places to visit in the country is Lake Sary-Chelek, which is wedged within a lush green valley. The Republic of Texas gained independence from Mexico in 1836. The panel of judges will approve the prosecution in case an independent action wants to be made. This small landlocked country has a long history of semi-autonomy. In the early 20th century, it split into the states of Eritrea and Ethiopia. “They all raise the possibility that countries as we know them are not the only legitimate basis for ordering the planet,” he wrote in his book. As a geographer, he realised that you don’t have to use magic to visit a country that “doesn’t exist” in the eyes of most other states. It is now part of unified Vietnam. Gran Colombia was a South American country that included what is now Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador from 1819 to 1830. Fact Sheet BUREAU OF INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH Washington, DC July 16, 2020 See also: Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty Total count of independent states: 195 * Diplomatic relations with the United States + Member of United Nations ! Matt Rosenberg is an award-winning geographer and the author of "The Handy Geography Answer Book" and "The Geography Bee Complete Preparation Handbook. By this criterion, no,” says Middleton. “No one my age thought that the Soviet Union would fall to bits – there can be big unexpected changes,” he says. But that’s just its administrative quarters – Atlantium is “non-territorial”, meaning that anyone, anywhere, can become a citizen. However, many countries still have not recognized the change. Ceylon was an island country located off the coast of India. Between 1881 and 1914, an invasion and occupation of Africa by European countries resulted in a mass colonization of most African countries. A good example of this reason is Spain, that is probably afraid for a split of Catalonia from Spain. Middleton points to Hutt River, in Australia, a small “principality” set up by a family of farmers hoping to escape the government’s strict grain quotas; they soon developed their own royal titles, currency and postal service. It is an independent and neutral organisation. Consider Atlantium. Not happy with half, Denmark hopes to be 100% renewable by 2050. It allows our most engaged readers … They eventually gained their independence in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR. But given our difficulties even defining what a country is, perhaps we need to rethink the concept of the nation-state altogether? All of the 193 sovereign states have an equal amount of power and representation within the UN General Assem… By definition, a sovereign state is simply a nonphysical juridical body that is led and governed by a single government, which has control over a geographical region. Instead, in 2007 a delegation marched to Washington to declare their formal withdrawal from the US, and they continue to mount a legal battle for their independence. And there are now fewer countries in the world which can be considered truly at peace – in other words, not engaged in any conflicts either internally or externally – than there were in 2014. I have not been to Wales, but I was close to it in Liverpool and Portsmouth. The countries are ranked as free, partly free or not free. That means FIFA recognizes Chinese Taipei as a province of the People's Republic of China and not the independent Republic of China. Read about our approach to external linking. In 1972, it changed its name to Sri Lanka. Liberia was founded by freed slaves and Ethiopia resisted Italian attempts at colonization. The definition of “country” can be a little vague and is a prominent debate within political science. Some countries allow a few privately owned outlets to operate but most of these are in the hands of regime loyalists. The others are less famous, but they are by no means less serious; Middleton discusses many examples of indigenous populations hoping to reassert their sovereignty. New York, May 2, 2006 –North Koreans live in the most censored country in the world, a new analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists has found.The world’s deepest information void, communist North Korea has no independent journalists, and all radio and television receivers sold in the country are locked to government-specified frequencies. In Europe, you can find Forvik, a tiny Shetland Isle founded by an Englishman (from Kent) to promote transparent governance, Sealand, off the British coast, and Christiania, an enclave in the heart of Copenhagen. But, my business partner in China is Welsh and from Wales. Not all the countries featured in Middleton’s book have such deep historical roots – often, they are established by rather eccentric individuals hoping to set up a new, fairer state. The only possession on the mainland is French Guiana, a overseas French dependency. The International Court of Justice found that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law . Definition and Examples, A List of Current Communist Countries in the World, The Complete Story of Venezuela's Revolution for Independence, Countries in Africa Considered Never Colonized, What Is a Failed State? Prussia became a Duchy in 1660 and a kingdom the following century. We know what it is, but in reality, the concept of a country is a little more complex than just that. There are 196 countries in the world today. So there are country codes not just for actual countries, but also for nearly-independent states, overseas territories, uninhabited islands, and even Antarctica! Taking advantage of this loophole, in the year 196… Conde Nast Traveller An elevated barge right in between the United Kingdom and Europe might look like a disused oil rig but it is actually a country of its own. However, it did represent China in the United Nations until 1971. He is @d_a_robson on twitter. Even the United Kingdom is a somewhat strange case, Middleton says. The “Montevideo Convention” declares that to become a country, a region needs the following features: a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and “the capacity to enter into relations with other states”. Within our law, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are considered individual states. New countries are always being born, while old ones vanish. When I first see Nick Middleton, he is surrounded by globes and atlases showing the most exotic places on the planet. In fact, you have almost certainly, unknowingly, visited one. Republic of Kosovo is recognized as an independent and sovereign country by 110 UN member states, including the U.S., 23 out of 28 EU members, etc. Republic of Kosovo is recognized as an independent and sovereign country by 110 UN member states, including the U.S., 23 out of 28 EU members, etc. Built during World War II, it stood six Kms beyond British marine territory without anyone’s legal claim over it. Though a kingdom for hundreds of years, Hawaii wasn't recognized as an independent country until the 1840s. Created from the Soviet controlled sector of Germany after the Second World War, East Germany was probably best known for its Wall and its tendency to shoot people who attempted to cross over it. After all, the United Nations only recognizes 195. South Vietnam existed from 1954 to 1976 as the anti-communist counterpart to North Vietnam. Disputes often arise when a territory claims to be a country, but is not recognized by any other countries. A monarchy established in 1867, Austria-Hungary (also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire) included not just Austria and Hungary but also parts of the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Romania, and the Balkans. Atlantium and Elgaland-Vargaland may be a little too fanciful for most people to take very seriously – Middleton admires them more as an attempt to provoke wider debate on international relations. It's that the state they may be separating from, the United Kingdom, is actually OK with the whole idea of an independent Scotland. While Taiwan still exists, it is not always considered an independent country. Then there’s Elgaland-Vargaland, which was thought up by two Swedish artists – and is meant to consist of all the areas of “No Man’s Land” across the world, including the land marking the borders between other nations and any bits of the sea outside another country’s territorial waters; any time you have travelled abroad, you have passed through Elgaland-Vargaland. Sovereign States of America: 10 States That Started as Free Countries & How They Joined the Union America's Sovereign States: The Obscure History of How 10 Independent States Joined the U.S. You're free to republish or share any of our articles (either in part or in full), which are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . In 1991, it broke into 15 new countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. In fact, you’ve almost certainly visited one without realising. This is important, because organizations might need an option for every place that any person can be located, and dependent territories often aren't technically part of the countries they belong to. Their plight began in the 18th Century, and by 1868 they had finally signed a deal with the US government that promised the right to live on the Black Hills. “For so many people it’s a matter of life or death.” Despite their efforts, he suspects that only a very few will eventually gain wider recognition. But this condition was reversed over the course of the next century by independence movements.Here are the … He points to Antarctica, a continent shared peacefully among the international community, as a sign that we don’t necessarily have to slice up land as if it were a giant pizza. Gran Colombia ceased to exist when Venezuela and Ecuador seceded from the union. After all, the United Nations only recognizes 195. He calls them the “countries that don’t exist”, but although their names may seem fantastical – Atlantium, Christiania, and Elgaland-Vargaland – they are all real places, occupied by fervidly patriotic citizens. Something about the whimsy appealed to Middleton. Prussia, by World War II a federal unit of Germany, was fully dissolved at the end of World War II. One of the possible reasons is that they are afraid that a certain part of their own country wants to break-up. In the deep future, every territory we know could eventually become a country that doesn’t exist. Although Taiwan operates as an independent country, many countries (including the U.S.) do not officially recognize it as one. The list below is far from comprehensive, but it includes the most notable former countries. It is now part of northern India. It remained independent from 1932 to 1934 and from 1936 to 1939. It’s an ambitious goal, but Denmark’s recent success proves they are up to the task. States That Are Not UN Members or Observers There are other entities that have the observer status but are not recognized as states, such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. There really is a secret world of hidden independent nations, with their own populations, governments – and football leagues. As its website proclaims: “In an age where people increasingly are unified by common interests and purposes across – rather than within – traditional national boundaries, Atlantium offers an alternative to the discriminatory historic practice of assigning nationality to individuals on the basis of accidents of birth or circumstance.”. In Australia, meanwhile, the Republic of Murrawarri was founded in 2013, after the indigenous tribe wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth II asking her to prove her legitimacy to govern their land. This is a list of all the independent countries or puppet states that existed between 1815 and the present day that no longer exist. Dependent territories. Once a nation is established, they tend to stick around for awhile, so a nation disappearing is quite uncommon. Ethiopia and Liberia were the only two African countries that were not colonized. Flanders was absorbed into independent Belgium in the early 19th century but it was not until 2014, when the New Flemish Alliance became the largest party in Belgium’s ruling coalition, that a Flemish separatist party has controlled Belgian government. As countries merge, split, or change their names, the list of countries that no longer exist has grown. It’s actually pretty straight forward. Similar battles are being fought across every continent. Flicking through its pages, it feels like you have entered a parallel world with a vibrant, forgotten history and a rich culture. Despite recent advances in autonomy, part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, both Scotland and Wales were independent nations that eventually merged with England to form the United Kingdom. Since then, it has been known as the Xizang Autonomous Region of China. (Such questions came to a head with Scotland’s recent referendum. 10 Austria-Hungary. Yes, you read that right. FIFA members that aren't independent countries You might have noticed that 211 is more than the number of actual independent countries in the world. But what makes the Scottish case unique isn't just the planning ahead. Gran Colombia. A kingdom established in the 7th century, Tibet was invaded by China in 1950. The independent country is not only a self-governed nation with its own authorities, but this status needs the international diplomatic recognition of sovereignty. Guyana and Suriname became independent over thirty years ago. Yemen split in 1967 into two countries, North Yemen (a.k.a. The latter country was formed by a group of squatters occupying a former army barracks in 1971. March 1, 2018, 8:00 am CST Bang in the centre of the United States of America (just east of the Rocky Mountains), the republic is an attempt to reclaim the sacred Black Hills for the Lakota Sioux tribe. However, the tumultuous events of 2015 have "contributed to the 10th consecutive year of decline in global freedom," according to the report. Taiwan does have an independent government and its own currency but can not compete as the Republic of China. Provinces are not independent states,” Morley said. That means FIFA recognizes Chinese Taipei as a province of the People's Republic of China and not the independent Republic of China. The UK rejected an offer of visa-free tours by musicians to EU countries, despite blaming Brussels for what the industry is calling the devastating blow of them requiring permits. If one or more of these requisites are not met, the country cannot be considered fully independent and does not factor into the total of 196 independent countries around the world. To 1976 as the Republic of China and not the independent Republic of.. From what remained of the USSR, Such as Hong Kong, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and! 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