Definining an Independent Country

Updated October 05, 2011 While the terms country, state, and nation are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. A State (note the capital "S") is a self-governing political entity. The term State can be used interchangeably with country. A nation, however, is a tightly-knit group of people which share a common culture. A nation-state is a nation which has the same borders as a State. States and Independent Countries Let's start with what defines a State or an independent country. An independent State:

Has space or territory which has internationally recognized boundaries (boundary disputes are OK). Has people who live there on an ongoing basis. Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates foreign and domestic trade and issues money. Has the power of social engineering, such as education. Has a transportation system for moving goods and people. Has a government which provides public services and police power. Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the country's territory. Has external recognition. A country has been "voted into the club" by other countries.

There are currently 196 independent countries or States around the world. Territories of countries or individual parts of a country are not countries in their own right. Examples of entities that are not countries include: Hong Kong, Bermuda, Greenland, Puerto Rico, and most notably the constituent parts of the United Kingdom. (Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England are not countries.) A "state" (with a lower-case "s") is usually a division of a federal State (such as the states of the United States of America). Nations and Nation-States

Nations are culturally homogeneous groups of people, larger than a single tribe or community, which share a common language, institutions, religion, and historical experience. When a nation of people have a State or country of their own, it is called a nation-state. Places like France, Egypt, Germany, and Japan are excellent examples of nation-states. There are some States which have two nations, such as Canada and Belgium. Even with its multicultural society, the United States is also referred to as a nation-state because of the shared American "culture." There are nations without States. For example, the Kurds are stateless people.

The vast majority of the countries on earth became independent after 1800. Only 20 were independent before the start of the 19th century, a mere 10%. By 1900, only 49 or 25% of the world's countries of today were independent. Many countries became independent following World War II when European powers granted independence to their vast colonial holdings, especially Africa. Here are the independence days for every country, from the oldest to the youngest... 660 BCE - Japan 221 BCE - China 301 CE - San Marino 843 CE - France 976 CE - Austria 10th Century CE - Denmark 1001 - Hungary 1143 - Portugal 1206 - Mongolia 1238 - Thailand 1278 - Andorra August 1, 1291 - Switzerland 1419 - Monaco 15th Century - Spain 1502 - Iran June 6, 1523 - Sweden January 23, 1579 - Netherlands 1650 - Oman May 1, 1707 - United Kingdom January 23, 1719 - Liechtenstein 1768 - Nepal July 4, 1776 - United States of America January 1, 1804 - Haiti

July 20, 1810 - Colombia Sept. 16, 1810 - Mexico Sept. 18, 1810 - Chile May 14, 1811 - Paraguay July 5, 1811 - Venezuela July 9, 1816 - Argentina July 28, 1821 - Peru Sept. 15, 1821 - Costa Rica Sept. 15, 1821 - El Salvador Sept. 15, 1821 - Guatemala Sept. 15, 1821 - Honduras Sept. 15, 1821 - Nicaragua May 24, 1822 - Ecuador Sept. 7, 1822 - Brazil August 6, 1825 - Bolivia August 25, 1825 - Uruguay 1829 - Greece October 4, 1830 - Belgium 1839 - Luxembourg February 27, 1844 - Dominican Republic July 26, 1847 - Liberia March 17, 1861 - Italy July 1, 1867 - Canada January 18, 1871 - Germany May 9, 1877 - Romania March 3, 1878 - Bulgaria 1896 - Ethiopia June 12, 1898 - Philippines January 1, 1901 - Australia May 20, 1902 - Cuba November 3, 1903 - Panama June 7, 1905 - Norway Sept. 26, 1907 - New Zealand May 31, 1910 - South Africa November 28, 1912 - Albania December 6, 1917 - Finland November 11, 1918 - Poland December 1, 1918 - Iceland August 19, 1919 - Afghanistan December 6, 1921 - Ireland February 28, 1922 - Egypt October 29, 1923 - Turkey February 11, 1929 - Vatican City Sept. 23, 1932 - Saudi Arabia October 3, 1932 - Iraq November 22, 1943 - Lebanon

August 15, 1945 - Korea, North August 15, 1945 - Korea, South August 17, 1945 - Indonesia Sept. 2, 1945 - Vietnam April 17, 1946 - Syria May 25, 1946 - Jordan August 14, 1947 - Pakistan August 15, 1947 - India January 4, 1948 - Burma February 4, 1948 - Sri Lanka May 14, 1948 - Israel July 19, 1949 - Laos August 8, 1949 - Bhutan December 24, 1951 - Libya November 9, 1953 - Cambodia January 1, 1956 - Sudan March 2, 1956 - Morocco March 20, 1956 - Tunisia March 6, 1957 - Ghana August 31, 1957 - Malaysia October 2, 1958 - Guinea January 1, 1960 - Cameroon April 4, 1960 - Senegal May 27, 1960 - Togo June 30, 1960 - Congo, Republic of the July 1, 1960 - Somalia July 26, 1960 - Madagascar August 1, 1960 - Benin August 3, 1960 - Niger August 5, 1960 - Burkina Faso August 7, 1960 - Cote d'Ivorie August 11, 1960 - Chad August 13, 1960 - Central African Republic August 15, 1960 - Congo, Dem. Rep. of the August 16, 1960 - Cyprus August 17, 1960 - Gabon Sept. 22, 1960 - Mali October 1, 1960 - Nigeria November 28, 1960 - Mauritania April 27, 1961 - Sierra Leone June 19, 1961 - Kuwait January 1, 1962 - Samoa July 1, 1962 - Burundi July 1, 1962 - Rwanda July 5, 1962 - Algeria August 6, 1962 - Jamaica

August 31, 1962 - Trinidad and Tobago October 9, 1962 - Uganda December 12, 1963 - Kenya April 26, 1964 - Tanzania July 6, 1964 - Malawi Sept. 21, 1964 - Malta October 24, 1964 - Zambia February 18, 1965 - Gambia, The July 26, 1965 - Maldives August 9, 1965 - Singapore May 26, 1966 - Guyana September 30, 1966 - Botswana October 4, 1966 - Lesotho November 30, 1966 - Barbados January 31, 1968 - Nauru March 12, 1968 - Mauritius Sept. 6, 1968 - Swaziland October 12, 1968 - Equatorial June 4, 1970 - Tonga October 10, 1970 - Fiji March 26, 1971 - Bangladesh August 15, 1971 - Bahrain Sept. 3, 1971 - Qatar November 2, 1971 - United Arab Emirates July 10, 1973 - Bahamas Sept. 24, 1973 - Guinea-Bissau February 7, 1974 - Grenada June 25, 1975 - Mozambique July 5, 1975 - Cape Verde July 6, 1975 - Comoros July 12, 1975 - Sao Tome and Principe Sept. 16, 1975 - Papua New Guinea November 11, 1975 - Angola November 25, 1975 - Suriname June 29, 1976 - Seychelles June 27, 1977 - Djibouti July 7, 1978 - Solomon Islands October 1, 1978 - Tuvalu November 3, 1978 - Dominica February 22, 1979 - Saint Lucia July 12, 1979 - Kiribati October 27, 1979 - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines April 18, 1980 - Zimbabwe July 30, 1980 - Vanuatu January 11, 1981 - Antigua and Barbuda Sept. 21, 1981 - Belize

Sept. 19, 1983 - Saint Kitts and Nevis January 1, 1984 - Brunei October 21, 1986 - Marshall Islands November 3, 1986 - Micronesia, Federated States of March 11, 1990 - Lithuania March 21, 1990 - Namibia May 22, 1990 - Yemen April 9, 1991 - Georgia June 25, 1991 - Croatia June 25, 1991 - Slovenia August 20, 1991 - Estonia August 21, 1991 - Kyrgyzstan August 24, 1991 - Russia August 25, 1991 - Belarus August 27, 1991 - Moldova August 30, 1991 - Azerbaijan Sept. 1, 1991 - Uzbekistan Sept. 6, 1991 - Latvia Sept. 8, 1991 - Macedonia Sept. 9, 1991 - Tajikistan Sept. 21, 1991 - Armenia October 27, 1991 - Turkmenistan November 24, 1991 - Ukraine December 16, 1991 - Kazakhstan March 3, 1992 - Bosnia and Herzegovina January 1, 1993 - Czech Republic January 1, 1993 - Slovakia May 24, 1993 - Eritrea October 1, 1994 - Palau May 20, 2002 - East Timor June 3, 2006 - Montenegro June 5, 2006 - Serbia February 17, 2008 - Kosovo July 9, 2011 - South Sudan