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List of sovereign states by date of formation

List of sovereign states sorted by continent From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of sovereign states by date of formation
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Below is a list of sovereign states with the dates of their formation (date of their independence or of their constitution), sorted by continent.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
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Countries by Date of National Constitution
  Pre-1940
  1940–1949
  1950–1959
  1960–1969
  1970–1979
  1980–1989
  1990–1999
  2000–2009
  2010–present

This list includes the 195 states which are currently member states of the United Nations or non-member observer states with the United Nations General Assembly. This does not include extinct states, but does include several states with limited recognition.[note 1]

For proposed states or various indigenous nations which consider themselves still under occupation, see list of active autonomist and secessionist movements.

Nation-building is a long evolutionary process, and in most cases the date of a country's "formation" cannot be objectively determined; e.g., the fact that England and France were sovereign kingdoms on equal footing in the medieval period does not prejudice the fact that England is not now a sovereign state (having passed sovereignty to Great Britain in 1707), while France is a Republic founded in 1870 (though the term France generally refers to the current French Fifth Republic government, formed in 1958).

Around 60 countries gained independence from the United Kingdom throughout its history, the most in the world, followed by around 40 countries that gained independence from France throughout its history.[1] Over 50% of the world's borders today were drawn as a result of British and French imperialism.[2][3][4]

An unambiguous measure is the date of national constitutions; but as constitutions are an almost entirely modern concept, all formation dates by that criterion are modern or early modern (the oldest extant constitution being that of San Marino, dating to 1600).

Independence dates for widely recognized states earlier than 1919 should be treated with caution, since prior to the founding of the League of Nations, there was no international body to recognize 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.

Many countries have some remote (or fantastically remote) symbolic foundation date as part of their national mythology, sometimes artificially inflating a country's "age" for reasons of nationalism, sometimes merely gesturing at a long and gradual process of the formalizing national identity. Such dates do not reflect the formation of a state (an independent political entity).[citation needed]

The following list contains the formation dates of countries with a short description of formation events. For a more detailed description of a country's formation and history, please see the main article for that country.

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Africa

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Americas

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Asia

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Table notes
  1. [A 1]
    Taiwan: For some clarification and more detail including the sovereignty status of the Republic of China, see the following articles: Cross-Strait relations, One-China policy and Political status of Taiwan.
  2. [A 2]
    Palestinian National Authority: For some clarification and more detail, see History of the State of Palestine.
  3. [A 3]
    Philippines: For some clarification and more detail, see Timeline of Philippine Sovereignty and Sovereignty of the Philippines.
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Europe

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Table notes
  1. [E 1]
    The date of formation of the current states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is subject to an international dispute. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all maintain that they were illegally occupied by the Soviet Union, and that the current states are direct continuations of the pre-WWII states, which continued to exist through governments-in-exile. Russia maintains that the current three states are legally distinct entities newly created after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. All three states were admitted the UN as independent nations, not successor states of the USSR. For more information, see State continuity of the Baltic states.
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Oceania

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Transcontinental states

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Sortable list

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In this list, "date of last subordination" refers to the last date of control by an external government. The list shows large groupings associated with the dates of independence from decolonization (e.g., 41 current states gained control of sovereignty from the United Kingdom and France between 1956 and 1966) or dissolution of a political union (e.g., 18 current states gained control of sovereignty from the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia between 1990 and 1992). In other cases, a sovereign state submitted to foreign military occupation or political subjugation for a period of time and later regained its independence (e.g., 6 current states gained control of sovereignty from Nazi Germany between 1944 and 1945).

Dates refer to de facto rule or occupation of the major territory, whether or not legitimized by international recognition.

In a union such as Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, or the Kalmar Union, one of the constituents can be considered the dominant power – generally where the seat of government was located. The United Kingdom is a particularly complicated case. If England is viewed as the dominant member, then history can be traced from Roman conquest, Saxon invasions, 10th-century unification, and the 1066 Norman Conquest before the union of England and Scotland in 1707. However, if viewed from a Scottish perspective, an unbroken history of sovereignty can be traced from unification in 843 through the 1707 union with England (with a brief annexation by England from 1657 to 1660). Some Scots view the 1707 union as a ceding of sovereignty to England.[56]

There are cases where a state is completely extinguished or abolished without having any successor states. Cases like this occur when, for example, one state is annexed or conquered by another and ceases to exist even in nominal form (i.e., not even a "government in exile" is established). The most recent case in human history is the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), which was completely abolished after the German reunification. Modern Germany is a continuation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), not a successor state.

The Holy Roman Empire is not considered a state by modern historians, but a political entity bringing together several sovereign states in a confederation.

The concept of sovereign state should not be confused with that of nation (for example there are even stateless nations). This list has the date of creation of current sovereign states but not of nations. The historiography of some nations, such as the Bulgarians, even separates the different states founded by these nations (for example First, Second and Third Bulgarian State)

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See also

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Notes

  1. [N 1]
    Listed are the six UN member states with limited recognition: China (Bhutan neither recognizes PRC nor ROC; the ROC was recognized as a sovereign country by just 11 countries and Vatican City/Holy See as of Jan 2024, Israel (not recognized by 32 members), North and South Korea (no mutual recognition), Armenia (not recognized by Pakistan) and Cyprus (not recognized by Turkey).
  2. [N 2]
    Since the beginning of the Second Libyan Civil War in 2014, various areas of Libya are under the control of competing groups. These include domestic groups such as New General National Congress and local Tuareg groups, and foreign groups such as ISIL.
  3. [N 3]
    With the ongoing Somali Civil War, significant areas remain outside federal control.
  4. [N 4]
    A new constitution was approved in 2013, but most changes will not enter effect for another decade.
  5. [N 5]
    In the Dominican Republic, every constitutional amendment is considered a new constitution. The most recent amendment was the 2010 constitution.
  6. [N 6]
    Following the Northern Iraq offensive in June 2014, large areas of Iraq are de facto under the control of Iraqi Kurds or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
  7. [N 7]
    This constitution cut North Korean ties with the Soviet Union. Several new constitutions and amendments have followed (most recently in 2013), creating new titles for the national leader such as Eternal President and Chairman of the National Defence Commission. However, power has remained with the Kim dynasty since 1948.
  8. [N 8]
    See the Declaration of independence article: "... the state from which the territory wishes to secede may regard the declaration as rebellion, which may lead to a war of independence or a constitutional settlement to resolve the crisis."
  9. [N 9]
    See also Sovereignty of the Philippines § Peace protocol, U.S. military government, Treaty of Paris, and other points in that article for clarification.
  10. [N 10]
    Due to the ongoing Syrian Civil War, small areas of Syria are de facto under the control of other parties such as Israel and the loyalists of the deposed Ba'athist regime.
  11. [N 11]
    According to the Badinter Arbitration Committee, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was dissolved into five states. This is the result when the Serb-dominated Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) was formed on 27 April 1992 as a rump state, consisting only of the former Socialist Republics of Serbia and Montenegro. Its government claimed continuity to the former country, however, the international community refused to recognize it as such. The stance of the international community was that Yugoslavia had dissolved into its separate states. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was prevented by a UN resolution on 22 September 1992 from continuing to occupy the United Nations seat as successor state to SFRY. This question was important for claims on SFRY's international assets, including embassies in many countries. Only in 1996 had the FRY abandoned its claim to continuity from the SFRY. The FRY was dominated by Slobodan Milošević and his political allies. This was reaffirmed in the Succession Agreement signed in June 2001.
  12. [N 12]
    The Faroe Islands and Greenland were administered by Denmark until 24 March 1948 and 1 May 1979 respectively. They are now autonomous countries with home rule, but remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
  13. [N 13]
    The annexation of the Baltic states in 1940 is considered an illegal occupation by the current governments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and by a number of Western countries, including the United States and the European Union, who assert that the states were independent countries occupied by the Soviet Union. The three corresponding Soviet republics were officially sovereign entities in a federation, according to Article 76 of the Constitution of the Soviet Union. However, the Soviet Union was heavily centralized and was de facto a single federal state and the three states consider the corresponding Soviet republics to have been illegitimate entities.
  14. [N 14]
    The breaking-through of the Channel Tunnel on 31 October 1990 created a new land border between the UK and France.[33] However, the Channel Tunnel runs underwater and did not change the above-ground territory of either nation.
  15. [N 15]
    France swapped a small area of land with Andorra in 2001 to allow Andorra to construct the Envalira Tunnel access bridge.
  16. [N 16]
    Prior to 1999, the Constitution of Ireland claimed that "The national territory consists of the whole island of Ireland", but that its laws were only valid in the counties of the Republic.
  17. [N 17]
    East Timor had been under Indonesian occupation since 1975, but this occupation was not recognized by the wider global community.
  18. [N 18]
    The breaking-through of the Channel Tunnel on 31 October 1990 created a new land border between the UK and France.[33] However, the Channel Tunnel runs underwater and did not change the above-ground territory of either nation.
  19. [N 19]
    France swapped a small area of land with Andorra in 2001 to allow Andorra to construct the Envalira Tunnel access bridge.
  20. [N 20]
    Baikonur is treated as a federal subject of Russia, but its exact status is a topic of dispute between the two countries.[55]
  21. [N 21]
    Full sovereignty. Adoption of the Statute of Westminster 1931
  22. [N 22]
    Austrians date their national identity back to the establishment of the Duchy of Austria (later the Archduchy of Austria) in the Middle Ages (a state of the Holy Roman Empire that only had full sovereignty after the dissolution of the Empire in the 19th century). Another important states in the identity of the Austrian nation is the Austrian Empire, Cisleithania, Republic of German-Austria, the First Austrian Republic, Federal State of Austria (this later annexed by Nazi Germany). As an independent and sovereign state the current Austrian state dates back to 1945, when the country seceded from Nazi Germany after the end of World War II. However the Moscow Conference of 1943 declared the German annexation of Austria in 1938 null and void
  23. [N 23]
    The medieval Principality of Polotsk became an extinct state after its dissolution. Modern state of Belarus dates from 1991
  24. [N 24]
    Full sovereignty. Adoption of the Statute of Westminster 1931. Canada becomes completely sovereign, having consulates and embassies in other countries
  25. [N 25]
    The Kingdom of Chile (Patria Vieja) became an extinct state after its reconquest by Spain. Modern state of Chile dates from 1818
  26. [N 26]
    20 January 1955 for Taiwan.
  27. [N 27]
    People's Republic of China consider itself the successor state of the Republic of China, the latter considers itself the successor state of the Qing Empire, and through the mandate of heaven all Chinese imperial states considered themselves successors to previous dynasties, with the Shang dynasty being historically the first non-legendary dynasty of that country.
  28. [N 28]
    The Republic of Spanish Haiti became an extinct state after its reconquest by Haiti. Modern state of Dominican Republic dates from 1844
  29. [N 29]
    Egypt is one of the oldest nations in the world, its national identity dating back to the First Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. But it is important to stress the difference between state and nation. As a state the nation lost its sovereignty and was conquered by other states several times in History. The current Egyptian state, as an independent sovereign state, dates from 1922
  30. [N 30]
    Zagwe was one of the kingdoms that emerged from the collapse of the Kingdom of Aksum, that became an extinct or abolished state in 960 AD. It is the direct historical predecessor of the Ethiopian Empire, regardless of the Solomonic dynasty of the ancient Kingdom of Aksum having overthrown the Zagwe dynasty in 1270 and assumed their throne. Dynastic lineages are irrelevant to current international law, mainly because of the fact of the majority of the states in the current world scenario are republics.
  31. [N 31]
    Some historians refer to the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire as 800, with the crowning of Frankish king Charlemagne considered as the first Holy Roman Emperor. Others refer to the beginning as the coronation of Otto I in 962.
  32. [N 32]
    Iran is one of the oldest nations in the world, its national identity dating back to the Median Empire and the Achaemenid Empire. But it is important to stress the difference between state and nation. As a state the nation lost its sovereignty and was conquered by other states several times in History. The current Iranian state, as an independent state in a contiguous way, dates from 1501
  33. [N 33]
    Adoption of the Statute of Westminster 1931. Internationally recognized independence, by nations that aren't members of the Commonwealth of Nations
  34. [N 34]
    Beginning of the reign of the first Japanese emperor proven to have existed historically
  35. [N 35]
    Montenegrins date their national identity to the founding of Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro in 1516. However, the Montenegrin state became an extinct state at the time of the Podgorica Assembly, which led to the annexation and extinction of the Kingdom of Montenegro by the Kingdom of Serbia. The current Montenegrin state emerged in 2006 after separating from Serbia.
  36. [N 36]
    Adoption of the Statute of Westminster 1931
  37. [N 37]
    The region was conquered by Portuguese forces under the command of Afonso de Albuquerque in 1507, and remained under Portuguese control until they were expelled by the Ya'rubids.
  38. [N 38]
    The First Philippine Republic was an unrecognized state and became an extinct state after being terminated by the United States. Modern state of Philippines dates from 1946. However, Filipinos celebrate their independence date on June 12 (the date of establishment of the First Philippine Republic) in order to avoid celebrating their national date on the same day that their former colonizers (the USA) celebrate their national date (July 4).
  39. [N 39]
    Independence recognized via the Treaty of Manila (1946).
  40. [N 40]
    Russia dates its national identity back to the Kievan Rus, medieval state that was extinguished when it was conquered by the Mongols of the Golden Horde. A new Russian state arose and existed continuously and without loss of sovereignty from 1480 until 1922, when of its own accord it ceased to be a sovereign state and became a subnational unit of the Soviet Union. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the nation again had a sovereign state, with the current Russian sovereign state dating back to 1991. The Russian Federation is regarded as the successor state to the former Soviet Union, inheriting its seat as a UN member state, after a letter by president Boris Yeltsin was received by the secretary-general Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.
  41. [N 41]
    Saudi Arabia dates its national identity from the establishment of the Emirate of Diriya (First Saudi State), however this state later became extinct, as did the Emirate of Nejd (the Second Saudi State). The current and Third Saudi State came into being in 1903 when it separated from the Emirate of Jabal Shammar. Through wars of conquest it conquered other states and made a real union with Hejaz before adopting the current name Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932
  42. [N 42]
    Serbia consider itself as the successor state of Yugoslavia. The current Serbian state emerged in 1878, after independence de jure from the Ottoman Empire. Other Serbian states existed before this date, but ceased to exist due to the conquest of other states. It is important not to confuse the concept of state with that of the nation, as a nation the Serbian people have existed since the Middle Ages, and just like other ethnic groups (such as the Greeks, Jews, Egyptians, etc.) it went through periods of its history in which it was a Stateless nation
  43. [N 43]
    Adoption of the Statute of Westminster 1931
  44. [N 44]
    During the Visigoth kingdom of Toledo, the names of the Visigoth kingdom (Regnum Gothorum) and Spain (Hispaniae or Spaniae) were used more and more frequently as synonymous terms, beginning to have not only a geographical meaning, but also a political one (especially since the year 624, when Swinthila finally defeated the Byzantines and the Visigoths dominated the entire Iberian Peninsula). Historiographers of the time such as Isidore of Seville, Julian of Toledo, John of Biclaro, as well as from abroad, the Franks Gregory of Tours, Fredegar, or Pope Leo II, referred to the Visigoth kingdom or its kings, as Hispania or kings of Hispania. On the other hand, there was an adoption by the Visigoths of the Hispano-Roman culture, with a progressive intention to merge the Gothic and Hispano-Roman societies into a common one, politically (kingdom administered from the capital of Toledo, and in accordance with Roman ecclesiastical power through the Councils of Toledo), religiously (Reccared I converted from Arianism to Chalcedonian Christianity in 589), common legislation (Code of Leovigild, and later Visigothic Code), militarily (army composed of Hispano-Romans and Visigoths), with a monetary unit (Visigothic royal currency from 580 to 710), and linguistically (Visigoths spoke Latin), taking advantage of the pre-existing cohesion left by the Hispania of the Roman Empire.[120] Spain is a unitary state that emerged from the political union by incorporating union of different states throughout history. Using the modern criteria of the United Nations, which considers the date of admission of other states that emerged from political unions (such as Tanzania, Malaysia and Yemen) as the date of the oldest predecessor state to be admitted, it will soon be seen that the oldest state that merged to form modern Spain is the Kingdom of León, one of the states in personal union that integrated the Crown of Castile, with such state dating its origins directly from the Kingdom of Asturias. Spain was until 1715 a composite monarchy, i.e. several small states in personal union, only passing through a political union in 1715 with the Nueva Planta decrees
  45. [N 45]
    During Napoleon's invasion of Spain, Spain was a governorship of France. In fear of invasion, the King of Portugal went to Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.
  46. [N 46]
    Sudan dates its national identity to the Kingdom of Kerma, Kingdom of Kush and other ancient kingdoms that existed in its territory, i.e Nubia (mentioned in ancient Egyptian texts). However, as an independent sovereign state, the current Sudanese state dates back to 1956.
  47. [N 47]
    Albeit Danish-dominated as the seat of power was the de facto capital, Copenhagen.
  48. [N 48]
    By uniting with Egypt to form the United Arab Republic into a political union, the Second Syrian Republic ceased to exist as a sovereign state and became an extinct state, with Syria becoming a subnational unit of the United Arab Republic. The current Syrian state emerged as a new state when it broke up politically in 1961. However, Syrians celebrate April 17 as their independence day, as it was on April 17, 1946 that the nation ceased to be a colony of France.
  49. [N 49]
    The Republic of Turkey is the successor state of the Ottoman Empire. Despite being known in English as the Turkish War of Independence, Turks call it in their language Kurtuluş Savaşı (lit. Liberation War). "War of Independence" in Turkish is "bağımsızlık savaşı". The country's national date is the Republic Day (Cumhuriyet Bayramı), which commemorates the change of government regime from a monarchy to a republic.
  50. [N 50]
    Ukraine dates its national identity back to the Kievan Rus, however this state became an extinct state when it was conquered by the Mongols of the Golden Horde. Another state with historical importance for Ukrainians in their national identity is the medieval Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which however also became an extinct state. In the 17th century the Ukrainian nation established another Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, however this state became extinct upon being conquered by the Russian Empire. Between 1917 and 1919, two new Ukrainian states was established, being unified in 1919 but again lost its sovereignty by becoming a subnational unit of the Soviet Union. The current Ukrainian sovereign state dates from 1991, emerging after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
  51. [N 51]
    The United Kingdom is a unitary state that emerged from the political union by incorporating union of different states throughout history. Northern Ireland has been part of this political union since 1922, when the rest of Ireland separated from the United Kingdom. Ireland had united with Great Britain in 1800 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Kingdom of Great Britain itself emerged from the political union between the Kingdom of England (which had already conquered and annexed the Principality of Wales centuries before) and the Kingdom of Scotland. Using the modern criteria of the United Nations, which considers the date of admission of other states that emerged from political unions (such as Tanzania, Malaysia and Yemen) as the date of the oldest predecessor state to be admitted, it will soon be seen that of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (today subnational units and not sovereign countries) the oldest is Scotland (unified in 843), which dates its origin to the Dál Riata, which conquered the existing small Pictish states in future Scotland to form the Kingdom of Scotland, which existed until 1707 when it merged with England (originated in 927, when the various Anglo-Saxon kings swore their allegiance to Æthelstan of Wessex (r. 924–939), unifying most of modern England under a single king

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