List of sovereign states by formation date
- List of sovereign states by formation date
Below is a list of countries by formation dates, sorted by continent.
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 and/or recognised.
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 two terms commonly used as synonym: nation (generally considered an ethnic or cultural grouping) and state (an independent political entity). Taking this into account a declaration of being the "oldest country" in the world is not fruitful and will inevitably be disputed. The following list contains the formation dates of countries with a short description of those events. For a more detailed desription of a country's formation and history please see the main article for each country.
List
Africa
Europe
Notes
ee also
* Breakaway states
* Civilization
* Timeline of country and capital changes
* List of countries by continent
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
List of sovereign states — List of nations and List of countries redirect here. For other country lists, see Lists of countries and territories. For other national lists, see Lists of nations. For non sovereign dependencies, see Dependent territory. This is a list of… … Wikipedia
List of sovereign states by date of formation — Below is a list of sovereign states by formation dates, sorted by continent. This list includes only the 194 sovereign states currently in existence; it does not include former sovereign states. For proposed states or various indigenous nations… … Wikipedia
Sovereign state — Sovereign states in Europe A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other … Wikipedia
List of republics — is a list of countries or states governed as a republic.For Antiquity (or later in the case of societies that did not refer to a Western terminology to qualify their form of government) the assessment of whether a state organisation is a republic … Wikipedia
List of North American Numbering Plan area codes — This is a list of North American telephone area codes in effect for the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The area to which an area code is officially assigned is known as a Numbering Plan Area (NPA). Contents 1 200 2 300 3 400 4 … Wikipedia
List of country calling codes — This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU T recommendations E.123 and E.164, also called IDD (International Direct Dialling) or ISD (International Subscriber Dialling) codes. The telephone numbering plan for a telephone system… … Wikipedia
List of national anthems — Rouget de Lisle, the composer of the French national anthem La Marseillaise, sings it for the first time. The anthem is the second earliest to be adopted by a state, in 1795. Most nations have anthems, defined as a song, as of praise, devotion,… … Wikipedia
List of current heads of state and government — This is a list of current heads of state and government, showing heads of state and heads of government where different, mainly in parliamentary systems; often a leader is both in presidential systems. Some states have semi presidential systems… … Wikipedia
List of national capitals — Lists of capitals in alphabetical order Former national capitals Timeline of country and capital changes Purpose built capitals Capitals and largest cities by country Countries whose capital is not their largest city Capitals outside the… … Wikipedia
List of circulating currencies — A currency is a unit of exchange and hence a kind of money and medium of exchange. Currency includes paper or polymer banknotes and metal coins. Countries generally have a monopoly on the issuing of currency, although some countries share… … Wikipedia
