List of sovereign states by date of formation

Below is a list of sovereign states and their formation dates, sorted by continent. This list includes only the 195 sovereign states currently in existence; it does not include former sovereign states. For proposed states or various indigenous nations which consider themselves still under occupation, see list of active autonomist and secessionist movements. Micronations are not included in this list.

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 for widely recognised 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 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 description of a country's formation and history please see the main article for each country.

List

Africa

Country	Date	Birth of current form of government	Date	Date of acquisition of sovereignty	Date	Date of most recent significant territorial modification
Algeria	01963-01-011963	Adoption of the present constitution.	01962-07-03July 3, 1962	French recognition of Algerian referendum on independence held two days earlier	01962-07-05July 5, 1962	Algeria gains sovereignty over the entire Algerian territory upon independence from France.
Angola			01975-11-11November 11, 1975	Independence from Portugal
Benin			01960-08-01August 1, 1960	Independence from France	01894-01-15January 15, 1894	Borders of French Protectorate of Dahomey set at conclusion of Second Franco-Dahomean War
Botswana			01885-03-31March 31, 1885	Establishment of the Bechuanaland Protectorate by the United Kingdom	01894-01-011894	Extended north into Ngamiland
			01966-09-30September 30, 1966	Independence from the United Kingdom
Burkina Faso			01958-12-11December 11, 1958	Self-government achieved and republic within Franco-African Community	01947-09-04September 4, 1947	Restoration of colonial boundaries used from 1919–1932
			01960-08-05August 5, 1960	Independence from France
Burundi	01966-11-28November 28, 1966	Monarchy replaced by republic	01962-07-01July 1, 1962	Independence from Belgium
Cameroon			01960-01-01January 1, 1960	Independence from France	01961-10-01October 1, 1961	Merger of part of British Cameroons with Cameroon
Cape Verde			01975-07-05July 5, 1975	Independence from Portugal
Central African Republic	01979-09-21September 21, 1979	Monarchy replaced by republic	01958-12-01December 1, 1958	Central African Republic becomes autonomous territory in French Republic
			01960-08-13August 13, 1960	Independence from France
Chad			01960-08-11August 11, 1960	Independence from France	01994-02-03February 3, 1994	Aouzou Strip awarded to Chad
Comoros			01975-07-06July 6, 1975	Independence from France declared
Congo, Democratic Republic of the			01884-04-22April 22, 1884	Congo Free State recognized as an independent state
			01960-06-30June 30, 1960	Independence from Belgium
Congo, Republic of the			01960-08-15August 15, 1960	Independence from France
Côte d'Ivoire			01958-12-04December 4, 1958	Autonomous republic within French Community
			01960-08-07August 7, 1960	Independence from France
Djibouti			01977-06-27June 27, 1977	Independence from France
Equatorial Guinea			01968-10-12October 12, 1968	Independence from Spain
Eritrea			01993-05-24May 24, 1993	Independence from Ethiopia declared	02002-04-01April 1, 2002	Badme ruled to be Eritrean by the Eritrea–Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC after the Eritrean–Ethiopian War). Contested by Ethiopia
Ethiopia	01975-03-21March 21, 1975	Monarchy abolished and replaced by republic	-9200-01-01800 BC	Formation of the state of D'mt	02002-04-01April 1, 2002	Badme ruled to be Eritrean by the Eritrea–Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC after the Eritrean–Ethiopian War). Contested by Ethiopia
Gabon			01960-08-17August 17, 1960	Independence from France
Gambia			01965-02-18February 18, 1965	Independence from the United Kingdom
Ghana			01957-03-06March 6, 1957	Independence from the United Kingdom	01956-12-13December 13, 1956	Union of British Togoland with Gold Coast
Guinea			01958-10-02October 2, 1958	Independence from France
Guinea-Bissau			01973-09-24September 24, 1973	Independence from Portugal declared
			01974-09-10September 10, 1974	Independence from Portugal recognized
Kenya			01963-12-12December 12, 1963	Independence from the United Kingdom
Lesotho			01966-10-04October 4, 1966	Independence from the United Kingdom	01868-03-12March 12, 1868	Area that is now present-day Lesotho placed under British rule
Liberia			01847-07-26July 26, 1847
Libya	01969-09-01September 1, 1969	Monarchy replaced by republic	01951-12-24December 24, 1951	Independence from UN Trusteeship (British and French administration after Italian governance ends in 1947)	01984-02-13February 13, 1984	Aouzou Strip awarded to Chad
Madagascar			01958-10-14October 14, 1958	The Malagasy Republic was created as autonomous state within French Community
			01960-06-26June 26, 1960	France recognizes Madagascar's independence
Malawi			01964-07-06July 6, 1964	Independence from the United Kingdom
Mali			01958-11-25November 25, 1958	French Sudan gains autonomy	01960-08-20August 20, 1960	Senegal secedes from Mali Federation
			01960-09-22September 22, 1960	Independence from France
Mauritania			01960-11-28November 28, 1960	Independence from France	01979-08-11August 11, 1979	Mauritania withdraws from Tiris al-Gharbiyya (part of Western Sahara)
Mauritius			01968-03-12March 12, 1968	Independence from the United Kingdom	01965-01-011965	Separation of Chagos Archipelago
Morocco	00789-02-05February 5, 789	Enthronement of Idris I in Volubilis	01956-03-02March 2, 1956	Independence from France	01969-01-04January 4, 1969	Internationally recognized : Return of Ifni to Morocco
	01666-01-011666	Enthronement of Al-Rashid ibn Sharif in Fez	01956-04-07April 7, 1956	Independence from Spain	01987-04-01April 1987	Disputed, de facto under Moroccan control : Completion of the Moroccan Wall in Western Sahara
Mozambique			01975-06-25June 25, 1975	Independence from Portugal
Namibia			01990-03-21March 21, 1990	Independence from South African rule	01994-03-01March 1, 1994	Walvis Bay integrated into Namibia
Niger			01958-12-04December 4, 1958	Autonomy within French Community
			01960-08-03August 3, 1960	Independence from France
Nigeria			01960-10-01October 1, 1960	Independence from the United Kingdom	01970-01-15January 15, 1970	Biafra re-integrated into Nigeria
					01961-06-01June 1, 1961	Northern Cameroons integrated in Nigeria
Rwanda			01962-07-01July 1, 1962	Independence from Belgium
São Tomé and Príncipe			01975-07-12July 12, 1975	Independence from Portugal
Senegal			01960-08-20August 20, 1960	Independence from France
Seychelles			01976-06-29June 29, 1976	Independence from the United Kingdom
Sierra Leone			01961-04-27April 27, 1961	Independence from the United Kingdom
Somalia			01960-07-01July 1, 1960	Merger of State of Somaliland (formerly British Somaliland) and Italian Somaliland
South Africa	01910-05-31May 31, 1910	Creation of the Union of South Africa from the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and Orange River	01931-12-11December 11, 1931	Statute of Westminster, which establishes a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominion of the Union of South Africa and the UK	01994-04-27April 27, 1994	Reincorporation of the nominally independent bantustans into post-apartheid South Africa
			01961-05-31May 31, 1961	Republic declared (South Africa no longer a Commonwealth realm)
South Sudan			02011-07-09July 9, 2011	Separation of Southern Sudan from Sudan
Sudan			01956-01-01January 1, 1956	Independence from Egyptian and British joint rule	02011-07-09July 9, 2011	South Sudan secedes from Sudan
Swaziland			01968-09-06September 6, 1968	Independence from the United Kingdom
Tanzania			01961-12-09December 9, 1961	Independence of Tanganyika from the United Kingdom	01964-04-26April 26, 1964	Merger of Zanzibar with Tanganyika to form Tanzania
Togo			01958-08-30August 30, 1958	Autonomy within French Union
			01960-04-27April 27, 1960	Independence from France
Tunisia	01957-07-25July 25, 1957	Declaration of Republic	01956-03-20March 20, 1956	Independence from France
Uganda			01962-03-01March 1, 1962	Self-government granted
			01962-10-09October 9, 1962	Independence from the United Kingdom
Zambia			01964-10-24October 24, 1964	Independence from the United Kingdom
Zimbabwe			01965-11-11November 11, 1965	Unilateral declaration of independence by Southern Rhodesia	01901-01-011901	BSAC separates North-Eastern Rhodesia from Southern Rhodesia
			01980-04-18April 18, 1980	Recognized independence from the United Kingdom as Zimbabwe

The Americas

Country	Date	Birth of current form of government	Date	Date of acquisition of sovereignty	Date	Date of most recent significant territorial modification
Antigua and Barbuda			01981-11-01November 1, 1981	Independence from the United Kingdom
Argentina	01853-05-01May 1, 1853	The current Constitution of Argentina enters in force	01810-05-25May 25, 1810	May Revolution installs first local government	01884-10-18October 18, 1884	Conquest of the Desert
			01816-07-09July 9, 1816	Argentine Declaration of Independence
Bahamas			01964-01-07January 7, 1964	Internal self-governance granted
			01973-07-10July 10, 1973	Independence from the United Kingdom
Barbados			01966-11-30November 30, 1966	Independence from the United Kingdom
Belize			01981-09-21September 21, 1981	Independence from the United Kingdom	01859-01-011859	Treaty establishes border between British Honduras and Guatemala
			01964-01-01January 1, 1964	Self-governing colony
Bolivia	01809-05-25May 25, 1809		01825-08-06August 6, 1825	Bolivian War of Independence	01903-11-11November 11, 1903	Signing of the Treaty of Petrópolis with Brazil whereby Bolivia gained lands in Mato Grosso in exchange for the territory of Acre
Brazil	01889-11-15November 15, 1889	Proclamation of the Republic	01822-09-07September 7, 1822	Independence from Portugal declared	01903-11-11November 11, 1903	Signing of the Treaty of Petrópolis with Bolivia whereby Brazil was given the territory of Acre in exchange for lands in Mato Grosso
			01825-08-29August 29, 1825	Independence recognized by Portugal
Canada	01867-07-01July 1, 1867	Canadian Confederation	01931-12-11December 11, 1931	Statute of Westminster	01949-04-01April 1, 1949	Dominion of Newfoundland joins as the province of Newfoundland
Chile	01810-09-18September 18, 1810	First Government Junta declares Chile an autonomous republic within Spain	01818-02-12February 12, 1818	Independence declared from Spain	01929-07-03July 3, 1929	Chile awarded Arica district in Treaty of Lima
			01844-04-25April 25, 1844	Independence recognized by Spain
Colombia			01810-07-20July 20, 1810	Independence declared from Spain	01903-11-03November 3, 1903	Separation of Panama from Colombia
			01819-08-07August 7, 1819	Independence recognized by Spain
Costa Rica			01821-09-15September 15, 1821	Costa Rica declared independence from Spain	01824-07-25July 25, 1824	Partido de Nicoya
			01838-11-15November 15, 1838	Independence from Federal Republic of Central America
Cuba	01959-01-01January 1, 1959	Cuban Revolution	01868-10-10October 10, 1868	Independence from Spain declared
			01898-12-10December 10, 1898	Spain relinquishes all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba
			01902-05-20May 20, 1902	United States military occupation ends
Dominica			01967-02-27February 27, 1967	Became an associated state of the United Kingdom
			01978-11-03November 3, 1978	Independence from the United Kingdom
Dominican Republic			01865-03-03March 3, 1865	Independence regained from Spain following the Dominican Restoration War
Ecuador	01809-08-10August 10, 1809		01822-05-24May 24, 1822	Independence from Spain of Gran Colombia, of which Ecuador is a part	01942-02-26February 26, 1942	Rio Protocol ends border dispute with Peru
			01830-05-13May 13, 1830	Dissolution of Gran Colombia
El Salvador			01821-09-15September 15, 1821	El Salvador becomes province in first mexican empire, which declared independence from Spain
			01823-01-011823	El Salvador becomes a state of Federal Republic of Central America
			01841-01-011841	Dissolution of the Federal Republic of Central America, El Salvador becomes independent
Grenada			01967-02-27February 27, 1967	Associated state of the United Kingdom
			01974-02-07February 7, 1974	Full independence from the United Kingdom
Guatemala			01821-09-15September 15, 1821	Guatemala becomes state in Federal Republic of Central America, which declared independence from Spain
			01839-04-17April 17, 1839	Independence from Federal Republic of Central America declared
Guyana			01966-05-26May 26, 1966	Independence from the United Kingdom
Haiti	01987-03-01March 1987	Constitution of 1987 (superceded)	01804-01-01January 1, 1804	The French colony Saint-Domingue gains independence as Haiti	01844-02-27February 27, 1844	The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti
Honduras			01821-09-15September 15, 1821	Honduras becomes state in Federal Republic of Central America, which declared independence from Spain	01972-09-01September 1, 1972	Swan Islands returned to Honduras from United States occupation
			01838-10-26October 26, 1838	Independence from Federal Republic of Central America
Jamaica			01962-08-06August 6, 1962	Independence from the United Kingdom
Mexico	01917-01-011917	Constitution of Mexico	01810-09-16September 16, 1810	Independence from Spain declared	01853-12-30December 30, 1853	Gadsden Purchase
			01821-08-24August 24, 1821	Independence recognized by Spain in Treaty of Córdoba
Nicaragua			01821-09-15September 15, 1821	Nicaragua becomes state in Federal Republic of Central America, which declared independence from Spain
			01838-11-05November 5, 1838	Independence from Federal Republic of Central America
Panama			01903-11-03November 3, 1903	Separation of Panama from Colombia	01979-10-01October 1, 1979	United States returns Panama the Panama Canal Zone
Paraguay	01992-06-01June 1992	Democratic Constitution of Paraguay	01811-05-14May 14, 1811	Independence from Spain declared	01938-01-011938	Paraguay awarded a large portion of the Gran Chaco as a result of the Chaco War
Peru			01821-07-28July 28, 1821	Independence from Spain declared	01942-02-26February 26, 1942	Rio Protocol ends border dispute with Ecuador
			01879-01-011879	Independence from Spain recognized
Saint Kitts and Nevis			01967-02-27February 27, 1967	Associated state of the United Kingdom	01980-12-19December 19, 1980	Anguilla separated from Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
			01983-09-19September 19, 1983	Independence from the United Kingdom
Saint Lucia			01967-02-27February 27, 1967	Associated statehood
			01979-02-22February 22, 1979	Independence from the United Kingdom
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines			01969-10-27October 27, 1969	Associated statehood
			01979-10-27October 27, 1979	Independence from the United Kingdom
Suriname			01954-12-15December 15, 1954	Self-government granted
			01975-11-25November 25, 1975	Independence from Netherlands
Trinidad and Tobago			01962-08-31August 31, 1962	Independence from the United Kingdom
United States	01787-09-17September 17, 1787	Ratification of the United States Constitution replaced the previous Articles of Confederation creating a new system of government	01776-07-04July 4, 1776	Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain declared	01959-08-21August 21, 1959	United States territory: Territory of Hawaii joins as the state of Hawaii
			01783-09-03September 3, 1783	Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain recognized	01981-09-07September 7, 1981	Insular area: The United States cedes Serrana Bank and Roncador Bank to the Republic of Colombia as a result of a treaty signed in 1972
Uruguay			01825-08-25August 25, 1825	Independence declared, joined in union with United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (current Argentina).(Independence from Brazil declared)
			01828-08-27August 27, 1828	Treaty of Montevideo signed, recognizing Uruguay's independence
Venezuela			01810-04-10April 10, 1810	independence from Spain declared
			01830-01-13January 13, 1830	President José Antonio Páez declares Venezuela independent from Gran Colombia

Asia

Country	Date	Birth of current form of government	Date	Date of acquisition of sovereignty	Date	Date of most recent significant territorial modification
Afghanistan			1747	Afghan separation from Persia gives Afghanistan full control over the country by Ahmed Shah Durrani.
Bahrain			01971-08-15August 15, 1971	Independence from Iran	01521-07-01July 1, 1521	Portuguese conquest of current territory
Bangladesh			01971-03-26March 26, 1971	Independence from Pakistan declared
Bhutan			1885	Ugyen Wangchuck ends period of civil war and unites Bhutan	01865-11-11November 11, 1865	Treaty of Sinchula
Brunei			01984-01-01January 1, 1984	Brunei regains its independence after an agreement with the British on 4 January 1979
Cambodia			01989-09-26September 26, 1989	Becomes free from Vietnamese occupation; it gets back its name instead of the People's Republic of Kampuchea
China	01949-10-01October 1, 1949	Establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the Chinese Civil War nears its end	-4221 BC	Nation firstly unified by Qin Dynasty	01999-12-20December 20, 1999	Transfer of the sovereignty of Macau from Portugal to the PRC
India	01950-01-26January 26, 1950	Indian constitution comes into force	-31947-08-15	Independence from British Raj	01975-05-16May 16, 1975	Accession of Daman, Diu + Sikkim to India
Indonesia	01945-08-18August 18, 1945	Ratification of the Constitution of Indonesia by the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence	01945-08-17August 17, 1945	Indonesian Declaration of Independence from Netherlands	02002-05-20May 20, 2002	Independence of East Timor, formerly administered as a province of Indonesia
			01949-12-27December 27, 1949	Independence from the Netherlands recognized
Iran	01979-02-11February 11, 1979	Iranian Revolution ends monarchism and establishes an Islamic Republic	-1 1501 AD	Safavids First Emergence of a State Officially Called as Iran.	01857-04-04April 4, 1857	Anglo-Persian War leads to loss of Herat to the Emirate of Afghanistan
Iraq	02003-03-20March 20, 2003	Iraq defeated and occupied. New gov. formed	01932-10-03October 3, 1932	Kingdom of Iraq	01991-02-28February 28, 1991	Kuwait was liberated.
Israel			01948-05-14May 14, 1948	Reading of the Declaration of Independence of Israel before the expiration of the British Mandate of Palestine at midnight	02005-09-12September 12, 2005	Completion of Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip
Japan	01947-05-03May 3, 1947	Coming into force of the current Constitution of Japan, whereby the emperor was deprived of his powers and a liberal democracy was established	-2660 BCE (Traditional)	Victory of Emperor Jimmu, and the capital established in Yamato.	01972-05-15May 15, 1972	Return of the Ryukyu Islands to Japan and abolition of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands
Jordan			01946-05-25May 25, 1946	End of the British Mandate for Palestine	01994-10-26October 26, 1994	Signing of the Israel–Jordan Treaty of Peace, whereby most of the disputed 400 square-kilometer area in the Arabah was handed back to Jordan
Kuwait			01991-02-28February 28, 1991	End of Iraqi occupation (Gulf War)	01969-12-18December 18, 1969	Formal division of Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone
Kyrgyzstan			01991-08-31August 31, 1991	Independence from the Soviet Union	01936-12-05December 5, 1936	Establishment of the Kirghiz SSR
Laos	01975-12-02December 2, 1975	Lao PDR formed	01953-10-22October 22, 1953	Independence from France
Lebanon	01926-05-23May 23, 1926	Lebanese Republic formed	01941-11-26November 26, 1941	Independence from France declared	01920-09-01September 1, 1920	France establishes State of Greater Lebanon with current boundaries
			01943-11-22November 22, 1943	Independence from France recognized
Malaysia	01963-09-16September 16, 1963	Formation of Malaysia	01957-08-31August 31, 1957	Malayan Independence from the United Kingdom was declared in Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square)	01965-08-09August 9, 1965	Singapore separates from Federation of Malaysia
			01963-09-16September 16, 1963	Malaysia was formed by the federation of Sabah (was North Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya.
Maldives	01968-11-11November 11, 1968	Declaration of Republic	01965-07-26July 26, 1965	Independence from the United Kingdom
Mongolia			01911-12-29December 29, 1911	Proclamation of Mongolian independence from Qing Dynasty China
Myanmar			01948-01-04January 4, 1948	Myanmar (Burma) declares independence from the British Empire	1956	Signing of border treaty with the People's Republic of China
Nepal	02008-05-28May 28, 2008	Formation of Republic	1768-12-21	Nepali unification	01815-12-02December 2, 1815	Sugauli Treaty ends the Gurkha War
North Korea			01948-09-09September 9, 1948	Declaration of creation of North Korea	01953-07-27July 27, 1953	Cease-fire in the Korean War creates the southern border along the Military Demarcation Line
Oman	02003-10-04October 4, 2003	universal suffrage	01650-01-26January 26, 1650	Expulsion of the Portuguese
Pakistan	01947-08-14August 14, 1947	Independence from British India	1947	Partition of India	01971-12-16December 16, 1971	De facto: Province of East Pakistan dissolved following the surrender of the Pakistani Army at the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War
					01974-02-22February 22, 1974	De jure: Recognition by Pakistan of Bangladesh as an independent country, whereby Pakistan definitely surrenders claims over the former province of East Pakistan
Philippines	01935-11-30November 30, 1935	The Commonwealth of the Philippines was established through provisions of the Tydings–McDuffie Act.	01898-06-12June 12, 1898	The First Philippine Republic declares itself independent from the Spanish Empire.	1930	Seven of the Turtle Islands were returned by the United Kingdom to the United States as the successor of the Sultanate of Sulu, becoming part of the Philippine Archipelago. The remaining three islands became the Turtle Islands National Park (Malaysia).
			01946-07-04July 4, 1946	The United States recognizes independence under the provisions of the Treaty of Manila (1946). The 1935 Philippine constitution remains in effect
Qatar			01971-09-03September 3, 1971	Independence from the United Kingdom
Saudi Arabia	01932-09-23September 23, 1932	Regions of Al-Hasa, Qatif, Nejd and Hejaz unified to become Saudi Arabia	01927-05-20May 20, 1927	Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz recognized as independent in Treaty of Jeddah	02000-06-12June 12, 2000	Border with Yemen finalized by Treaty of Jeddah
Singapore	01965-08-09August 9, 1965	Singapore ceased to be a state of Malaysia	01959-06-03June 3, 1959	Self-government under the United Kingdom	01965-08-09August 9, 1965	Establishment of Singapore as an independent sovereign state
			01965-08-09August 9, 1965	separate from and independent of Malaysia
South Korea	01948-08-15August 15, 1948	First Republic of Korea established	-4 2333 BC; estimated Oct. 3	Korean monarch establishes kingdom over Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria	01953-07-27July 27, 1953	Cease-fire in the Korean War creates the northern border along the Military Demarcation Line
Sri Lanka			01948-02-04February 4, 1948	Dominion
			01972-05-22May 22, 1972	Full independence from the United Kingdom
Syria			01961-09-28September 28, 1961	End of the United Arab Republic
Taiwan	01911-10-10October 10, 1911	After the Xinhai Revolution the Republic of China formally replaced the Qing Dynasty	01949-12-07December 7, 1949	Republic of China government moved to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War	01955-02-25February 25, 1955	Withdrawal of the Republic of China from the Dachen Archipelago
Tajikistan			01991-09-09September 9, 1991	Independence from the Soviet Union	01929-12-05December 5, 1929	Establishment of the Tajik SSR
Thailand			1776	Expulsion of Burmese and reunification of Thailand	01909-03-10March 10, 1909	Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
Timor-Leste			01975-11-28November 28, 1975	East Timor declares its independence but was suppressed by the Indonesian invasion
			02002-05-20May 20, 2002	Independence was recognized by the international community following the UN-sponsored act of self-determination of 1999
Turkmenistan			01991-10-27October 27, 1991	Independence from the Soviet Union	01921-08-07August 7, 1921	Establishment of the Turkmen SSR
United Arab Emirates			01971-12-02December 2, 1971	End of treaty relationship with the United Kingdom	01972-02-11February 11, 1972	Ras al-Khaimah joins the UAE
Uzbekistan			01991-08-31August 31, 1991	Independence from the Soviet Union declared	01924-10-24October 24, 1924	Establishment of the Uzbek SSR
Vietnam	01945-09-02September 2, 1945	Independence from Japan and France	-12879 BC	Formation of Van Lang, traditionally regarded as the first nation of the Vietnamese people	01976-07-02July 2, 1976	Reunification of North Vietnam and South Vietnam
Yemen			01990-05-22May 22, 1990	Unification of North Yemen and South Yemen	01990-05-22May 22, 1990	Unification of North Yemen and South Yemen

Europe

Country	Date	Birth of current form of government	Date	Date of acquisition of sovereignty	Date	Date of most recent significant territorial modification
Albania			1912-11-28	Declaration of independence from Ottoman Empire
			1944-11-28	Albanian state re-established after Italian/German occupation
Andorra			1813	Reversal of annexation of Andorra by the Napoleonic Empire, through the Peninsular war
Austria			1955-05-15	Austrian Independence Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state	1921-12-14	City of Sopron moved to Hungary after plebiscite
Belarus			1990-07-27	Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic	1945	Curzon Line
			1991-08-25	Independence recognized by Soviet Union
Belgium	1831-07-21	King Leopold I of Belgium swears allegiance to the constitution making the country a constitutional monarchy	1830-10-04	Independence was proclaimed by the provisonial government	1919-06-28	Treaty of Versailles and annexation of the East Cantons
Bosnia and Herzegovina			1992-03-03	Independence declared	1943-11-25	Establishment of SR Bosnia in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Bulgaria	1989-11-10	People's Republic of Bulgaria was replaced by the Republic of Bulgaria	681	The Byzantine Empire recognizes Bulgaria.	1940-09-07	Under the Vienna Awards, Southern Dobruja was returned to Bulgaria
			1878-07-13	Independence from Ottoman Empire recognized internationally by the Treaty of Berlin.
Croatia	1991-10-08	Independence from SFR Yugoslavia	925	Formation of Kingdom of Croatia by King Tomislav	1947-02-10	Annexation of most of Istria to SR Croatia as a result of signing the 1947 Paris Peace Treaties
Cyprus			1960-08-16	Independence from United Kingdom
Czech Republic			1993-01-01	Dissolution of Czechoslovakia, creating Czech Republic and Slovakia
Denmark	1953-06-05	Constitutional Act of Denmark	958, or prior	The Jelling stones, a pair of rune stones considered to be the "birth certificate" of Denmark reads: "King Haraldr ordered this monument made ... who won for himself all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian."	1920-06-15	Sønderjylland was recovered from Germany
Estonia	1918-02-24	Estonian Declaration of Independence, whereby a republic was declared	1918-02-24	Independence declared from the Russian Empire	1920-07-01	De jure: Signing of the Estonia–Latvia Border Treaty whereby Valga proper was ceded to Estonia
			1991-08-20	Independence (from the Soviet Union) reasserted, end of occupation	1945-01-01	De facto: Eastern coast of Narva river and most of Petseri County were transferred to Russian SFSR
Finland	1809-03-29	Diet of Porvoo, birth of Finland as an autonomous state entity within Russian Empire	1917-12-06	Independence from Russian Empire declared	1956-01-26	Porkkala returned from Soviet control
			1918-01-03	Independence from Russia recognized by the highest Soviet executive body, VTsIK
France	1870-09-04	Establishment of a lasting republican form of government, considered uninterrupted in French law	486	Kingdom of the Franks becomes the first Christian State after the fall of the Western Roman Empire	1947-02-10	Metropolitan France: Annexation of Tende, La Brigue and other villages formerly in Italy
	1958-10-05	Establishment of the current semi-presidential system known as the Fifth Republic	843	Creation of the Kingdom of France (West Francia), Treaty of Verdun	1962-07-05	Overseas France: Loss of the French departments in Algeria following the latter's independence
Germany	1871-01-18	German Realm (Empire) founded	1955-05-05	Federal Republic of Germany (commonly referred to at the time as West Germany) declared fully sovereign	1990-10-03	Reunification of West Germany and East Germany
Greece	1975-06-11	Third Hellenic Republic	1821-03-25 (traditional) 1821-02-23 (actual)	Greek Revolution starts, various regional administrations established during 1821	1947-02-10	Peace treaty with Italy awards the Dodecanese to Greece
			1822-01-01	First Hellenic Republic proclaimed
			1832-03-04	Independence recognized (as Kingdom of Greece)
Hungary	1989-10-23	People's Republic of Hungary was replaced by the Republic of Hungary	895	Principality of Hungary formed	1947-02-10	With the Paris Peace Treaty, Hungary loses all territories that were regained with the Vienna Awards and during World War II, thus it returns to the 1920 borders (except for three villages in the northwest given to Czechoslovakia).
			1000	Formation of the Kingdom of Hungary by Stephen I of Hungary.
Iceland	930	The Icelandic Commonwealth established.	1944-06-17	Secedes from a Union with Denmark formally as an independent republic.	1972-09-01	No territorial changes on land have taken place, however the expansion of the Exclusive Economic Zone was such an important change in territory for Iceland that it merits a special inclusion here.
Ireland	1919-01-21	Elected Irish Parliament Dáil Éireann unilaterally declares Ireland's independence from the United Kingdom	1922-12-06	Irish Free State secedes from United Kingdom by agreement in accordance with the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty but remains a dominion of the British Empire	1922-12-08	Northern Ireland secedes from the Irish Free State and rejoins the United Kingdom in accordance with the Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922
			1931-12-11	Statute of Westminster confers legislative independence from the United Kingdom
			1949-04-18	Republic of Ireland Act 1948 declares the state to be a republic and thus no longer subject in any way to the British Crown
Italy	1861-03-17	Italian unification	1945-04-25	Disestablishment of the German-backed Italian Social Republic, whereby the unity and independence of the Italian state was restored	1975-11-10	Signing of the Treaty of Osimo which definitely divides the Free Territory of Trieste between Italy and Yugoslavia
Latvia	1922-11-7	Constitution of Latvia enforced	1918-11-18	Independence declared from Russia	1944	Abrene district ceded to Russian SFSR (modern Russia)
			1990-05-04	Independence (from Soviet Union) reasserted
Liechtenstein			1813-10-19	Dissolution of the Confederation of the Rhine	1719-01-23	Purchase of Vaduz
Lithuania	1990-03-11	Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania independence (from the Soviet Union) reasserted, end of occupation	1253	Coronation of King Mindaugas (state established some time earlier, perhaps in the 1230s)	1939-10-27 and 1940-08-03	Western part (approximately half) of Vilnius Region ceded to Lithuania
			1918-02-16	Independence declared from Germany and Russia
Luxembourg	1890-11-23	Separates from union with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, becomes Grand Duchy in its own right	1945	End of German occupation during World War II	1839-04-19	Partition of Luxembourg under the Treaty of London
Macedonia			1991-09-08	After a referendum, the Socialist Republic of Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia	1944-08-02	Establishment of SR Macedonia
Malta			1964-09-21	Independence from United Kingdom
Moldova			1991-08-27	Independence from Soviet Union	1940-08-02	Moldavian SSR formed
Monaco			1861	Franco-Monegasque Treaty confirms Monaco's sovereignty (formerly a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia)
Montenegro			1878-07-13	Independence from Ottoman Empire recognized internationally by the Treaty of Berlin.	1943-11-25	Establishment of SR Montenegro
			2006-06-03	Declaration of independence from Serbia and Montenegro.
Netherlands	1648-05-15	Treaty of Münster signed, independence from Spain	1945-05-05	German occupying forces surrender.	1839-04-19	The United Kingdom of the Netherlands divided under the Treaty of London (1839).
Norway	872	King Harald I of Norway unifies the Petty kingdoms of Norway.	1814	Dissolution of the union between Norway and Denmark and establishment of the Constitution of Norway	1930-02-27	Jan Mayen was made part of the Kingdom of Norway.
			1905-06-07	Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden
			1945-05-08	German occupying forces surrender.
Poland	1989-06-04	The first partially free Parliament's vote after 45-year long Soviet domination	966	adoption of Christianity by the first historically documented Polish ruler Mieszko I.	1951-02-15	Polish-Soviet border adjustment treaty
			1025	formation of the Kingdom of Poland by Mieszko's son Bolesław I Chrobry.
Portugal	1974-04-25	Carnation Revolution ends the authoritarian Estado Novo	1139-07-26	County of Portugal becomes independent from the Kingdom of León after the Battle of Ourique as part of the Reconquista. Recognized by León in 1143 and by the Pope in 1179.	1801-06-06	Spain occupies the present day border town of Olivença since the War of the Oranges.
Romania	1989-12-22	Romanian Revolution of 1989	1877-05-21	Independence declared from the Ottoman Empire	1947-02-10	Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
			1878-07-13	International recognition by the Treaty of Berlin.
San Marino	1600	Constitution of San Marino	301-09-03	Traditional founding	1463	Added Fiorentino, Montegiardino, Serravalle, and Faetano
			1243	Formation of republican government
Serbia	2006-06-08	Republic of Serbia declared legal successor to Serbia and Montenegro, ending the process of the dissolution of Yugoslavia.	768	Serbian Principality	2008-02-17	Declared of independence of Kosovo from Serbia.
Slovakia			1993-01-01	Dissolution of Czechoslovakia, creating Slovakia and Czech Republic
Slovenia			1991-06-25	Declaration of independence from Yugoslavia
Spain	1978	Spanish Constitution of 1978	718	Kingdom of Asturias
			1479	Unification of the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon by the Catholic Monarchs.	1492-1512	Unification of the Kingdom of Granada and the Kingdom of Navarra by the Spanish Empire.
Sweden	1523-06-06	Gustav Vasa elected King of Sweden and marking a definite secession from the Kalmar Union.	1905-06-07	Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden	1809-03-29	Loss of Finland to Imperial Russia.
Switzerland	1848-11-12	Foundation of the federal state after Sonderbund war	1291	Traditional founding
			1815-08-07	Restoration of the Ancien Régime (federalism), reverting the changes imposed by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Ukraine			1991-08-24	Independence from Soviet Union declared	1954-02-19	Transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine
United Kingdom	1707-05-01	The Acts of Union united the two kingdoms of England (including Wales) and Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain	843	Kingdom of Scotland	1922-12-06 then 1922-12-08	Irish Free State secedes from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland by agreement in accordance with the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922
			927-12-07	Kingdom of England
			1171 then 1542	Lordship of Ireland Kingdom of Ireland
			1216	Principality of Wales
Vatican City	1274	Birth of current form of government the Papal conclave in 1274	1929-06-07	Ratification of the Lateran Treaty, making the Vatican City a sovereign State	1929-02-11	Signing of the Lateran Treaty

Oceania

Country	Date	Birth of current form of government	Date	Date of acquisition of sovereignty	Date	Date of most recent significant territorial modification
Australia	1901-01-01	Commonwealth of Australia established as a Dominion of the British Empire.	1942-10-09	Statute of Westminster was adopted by Australia	1975-09-16	Papua New Guinea becomes formally independent of Australia
			1986-03-03	Australia Act 1986 eliminated the remaining ties between the legislature and judiciary of Australia and their counterparts in the United Kingdom.
Fiji			1970-10-10	Independence from United Kingdom
Kiribati			1979-07-12	Independence from United Kingdom	1975-10-01	Separation of Gilbert Islands (later Kiribati) and Ellice Islands (later Tuvalu)
Marshall Islands	1979-05-01	Constitution and local government established	1986-10-21	Compact of Free Association with the United States
Federated States of Micronesia	1979-05-10	Constitution ratified	1986-11-03	Compact of Free Association with the United States	1979-05-10	Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae unite to form the Federated States of Micronesia
Nauru			1968-01-31	Independence from UN Trusteeship
New Zealand	1840-02-06	Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and the indigenous Māori tribes cedes kawanatanga of New Zealand to Queen Victoria.	De facto: from 1856-05-07	Formation of first responsible ministry in 1856.	1840-02-06	Treaty of Waitangi effectively unites the New Zealand archipelago as a single territory.The Kermadec Islands were incorporated in 1887.
			De jure: 1947-12-10	New Zealand Constitution Amendment Act 1947 receives royal assent.
Palau	1981-01-01	Republic of Palau created upon adoption of constitution	1994-10-01	Emerged from United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States).
Papua New Guinea			1973-12-01	Self-governing territory
			1975-09-16	Independence from Australia
Samoa			1962-06-01	Independence from New Zealand
Solomon Islands			1976-01-02	Self-government granted by United Kingdom
			1978-07-07	Independence from United Kingdom
Tonga			1970-07-04	Independence from United Kingdom	1845-12-04	Unification of what is now the islands of Tonga by George Tupou I of Tonga
Tuvalu	1975-10-01	Separation of Gilbert Islands (later Kiribati) and Ellice Islands (later Tuvalu)	1978-10-01	Independence from United Kingdom	1979-02-07	Treaty with United States recognizing Tuvaluan control over Funafuti, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, and Niulakita atolls
Vanuatu			1980-07-30	Independence from joint British-French condominium

Transcontinental states

Country	Date	Birth of current form of government	Date	Date of acquisition of sovereignty	Date	Date of most recent significant territorial modification
Armenia	1918-05-28	Establishment of the Republic of Armenia	1990-08-23	Independence from the Soviet Union declared	1936-12-05	Establishment of the Armenian SSR
	1991-09-21	Independence recognized by the Soviet Union
Azerbaijan	1918-05-28	Establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic	1991-10-18	Declaration of independence from the Soviet Union	1920-04-28	Establishment of the Azerbaijan SSR
Egypt	1952-07-23	Egyptian Revolution of 1952	1922-02-28	Unilateral recognition of independence by the United Kingdom but continued British military occupation	1982-04-25	Withdrawal of last Israeli troops and settlers from Sinai as agreed upon in the peace treaty with Israel
	1953-06-18	Republic proclaimed	1956-06-18	Withdrawal of last British troops from the Suez Canal Zone
			1961-09-28	De facto disestablishment of the United Arab Republic following a military coup in Damascus
Georgia	1918-05-26	Establishment of the Democratic Republic of Georgia	1991-04-09	Independence from the Soviet Union declared	1992-07-23	Abkhazia asserted its declared independence from the Soviet Union
					1991-11-28	South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia
Kazakhstan			1991-12-16	Independence declared from the Soviet Union	1936-12-05	Establishment of the Kazakh SSR
Russia	1990-06-12	Russian SFSR declares sovereignty over its own territory	862	Establishment of the Rus’ state at Novgorod by Rurik	1954-02-19	Transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine
			1480	Grand Duchy of Muscovy secures its independence from the Golden Horde
Turkey	1923-10-29	Turkey was declared as a republic.	1923-06-24	Treaty of Lausanne recognizes the new Turkish state as the successor state of the Ottoman Empire	1939-06-29	Syrian province of Iskanderun transferred by French Mandatory Government to Turkey. Annexed by Turkey as Hatay State

Sortable list

In this list, "date of last subordination" refers to the last date of control by an external government. In some cases this is the same as the date of independence marking decolonization or dissolution of a political union. In other cases, a sovereign state submitted to foreign military occupation or political subjugation for a period of time and later regained its independence.

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 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 843 unification through 1707 union with England (with a brief annexation by England 1657–1660). Some Scots view the 1707 union as a ceding of sovereignty to England.

Country	First acquisition of sovereignty	Date of last subordination	Previous governing power	Notes
Afghanistan	01709-04-01Apr 1709	01989-02-15Feb 15, 1989	Soviet Union	2001–present: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 1992-2001: Islamic State of Afghanistan (UN-supported occupation by United States in 2001) 1978-92: Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (occupied by Soviet Union 1979-89) 1973-78: Republic of Afghanistan 1926-29; 1929-73: Kingdom of Afghanistan 1823-1926; 1929: Emirate of Afghanistan (Treaty of Rawalpindi granted sovereignty from United Kingdom in 1919) 1747-1826: Durrani Empire 1736-1796: Part of Afsharid Empire. 1709-1736: Hotaki Empire 1526-1709: Part of Mughal Empire. 1370-1526: Part of Timurid Kingdom. 1256-1335: Part of Ilkhanate. 1294-1370: Part of Chagatai Khanate. 1219-1294 Part of Mongol Empire. 1077-1219: Part of Khwarazemid Empire 1037-1077: Part of the Great Seljuq Empire. 963-1187: Part of Ghaznavid Empire. 861-963: Part of Saffarid Emirate. 821-861: Part of various territories governed by the Tahirids. 750-821: Part of the Abbasid Caliphate. 661-750: Part of the Umayyad Caliphate. 632-661: Part of the Rashidun Caliphate. 224-632; Part of the Sassanid Empire. 227 BCE-224: Part of the Parthian Empire. 312 BCE-227 BCE: Part of the Seleucid Empire. 336 BCE-312 BCE: Part of the Macedonian Empire. 549 BCE-336 BCE: Part of the Achaemenid Empire. 678 BCE-545 BCE: Part of the Median Empire. Before 678 BCE various Indo-Iranian tribes and early Iranian city-states.
Albania	01912-11-28Nov 28, 1912	01944-11-01Nov 1944	Germany	1992–present: Republic of Albania 1944-92: People's Socialist Republic of Albania 1928-44: Albanian Kingdom (de facto protectorate of Italy 1928-1939; occupied by Italy 1939-43; occupied by Germany 1943-44) 1925-28: Albanian Republic (de facto protectorate of Italy) 1914-25: Principality of Albania (via Albanian Declaration of Independence) 1912-14: Provisional Government of Albania 1479-1912: Part of Ottoman Empire 1444-79: League of Lezhë 1190-1444: Various Albanian principalities Before 1190: Part of Byzantine Empire
Algeria	01962-07-03Jul 3, 1962	01962-07-03Jul 3, 1962	France	1962–present: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (via Évian Accords) 1830-1962: French Algeria (integral part of France) Before 1830: Eyalet of Algiers (part of the Ottoman Empire)
Andorra	01278-09-07Sep 7, 1278	01944-11-01Nov 1944	France	1278–present: Principality of Andorra (via Paréage of Andorra; occupied by France 1812-13, 1870, 1914, 1936, 1939, 1944)
Angola	01975-11-11Nov 11, 1975	01975-11-11Nov 11, 1975	Portugal	1992–present: Republic of Angola 1975-1992: People's Republic of Angola (via the Alvor Agreement) 1575-1975: Portuguese Angola (colony of Portugal)
Antigua and Barbuda	01981-11-01Nov 1, 1981	01981-11-01Nov 1, 1981	United Kingdom	1981–present: Antigua and Barbuda 1632-1981: Colony of England/Great Britain/United Kingdom (ruled by France in 1666) Before 1632: Inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Americas
Argentina	01810-05-25May 25, 1810	01816-07-09July 9, 1816	Spain	1861–present: Argentine Republic 1831-1861: Argentine Confederation 1810-1831: Part of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (via the May Revolution; on 9 July 1816, the Congress of Tucumán issued formal Declaration of Independence) 1776-1810: Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (colony of Spain) 1542–1824: Part of Viceroyalty of Peru (colony of Spain) 1528-1542: Part of Spanish colony Before 1528: Inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Americas, including the Inca Empire
Armenia	-9810-01-01190 BC	01991-09-23Sep 23, 1991	Soviet Union	1991–present: Republic of Armenia 1920-1991: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic 1918-1920: Democratic Republic of Armenia 1829-1918: Part of Russian empire Before 1829: Part of Ottoman Empire 190 BC-AD 428: First independent as Kingdom of Armenia
Australia	01942-10-09Oct 9, 1942	01942-10-09Oct 9, 1942	United Kingdom	1942–present: Commonwealth of Australia (via Statute of Westminster Adoption Act, 1942) 1901-1942: Commonwealth of Australia (Dominion of United Kingdom; via federation) 1788-1901: Part of British empire Before 1788: Inhabited by Indigenous Australians
Austria	01918-11-12Nov 12, 1918	01955-05-15May 15, 1955	World War II Allies	1955–present: Republic of Austria (via Austrian State Treaty) 1945-55: Allied-occupied Austria 1938-45: Occupied by Nazi Germany 1934-38: Federal State of Austria (client state of Italy) 1919-34: First Republic of Austria (via Treaty of Saint Germain) 1918-19: Republic of German-Austria (via Proclamation of Charles I) 1867-1918: Austria-Hungary (via Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867) 1804-67: Austrian Empire 1457-1804: Archduchy of Austria (state of the Holy Roman Empire) 1156-1457: Duchy of Austria (state of the Holy Roman Empire)
Azerbaijan	01991-08-30Aug 30, 1991	01991-08-30Aug 30, 1991	Soviet Union	1995–present: Republic of Azerbaijan (independence from Soviet Union declared 1991; constitution adopted 1995) 1920-1995: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic 1918-1920: Azerbaijan Democratic Republic Before 1918: Part of Russian Empire
Bahamas	01973-07-10July 10, 1973	01973-07-10July 10, 1973	United Kingdom	1973–present: Commonwealth of the Bahamas(Self-government gained from the United Kingdom in 1964; independence gained on 10 July 1973) 1718-1973:Part of the British West Indies 1492-1718: Part of the Spanish Empire 500to 800-1492: Inhabited by the Lucayans
Bahrain	01971-12-16Dec 16, 1971	01971-12-16Dec 16, 1971	Iran	1971–present Kingdom of Bahrain 1861-1971:Protectorate of the British Empire by way of the Perpetual Truce of Peace and Freedom (Independence from Iran) 1783-1861:Ruled by the Bani Utbah 1717-1783:Ruled by Oman after a successful invasion 1602-1717:Part of Persia under the Safavid dynasty 1521-1602: Part of the Portuguese Empire Mid-1400s-1521: Ruled by the Jabrid dynasty 1253-mid-1400s:Ruled by the usfurid dynasty 1076-1235:Ruled by the Uyunid dynasty 976-1076: Ruled as part of the Abbasid Caliphate 899-976: Ruled by the Qarmatians 3rd Century CE-899:Ruled by the Sassanids of Persia 130 BCE-3rd Century BCE: Ruled by the Parthians6th Century BCE-3rd Century BCE- Part of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenids
Bangladesh	01971-03-26Mar 26, 1971	01971-12-16Dec 16, 1971	Pakistan	1971–present: People's Republic of Bangladesh 1971:Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh 1955-1971:East Pakistan (Part of Pakistan) 1947-1955:East Bengal (Part of Pakistan 1858-1947: Part of the British Raj 1717-1880:Ruled by the Nawabs (Lost ruling power after the Battle of Plassey) 1576-1717:Part of the Mughal Empire 1556-1576:Ruled by the Karrani Dynasty 1540-1556:Ruled by the Sur dynasty 1538-1540:Part of the Mughal Empire 1494-1538:Ruled by the Hussain Shahi Dynasty} 1414-1494: Ruled by the Ganesha Dynasty 1342-1487:Shamsuddin lliyas Shah ruled an independent city-state within modern Bangladesh
Barbados	01966-11-30Nov 30, 1966	01966-11-30Nov 30, 1966	United Kingdom
Belarus	01990-07-27Jul 27, 1990	01991-08-25Aug 25, 1991	Soviet Union
Belgium	01830-10-04Oct 4, 1830	01945-01-011945	Germany	Part of Netherlands before 1830
Belize	01981-09-21Sep 21, 1981	01981-09-21Sep 21, 1981	United Kingdom
Benin	01960-08-01Aug 1, 1960	01960-08-01Aug 1, 1960	France
Bhutan	01634-01-011634	01634-01-011634(none)	(none)	Autonomous since at least the 10th century. Unified 1634, after the Battle of Five Lamas. Early history is sketchy, but may have been part of Kamarupa kingdom, and may have been occupied by Tibetan-Mongol forces ca. 10th century.
Bolivia	01825-08-06Aug 6, 1825	01825-08-06Aug 6, 1825	Spain	1836–39 as dominant partner in Peru–Bolivian Confederation, governed from Tacna, Peru.
Bosnia and Herzegovina	01377-01-011377	01992-03-03Mar 3, 1992	Yugoslavia	Subject to Kingdom of Hungary 1154-1377 as a Banate of Bosnia, then independent as Kingdom of Bosnia 1377–1463. Later under Ottoman Empire until 1908, Austria-Hungary until 1918, and Yugoslavia until 1992.
Botswana	01966-09-30Sep 30, 1966	01966-09-30Sep 30, 1966	United Kingdom
Brazil	01822-09-07Sep 7, 1822	01822-09-07Sep 7, 1822	Portugal
Brunei	01984-01-01Jan 1, 1984	01984-01-01Jan 1, 1984	United Kingdom	Previously occupied by Japan
Bulgaria	00681-01-01681	01908-09-22Sep 22, 1908	Ottoman Empire	Previously occupied by Byzantine Empire (1018–1185) and Ottoman Empire (1393–1878)
Burkina Faso	01960-08-05Aug 5, 1960	01960-08-05Aug 5, 1960	France
Burundi	01962-07-01July 1, 1962	01962-07-01July 1, 1962	Belgium
Cambodia	00802-01-01802	01989-09-26Sep 26, 1989	Vietnam	Khmer Empire founded 802 according to Sdok Kok Thom Inscription
Cameroon	01960-01-01Jan 1, 1960	01961-10-01Oct 1, 1961	United Kingdom	French Cameroons gained independence in 1960; added British Southern Cameroons in 1961.
Canada	01931-12-11Dec 11, 1931	01931-12-11Dec 11, 1931	United Kingdom	Dominion status 1867, Statute of Westminster 1931.
Cape Verde	01975-07-05July 5, 1975	01975-07-05July 5, 1975	Portugal
Central African Republic	01960-08-13Aug 13, 1960	01960-08-13Aug 13, 1960	France
Chad	01960-08-11Aug 11, 1960	01960-08-11Aug 11, 1960	France
Chile	01810-09-18Sep 18, 1810	01818-02-12Feb 12, 1818	Spain
China, People's Republic of	-9779-01-01221 BC	01912-02-12Feb 12, 1912	Qing Empire	Unified 221 BC under Qin Dynasty. Previously part of the Mongol Empire under the Yuan Dynasty from 1279 Battle of Yamen until 1368. Partial occupation by Japan, 1937–1945. Note: Although the Mongol's Yuan Dynasty and the Manchu's Qing Dynasty were considered foreign by the Han Chinese in their times, current Chinese official position considers these two dynasties as Chinese, as they were established by Chinese ethnic minorities and had their capitals in present-day Beijing. The PRC government considers itself the successor of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.
Colombia	01810-07-20Jul 20, 1810	01819-08-07Aug 7, 1819	Spain	Battle of Boyacá 1819
Comoros	01975-07-06Jul 6, 1975	01975-07-06Jul 6, 1975	France
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	01885-01-011885	01960-06-30Jun 30, 1960	Belgium	1885 Berlin Conference established Congo Free State as sovereign entity (private domain of King Leopold of Belgium); annexed to Belgium 1908–1960.
Congo, Republic of the	01960-08-15Aug 15, 1960	01960-08-15Aug 15, 1960	France
Costa Rica	01821-09-15Sep 15, 1821	01838-01-011838	Federal Republic of Central America	Previously part of Mexico 1822–23 and a colony of Spain before 1821.
Côte d'Ivoire	01960-08-07Aug 7, 1960	01960-08-07Aug 7, 1960	France
Croatia	00879-05-21May 21, 879	01991-10-08Oct 8, 1991	Yugoslavia	Croats came to Roman Dalmatia as free people from White Croatia in the early 7th century.
Cuba	01902-05-20May 20, 1902	01902-05-20May 20, 1902	United States	A colony of Spain until 1898, then occupied but not annexed by United States 1899–1902.
Cyprus	01960-08-16Aug 16, 1960	01960-08-16Aug 16, 1960	United Kingdom
Czech Republic	00935-01-01935	01968-09-20Sep 20, 1968	Warsaw Pact	Unified under Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, who acceded to the throne in 935. Later part of Austria-Hungary until 1918 independence as Czechoslovakia. Occupied by Germany in 1938, by WWII Allies in 1945, and by Warsaw Pact armies in 1968.
Denmark	00980-01-01980	01945-05-05May 5, 1945	Germany	Unified ca 980 by Harald Bluetooth.
Djibouti	01977-06-27Jun 27, 1977	01977-06-27Jun 27, 1977	France
Dominica	01978-11-03Nov 3, 1978	01978-11-03Nov 3, 1978	United Kingdom
Dominican Republic	01821-01-011821	01924-07-13July 13, 1924	United States	Previously occupied by Spain, France, and Haiti
Ecuador	01822-05-24May 24, 1822	01830-05-13May 13, 1830	Gran Colombia	Previously a colony of Spain
Egypt	-6900-01-013100 BC	01922-02-28Feb 28, 1922	United Kingdom	Unified in 3100 BC by Pharaoh Menes or probably Narmer, founder of the First Dynasty. Conquered at various times by Achaemenid, Macedonian, Roman, Arab/Islamic, Ottoman, and Napoleonic Empires.
El Salvador	01821-09-15Sep 15, 1821	01898-11-21Nov 21, 1898	Greater Republic of Central America	Previously a part of the Federal Republic of Central America 1823–38, Mexico 1822–23, and a colony of Spain before 1821.
Equatorial Guinea	01968-10-12Oct 12, 1968	01968-10-12Oct 12, 1968	Spain
Eritrea	01137-01-011137	01993-05-24May 24, 1993	Ethiopia	Independent 1137-1889 as Medri Bahri kingdom. Occupied 1889 by Italy, 1941 by Britain. Ruled 1952-1993 by Ethiopia.
Estonia	01918-02-24Feb 24, 1918	01991-08-20Aug 20, 1991	Soviet Union	Previously ruled by Sweden and occupied by Denmark, Poland, Russia, and Germany.
Ethiopia	00050-01-0150	01944-12-01Dec 1944	United Kingdom	Aksumite Empire founded ca 50. Occupied 1936–1941 by Italy, then administered by UK until 1944 Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement.
Fiji	01970-10-10Oct 10, 1970	01970-10-10Oct 10, 1970	United Kingdom
Finland	01917-12-06Dec 6, 1917	01918-01-04Jan 4, 1918	Russian Empire	Previously ruled by Sweden.
France	00843-01-01843	01945-01-011945	Germany	843 Treaty of Verdun established West Francia.
Gabon	01960-08-17Aug 17, 1960	01960-08-17Aug 17, 1960	France
Gambia	01965-02-18Feb 18, 1965	01965-02-18Feb 18, 1965	United Kingdom
Georgia	01001-01-011001	01991-04-08Apr 8, 1991	Soviet Union
Germany	01871-01-18Jan 18, 1871	01991-03-15March 15, 1991	World War II Allies	Unified in 1871. Occupied 1945–1955 until ratification of Bonn–Paris conventions. Become fully sovereign on 15 March 1991 after the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany came into effect.
Ghana	01957-03-06Mar 6, 1957	01957-03-06Mar 6, 1957	United Kingdom
Greece	01822-01-011822	01944-01-011944	Germany	Previously occupied jointly by Italy, Germany and Bulgaria; before 1821 by Ottoman Empire.
Grenada	01974-02-07Feb 7, 1974	01974-02-07Feb 7, 1974	United Kingdom
Guatemala	01821-09-15Sep 15, 1821	01838-01-011838	Federal Republic of Central America	Previously part of Mexico 1822–23 and a colony of Spain before 1821.
Guinea	01958-10-02Oct 2, 1958	01958-10-02Oct 2, 1958	France
Guinea-Bissau	01973-09-24Sep 24, 1973	01974-09-10Sep 10, 1974	Portugal
Guyana	01966-05-26May 26, 1966	01966-05-26May 26, 1966	United Kingdom	Previously colonized by Dutch
Haiti	01804-01-01Jan 1, 1804	01934-08-01Aug 1, 1934	United States	Previously a colony of France.
Honduras	01821-09-15Sep 15, 1821	01925-01-011925	United States	Occupied several times by United States. Previously a part of the Greater Republic of Central America 1896–98, the Federal Republic of Central America 1823–38, Mexico 1822–23 and a colony of Spain before 1821.
Hungary	00895-01-01895	01956-01-011956	Soviet Union	Principality of Hungary founded 895. Ruled by Austria 1526/1699-1867, part of Austria-Hungary 1867-1918.
Iceland	00930-01-01930	01946-01-011946	Denmark	Icelandic Commonwealth formed 930. Ceded to Norway 1262; ruled by Danish monarchs 1380-1944 (de facto to 1940). Regained home rule in 1918 as Kingdom of Iceland, fully independent Republic of Iceland founded 1944.
India	-9678-01-01322 BC	01947-08-15Aug 15, 1947	United Kingdom	India gets its name Bhārat Gaṇarājya from Bharata who was the first emperor to unite whole of Indian subcontinent. Indian Empire by Chandragupta Maurya founder of Maurya Empire 322 BC, then Gupta Empire 320 AD, then Mughal Empire in 1527, then British Raj from 1857 until Independence.
Indonesia	01945-08-17Aug 17, 1945	01949-12-27Dec 27, 1949	Netherlands	1949-present: Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) 1945-1949: Indonesian Struggle for Independence 1942-1945: Part of Japan in World War II 1816-1942: Part of Dutch East Indies 1812-1816: Part of British India (following Dutch-French defeat in the Napoleonic War) 1802-1812: Part of Batavian Republic (Client State of the Napoleon French) 1619-1802: Under Administration of VOC 15th-17th Century: Various Islamic Kingdoms, most notably Mataram, Demak, and Banten in Java; Malaka, Johor-Riau, Minang and Aceh in Sumatra; Brunei and Banjarmasin in Kalimantan, Makassar in Sulawesi, and Ternate and Tidore in Moluccas 1292-1478: Majapahit Empire , united Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and parts of Philippines under the reign of Hayam Wuruk 4th Century-13th Century: Various Hindu-Buddhist Kingdoms, most notably Srivijaya in 8th-10th Century AD 4th Century: First Hindu Kingdom of Kutai in Kalimantan 2nd Century: Alleged Indian Kingdom of Salakanagara in Java
Iran	-6800-01-013200 BC	01946-05-01May 1946	World War II Allies	1980–present: Part of Islamic Republic 1979–1980: Part of Interim Government 1925–1979: Part of Pahlavi Dynasty 1796–1925: Part of Qajar Empire 1747–1796: Part of Afsharid Dynasty (1760–1794): Part of Zand Dynasty 1736–1747: Part of Afsharid Empire (1722–1729): Part of Hotaki Dynasty 1501–1736: Part of Safavid Empire 1468–1508: Part of Agh Qoyunlu 1405–1507: Part of Timurid Dynasty 1406–1468: Part of Qara Qoyunlu 1370–1405: Part of Timurid Empire 1337–1376: Part of Sarbadars 1336–1432: Part of Jalayirid Dynasty 1335–1393: Part of Muzaffarid Dynasty 1335–1357: Part of Chobanid Dynasty 1256–1335: Part of Ilkhanate Empire 1077–1231: Part of Khwarazmian Empire 1037–1194: Part of Great Seljuq Empire 963–1186: Part of Ghaznavid Empire 875–999: Part of Samanid Dynasty 934–1055: Part of Buyid Dynasty 867–1002: Part of Saffarid Dynasty 928–1043: Part of Ziyarid Dynasty 750–1258: Part of Abbasid Caliphate 661–750: Part of Umayyad Caliphate (642–759/760): Part of Dabuyid dynasty 224–651: Part of Sassanid Empire 247 BCE – 224 CE: Part of Parthian Empire 312–63 BCE: Part of Seleucid Empire 550–330 BCE: Part of Achaemenid Empire (652–625 BCE): Part of Scythian Kingdom 678–550 BCE: Part of Median Empire 850–616 BCE: Part of Mannaeans 2700–539 BCE: Part of Elam 3200–2700 BCE: Part of Proto-Elamite
Iraq	01932-10-03Oct 3, 1932	02004-06-28Jun 28, 2004	United States	founded in 4000 BC by Sumer Civilization (the first Civilization on the world), and then unified under Sargon of Akkad the founder of Akkadian Empire,but Iraq was part of Persian Empire(Iran), and Ottoman Empire(until 1922). see History of Iraq. Occupied by United States 2003–2004
Ireland	01919-01-21Jan 21, 1919	01931-12-11Dec 11, 1931	United Kingdom	Independence declared 1919, Dominion status 1922, Statute of Westminster 1931, declared a republic 1948.
Israel	-8980-01-011020 BC	01948-05-14May 14, 1948	United Kingdom	Kingdom of Israel unified under King Saul, c. 1020 BC, divided into separate kingdoms of Israel and Judea, which fall to Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires in 722 and 586 BC, respectively. In 2nd century BC, Judea re-gains independence as Hasmonean kingdom after revolt against the Hellenist Seleucid Empire. Conquered by Pompey of the Roman Empire in 63 BC, and subsequently falls to Byzantine, Umayyad, Abbasid, Crusader, Mamluk, Ottoman Turkish, and British rule, before regaining independence as the State of Israel in 1948.
Italy	01861-03-17Mar 17, 1861	01945-04-25Apr 25, 1945	World War II Allies	Unified in 1861.
Jamaica	01962-08-06Aug 6, 1962	01962-08-06Aug 6, 1962	United Kingdom	Previously a Spanish colony
Japan	00400-01-01400	01952-04-28April 28, 1952	World War II Allies	Founded 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu according to legend. Unified state emerged during the Kofun period c. 400 AD. 1952 Treaty of San Francisco ended postwar occupation.
Jordan	01946-05-25May 25, 1946	01958-08-02Aug 2, 1958	Arab Federation	Part of Arab Federation Feb–Aug 1958 governed from Baghdad, Iraq. Previously ruled by Persian, Roman, Islamic, and Ottoman Empires; UK, etc.
Kazakhstan	01991-12-16Dec 16, 1991	01991-12-16Dec 16, 1991	Soviet Union
Kenya	01963-12-12Dec 12, 1963	01963-12-12Dec 12, 1963	United Kingdom
Kiribati	01979-07-12Jul 12, 1979	01979-07-12Jul 12, 1979	United Kingdom
Kuwait	01961-06-19Jun 19, 1961	01991-02-01Feb 1991	Iraq	Previously ruled by Ottoman Empire and UK.
Kyrgyzstan	01991-08-31Aug 31, 1991	01991-08-31Aug 31, 1991	Soviet Union
Laos	01354-01-011354	01953-11-09Nov 9, 1953	France	Occupied by Japan during World War II
Latvia	01918-11-18Nov 18, 1918	01990-05-04May 4, 1990	Soviet Union	Previously ruled by Lithuania, Sweden, and Russia
Lebanon	01943-11-08Nov 8, 1943	01946-12-31Dec 31, 1946	France	Previously ruled by Ottoman Empire
Lesotho	01822-01-011822	01966-10-04Oct 4, 1966	United Kingdom
Liberia	01847-07-26Jul 26, 1847	01847-07-26Jul 26, 1847	American Colonization Society	Settled but not claimed by United States
Libya	01951-12-24Dec 24, 1951	01951-12-24Dec 24, 1951	United Kingdom and France	Previously occupied by Italy and by Ottoman Empire
Liechtenstein	01806-07-12Jul 12, 1806	01866-08-24Aug 24, 1866	German Confederation	Previously subject to the Confederation of the Rhine. Formed 1719 from Vaduz and Schellenberg, but under the Holy Roman Empire.
Lithuania	01253-01-011253	01990-03-11Mar 11, 1990	Soviet Union	Kingdom of Lithuania; Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
Luxembourg	01815-01-011815	01945-01-011945	Germany	Independent from France 1815 but in personal union with Netherlands until 1890
Macedonia	01991-09-08Sep 8, 1991	01991-09-08Sep 8, 1991	Yugoslavia
Madagascar	01787-01-011787	01960-06-26Jun 26, 1960	France
Malawi	01964-07-06Jul 6, 1964	01964-07-06Jul 6, 1964	United Kingdom
Malaysia	01957-08-31Aug 31, 1957	01957-08-31Aug 31, 1957	United Kingdom	The Federation of Malaya gained independence in 1957; in 1963 it added territories of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, and changed its name to Malaysia. Singapore became independent in 1965.
Maldives	01140-01-011140	01965-07-26Jul 26, 1965	United Kingdom	Unified according to legend by King Koimala (1117–1141). Independent sultanate until 1887, when it became a British protectorate.
Mali	01230-01-011230	01960-09-22Sep 22, 1960	Mali Federation	Mali Empire ca. 1230. A colony of France 1890–1960, then part of Mali Federation governed from Dakar, Senegal.
Malta	01964-09-21Sep 21, 1964	01964-09-21Sep 21, 1964	United Kingdom
Marshall Islands	01986-10-21Oct 21, 1986	01986-10-21Oct 21, 1986	United States	Compact of Free Association
Mauritania	01960-11-28Nov 28, 1960	01960-11-28Nov 28, 1960	France
Mauritius	01968-03-12Mar 12, 1968	01968-03-12Mar 12, 1968	United Kingdom	Previously controlled by the Netherlands and France.
Mexico	01810-09-16Sep 16, 1810	01863-01-011863	France	Parts of northern Mexico continued under control of Benito Juárez. Previously a colony of Spain
Micronesia, Federated States of	01986-11-03Nov 3, 1986	01986-11-03Nov 3, 1986	United States	Compact of Free Association
Moldova	01991-08-27Aug 27, 1991	01991-08-27Aug 27, 1991	Soviet Union
Monaco	01297-01-011297	01945-01-011945	Germany	Previously occupied by Italy and France. Subject to Sardinia 1815–1861.
Mongolia	01206-01-011206	01921-03-13Mar 13, 1921	China	Mongol Empire formed 1206; occupied by China during Qing Dynasty (1635–1911) and Republic of China (1919–1921)
Montenegro	01042-01-011042	02006-05-21May 21, 2006	Serbia and Montenegro	Duklja established statehood 826-830 by archont Petar but gained its full independence from the Byzantine Empire in 1042. 1042-1186 : Vojislavljević's dynasty. 1360-1421 : Balšić's dynasty. 1427-1496 : Crnojević's dynasty. 1696-1916 : Petrović's dynasty. Independent from Ottoman Empire in 1799, formally 1878, union with Serbia/Yugoslavia 1918–2006. Occupied by Ottoman Empire 1496-1799(1878),Austria-Hungary 1916-1918, Italy 1941-1943, and Germany 1943-1945.
Morocco	00789-02-05February 5, 789	01956-04-07Apr 7, 1956	France/Spain	00789-02-05February 5, 789 : Induction of Idris I 789-974 : Idrisid dynasty 974-1060 : Disputed between the Fatimid Caliphate and the Caliphate of Córdoba, divided into several Zenata principalities 1061-1147 : Almoravid dynasty 1147-1244 : Almohad dynasty 1244-1465 : Marinid dynasty 1465-1472 : Idrisid dynasty, Joutey branch 1472-1554 : Wattasid dynasty 1554-1659 : Saadi dynasty 1664–present : Alaouite dynasty Under French and Spanish protectorate (1912–1956).
Mozambique	01975-06-25Jun 25, 1975	01975-06-25Jun 25, 1975	Portugal	Portuguese colony from 1498
Myanmar	00849-01-01849	01948-01-04Jan 4, 1948	United Kingdom	Pagan Kingdom founded 849. Occupied by Japan 1942–1945
Namibia	01990-03-21Mar 21, 1990	01990-03-21Mar 21, 1990	South Africa	German colony from 1884; governed by South Africa 1915-1990
Nauru	01968-01-31Jan 31, 1968	01968-01-31Jan 31, 1968	Australia/ New Zealand/ United Kingdom	Previously occupied by Germany 1888, Australia 1914, Japan 1942-45
Nepal	01768-01-011768	01768-01-011768 (none)	(none)	Autonomous throughout its recorded history, and certainly since its 1768 unification. The ancient Maurya Empire occupied southern Nepal, but not the core Kathmandu valley.[citation needed]
Netherlands	01581-07-26Jul 26, 1581	01945-01-011945	Germany	Independent from Spain in 1581; occupied by France under Napoleon.
New Zealand	01947-11-25Nov 25, 1947	01947-11-25Nov 25, 1947	United Kingdom	Dominion status 1907, Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947.
Nicaragua	01821-09-15Sep 15, 1821	01933-01-01Jan 1933	United States	Previously a part of the Greater Republic of Central America 1896–98, the Federal Republic of Central America 1823–38, Mexico 1822–23, and a colony of Spain before 1821.
Niger	01960-08-03Aug 3, 1960	01960-08-03Aug 3, 1960	France
Nigeria	01960-10-01Oct 1, 1960	01960-10-01Oct 1, 1960	United Kingdom
North Korea	-7667-01-012333 BC	01948-09-09Sep 9, 1948	Soviet Union	Gojoseon established in 24th century BC according to legend. Modern state established 1948 after Soviet occupation since 1945. Previously occupied by Japan (1910–1945).
Norway	00872-01-01872	01945-05-09May 9, 1945	Germany	Unified ca 872 at Battle of Hafrsfjord. For a long time in unions with Denmark and with Sweden (until 1905). Occupied by Germany 1940–45.
Oman	00751-01-01751	01743-01-011743	Persia	Previously occupied by Great Seljuq Empire, Ottoman Empire, Portugal (1508–1650), etc.
Pakistan	01947-08-14Aug 14, 1947	01956-03-23Mar 23, 1956	United Kingdom	Previously a colony of the British Empire.
Palau	01994-10-01Oct 1, 1994	01994-10-01Oct 1, 1994	United States	Previously ruled by Spain, Germany, Japan.
Panama	01903-11-03Nov 3, 1903	01990-01-12Jan 12, 1990	United States	A colony of Spain until 1821, then a dependency of Colombia until 1903. Occupied by United States 1989–90.
Papua New Guinea	01975-09-16Sep 16, 1975	01975-09-16Sep 16, 1975	Australia
Paraguay	01811-05-14May 14, 1811	01876-01-011876	Brazil	Occupied 1870–1876 by Brazil, in Triple Alliance with Argentina and Uruguay. Colony of Spain before 1811.
Peru	01821-07-28July 28, 1821	01839-08-25Aug 25, 1839	Peru–Bolivian Confederation	Independent from Spain 1821; part of Peru–Bolivian Confederation 1836-39.
Philippines	01946-07-04July 4, 1946	01946-07-04July 4, 1946	United States	Spanish colony 1565–1898; insurgents declared independence from Spain in 1898; sovereignty passed from Spain to the U.S. in 1898; insurgent Philippine Republic waged an unsuccessful war of independence against the U.S. 1899–1902; accepted U.S. sovereignty April 19, 1901; occupied by Japan 1942–1944.
Poland	00960-01-01960	01945-01-011945	Soviet Union	Unified ca 960 by Mieszko I. Partitioned several times between Germany and the USSR.
Portugal	01139-07-25July 25, 1139	01808-01-011808	France	Convention of Sintra ended French occupation of Lisbon. Independent from Kingdom of León in 1139.
Qatar	01971-09-03Sep 3, 1971	01971-09-03Sep 3, 1971	United Kingdom
Romania	01878-07-13Jul 13, 1878	01958-08-01Aug 1958	Soviet Union	Occupied by the USSR 1944–1958.
Russia	00860-01-01860	01480-10-08Oct 8, 1480	Golden Horde	Rurik Dynasty founded ca 860. Great stand on the Ugra river in 1480 marked end of Mongol/Tatar rule.
Rwanda	01962-07-01July 1, 1962	01962-07-01July 1, 1962	Belgium
Saint Kitts and Nevis	01983-09-19Sep 19, 1983	01983-09-19Sep 19, 1983	United Kingdom
Saint Lucia	01979-02-22Feb 22, 1979	01979-02-22Feb 22, 1979	United Kingdom
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	01979-10-27Oct 27, 1979	01979-10-27Oct 27, 1979	United Kingdom
Samoa	01962-01-01Jan 1, 1962	01962-01-01Jan 1, 1962	New Zealand	German colony 1900 to 1914; occupied by New Zealand 1914; Trust Territory first of the League of Nations, then of the United Nations and administered by New Zealand, 1920 to 1962.
San Marino	00301-01-01301	01945-01-011945	World War II Allies	Previously occupied by Roman Empire, and briefly by Rimini (1503), and Papal States (1739).
São Tomé and Príncipe	01975-07-12Jul 12, 1975	01975-07-12Jul 12, 1975	Portugal
Saudi Arabia	01744-01-011744	01919-01-01Jan 1919	Ottoman Empire	First Saudi State independent 1744–1818; last Ottoman troops evicted from Medina by Kingdom of Hejaz 1919; Hejaz incorporated 1926 into Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, precursor to Saudi Arabia
Senegal	01960-06-20Jun 20, 1960	01960-06-20Jun 20, 1960	France	Independent first as Mali Federation with capital in Dakar. Previously part of Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires.
Serbia	00768-01-01768	01945-01-011945	Germany	Serbian Sklavinia(520s-768) Principality of Serbia (768-1217) Kingdom of Serbia (1217–1346) Serbian Empire (1346–1371) Moravian Serbia (1371–1402) Serbian Despotate (1402–1540) Kingdom of Serbia (1718–1739) 1718–1739 and 1788-1791 Principality of Serbia (1817–1882) Kingdom of Serbia (1882–1918) Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918–1929) Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1943) Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (1943–1946) Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1946–1992) Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992–2003) State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006) Republic of Serbia (2006–present)
Seychelles	01976-06-29Jun 29, 1976	01976-06-29Jun 29, 1976	United Kingdom	Perhaps sovereign 1790–1794
Sierra Leone	01961-04-27Apr 27, 1961	01961-04-27Apr 27, 1961	United Kingdom
Singapore	01963-08-31Aug 31, 1963	01965-08-09Aug 9, 1965	Malaysia	British colony 1824–1963; occupied by Japan 1942–1945; declared independence, then merged with Malaysia from 1963 until 1965.
Slovakia	01993-01-01Jan 1, 1993	01993-01-01Jan 1, 1993	Czechoslovakia
Slovenia	01991-06-25Jun 25, 1991	01991-06-25Jun 25, 1991	Yugoslavia
Solomon Islands	01978-07-07Jul 7, 1978	01978-07-07Jul 7, 1978	United Kingdom
Somalia	01960-07-01Jul 1, 1960	01960-07-01Jul 1, 1960	United Kingdom and Italy	Union of British Somaliland and Trust Territory of Somalia
South Africa	01931-12-11Dec 11, 1931	01931-12-11Dec 11, 1931	United Kingdom	Dominion status 1910, Statute of Westminster 1931.
South Korea	-9700-01-01300 BC	01948-08-15Aug 15, 1948	United States	Jin state established in 3rd century BC. Modern state established 1948 after US Army Military Government since 1945. Previously occupied by Japan (1910–1945).
South Sudan	02011-07-09Jul 9, 2011	02011-07-09Jul 9, 2011	Sudan
Spain	01479-01-011479	01814-01-011814	France	Union of Kingdom of Castile and Kingdom of Aragon in 1479. Previously occupied by Roman Empire, etc.
Sri Lanka	-9623-01-01377 BC	01948-02-04Feb 4, 1948	United Kingdom	Unified as Anuradhapura Kingdom 377 BC – 1017. Conquered by Indian kingdoms, Portuguese, Dutch, and British.
Sudan	-8930-01-011070 BC	01956-01-01Jan 1, 1956	United Kingdom and Egypt	Kingdom of Kush 1070 BC – 350 AD. Later ruled by the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and then as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 1899–1956.
Suriname	01975-11-25Nov 25, 1975	01975-11-25Nov 25, 1975	Netherlands
Swaziland	01968-09-06Sep 6, 1968	01968-09-06Sep 6, 1968	United Kingdom
Sweden	unknown	01523-06-06Jun 6, 1523	Denmark	No exact date for consolidation of Sweden. In Kalmar Union 1397–1523.
Switzerland	01291-01-011291	01815-01-011815	Austria	Old Swiss Confederacy formed 1291. Occupied by France 1798, then Austria 1813. 1815 Congress of Vienna restored independence.
Syria	01946-04-17Apr 17, 1946	01961-09-28Sep 28, 1961	United Arab Republic
Tajikistan	01991-09-09Sep 9, 1991	01991-09-09Sep 9, 1991	Soviet Union
Tanzania	01961-12-09Dec 9, 1961	01961-12-09Dec 9, 1961	United Kingdom	Independent in 1961 as Tanganyika, added Zanzibar in 1963.
Thailand	01238-01-011238	01945-01-011945	Japan	Independent from Khmer Empire in 1238. Previously conquered by Burma until 1768. Occupied by Japan 1941–1945.
Timor-Leste	01975-11-28Nov 28, 1975	02002-05-20May 20, 2002	United Nations	Ruled by Portugal 1515–1975, occupied by Indonesia 1975–1999, administered by U.N. 1999–2002.
Togo	01960-04-27Apr 27, 1960	01960-04-27Apr 27, 1960	France
Tonga	01845-01-011845	01970-06-04Jun 4, 1970	United Kingdom	United 1845 by George Tupou I. British protectorate 1900–1970.
Trinidad and Tobago	01962-08-31Aug 31, 1962	01962-08-31Aug 31, 1962	United Kingdom
Tunisia	01956-03-20Mar 20, 1956	01956-03-20Mar 20, 1956	France	Occupations by Rome, Ottoman Empire and France
Turkey	01037-01-011037	01243-06-26June 26, 1243	Mongol Empire	Seljuq Empire founded 1037; conquered at 1243 Battle of Köse Dağ
Turkmenistan	01991-10-27Oct 27, 1991	01991-10-27Oct 27, 1991	Soviet Union
Tuvalu	01978-10-01Oct 1, 1978	01978-10-01Oct 1, 1978	United Kingdom
Uganda	01962-10-09Oct 9, 1962	01962-10-09Oct 9, 1962	United Kingdom
Ukraine	01918-01-22Jan 22, 1918	01991-08-24Aug 24, 1991	Soviet Union
United Arab Emirates	01971-12-02Dec 2, 1971	01971-12-02Dec 2, 1971	United Kingdom
United Kingdom	01707-05-01May 1, 1707	01707-05-01May 1, 1707	(none)	Kingdom of Scotland unified 843; Kingdom of England unified 927. Tender of Union 1657–1660, Acts of Union 1707, adding Kingdom of Ireland in 1801 (only Northern Ireland from 1922). Partial occupations by Normans, Vikings, Romans.
United States of America	01776-07-04Jul 4, 1776	01781-10-19Oct 19, 1781	United Kingdom	Independence declared 1776; British surrender 1781; U.S. recognized by Treaty of Paris 1783.
Uruguay	01815-01-011815	01828-08-27Aug 27, 1828	Brazil	Independent 1815–1820 as Liga Federal; occupied 1820 by Portugal/Brazil until 1828 Treaty of Montevideo.
Uzbekistan	01991-09-01Sep 1, 1991	01991-09-01Sep 1, 1991	Soviet Union
Vanuatu	01980-07-30July 30, 1980	01980-07-30July 30, 1980	United Kingdom and France	Governed 1906–1980 as the New Hebrides condominium.
Vatican City	00756-01-01756	01929-02-11Feb 11, 1929	Italy	Independent as Papal States 756–1870; part of Italy until 1929 Lateran Treaty
Venezuela	01811-07-05Jul 5, 1811	01830-01-13Jan 13, 1830	Gran Colombia	Previously a colony of Spain
Vietnam	-7121-01-012879 BC	01954-01-011954	France	Văn Lang confederacy arose 2879 BC under Kinh Dương Vương, founder of the Hồng Bàng Dynasty. Several periods of Chinese domination. French occupation from 1887 until Geneva Conference (1954), interrupted by Japanese occupation (1940–1945). While not an occupation, the United States gave military support to the South Vietnam government until the 1973 Paris Peace Accords.
Yemen	01918-11-01Nov 1, 1918	01967-11-30Nov 30, 1967	United Kingdom	North Yemen independent from Ottoman Empire 1918; South Yemen from UK in 1967; unified 1990
Zambia	01964-10-24Oct 24, 1964	01964-10-24Oct 24, 1964	United Kingdom
Zimbabwe	01965-11-11Nov 11, 1965	01980-04-18Apr 18, 1980	United Kingdom	The British colony of Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared Independence as Rhodesia 1965; known as Zimbabwe Rhodesia in 1979; unrecognised until 1980.
Country	First acquisition of sovereignty	Date of last subordination	Previous governing power	Notes

See also

• Declaration of independence
• List of active autonomist and secessionist movements
• List of countries by Independence Day
• List of former European colonies
• List of former national capitals
• List of sovereign states
• Timeline of country and capital changes
• List of national constitutions
• Succession of states