A country is an entity of people with common patriotic values, having a governing council to command their leadership.
Due to colonization, and the impact of a nation on a group of patriots, countries were birthed out of war, the struggle for dominance, the dissolution of a larger parent state in some cases, and other means.
Bringing historical knowledge to recent times, these are some of the world’s newest countries.
- The Czech Republic and Slovakia – 1993
Czechoslovakia was formed after World War I, and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Czechoslovakia was under communist rule until the Velvet Revolution in 1989.
It was followed in 1993 by the equally Peaceful Velvet Divorce when the Czech Republic and Slovakia became separate countries.
- Eritrea – 1993
Eritrea was an African member of Italy’s Colonial Empire until 1941. The area was in a precarious position within the borders of Ethiopia. Ethiopia annexed Eritrea in 1961, causing a bloody war that lasted until 1991 when the Eritrean rebels finally claimed victory.
Two years later, Eritrea voted for its independence and officially became an autonomous country in 1993.
- Timor-Leste – 2002
Timor-Leste is then known as “East Timor”, was under Portuguese control from the 16th century until 1975, when it finally declared its independence. However, Indonesia claimed the territory and disrupted their independent movements.
East Timor was allowed to vote for its independence in 1999, and the majority of its citizens chose sovereignty. East Timor became its nation in 2002 and is now officially called ” Timor-Leste”.
- Kosovo – 2008
Kosovo was acquired by Serbia in 1912, after the First Balkan War, and revoked its autonomous status in 1990 to impose Serbian administration.
This led Kosovar Albanians to strive for independence in 1991. Kosovo officially became a country in 2008 through Serbia.
- South Sudan – 2011
South Sudan gained its freedom twice. The first time was in 1956 when it gained full control from England and Egypt, which had controlled it.
This independence was aborted when the new country’s Muslim North clashed with Christians in the South. Southern Sudan’s autonomous regime was formed in 1972, and in 2011, 98% of South Sudanese voted for an independent nation.
Nwachineke Onyeke Chekwube reporting, Obinwannem news writer/ October 28, 2021.
