23 Countries That No Longer Exist part 1 of 2

This week is part 1 of a 2-part blog about countries that no longer exist.

There are 195 countries in the world today, but this number has changed over the centuries. Borders have rarely remained static. New countries have formed and others ceased to exist.

Many nations were created as a result of a group of people with a common culture and language. Other countries were formed simply because of geography. Some were created following mass migrations, and others were established after the breakup of larger empires or countries into smaller states, and some following wars and treaties.

Depending on how you choose to count them, there could be as many as 207 countries. There are 193 UN members and 2 non-member observer states (the Holy See which governs Vatican City and the State of Palestine). In addition, there are six states with partial recognition such as Taiwan and Kosovo, and several more self-declared countries.

The world's newest country is South Sudan, which declared its independence from Sudan in 2011 following a bloody civil war. The smallest country on Earth is the Holy See, which has a landmass of 0.2 square miles within Rome, Italy. The oldest country is the Republic of San Marino, founded in 301 B.C., was not recognized as an independent country until 1631 and is also surrounded by Italy. Those tiny countries have managed to survive nearly 2,000 years of political upheaval in Europe that included some of the world’s longest wars.

1. Austria-Hungary

Created by the union of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in 1867, Austria-Hungary was a quintessential multilingual empire, blending of 11 different ethnic groups, that lasted until 1918 as World War I ended. Rising nationalist fervor among ethnic groups began to tear Austria-Hungary apart even before the start of World War I.

2. Czechoslovakia

Founded in 1918 at the end of World War I, Czechoslovakia, a former Central European nation, comprised the former lands of Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia. The political union was possible because these regions had similar languages, religion, and culture. Between World War I and World War II, the country functioned as a parliamentary democracy. From 1938-1945, Czechoslovakia was under Nazi rule, and from 1948-1989, it was controlled by the Soviet Union. Communism came to an end in Czechoslovakia in 1989. By 1990, the country had held its first free elections, but disagreements between Czechs and Slovaks grew. The state as peacefully dissolved in 1992, forming the separate countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia starting in 1993.

3. Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America, all located in the South, lasted from 1861 to 1865. The states broke away from the United States due to disputes over the issues of states' rights and slavery. Jefferson Davis was the president of the Confederacy. The Confederate constitution supported the institution of slavery but not the African slave trade. There were 11 states in the Confederacy, which fought the Union in America's bloodiest war that claimed the lives of 750,000 people. The Confederacy was never formally recognized as a sovereign nation, although Great Britain considered recognition during the Civil War.

4. East Germany

The Democratic Republic of Germany—East Germany as it was known—was created in 1949 after World War II when the Allies agreed to divide Nazi Germany. East Germany lasted until 1990. The nation was dominated by the Soviet Union, which had conquered that part of Germany during World War II. It remained under Soviet influence as a satellite state. East Germany was half the size of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and its economy paled in comparison with its western counterpart. A year after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, East Germany ceased to exist and the two Germanys were reunited.

5. East Pakistan

Despite existing for barely 17 years, East Pakistan had suffered much turmoil. The country's first constitution replaced what was British rule of an Islamic republic. Not long after, martial law was enacted following a coup d’etat and lasted for several years. In 1970, Pakistan held its first federal general election. The party that won the majority of the seats won all of its seats in East Pakistan but failed to gain even one seat in West Pakistan. This led to East Pakistan declaring independence from Pakistan and a nine-month long Bangladesh Liberation War and the 1971 Bangladesh genocide and the creation of the country of Bangladesh.

6. Gran Colombia

Gran Colombia spanned a massive swath of land in northern South America and southern Central America. It existed from 1819 to 1830 and included what are today Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru, western Guyana, and northwest Brazil. The country's short existence of only 21 years was plagued by regional conflicts and struggle between two main groups: supporters of a central government with a strong presidency and supporters of a decentralized, federal form of government. By 1830, it became clear the nation could not survive. In addition to the political discord, growing regional tensions led to the dissolution of Gran Colombia. As a result, Venezuela, Ecuador, and New Granada became independent states.

7. Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire (not to be confused with the Roman Empire) was a stabilizing influence through the chaos of the Middle Ages and was a bulwark against Muslim invasions that threatened Europe. It was the largest governing authority outside the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages and provided troops for the crusades. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the first Holy Roman Emperor in 800, and the Holy Roman Empire lasted for more than 1,000 years. Because of its vast size, the Holy Roman Empire was a decentralized empire that granted regions considerable autonomy. The empire encompassed portions of modern European states France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.

8. Kingdom of Hawaii

Hawaii was not always part of the United States. In 1795, the islands of Hawaii, Oahu, Molokai, and Lanai unified under one government. In 1810, the entire Hawaiian Archipelago was united when Kauai and Niihau joined the Kingdom of Hawaii voluntarily. Two dynasties ruled the kingdom, the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalakaua. In 1887, this kingdom of islands adopted a constitution that reduced the power of King Kalakaua. King Kalakaua was succeed by his sister, Queen Liliuokalani, who, in 1891 tried to restore royal power that had been removed by a new Hawaiian constitution, but she failed. Hawaii became a republic until it was annexed by the United States in 1898. Due to Hawaii's strategic location in the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. built a naval base at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, drawing the U.S. into World War II. In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state.

9. Korea

Comprising the Korean peninsula, North and South Korea were once one country. Korea was divided into North and South Korea after World War II, with the United States occupying the southern part, while the Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin, occupied the northern section. The boundary between the North and South was arbitrarily established as the 38th parallel. In 1948, the Republic of Korea was established in South Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in North Korea. Both sides claimed a right to the entire peninsula, the conflict erupting into the Korean War which lasted from 1950 to 1953. South Korea was supported by the United States and western allies, while North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union. The result was a stalemate that has so far lasted nearly seven decades without an official treaty ending the war.

10. Native American Nations

For thousands of years before the Europeans came to North America, the ancestors of Native Americans occupied the continent. Scholars estimate that more than 50 million people were living in the Americas when the Europeans first arrived in the late 15th century, with 10 million of them in what is now the United States. According to different theories, the ancestors of Native Americans likely migrated to North America over a land bridge from Asia to Alaska some 15,000 to 30,000 years ago. When the Europeans got to North America, they encountered a sophisticated, highly structured society. Armed conflict and the effects of diseases brought by the Europeans reduced the Native American population over time. Native Americans were relegated to reservations either by coercion or by treaties, which generally forced massive land concessions.

Check back next week for a look at another 13 nations that no longer exist.