List of countries by date of nationhood
Below is a list of nations in chronological order of their nationhood.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 nationhood is usually considered to be the date when independence was declared, granted or recognised.
Note, this list does not include the significant government changes and revolutions which may have affected the states after their formation (for example, the transformation from a monarchy to a republic).
You can also browse countries alphabetically by capital city, by continent, by population, by area, by population density, and by time zone.
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2 1250-1800 3 1800-1827 4 1828-1877 5 1878-1913 6 1914-1938 7 1939-1948 8 1949-1959 9 1960-1970 10 1971-1981 11 1982-1992 12 1993-present |
pre-1250 AD
1250-1800
1800-1827
1828-1877
1878-1913
1914-1938
1939-1948
1949-1959
1960-1970
1971-1981
1982-1992
1993-present