This thread is to discuss how many new countries will emerge or how many countries will lose their existence around 100 years from now. Before a hundred years, there were few independent countries, due to British and European imperialism. By 1960s, many Asian and African countries achieved independence and the number of countries increased from less than a hundred to around 150. Currently, the number of countries are 196+ and still increasing slowly, latest being East Timor. 1990s gave birth to lots of new nations, like the former Soviet bloc, splinters from Yugoslavia, Eritrea, etc.

The formation and dissolution of states involves a lot of factors like politics, language, religion, race and even geography. Its amazing how the world map (not me) is changing every century. In the eighteenth and ninteenth centuries, the world was ruled by petty rulers, since there was less development in communications, aviation, etc. Then European imperialism colonized rest of the world.

How do you think the world map(not me again!!) will look like a hundred years from now?

Are you interested in discussing the fate of the past nations which faded in history and possibilities of new nations that can emerge?

There once existed the Kingdom of Prussia, which started from the German district of Brandenburgh. Prussia's power grew rapidly under King Friedrich II, and in 1772, consisted of the provinces of Brandenburg, Pomerania, Danzig, West Prussia and East Prussia (modern day East Germany, northern Poland, and a small portion of the Soviet Union).

Prussia defeated France in Franco-Prussian war in 1871 and Bismarck became the Challencellor who unified the German states. In this way, under the leadership of Prussia, a powerful German empire was created. Wilhem II, who became the Emperor, ruled until the defeat of Germany in World War I.

After defeat in World War I, Germany was forced to give up the Danzig Corridor to Poland and Danzig once again became a free city. This caused the province of East Prussia to be separated from the rest of Germany. The Rosenberg District was at this time contained in East Prussia. After Germany's defeat in World War II, West Prussia and East Prussia were divided by Poland and the Soviet Union

While the once sprawling state of Prussia no longer exists - Prussia as an entity within Germany was dissolved in 1947 - its leaders left an enduring legacy that still enriches the German culture and landscape.

Today, I would like to talk about the Ottoman Empire, which was the largest Empire to rule the borders of the Mediterrenean Sea. Started in 1299 AD, the Empire saw six centuries of reign, first steady rise in power, then sharp decline before it was defeated in the First World War by the Allies and named the Republic of Turkey in 1923. The Ottoman Empire was named after Osman I, who was the king of the petty kingdom of Sogut, in Anatolia. Anatolia is the old name for the part which is present day Turkey.

The Empire reached its height under the rule of Suleman the Magnificient in the sixteenth century, when its borders stretched from the Persian Gulf in the east to Hungary in the northwest, Egypt in the south to Caucasus in the north. After the defeat in the battle of Vienna in 1683, it headed towards its decline in power.

100 years from now i think mexico and usa will be one, looking at rate for mexican immigration(legal and illegal).also there will be no bhutan(coz of india) and no maldives(coz of global warming). i am not sure about bangladesh though, i think it will have same fate as maldives.about nepal, i want to be positive but recent events and history makes me think that we will be a cross between bhutan and sikkim.

As the people across world have come to realize the uniqueness of their race, culture and language, they have tried to seek independent states based on those. The birth of Pakistan from India is the consequence of realization of difference between Islam and Hindu religions. The further breakdown of Pakistan which resulted into formation of Bangladesh was perpetrated by division of geography and ethnic issues.

Still there are so many parts in India, which are prone to separatist movements. For example, the Punjab separatist movement of the 80's, Tamil Nadu and Assam. India, an enthinically, linguistically and religiously diverse country has so high a challenge to keep its integrity intact.

Even Pakistan may be prone to ethnic and racial division, due to the clear differentiation into Punjab, Baluchistan, NWFP and Sindha and their distinct race and languages. The Muhajir Quami Movement in Karachi in the 80's was a threat to Pakistan's unity.

So, by 2100, there seems to be more number of countries than there are now.

After the history of Mayans who built temple pyramids in the Yucatan peninsula and the Aztecs who were the successors in the series of empires, Mexico was finally ruled by the Spaniards from 1530 for about 300 years. The takeover of power by the royal Viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza marked the beginning of the Spanish rule in Mexico. Mexico was called New Spain and was ruled in a hierarchical style. Due to this, a rebellion started, which precipitated in the Mexican independence in 1821.

Today, there is a vast influx of the Mexican immigrants into the United States, especially in the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Nearly half of the population of California have Spanish as the first language. This could lead to a different scenario in the days to come.

Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay
Were laid spread out before me as her body once did
All five horizons revolved around her soul
As the earth to the sun
Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn
and all I taught her was everything
I know she gave me all that she wore
And now my bitter hands chafe beneath the clouds
Of what was everything?
Oh, the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything...
I take a walk outside
I'm surrounded by some kids at play
I can feel their laughter, so why do I sear
Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin round my head
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
How quick the sun can, drop away
And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass
Of what was everything?
All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything...
All the love gone bad turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll ever be...yeah...
Uh huh...uh huh...ooh...
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star
In somebody else's sky, but why
Why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine

**Pearl Jam**

** Wrong Thread**..lols

China will be united with Taiwan. North and south Korea will be united too. Iraq with no longer exist, it will be divided into Kurds, Shia, and Sunni(most likely will still be called Iraq), they most likely will have a civil war before this happens. Greenland will be habitable again thanks to global warming. Birth of Palestine. Hopefully birth of Tibet too(but doubt China will give it up that easy). China will be superpower. Changes in the Land scape around south Asia and south eastern Pacific(where underwater volcano's and tectonic plates are very active), birth of new islands and death of the old ones.

Argentina is the second largest country in South America after Brazil in terms of area. In 1500 AD, first Spanish explorers came to Argentina in search of gold. There were relatively few Indians in Argentina as compared to other parts of South America, and they were also killed from the diseases brought over by the Europeans. In 1776, Spain created a large colony in the south-eastern part of South America which was called the Viceroyalty of the Rio de La plata and made Buenos Aires the capital. It started the export of meat grain to Europe which improved its economy.

Britain unsuccessfully tried to seize Argentina in 1806. But France's invasion of Spain in 1807-1808 gave Argentina the chance to rise up for its independence. Finally in 1816, Argentina gained independence from Spain. Argentina's economy flourished once again during World War I, as the European nations purchased farm products. In 1920s, Argentina had become one of the wealthiest countries in the world, before the Great Depression hit it in 1929.

During the second World War, it was ruled by military dictatorship, and thus sympathised the Axis forces in the war. After the war, Argentina became the safe haven for the fleeing Nazis. It had a war in 1982 with Great Britain over the Falkland Islands, which it lost.

* read as meat AND grain

Basque country is the region where Basque language is spoken, comprising of the Atlantic side of the Pyrenees, including the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department of south-west France and the northern Spanish province of Navarra. The Basque language,known as Euskara, is unique within Europe, not being of Indo-European, Fino-Ugric and Altaic decent and is spoken by three million people.

The Basque country has been independent throughout most of its history. The Romans could not conquer them although they occupied the areas surrounding it.The region came under Spanish and French control after the Basque people supported the Carlists in struggle against the monarchy and were later defeated with them. The struggle for autonomy followed shortly and the Basque country was recognized in France in 1959 while in Spain, it was 1980 when Bizkaia, Araba and Gipuzkoa officially joined the Basque Autonomous Community.

Its the unique mother tongue of the Basques which unite them and was spoken here more than 5000 thousand years ago, before the Indo-European language arrived.

So, looking at the uniqueness of Basque language and peculiar culture and traditions, it has a possibility of paving a path towards being a different nation in the days to come.

Sorry the map was too small to be seen without using a magnifying glass. So, here is a magnified version:-

This thread had been drowned and lying on the ocean floor for a long time. I am trying to rescue it and put it on top of Everest only today.
We shall travel to Korea today and delve into its past while trying to speculating about its future at the same time.

Starting from three ancient kingdoms of Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje having similar linguistic and ethnic backgrounds in around 668 AD, Korea saw the ruler of the Yi Dynasty move capital to Seoul in 1394 and adopt Confucianism as the state religion. Japanese and the Manchus tried to invade Korea in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, Korea tried to prevent the Japanese and western invasion and closed the country, gaining the name Hermit Kingdom. Japan finally annexed Korea in 1910 following the Russo-Japanese war. Although building infrastructures during its reign, Japan ruled Korea with an iron fist, converting Koreans into Shinto and banning Korean languages at schools.

After the defeat of Japan at World War II, the USSR captured north part of Korea after the 38th parallel while the democratic forces led by US took the south. On June 25, 1950, the communist North Korea, back by Chines forces attacked South Korea and the war went on for three years, leaving millions of dead.

The Korean peninsula is still a high war risk zone, with suspicion of North Korea's nuclear programs and its military size. With the waning of communism, North Korea has lost its support and strength. In hundred years from now, there is hope that the two Koreas will be united, which have same language, culture and ethnicity, just opposite idealogies.

*speculate NOT speculating
*high risk war zone NOT high war risk zone

I think there'll be like 50 countries left!

yah around 75 countries will succumb to the rising waters, and another 75 or so will be nuked by US and its allies :). Nepal will be saved because there'll be lot of rallies done in US, UK and AUSTRALIA by nepalis to save their country!

At least 400 countries by the end of 2100 AD, with at least 250 independent nation-states and 150 somewhat autonomous nation-states aligned to one of the 3 major powers- the US, Russia or China.

the US, Russia or China= the US, Russia and China.

Didn't know this thread existed. Thanks world map for this wonderful thread. I think there will be many new nations by the end of this century- thanks to the wrong preceeedent set by the big 4 in Paris 1919 (BTW, Paris 1919 by Margaret McMillan is a great book, highly reccomended). The problems pertaining to nationalism and minorities after the fall of the Ottoman empire was not seriously dealt with by the allied powers. So the problems still remain. For many people in the Balkans and Central Asia (and some in Africa) they are citizens of this or that country because of the ignorance of the Paris peacemakers and or other politica factors. They want to exercise self-determination too.

I think there will be at least one new nation in the middle east. Many more in Africa and South Asia will be totally different. Central Asia will see at least 4 new nations similar to Khanates of the Great Game days.

And Nepal? Nepal will be very different and we don't have to wait 100 years, in less than 50 years time, we will be seeing a new Nepal.

Isolated Freak, your views about the nations by 2100 AD seem logical, though I would expect more detailed and regional explanations of your arguments later. For now, I am presenting a brief history and formation of Eritrea.

Eritrea is one of the newest nations of the world, which gained independence only in April 27th,1993 from Ethiopia, after 30 years of bitter struggle. Between 1000 and 400 BC, a group of people called Sabeans crossed the Red Sea and intermingled with the Hamitic population, who had migrated from Northern Sudan. Throughout history, it bacame ruled by several foreign forces like the Axumite kingdom, the Funji Sultans of Sudan, the Egyptians, the Portugese and the Turks. In the modern era, Italy colonised Eritrea from 1880 to 1941 until Italy was defeated in World War II. The King of Italy, by issuing a decree on 1st January 1890,had declared Eritrea a colony of Italy. Italy built many infrastructures in Eritrea which were necessary for the Italians to settle down. Railway lines, airports and roads were built in the capital Asmara and other cities. The transportation and communication facilities were among the best in Africa during that era. However, as Italy was under a fascist rule, its rule in Eritrea was not benign, treating the Eritreans as a cheap source of labour for the self-interest of Rome.
After Italy knelt down in the second world war, Great Britain was given the charge of ruling Eritrea. As a result, British Military Administration (BMA) ruled Eritrea as "Occupied Enemy Territory". Meanwhile, Ethiopia was claiming Eritrea through intervention and diplomatic efforts.The newly reinstated Emperor of Ethiopia started to gain influence in Eritrea by using the tactics of interference in the religious affairs, manipulation of the political parties and terrorism. The formal armed war of Eritrea against Ethiopia started in 1961, which in thirty years, Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), was able to win by 1991.In 1993, the UN sponsored referendum for Independence of Eritrea was held on April 23rd to 25th, in which 99% votes were cast for independence.