BLHS-248 Modern Political Borders

Keith Hrebenak (hrebenkp@georgetown.edu) C-215

Fall 2014 Time: Mondays; 5:20 pm - 7:50 pm

DESCRIPTION: This course will describe modern political borders and their historical antecedents. It is a two

and on half hour course designed to provide you with regional overviews of the evolution of the world political

map since 1800. Our objective is to enhance your basic knowledge of the political map of the modern world as a

first step in understanding world events and international relations. The method of instruction includes lecture,

discussion, class participation and is supported by individual or group study of maps, and weekly prepartion and

study. The lecture will focus on the evolution of the modern political map of each of the regions we discuss and

the major nationalist, ethnic, boundary, and territorial tensions and conflicts within each area.

REQUIRED TEXT: Goode’s World Atlas, Rand McNally & Company; 20th edition (January 2003), ISBN-13:

978-0528843365, or another comparable world atlas with instructor approval. Please seek that approval before

the first night of class by e-mail.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: The overall learning objective is for each student to be able to describe modern

political borders and their historical antecedents to allow their consideration of the unfolding events of

international relations in context. Subordinate learning objectives are:

-Establish a sound conceptual framework that will allow students to assimilate history, geography, and

evolving events, in context, leading to a fuller understanding of world affairs

-Know the history and modern borders of the world by region

-Know the minimum physical geography to place the political world in a physical context

-Understand the principles and instruments of international law that apply to borders and disputes

-Know the prominent current territorial disputes in each region around the world

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

-Students must attend each seesion to pass the exam. Absence from the first class meeting and/or several

unexplained absences or an accumulation of absences may result in failure of the course. Individual professors

may reflect a student's absence in the final course grade or by requiring additional course assignments before

assigning the final grade.

-Students must prepare for each session studying the geography and history of the region.

-Students must be seated and prepared for lecture at the start of the period.

-Your grade will be based on a single examination covering the lecture, individual study, and your

interactions with fellow students. It is a 100 question, objective test on which you must score a 60%

to pass. You will be prepared for the exam through review sessions held in class each week. There

will be no reason why a student who attends all sessions and prepares will not do well on the test.

DISTANCE LEARNING REQUIREMENT: Due to the number of holidays, we will have to make up the

equivalent of one session out side of class. We will use the Peer Instruction technique developed for the Flipped

Classroom by Catherine H. Crouch and Eric Mazur at Harvard University. Peer Instruction engages students

during class through activities that require each student to apply the core concepts being presented, and then to

explain those concepts to their fellow students.

For each class, beginning with week 2, each student will have to construct two test questions on the model of the

placement examination given on the first night of class. Students will post their questions to Blackboard by

Friday of each week. By Sunday at noon, each student will post their answers to all the questions. By Sunday at

6PM, the author of each question will post the answer and a short explanation for their classmates. Students will

arrive at class having reviewed the posted answers and be prepred to explain them. The instructor will check for

the appropriate visits to black board by each student and conduct the students in an oral review of the question at

the start of each class.

GRADING & HONOR SYSTEM:

Course grading is based on the following percentages on the final exam:

A 100-96 %

A- 95-90 B+ 89-88

B 87-84

B- 83-80 C+ 79-78

C 77-74

C- 73-70

D+ 65-69 D 64-60

F 59 and below

Georgetown Honor System:

All students are expected to follow Georgetown’s honor code unconditionally. In registering for this course, we expect you to read the honor code material located at www.georgetown.edu/honor, and in particular: Honor Council Pamphlet, “What is Plagiarism?”, “Sanctioning Guidelines”, and “Expedited Sanctioning Process.” All papers in this course may be subject to submission to turnitin.com for checking and we expect you to have abided by the Georgetown honor pledge: “In the pursuit of the high ideals and rigorous standards of academic life, I commit myself to respect and uphold the Georgetown Honor System: To be honest in any academic endeavor, and to conduct myself honorably, as a responsible member of the Georgetown community, as we live and work together.

Simply stated, students are expected not to cheat, do their own writing, and reference anything you did not know before you did your research. If a student violates the spirit or letter of the Georgetown Honor System, they will be dismissed from the course, regardless of where we are in the term, and I will report the incident.

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Students with 2 absences for any reason may receive a failing grade.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS for the EXAMINATION:

-As with the placement examination, all questions are keyed to blank outline maps of the world’s major regions.

A set of these maps is attached to the syllabus.

-In order to pass the examination, at the absolute minimum, you must know:

(1) the location of all of the independent states in the geographical regions we covered

(2) the location of all the world’s Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty and the name of the

country holding sovereignty (see the attached lists for both prepared by the U.S. Department of State)

(3) the former Sovereign of all the states in Latin America and the Caribbean since 1800 and in the rest of

the world since 1900 (see the attached list entitled: evolution of the World Political Map: 1900-2002,

prepared by Dr. Charles E. Pirtle)

(4) the location of each territorial, boundry, ethnic, nationalist dispute or conflict and civil war discussed

in either lecture or the readings.

(5) the names and locations of all major physical features covered in lecture.

COURSE OUTLINE and READINGS:

Meeting 1: Course Introduction

01 Sep Labor Day Holiday

08 Sep 2: Middle American: the Caribbean

15 Sep 3: Middle American: Central America

22 Sep 4: South America

29 Sep 5: South America and Antarctica

06 Oct 6: Southern and Equatorial Africa

13 Oct: Columbus Day Holiday

20 Oct 7: North, West, and East Africa

27 Oct 8: The Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

03 Nov 9: Southwest Asia

10 Nov 10: The Gulf States

17 Nov 11: South Asia and Afghanistan

24 Nov 12: Northeast and Southeast Asia

Thanksgiving Break

01 Dec 13: Oceania

Final Examination: To Be Scheduled

Extra credit is awarded, weekly, for the submission of typed notes from the previous week’s class. This credit

will be combined with your Final Examination grade for your course grade. The exact formula is still under

consideration.

Independent States in the World

Fact Sheet

Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Washington, DC

December 9, 2013

See also:

Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty

Total count of independent states: 195

* Diplomatic relations with the United States

+ Member of United Nations

! New change, since previous list

STATE

Short-form name Long-form name

FIPS

Code (see note

2)

Capital

Afghanistan *+ Islamic Republic of Afghanistan AF Kabul

Albania *+ Republic of Albania AL Tirana

Algeria *+ People's Democratic Republic of

Algeria AG Algiers

Andorra *+ Principality of Andorra AN Andorra la Vella

Angola *+ Republic of Angola AO Luanda

Antigua and

Barbuda *+ Antiqua and Barbuda AC Saint John's

Argentina *+ Argentine Republic AR Buenos Aires

Armenia *+ Republic of Armenia AM Yerevan

Australia *+ Commonwealth of Australia AS Canberra

Austria *+ Republic of Austria AU Vienna

Azerbaijan *+ Republic of Azerbaijan AJ Baku

Bahamas, The *+ Commonwealth

of The Bahamas BF Nassau

Bahrain *+ Kingdom of Bahrain BA Manama

Bangladesh *+ People's Republic

of Bangladesh BG Dhaka

Barbados *+ Barbados BB Bridgetown

Belarus *+ Republic of Belarus BO Minsk

Belgium *+ Kingdom of Belgium BE Brussels

Belize *+ Belize BH Belmopan

Benin *+ Republic of Benin BN Porto-Novo

Bhutan + Kingdom of Bhutan BT Thimphu

Bolivia *+ Plurinational State of Bolivia BL La Paz (administrative)

Sucre (legislative/judiciary)

Bosnia and

Herzegovina *+ Bosnia and Herzegovina BK Sarajevo

Botswana *+ Republic of Botswana BC Gaborone

Brazil *+ Federative Republic of Brazil BR Brasília

Brunei *+ Brunei Darussalam BX Bandar Seri Begawan

Bulgaria *+ Republic of Bulgaria BU Sofia

Burkina Faso *+ Burkina Faso UV Ouagadougou

Burma *+ Union of Burma BM

Rangoon

Nay Pyi Taw

(administrative)

Burundi *+ Republic of Burundi BY Bujumbura

! Cabo Verde *+ ! Republic of Cabo Verde CV Praia

Cambodia *+ Kingdom of Cambodia CB Phnom Penh

Cameroon *+ Republic of Cameroon CM Yaoundé

Canada *+ Canada CA Ottawa

Central

African Republic

*+

Central African Republic CT Bangui

Chad *+ Republic of Chad CD N'Djamena

Chile *+ Republic of Chile CI Santiago

China *+ (see note 3) People's Republic of China CH Beijing

Colombia *+ Republic of Colombia CO Bogotá

Comoros *+ Union of the Comoros CN Moroni

Congo

(Brazzaville) *+ (see note 4)

Republic of the Congo CF Brazzaville

Congo (Kinshasa)

*+ (see note 4)

Democratic Republic

of the Congo CG Kinshasa

Costa Rica *+ Republic of Costa Rica CS San José

Côte d'Ivoire *+ Republic of Côte d'Ivoire IV Yamoussoukro

Croatia *+ Republic of Croatia HR Zagreb

Cuba + Republic of Cuba CU Havana

Cyprus *+ Republic of Cyprus CY Nicosia

Czech Republic *+ Czech Republic EZ Prague

Denmark *+ Kingdom of Denmark DA Copenhagen

Djibouti *+ Republic of Djibouti DJ Djibouti

Dominica *+ Commonwealth of Dominica DO Roseau

Dominican

Republic *+ Dominican Republic DR Santo Domingo

Ecuador *+ Republic of Ecuador EC Quito

Egypt *+ Arab Republic of Egypt EG Cairo

El Salvador *+ Republic of El Salvador ES San Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

*+ Republic of Equatorial Guinea EK Malabo

Eritrea *+ State of Eritrea ER Asmara

Estonia *+ Republic of Estonia EN Tallinn

Ethiopia *+ Federal Democratic

Republic of Ethiopia ET Addis Ababa

Fiji *+ Republic of Fiji FJ Suva

Finland *+ Republic of Finland FI Helsinki

France *+ French Republic FR Paris

Gabon *+ Gabonese Republic GB Libreville

Gambia, The *+ Republic of The Gambia GA Banjul

Georgia *+ Georgia GG Tbilisi

Germany *+ Federal Republic of Germany GM Berlin

Ghana *+ Republic of Ghana GH Accra

Greece *+ Hellenic Republic GR Athens

Grenada *+ Grenada GJ Saint George's

Guatemala *+ Republic of Guatemala GT Guatemala

Guinea *+ Republic of Guinea GV Conakry

Guinea-Bissau *+ Republic of Guinea-Bissau PU Bissau

Guyana *+ Co-operative Republic of Guyana GY Georgetown

Haiti *+ Republic of Haiti HA Port-au-Prince

Holy See * Holy See VT Vatican City

Honduras *+ Republic of Honduras HO Tegucigalpa

Hungary *+ Hungary HU Budapest

Iceland *+ Republic of Iceland IC Reykjavík

India *+ Republic of India IN New Delhi

Indonesia *+ Republic of Indonesia ID Jakarta

Iran + Islamic Republic of Iran IR Tehran

Iraq *+ Republic of Iraq IZ Baghdad

Ireland *+ Ireland EI Dublin

Israel *+ State of Israel IS Jerusalem (see note 5)

Italy *+ Italian Republic IT Rome

Jamaica *+ Jamaica JM Kingston

Japan *+ Japan JA Tokyo

Jordan *+ Hashemite

Kingdom of Jordan JO Amman

Kazakhstan *+ Republic of Kazakhstan KZ Astana

Kenya *+ Republic of Kenya KE Nairobi

Kiribati *+ Republic of Kiribati KR Tarawa

Korea, North + Democratic People's Republic of

Korea KN Pyongyang

Korea, South *+ Republic of Korea KS Seoul

Kosovo * Republic of Kosovo KV Pristina

Kuwait *+ State of Kuwait KU Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan *+ Kyrgyz Republic KG Bishkek

Laos *+ Lao People's

Democratic Republic LA Vientiane

Latvia *+ Republic of Latvia LG Riga

Lebanon *+ Lebanese Republic LE Beirut

Lesotho *+ Kingdom of Lesotho LT Maseru

Liberia *+ Republic of Liberia LI Monrovia

Libya *+ Libya LY Tripoli

Liechtenstein *+ Principality of Liechtenstein LS Vaduz

Lithuania *+ Republic of Lithuania LH Vilnius

Luxembourg *+ Grand Duchy of Luxembourg LU Luxembourg

Macedonia *+ Republic of Macedonia MK Skopje

Madagascar *+ Republic of Madagascar MA Antananarivo

Malawi *+ Republic of Malawi MI Lilongwe

Malaysia *+ Malaysia MY Kuala Lumpur

Maldives *+ Republic of Maldives MV Male

Mali *+ Republic of Mali ML Bamako

Malta *+ Republic of Malta MT Valletta

Marshall Islands

*+

Republic of the

Marshall Islands RM Majuro

Mauritania *+ Islamic Republic

of Mauritania MR Nouakchott

Mauritius *+ Republic of Mauritius MP Port Louis

Mexico *+ United Mexican States MX Mexico

Micronesia, Federated States FM Palikir

Federated States of

*+

of Micronesia

Moldova *+ Republic of Moldova MD Chisinau

Monaco *+ Principality of Monaco MN Monaco

Mongolia *+ Mongolia MG Ulaanbaatar

Montenegro *+ Montenegro MJ Podgorica

Morocco *+ Kingdom of Morocco MO Rabat

Mozambique *+ Republic of Mozambique MZ Maputo

Namibia *+ Republic of Namibia WA Windhoek

Nauru *+ Republic of Nauru NR Yaren District

(no capital city)

Nepal *+ Federal Democratic Republic of

Nepal NP Kathmandu

Netherlands *+ Kingdom of the Netherlands NL Amsterdam

The Hague (seat of gov't)

New Zealand *+ New Zealand NZ Wellington

Nicaragua *+ Republic of Nicaragua NU Managua

Niger *+ Republic of Niger NG Niamey

Nigeria *+ Federal Republic of Nigeria NI Abuja

Norway *+ Kingdom of Norway NO Oslo

Oman *+ Sultanate of Oman MU Muscat

Pakistan *+ Islamic Republic of Pakistan PK Islamabad

Palau *+ Republic of Palau PS Melekeok

Panama *+ Republic of Panama PM Panama

Papua New Guinea

*+

Independent State

of Papua New Guinea PP Port Moresby

Paraguay *+ Republic of Paraguay PA Asunción

Peru *+ Republic of Peru PE Lima

Philippines *+ Republic of the Philippines RP Manila

Poland *+ Republic of Poland PL Warsaw

Portugal *+ Portuguese Republic PO Lisbon

Qatar *+ State of Qatar QA Doha

Romania *+ Romania RO Bucharest

Russia *+ Russian Federation RS Moscow

Rwanda *+ Republic of Rwanda RW Kigali

Saint Kitts and

Nevis *+

Federation of Saint

Kitts and Nevis SC Basseterre

Saint Lucia *+ Saint Lucia ST Castries

Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines *+ Saint Vincent and the Grenadines VC Kingstown

Samoa *+ Independent State of Samoa WS Apia

San Marino *+ Republic of San Marino SM San Marino

Sao Tome and

Principe *+

Democratic Republic of

Sao Tome and Principe TP São Tomé

Saudi Arabia *+ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia SA Riyadh

Senegal *+ Republic of Senegal SG Dakar

Serbia *+ Republic of Serbia RI Belgrade

Seychelles *+ Republic of Seychelles SE Victoria

Sierra Leone *+ Republic of Sierra Leone SL Freetown

Singapore *+ Republic of Singapore SN Singapore

Slovakia *+ Slovak Republic LO Bratislava

Slovenia *+ Republic of Slovenia SI Ljubljana

Solomon Islands

*+ Solomon Islands BP Honiara

Somalia *+ ! Federal Republic of Somalia SO Mogadishu

South Africa *+ Republic of South Africa SF

Pretoria (administrative)

Cape Town (legislative)

Bloemfontein (judiciary)

South Sudan *+ Republic of South Sudan OD Juba

Spain *+ Kingdom of Spain SP Madrid

Sri Lanka *+ Democratic Socialist

Republic of Sri Lanka CE

Colombo

Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte

(legislative)

Sudan *+ Republic of the Sudan SU Khartoum

Suriname *+ Republic of Suriname NS Paramaribo

Swaziland *+ Kingdom of Swaziland WZ Mbabane (administrative)

Lobamba (legislative)

Sweden *+ Kingdom of Sweden SW Stockholm

Switzerland *+ Swiss Confederation SZ Bern

Syria *+ Syrian Arab Republic SY Damascus

Tajikistan *+ Republic of Tajikistan TI Dushanbe

Tanzania *+ United Republic of Tanzania TZ Dar es Salaam

Dodoma (legislative)

Thailand *+ Kingdom of Thailand TH Bangkok

Timor-Leste *+ Democratic Republic of Timor-

Leste TT Dili

Togo *+ Togolese Republic TO Lomé

Tonga *+ Kingdom of Tonga TN Nuku'alofa

Trinidad and

Tobago *+

Republic of

Trinidad and Tobago TD Port-of-Spain

Tunisia *+ Tunisian Republic TS Tunis

Turkey *+ Republic of Turkey TU Ankara

Turkmenistan *+ Turkmenistan TX Ashgabat

Tuvalu *+ Tuvalu TV Funafuti

Uganda *+ Republic of Uganda UG Kampala

Ukraine *+ Ukraine UP Kyiv

United Arab

Emirates *+ United Arab Emirates AE Abu Dhabi

United Kingdom

*+

United Kingdom of Great Britain

and Northern Ireland UK London

United States + United States of America US Washington, DC

Uruguay *+ Oriental Republic of Uruguay UY Montevideo

Uzbekistan *+ Republic of Uzbekistan UZ Tashkent

Vanuatu *+ Republic of Vanuatu NH Port-Vila

Venezuela *+ Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela VE Caracas

Vietnam *+ Socialist Republic of Vietnam VM Hanoi

Yemen *+ Republic of Yemen YM Sanaa

Zambia *+ Republic of Zambia ZA Lusaka

Zimbabwe *+ Republic of Zimbabwe ZI Harare

OTHER

Short-form name Long-form name FIPS Code (see note 2) Capital

Taiwan (see note 6) (no long-form name) TW Taipei

NOTES Note 1: In this listing, the term "independent state" refers to a people politically organized

into a sovereign state with a definite territory recognized as independent by the US.

Note 2: Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4 codes. On September 2, 2008 the National Institute of Standards and

Technology withdrew FIPS 10-4 as a United States Government standard. No successor standard for country codes has been identified.

Note 3: With the establishment of diplomatic relations with China on January 1, 1979, the

US Government recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government

of China and acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only one China and that

Taiwan is part of China.

Note 4: "Congo" is the official short-form name for both the Republic of the Congo and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. To distinguish one from the other, the U.S. Department

of State adds the capital in parentheses. This practice is unofficial and provisional.

Note 5: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950. The United States, like nearly all other countries, maintains its embassy in

Tel Aviv.

Note 6: Claimed by both the Government of the People's Republic of China and the authorities

on Taiwan. Administered by the authorities on Taiwan. (see note 3)

Source: Office of The Geographer and Global Issues, Bureau of Intelligence and Research,

U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.

Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty

Fact Sheet

Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Washington, DC

November 29, 2011

See also:

Independent States in the World

State Department Country Background Notes

! New change, since previous list

Short-form

name Long-form name Sovereignty

FIPS Code

(see note 1)

Administrative

Center

Akrotiri (see

note 15) Akrotiri

United

Kingdom AX

Episkopi (see note

16)

American Samoa Territory of

American Samoa United States AQ Pago Pago

Anguilla Anguilla United

Kingdom AV The Valley

Antarctica (no long-form name) None

(see note 2) AY None

Aruba (no long-form name) Netherlands AA Oranjestad

Ashmore and

Cartier Islands

Territory of Ashmore

and Cartier Islands Australia AT

Administered

from Canberra

Baker Island (no long-form name) United States FQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

Bermuda Bermuda United

Kingdom BD Hamilton

Bouvet Island (no long-form name) Norway BV Admin. from Oslo

British Indian

Ocean Territory

(see note 3)

British Indian

Ocean Territory

United

Kingdom IO None

Cayman Islands Cayman Islands United

Kingdom CJ George Town

Christmas Island Territory of

Christmas Island Australia KT

The Settlement

(Flying Fish Cove)

Clipperton Island (no long-form name) France IP Administered from

Paris

Cocos

(Keeling) Islands

Territory of Cocos

(Keeling) Islands Australia CK West Island

Cook Islands (no long-form name) New Zealand CW Avarua

Coral Sea Islands Coral Sea

Islands Territory Australia CR

Administered

from Canberra

Curaçao

(see note 11) (no long-form name) Netherlands UC Willemstad

Dhekelia (see

note 15) Dhekelia

United

Kingdom DX

Episkopi (see note

16)

Falkland Islands

(Islas Malvinas)

Falkland Islands (Islas

Malvinas)

United

Kingdom

(see note 4)

FK Stanley

Faroe Islands (no long-form name) Denmark FO Tórshavn

French Guiana

(see note 5)

French Polynesia (no long-form name) France FP Papeete

French

Southern and

Antarctic Lands

(see note 6)

(no long-form name) France FS Administered

from Paris

Gibraltar Gibraltar United

Kingdom GI Gibraltar

Greenland (no long-form name) Denmark GL Nuuk (Godthåb)

Guadeloupe

(see note 5)

Guam Territory of Guam United States GQ Hagatna

Guernsey

(see note 7) Bailiwick of Guernsey

British Crown

Dependency GK Saint Peter Port

Heard Island and

McDonald

Islands

Territory of

Heard Island

and McDonald Islands

Australia HM Administered

from Canberra

Hong Kong Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region

China

(see note 8) HK None

Howland Island (no long-form name) United States HQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

Isle of Man (no long-form name)

British

Crown

Dependency

IM Douglas

Jan Mayen (no long-form name) Norway JN

Administered

from Oslo

(see note 9)

Jarvis Island (no long-form name) United States DQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

Jersey Bailiwick of Jersey British Crown

Dependency JE Saint Helier

Johnston Atoll (no long-form name) United States JQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

Kingman Reef (no long-form name) United States KQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

Macau Macau Special

Administrative Region

China

(see note 10) MC Macau

Martinique

(see note 5)

! Mayotte

(see note 5)

Midway Islands (no long-form name) United States MQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

Montserrat Montserrat United

Kingdom MH Plymouth

Navassa Island (no long-form name) United States BQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

New Caledonia (no long-form name) France NC Nouméa

Niue (no long-form name) New Zealand NE Alofi

Norfolk Island Territory of

Norfolk Island Australia NF Kingston

Northern

Mariana Islands

Commonwealth

of the Northern

Mariana Islands

United States CQ Saipan

Palmyra Atoll (no long-form name) United States LQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

Paracel Islands (no long-form name) undetermined

(see note 12) PF None

Pitcairn Islands

Pitcairn,

Henderson, Ducie,

and Oeno Islands

United

Kingdom PC Adamstown

Puerto Rico Commonwealth

of Puerto Rico United States RQ San Juan

Reunion

(see note 5)

Saint Barthelemy Saint Barthelemy France TB Gustavia

Saint Helena

(see note 13)

Saint Helena,

Ascension, and Tristan

da Cunha

United

Kingdom SH Jamestown

Saint Martin

(see note 17) Saint Martin France RN Marigot

Saint Pierre and

Miquelon

Territorial

Collectivity of Saint

Pierre and Miquelon

France SB Saint-Pierre

Sint Maarten

(see note 11) (no long-form name) Netherlands NN Philipsburg

South Georgia

and the South

Sandwich Islands

South Georgia and the

South Sandwich

Islands

United

Kingdom

(see note 4)

SX None

Spratly Islands (no long-form name) undetermined

(see note 14) PG None

Svalbard (no long-form name) Norway SV Longyearbyen

Tokelau (no long-form name) New Zealand TL None

Turks and

Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos

Islands

United

Kingdom TK Grand Turk

Virgin Islands,

British Virgin Islands, British

United

Kingdom VI Road Town

Virgin Islands,

U.S.

United States

Virgin Islands United States VQ Charlotte Amalie

Wake Island (no long-form name) United States WQ Administered from

Washington, D.C.

Wallis and

Futuna (no long-form name) France WF Matâ'utu

Western Sahara (no long-form name) To be

determined WI None

NOTES

Note 1: Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4 codes. On September 2, 2008 the National Institute

of Standards and Technology withdrew FIPS 10-4 as a United States Government standard. No successor standard

for country codes has been identified.

Note 2: Antarctica consists of the territory south of 60 degrees south latitude. This area includes claims by

Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the legal status of which

remains in suspense under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. The United States recognizes no claims to

Antarctica.

Note 3: Chagos Archipelago (including Diego Garcia).

Note 4: U.K. Overseas Territory (also claimed by Argentina).

Note 5: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte and Reunion are departments (first-order

administrative units) of France, and are therefore not dependencies or areas of special sovereignty. They are

included in this list only for the convenience of the user. The Department of Guadeloupe includes the nearby

islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade, and Iles des Saintes.

Note 6: The French Southern and Antarctic Lands includes Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul, Îles Crozet, and Îles

Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean; the "Iles Eparses" (Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan

de Nova Island and Tromelin Island) in the Mozambique Channel and western Indian Ocean; and the French-

claimed sector of Antarctica, "Terre Adélie." The United States does not recognize the French claim to "Terre

Adélie" (see note 2).

Note 7: The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes the islands of Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and nearby smaller

islands.

Note 8: Under a Sino-British declaration of September 1984, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control on July 1,

1997. It is now a semi-autonomous entity that exists pursuant to international agreement and maintains its own

government apart from the People's Republic of China.

Note 9: Administered from Oslo, Norway, through a governor resident in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

Note 10: Under the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau signed in 1987, Macau reverted

to Chinese control on December 20, 1999. It is now a semi-autonomous entity that exists pursuant to

international agreement and maintains its own government apart from the People's Republic of China.

Note 11: The Netherlands Antilles dissolved on October 10, 2010. Curaçao and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-

fifths of the island of Saint Martin) became autonomous territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire,

Saba, and Sint Eustatius now fall under the direct administration of the Netherlands.

Note 12: South China Sea islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam.

Note 13: The territory of Saint Helena includes the Island group of Tristan da Cunha; Saint Helena also

administers Ascension Island.

Note 14: South China Sea islands claimed in entirety by China and Vietnam and in part by the Philippines and

Malaysia; each of these states occupies some part of the islands.

Note 15: United Kingdom sovereign base area on the island of Cyprus.

Note 16: The joint force headquarters, under the Commander of the British Forces Cyprus, administers both

sovereign base areas from Episkopi.

Note 17: The island of Saint Martin is divided: the northern three-fifths form the French collectivity of Saint-

Martin, while the southern two-fifths (Sint Maarten) is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of the

Netherlands.

Source: Office of The Geographer and Global Issues, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of

State, Washington, DC.

Evolution of the World Political Map: 1900-2008

A. Current states that were independent in 1900 (46)

Andorra

Liberia

Argentina

Liechtenstein

Belgium

Luxembourg

Bolivia

Mexico

Brazil

Monaco

Canada

Nepal

Chile

Netherlands

China

Nicaragua

Columbia

Oman

Costa Rica

Paraguay

Denmark

Peru

Dominican Republic

Portugal

Ecuador

Romania

El Salvador

Russia (11)

Ethiopia

San Marino

France

Spain

Greece

Sweden

Guatemala

Switzerland

Haiti

Thailand

Honduras

United Kingdom

Iran

United States

Italy

Uruguay

Japan

Venezuela

B. States that have become independent since 1900*

Year Independent State Former Sovereign State

1901

Australia

United Kingdom

1902

Cuba

Spain/United States

1903

Panama

Colombia

1905

Norway

Sweden

1907

New Zealand

United Kingdom

Independent State Former Sovereign State

1908

Bulgaria

Ottoman Empire

1910

South Africa

United Kingdom

1912

Albania

Ottoman Empire

1918

Austria

Austro-Hungarian Empire

1918

Czechoslovakia

Austro-Hungarian Empire

1918

Finland

Russia

1918

Hungary

Austro-Hungarian Empire

1918

Poland

Recreated (1)

1918

Yemen Arab Republic

Ottoman Empire (8)

1918

Yugoslavia

Amalgamated (2)

1919

Afghanistan

United Kingdom

1921

Ireland

United Kingdom

1921

Mongolia

China

1922

Egypt

United Kingdom

1923

Turkey

Successor to Ottoman Empire

1929

Vatican City State

Italy

1932

Iraq

Mandate/United Kingdom (3)

1932

Saudi Arabia

Unification

1943

Lebanon

Mandate/France (3)

1944

Iceland

Denmark

1945

Indonesia

Netherlands

1946

Jordan

Mandate/United Kingdom (2)

1946

Philippines

United States

1946

Syria

Mandate/France (3)

1947

India

United Kingdom

1947

Pakistan

United Kingdom

1948

Myanmar (Burma)

United Kingdom

1948

Israel

Mandate/United Kingdom (3)

1948

Korea, North

Japan

1948

Korea, South

Japan

1948

Sri Lanka

United Kingdom

1949

Bhutan

India

1949

German Democratic Republic

Germany (4)

1949

German Federal Republic

Germany (4)

1949

Laos

France

1949

Vietnam

France

1951

Libya

Italy

Year

Independent State Former Sovereign State

Year

1953

Cambodia

France

1956

Morocco

France

1956

Sudan

United Kingdom/Egypt

1956

Tunisia

France

1957

Ghana

United Kingdom

1957

Malaysia

United Kingdom

1958

Guinea

France

1960

Benin

France

1960

Burkina Faso

France

1960

Cameroon

Trust Territory /France (5)

1960

Central African Republic

France

1960

Chad

France

1960

Congo

France

1960

Cyprus

United Kingdom

1960

Gabon

France

1960

Cote d'lvoire

France

1960

Madagascar

France

1960

Mali

France

1960

Mauritania

France

1960

Niger

France

1960

Nigeria

United Kingdom

1960

Senegal

France

1960

Somalia

United Kingdom/Italy (6)

1960

Togo

Trust Territory/France (5)

1960

Zaire

Belgium

1961

Kuwait

United Kingdom

1961

Sierra Leone

United Kingdom

1961

Tanganyika

Trust Territory/U.K. (7)

1962

Algeria

France

1962

Burundi

Trust Territory/Belgium (5)

1962

Jamaica

United Kingdom

1962

Rwanda

Trust Territory/Belgium (5)

1962

Trinidad & Tobago

United Kingdom

1962

Uganda

United Kingdom

1962

Western Samoa

Trust Territory/New Zealand (5)

1963

Kenya

United Kingdom

1964

Malawi

United Kingdom

Independent State Former Sovereign State Year

1964

Malta

United Kingdom

1964

Tanzania

Trust Territory/Tanganyika (7)

1964

Zambia

United Kingdom

1965

Gambia

United Kingdom

1965

Maldives

United Kingdom

1965

Singapore

United Kingdom

1966

Barbados

United Kingdom

1966

Botswana

United Kingdom

1966

Guyana

United Kingdom

1966

Lesotho

United Kingdom

1967

Yemen Democratic Republic

United Kingdom (8)

1968

Equatorial Guinea

Spain

1968

Mauritius

United Kingdom

1968

Nauru

Trust Territory (5)

1968

Swaziland

United Kingdom

1970

Fiji

United Kingdom

1970

Tonga

United Kingdom

1971

Bahrain

United Kingdom

1971

Bangladesh

Pakistan

1971

Qatar

United Kingdom

1971

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

1973

Bahamas

United Kingdom

1973

Guinea-Bissau

Portugal

1974

Grenada

United Kingdom

1975

Angola

Portugal

1975

Cape Verde

Portugal

1975

Comoros

France

1975

Mozambique

Portugal

1975

Papua New Guinea

Trust Territory/ Australia (5)

1975

Sao Tome & Principe

Portugal

1975

Suriname

Netherlands

1976

Seychelles

United Kingdom

1977

Djibouti

France

1978

Dominica

United Kingdom

1978

Solomon Islands

United Kingdom

1978

Tuvalu

United Kingdom

Independent State Former Sovereign State

*Freely-associated states are not included. Currently there are five freely-associated states: Niue and

the Cook Islands in association with New Zealand, and the Marshall Islands, the Federated States

of Micronesia, and Pelau/Belau in association with the United States. All three territories in free

association with the United States have been admitted as members of the United Nations.

Year

1979

Kiribati

United Kingdom

1979

St. Lucia

United Kingdom

1979

St. Vincent & The Grenadines

United Kingdom

1980

Vanuatu

France/United Kingdom

1980

Zimbabwe

United Kingdom

1981

Antigua & Barbuda

United Kingdom

1981

Belize

United Kingdom

1983

St. Kitts & Nevis

United Kingdom

1984

Brunei

United Kingdom

1990

Namibia

South Africa (5)

1991

Armenia

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Azerbaijan

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Belarus

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Bosnia-Hercegovina

Yugoslavia (12)

1991

Croatia

Yugoslavia (12)

1991

Estonia

Soviet Union (10)

1991

Georgia

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Kazakhstan

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Kirgizstan

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Latvia

Soviet Union (10)

1991

Lithuania

Soviet Union (10)

1991

Macedonia

Yugoslavia (12)

1991

Moldova

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Montenegro (13)

Yugoslavia (12)7(13)

1991

Serbia

Yugoslavia (12)7(13)

1991

Slovenia

Yugoslavia (12)

1991

Tajikistan

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Turkmenistan

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Ukraine

Soviet Union (11)

1991

Uzbekistan

Soviet Union (11)

1993

Czech Republic

Czechoslovakia

1993

Eritrea

Ethiopia

1993

Slovakia

Czechoslovakia

2002

2006

2008

2011

East Timor

Montenegro (13)

Kosovo

South Sudan

Portugal/Indonesia

Serbia and Montenegro

Serbia

Sudan

Notes

(1) Poland vanished from the map as a sovereign state in 1795. Between 1772 and 1795 Poland was

the victim of three partitions: in 1772 about one fourth of its territory was divided among Russia,

Prussia, and Austria; in 1793, Russia and Prussia took additional territory; and, in 1795, the

partition of Poland was completed when Russia, Prussia, and Austria annexed all of its

remaining territory. At the end of WWI, Poland was recreated out of the territory of Russia,

Germany and Austria.

(2) Yugoslavia was amalgamated at the end of WWI from territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

(Croatia and Slovenia) and from the formerly independent kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro.

(3) The Mandate System was created by the League of Nations at the end of WWI to administer the

ex-territories of Germany in Africa and the South-West Pacific and of the Ottoman Empire in the

Middle East. Three "Class A Mandates" (the most highly developed and closest to achieving

political independence) were created in the Middle East; Syria, administered by France; Iraq,

administered by Great Britain; and Palestine, administered by Great Britain. So far, these three

Mandates have produced five independent states: Iraq; Lebanon and Syria out of the French

Mandate; and Israel and Jordan out of the British mandate over Palestine.

(4) At the end of WWII the greatly reduced territory of pre-War Germany was divided between East

and West along a cease fire line that eventually became the political boundary between the

Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. The GDR declared its

independence on October 7, 1949. The FRG and the GDR were both admitted to membership in

the United Nations on September 18, 1973. On October 3, 1990, the FRG and the GDR were

unified into a single state with Berlin as its capital. The official name of the unified state is the

Federal Republic of Germany.

(5) By article 119 of the 1919 treaty of Versailles, Germany relinquished all rights and claims to its

overseas possessions in Africa and the South-West Pacific. These colonies, which were

designated by the League of Nations as either "Class B" or "Class C" Mandates, were distributed

as follows:

Tanganyika

Great Britain

B

Ruanda-Urundi

Belgium

B

Cameroons

France Great Britain

B

Togoland

France Great Britain

B

S. W. Africa

South Africa

C

N. Pacific Us.

Japan

C

Ger. New Guinea

Australia

C

West. Samoa

New Zealand

C

Nauru

Joint Administration: Great

Britain Australia New Zealand

C

At the end of WWII, all former Mandates, with the exception of South West Africa, which the

Union of South Africa refused to place under UN jurisdiction, were placed under the United

Nations Trusteeship Council and became designated as either "trust" or "trusteeship" territories.

France, Great Britain, Belgium, New Zealand, and Australia continued to administer their former

mandates, but the United States replaced Japan as the trusteeship power over the north Pacific

islands, newly named the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

(6) Somalia was created from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK

on June 26, 1960, and Italian Somaliland, an Italian-administered UN Trusteeship, which became

independent on July 1, 1960.

(7) Tanzania was created on April 26, 1964 by a merger of two independent states: Tanganyika,

which-became independent from-UN Trusteeship under British control on December 9, 1961;

and Zanzibar, which became independent on April 26, 1964. Originally named the United

Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the unified state was officially renamed the United

Republic of Tanzania in October 1964.

(8) In 1990 the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and the Yemen Arab Republic ceased to

exist as separate sovereign states when they unified to form a single new state named the

Republic of Yemen. As a result, there is no longer an international boundary between the two

Yemens.

(9) Vanuatu was formerly the British and French condominium of New Hebrides.

(10) The three Baltic states have regained their formal independence after having been forcefully

incorporated as republics in the USSR on August 3, 1940. Created at the end of World War I,

the Baltic States enjoyed independence only from 1920-1939.

Colony Mandate Power Class of Mandate

(11) The Russian Empire was reconstituted as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.

or Soviet Union) in 1921 following a series of revolutions that took place in Russia

beginning in 1917. The U.S.S.R. was dissolved as a single federal state on December 21,

1991, and the Russian Federation claimed the legal status of sole successor state to the Soviet

Union.

(12) The United States recognized Bosnia-Hercegovinia, Croatia, and Slovenia as independent

states on April 7, 1992. The U.S. accepts the pre-civil war republican borders as the

legitimate international boundaries of the new states. It recognized Macedonia in 1995 under

its official long name of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

(13) On April 11, 1992, Montenegro and Serbia unified into a new, single state called

Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the

Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence

from the state union. The vote for severing ties with Serbia exceeded 55%--the threshold

set by the EU—allowing Montenegro to declare independence on 3 June 2006.

(14) The United States formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state

on February 18, 2008, and President Bush responded affirmatively to a request from

Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries.

Information provided by Dr. Charles E. Pirtle (retired),

Walsh School of Foreign Service

Georgetown University