The World

Sunday’s referendum in southern Sudan got us thinking about new countries for the Geo Quiz. It’s worth noting that there have been more than 30 countries created in the past two decades. So here’s the question: What are the 5 newest countries?

Sunday’s referendum in southern Sudan got us thinking about new countries for the Geo Quiz. It’s worth noting that there have been more than 30 countries created in the past two decades. Remember when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991? That paved the way for 15 independent countries from Armenia to Uzbekistan.

The war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s also led to some new political states. So here’s the question: What are the 5 newest countries?

Geo Answer:

For the answer as well as an explanation of how countries achieve recognition, anchor Katy Clark turns to Sheena Barclay, an editor with the Times Atlas of the World. The list of 5 includes: Kosovo (2008), Serbia (2006), Montenegro (2006), East Timur (2002), and Palau (1994).

Are you with The World?

The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.