List of Nations Who Broke Out of Their Original Colonies.

Although borders of countries and the countries they border tend to be stable and don’t change often, However, there are instances when maps of the world need to be revised. The most evident example of this from recent times is the times when Yugoslavia along with the USSR ended up falling. The newly independent nations emerged having their own flags, governments, and laws.

In the past, many nations in Africa gained the right to independence from European colonial rulers. Although such situations do not occur often even in this day and age, there are several regions and nations that want to gain independence.

Catalonia

In Europe, there are a variety of people living in recognized states who are seeking to establish their own independent states. Catalonia recently held a controversial referendum on separating from Spain. The most well-known city in the region is Barcelona which has a long-standing language identity that is distinct from the rest of Spain.

Scotland

Scotland has also rejected a referendum on breaking off to Scotland’s membership in the United Kingdom. While Scotland has a lot of autonomy in the union, however, there’s a portion of the population who feels that London is too influential over the activities that affect Scotland and its citizens. At the moment, Scotland will remain a part of the United Kingdom, although the recent Brexit vote could bring back the issue regarding Scottish independent status in the near time.

Ukraine

In the eastern part of Ukraine, there are separatist groups that are seeking to establish an unincorporated state and were involved in a bloody war against the forces of opposition. The ethnic Russians that dominate the eastern portion of the nation have reacted to the policies of an indigenous Ukrainian administration in Kyiv the capital city of Ukraine.

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Vojvodina

Vojvodina is a region located in northern Serbia that is home to an active separatist group and the territory is also disputed in Kosovo located in south Serbia. In Vojvodina, the cultural ties towards Hungary, as well as the Austro-Hungarian empire, have left a distinct group of linguistic and cultural features that some within the region believe should be separated from Serbia.

Kosovo

Kosovo for its part is an independent state and has been recognized as such by a variety of countries, but it is not recognized by the United Nations. Provo Valley, which borders Kosovo, remains part of Serbia and is planning to join Kosovo. Even though Serbia continues to consider Kosovo as a province that is officially recognized, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia and, with the assistance of NATO forces, they pushed out the Serbian military in 1999.

Transnistria

Transnistria in Moldova is functioning as an autonomous entity since Moldova was separated from USSR in the 1990s. Although Moldova has close ties with Romania, Tranistria wants to maintain close ties with Russia. The majority of people who live in the area speak Russian and believe they are ethnic Russians and the regional flag is still adorned with the sickle and hammer from the former USSR flag.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia

Two regions of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been self-governing states that have been recognized in part in the past few years, but they are in fact a component of Georgia. Even though they have been granted official recognition by Russia, Georgia, and its allies continue to regard those regions as part of the territory in Russian occupation.

Chechnya

Chechnya in Russia is still divided over its issue of independence. It is currently a majority Muslim state within the Russian Federation, but there are many people in the region who would like to separate completely and create their own state of ethnicity that is based on Islam as well as the Chechen ethnic identity.

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Kurdistan

The possibility of the existence of Kurdistan is another instance however, it would need to be separated from four existing nations if it was to gain independence. The Kurdish residents currently reside in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran Some are looking to merge their country with regions of these four nations to form an independent nation.

Xinjiang and Tibet

In China, there are two provinces that seek to separate from Beijing at varying levels. Xinjiang along with Tibet is situated in the west of the country. Furthermore, both provinces are active separatist movements that want to establish their separate states. Furthermore, both areas are relatively new inclusions in China and are home to distinct ethnic groups, each with its respective languages, cultures, and beliefs.

Somaliland

Somaliland, which is actually part of Somalia has declared independence from Somalia However, the international community acknowledges it as an autonomous area within Somalia. However, it has diplomatic relations with a few nations and has a commercial relationship with others.

Darfur

Darfur is one of the regions in Sudan which has been at the scene of violent conflict for a number of years. Darfur is still under the supervision of Sudan’s government. The Sudanese government, but it was granted regional autonomy up to in 2016. The region is in an emergency situation because of ongoing tensions with separatists.

Volkstaat

In the country of South Africa, there have been calls for an Afrikaner state of Volkstaat in the western region of the country, which is ruled by the descendants of Dutch colonists. They are their own language and cultural tradition that differs from the rest of South Africa and have an ongoing rivalry with British-descendant parts of the country to the east.

Alaska

It is believed that the US State of Alaska has a tiny but active independence movement that is a proponent of the state’s separation from the United States. The political party of the movement is known as AKIP (which stands for Alaska Independence Party. Alaska Independence Party, is the third-largest political group in Alaska, just behind the more established Democratic and Republican parties.

Quebec

Quebec is a province that is French-speaking of Canada has had multiple independence referendums and is close to separating from Canada. The province of French-speaking has had an uneasy relationship with other provinces of Canada for a long time as separatist groups have been able to gain political power. The votes for independence have not been successful however the issue remains open for discussion.

Bougainville

Bougainville is currently an independent region of Papua New Guinea. In November of 2019, Bougainvilleans will vote in the referendum on whether they want to remain as a part of Papua New Guinea or become an independent nation.