1. South Sudan: On July 9, 2011, after ending the war against the Arabic northern part of Sudan in Africa, the southern part declared its independence. The country is currently in turmoil as a civil war has instigated a large-scale famine and displaced around 10% of the total population.
2. Kosovo: Kosovo has long been a troubled territory at the southern end of Serbia. The United Nations has been administering the country since 1990 after the then Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic called the army back from Kosovo. The country declared its independence on February 17, 2008.
3/4. Serbia and Montenegro: Till 2006, the two countries were part of a union and were called Serbia-Montenegro. But Montenegro decided to end its ties with Serbia and declared its independence on May 21, 2006. The country's economic and political states have been stable and prosperous so far .
5. East Timor: East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, was once a small part of Indonesia. The island, which is south of the Banda Sea, declared its independence on May 20, 2002. Due to its huge oil reserve, the country has seen large-scale development and has been acknowledged by the World Bank as a rapidly progressing country.
6. Palau: Language became a barrier for Palau stopping otfrom being a part of the larger Micronesia. The cultural difference among other Micronesian states and Palau was so great that it decided to become an independent country from October 1, 1994. Palau comprises 250 small islands and is known for its tourism.
7. Eritrea: Just over 6 million people live in this small country north of Ethiopia in Africa. Eritrea was declared as an autonomous region under the Ethiopian federation in 1952. However, the Ethiopian government continued to treat it as a dependent part. This triggered a 30-year-long civil war. On April 27, 1993, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front toppled the Ethiopian forces and declared the country's independence
8/9. Czech Republic and Slovakia: People of both the countries welcomed the year 1993 in a unique way. On January 1 that year, the parliament of Czechoslovakia divided the country into two parts. Both the countries have flourished economically after the "Velvet Divorce", a term for the split as it happened "smoothly" after the Velvet Revolution dissolved Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovenia got introduced to the world as independent nations when Yugoslavia was dissolved in 1992.
10. Micronesia: Previously known as the Caroline Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia is a nation north of Australia, which comprises thousands of small islands. Until September 17, 1991, the archipelago or group of islands was administered by the United States. Fishing is the primary livelihood of the nation.
