There are thousands of countries, cities, and towns that have vanished to time. Some of the countries just decided to merge, split, or change their names that’s why the list of “missing” countries grows. These nations were once conquered and fell to invaders and over the century, they have changed to become something different than when they were first discovered. Let’s take a look at the countries that have vanished in the last century.
1. Newfoundland
Newfoundland offers stunning views and rich biodiversity which makes it a place that many like to visit. But many are shocked to find out that Newfoundland used to be self-governing and it existed separately from Canada. It was known as the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1907 to 1949. And before joining Canada, Newfoundland used to be a part of the British Dominion.
2. Ottoman Empire
Also known as the Turkish Empire, the Ottoman Empire lasted for centuries. It started from 1300 CE until 1923. And during that 600 years, the Ottoman Empire grew as it claimed parts of Turkey, Russia, Africa, and the Middle East. But following its rise were setbacks which resulted in the Empire’s collapse. After the WW1, the Empire collapse for the final time which led to the creation of Turkey who declared its independence from the Empire.
3. Gran Columbia
Gran Columbia used to be a South American country which included what is now Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador from 1819 to 1830. But Gran Colombia disappeared when Ecuador and Venezuela separated.
4. Zanzibar and Tanganyika
Tanganyika and Zanzibar used to be two separate countries which merged in 1964 and became Tanzania which is part of East Africa.
5. Bengal
Bengal used to be an independent kingdom from 1338 to 1539 until it became a part of India and Bangladesh.
6. Union Soviet Socialist Republic (Soviet Union)
The USSR was a huge area of land which collapsed in 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader was the one who caused the nation to divide because he attempted to reform the Union but it just led to the rise of the separatist and the nationalists. A coup was orchestrated and failed. In the end, the USSR got divided into fifteen new countries which included Ukraine and Russia.
7. Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia used to be a large country with so much influence and power and it was an independent country from 1918 to 1993. The country dissolved peacefully and was split into two nations we now know as The Czech Republic and Slovakia.
8. Heligoland
Heligoland used to be two small islands that were located 45 miles off the western coast of Germany. It was conquered by England in 1807. It was first used as a command post for surveillance against the Napoleonic forces but from 1826 onwards, the islands were used as a bathing resort and spa with attracted rich visitors from Poland, Russia, and England.
In 1890, England gave the islands to Germany in exchange for the island of Zanzibar. The Germans then changed the island’s name to Helgoland and used it as a naval base during the first and second world war. England took the island back in 1945 but it was handed back to Germany again in 1952.
9. New Brunswick
New Brunswick was a part of Nova Scotia but it was divided off to be a separate colony in 1784. And it got its name after the Duchy of Braunschweig in northern Germany. And in 1867, it officially became a Canadian province.
10. Eastern Karelia
Eastern Karelia was located between the Soviet Union and Finland. And it was formed when Finland declared its independence in 1917. When new borders were formed between Finland and the Soviet Union, the majority of the Finnish-speaking area were left on the Soviet side of the border that’s why the people felt betrayed and they started a revolution. But the revolution was crushed by the Soviet troops in 1922. Today, Eastern Karelia is now known as Karelia which belongs to Russia’s 21 federal republics.
11. Persia
The Persian Empire was founded in the sixteenth century and today we know it as Iran. The last “dynasty” was the Qajar Dynasty before eventually becoming modern-day Iran.
12. Rhodesia
Before 1980, Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia which was named after a British diplomat Cecil Rhodes.
13. Tibet
Tibet used to be a kingdom which was established in the 7th century until it was invaded by China in 1950 and since then it was known as the Xizang Autonomous Region of China.
14. Yugoslavia
In the early 1990s, Yugoslavia was divided into six countries namely Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia, and Croatia.