List of extinct countries, empires, etc.





In the past, many states, countries or territories have been in existence.
This page attempts to list them, grouped into a number of categories.

Ancient Civilizations

Territories that disappeared in ancient history.

   * Adiabene
   * Akkad
   * Empire of Alexander the Great
   * Assyria
   * Babylonia
   * Carthage
   * Chaldea
   * Commagene
   * Dacia
   * Egyptian Empire
   * Hellenic city-states (Athens, Sparta, Syracuse, etc)
   * Hittites
   * Hurrians
   * Indus Valley Civilisation (Harappa, Mohenjo Daro in present Pakistan)
     South Asia
   * Kingdom of Israel
   * Kingdom of Judah
   * Lydia (Mžonia)
   * Media
   * Persian Empire
   * Pontus
   * Roman Republic, Roman Empire
   * Scythia
   * Sumer
   * Urartu

Medieval Civilisations

   * Byzantine Empire
        o Empire of Nicaea
   * Crusader States
        o County of Edessa
        o Kingdom of Jerusalem
        o Principality of Antioch
        o County of Tripoli
        o Kingdom of Cyprus
        o Latin Empire of Constantinople
        o Kingdom of Thessalonica
        o Principality of Achaea
        o Duchy of Athens
   * Frankish Kingdom
   * British Kingdoms -- Wessex, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Sussex
   * Hanseatic League -- neither a country nor an empire
   * Holy Roman Empire
        o List of Reichstag participants (1792)
   * Khazar Empire
   * Kievan Rus
   * States in Medieval Britain
   * Mongol Empire
   * Naples Kingdom
   * Ottoman Empire
   * Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
   * Spanish States -- Aragon, Castille, Le--n
   * Republic of Venice
   * Medižval Irish gaelic states and polity
   * Lordship of Ireland (1171-1536)
   * Kingdom of Ireland (1536-1800)
   * Principality of Wales - merged with the Kingdom of England
   * Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland - merged to form the Kingdom of
     Great Britain in 1707
   * Kingdom of Great Britain - merged with Kingdom of Ireland to form
     United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801

Ancient American Civilisations

   * Anasazi
   * Aztec Empire
   * Incan Empire
   * Iroquois Confederation
   * Mayan Empire

Former Colonies

These were all colonies, most of which were renamed after their
independence.

   * Afars and Issas - French territory between 1967 and 1977, called French
     Somaliland before that. Became independent as Djibouti.
   * Basutoland - Since 1868 a British protectorate, later colony (governed
     from South Africa). Became independent as Lesotho in 1966.
   * Bechuanaland - Since 1884 a British protectorate, later colony
     (governed from South Africa). Became independent as Botswana in 1966.
   * Belgian Congo - Belgian colony from 1908 until 1960, when the it became
     independent as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
   * British Guiana - became Guyana
   * British Honduras - became Belize
   * Congo Free State - Name of the state owned from 1884 by King Leopold II
     of Belgium, later mostly annexed by his country in 1908, then known as
     Belgian Congo.
   * Dahomey - This African kingdom was acquired by France. In 1904, it was
     made part of the French West African federation. It became independent
     in 1960, changing its name in 1975 to Benin.
   * Danish West Indies - Danish colony, sold in 1917 to the United States.
     Now known as the United States Virgin Islands.
   * Dutch Guiana - became Suriname
   * French Equatorial Africa - A French federation of colonies, formed in
     1910, containing the colonies of Gabon, Middle Congo, Chad and
     Ubangi-Shari. The territories became autonomous parts of France in
     1958, and the federation was dissolved.
   * French Somaliland - became Afars and Issas then independent Djibouti
   * French Sudan - A French colony, part of the French West African
     federation since 1904. In 1959 it formed the independent Mali
     Federation together with Senegal, which fell apart in 1960, after which
     the country was renamed Mali.
   * French West Africa - dissolved into Mali, Senegal, C™te d'Ivoire, Upper
     Volta, Niger, Guinea, Dahomey, and Togo
   * German East Africa - became Tanganyika, now in Tanzania
   * German South-West Africa - A German colony from 1884 to 1915, after
     which it became South African held territory until 1990, when the
     country became independent as Namibia.
   * Gold Coast - A British colony since 1874, it became independent as
     Ghana in 1957.
   * Hong Kong - colony of the United Kingdom, sovereignty transferred to
     the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997.
   * Indo-China - French territory until 1949. Became independent as
     Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
   * Italian East Africa - Italian colonies of Eritrea and Italian
     Somaliland together with occupied Ethiopia.
   * Italian North Africa - became Libya

   * Macau - colony of Portugal, sovereignty transferred to the People's
     Republic of China on December 20, 1999.
   * Middle Congo - A French colony, previously named French Congo, became
     independent as the Republic of the Congo in 1960.
   * Netherlands East Indies - A Dutch colony, officially since 1799, up to
     then controlled by the Dutch East India Company. Became independent as
     Indonesia in 1949.
   * Netherlands Guiana - became Suriname
   * Netherlands New Guinea - adjacent to the Netherlands East Indies until
     1949, became part of Indonesia in 1969 as Irian Jaya.
   * New France was conquered by Britain; various parts of it later became
     part of Canada and the United States.
   * New Hebrides - Condominium until 1980. Became independent as Vanuatu.
   * Northern Rhodesia - became Zambia in 1964.
   * Nyasaland - British protectorate, previously called British Central
     Africa, it was renamed Nyasaland in 1907. It became part of a
     federation with Rhodesia in 1953, and became independent as Malawi in
     1964.
   * Oubangui-Chari - became Central African Republic
   * Panama Canal Zone - US territory until 1979. Became part of Panama.
   * Portuguese East Africa - became Mozambique
   * Portuguese Guinea - became Guinea-Bissau
   * Portuguese India - became part of India
   * Portuguese Timor - The eastern side of the island of Timor was a
     Portuguese colony until 1975, when independence was declared as East
     Timor. Indonesian troops seized the country, but the country was
     finally declared independent in 2002.
   * Portuguese West Africa - became Angola
   * Rhodesia - name for Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) while unilaterally
     claiming independence, 1965-1979.
   * Rio Muni - Former Spanish colony, then part of territory of Spanish
     Guinea until 1968. Became independent as Equatorial Guinea.
   * Ruanda-Urundi - UN Trusteeship until 1962. Became independent as
     Burundi and Rwanda.
   * Protectorate of South Arabia - Federation until 1967, consisting of
     British colony of Aden and numerous protectorates. Became independent
     as People's Republic of Yemen (from 1970 People's Democratic Republic
     of Yemen) see: South Yemen.
   * South-West Africa - In 1915, South Africa occupied the German colony of
     South-West Africa, which it held under mandate until 1922, after which
     they remained ruling the territory until its independence in 1990 as
     Namibia.
   * Southern Rhodesia - British colony, unilaterally declared itself
     independent as Rhodesia in 1965, renamed Zimbabwe Rhodesia 1979, then
     gained international recognition as Zimbabwe 1980.
   * Spanish Guinea - became Equatorial Guinea. Consisted of two former
     colonies of Rio Muni and Fernando Po.
   * Spanish Sahara - now generally known as Western Sahara, but claimed by
     and divided between Morocco and Mauritania in 1976, later entirely by
     Morocco.
   * The Straits Settlements - British colony until 1946. Became independent
     as Malaya and Singapore.
   * Tanganyika - British territory until 1961. From then independent until
     1964, when it became part of Tanzania.
   * The colonies of Vancouver Island, Upper Canada and Lower Canada (later,
     the Province of Canada), Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward
     Island and Newfoundland spent much time reorganizing themselves into
     various patterns; they all eventually became part of Canada.

Secessionist states

These nations declared themselves independent, but failed to achieve or did
not seek permanent independence and were either re-incorporated into the
mother country or incorporated into another country.

   * Biafra - Declared independence of Nigeria in 1967. Defeated and
     reincorporated in 1970.
   * Confederate States of America - Declared its independence from the
     United States in 1861, reincorporated in 1865.
   * Katanga - Declared its independence of the newly formed Republic of the
     Congo in 1960, was incorporated again in 1963.
   * Republic of Rio Grande declared independence in 1840, brought back into
     Mexico by force less than a year later, encompassed the land of the
     Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, and parts of the USA state of
     Texas.
   * Republic of Texas - Declared independence in 1835 from Mexico, and
     annexed into the United States in 1845.

Dissolved countries

These states were dissolved into a number of countries.

   * Austria-Hungary - This double monarchy was formed in 1867 from the
     Habsburg empire, having an Austrian and a Hungarian part. In 1918, the
     empire was split into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland and
     Yugoslavia.
   * Yugoslavia - State created from parts of Austria-Hungary and Kingdoms
     of Serbia and Montenegro in 1918/1929. Re-created after World War II,
     dissolved when four out of six constituent republics (Slovenia,
     Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) seceded in 1990s.
     Remaining two republics officially renamed back into Serbia and
     Montenegro in 2003.
   * Czechoslovakia - State created from parts of Austria-Hungary, which
     dissolved after World War I. In 1993, the country was split into two
     parts, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
   * West Indies Federation - Federal state created by Britain in 1952 that
     simultaniously granted independence to all former British colonies in
     the Caribbean. The federation collapsed after Jamaica voted to
     separate.
   * Mali Federation - In 1959 formed by Senegal and French Sudan, both
     parts of French West Africa, as an independent nation. It fell apart in
     1960 into Senegal and Mali.
   * Soviet Union or USSR - Formed after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1918,
     made up of several republics which have since become independent as
     Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia,
     Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
     Uzbekistan and Russia.
   * United Arab Republic - A union formed by Egypt and Syria in 1958 was
     dissolved in 1961, though Egypt used the name until 1971.
   * United Provinces of Central America also known as United States of
     Central America-- independent 1823; fell apart into separate states in
     civil war 1838-1840.
   * South Yemen (People's Democratic Republic of Yemen) and North Yemen
     (Yemen Arab Republic) in 1990 united to form Yemen

Renamed countries

These country names have been replaced.

   * Burma - Name of Myanmar until 1989.
   * Central African Empire - temporary phase (1977 - 1979) in the existence
     of the Central African Republic.
   * Ceylon - Name of Sri Lanka until 1972.
   * ƒire - received the legislative description of the Republic of Ireland
     in 1949.
   * Irish Free State - renamed ƒire in 1937.
   * Ivory Coast - became C™te d'Ivoire in 1985, the French name being used
     in all languages thereafter
   * Kampuchea - Name of Cambodia from 1980 to 1989, before reverting to the
     original (1949 to 1975) name.
   * Khmer Republic - Name of Cambodia from 1975 to 1980
   * Persia - Name of Iran until 1935.
   * Republic of the Congo - Name of Democratic Republic of the Congo from
     1960 to 1966.
   * Siam - Name of Thailand until 1938.
   * Upper Volta - Name of Burkina Faso until 1984.
   * United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland renamed United Kingdom of
     Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1927. (Most of Ireland had left
     in 1922.)
   * Zaire - Name of Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 1997.

"Independent" Homelands of South Africa

These homelands, for black people, were granted "independence" from South
Africa. Not recognised by other nations, they were officially
re-incorporated in 1994.

   * Bophuthatswana - Made "independent" in 1977, reincorporated in 1994.
   * Ciskei - Made "independent" in 1981, reincorporated in 1994.
   * Transkei - Made "independent" in 1976, reincorporated in 1994.
   * Venda - Made "independent" in 1979, reincorporated in 1994.

Countries now part of other countries

These nations, once separate, are now part of another country.

   * British Somaliland - became part of Somalia, but has since asserted its
     independence as the Somaliland republic.
   * Chan Santa Cruz Maya state in eastern Yucatan peninsula, recognized as
     independent nation by British Empire in 1840s; now part of Mexico.
   * Dalmatia - Having been part of many empires, the area became part of
     Yugoslavia after World War I, and now in Croatia.
   * East Germany - Joined West Germany in 1990 to form re-unified Germany
     again.
   * Etruria - Ancient country near Rome.
   * Fiume - Now known as Rijeka in Croatia, this city was disputed between
     Italy and Yugoslavia after World War I. Being briefly independent, the
     city was captured by Italy, but passed to Yugoslavia after World War
     II.
   * The Kingdom of Hawaii was unified in 1810 under Kamehameha I, and was
     recognized by the United States as an independent nation from 1826
     until January 17, 1893. Following the overthrow of the monarchy it
     existed as the independent Republic of Hawaii until annexation by the
     United States in 1898.
   * Ifni - A Spanish possession until 1969, when it was ceded to and
     incorporated in Morocco.
   * Indian Princely States
   * Italian Somaliland - Became part of Somalia.
   * Kalat - Became part of Pakistan.
   * Kongo - African kingdom, divided between the colonial powers in 1885 at
     the Conference of Berlin. Now part of Angola (incl. Cabinda), Republic
     of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
   * Manchuria - Japanese puppet state until 1945. Became part of China.
   * Moldavia - Now divided between Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.
   * Moresnet - A tiny European territory that endured for a hundred years
     before definitively becoming part of Belgium.
   * Pomerania Independent duchy 1121-1637 ruled by the Dukes of Pomerania,
     as a result of Peace of Westphalia (1648) divided between Sweden,
     Brandenburg and Poland, later collected by Prussia in 1657, 1668, 1720,
     1772, 1815. Now part of Poland and Germany.
   * Prussia - Prussia was the most powerful of the German states when the
     German Empire was formed in 1871, as the Prussian King was declared the
     German Emperor. The State of Prussia was abolished by the Allied
     Control Council in 1947, following World War II
   * Republic of Taiwan - Lasted from May to October 1895 after the island
     was ceded by China to Japan and the natives declared independence
   * Republic of Texas - After becoming independent of Mexico in 1836, Texas
     sought annexation by the United States, which occurred in 1845.
   * Scotland formerly independent, was joined with England and Wales in
     1707, to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, which later became the
     United Kingdom.
   * Tuva (also known as Tannu Tuva) - now part of Russia after the
     dissolution of the USSR
   * Tibet - Semi-independent from China from 1912 to 1950, when it was made
     an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China.
   * Transylvania - Semi-independent before becoming part of
     Austria-Hungary. Became part of Romania after World War I.
   * Vermont - Republic of Vermont existed from 1777 until 1791, when it
     became the 14th state of the United States.
   * Wallachia - United with Moldavia to form Romania in 1859.
   * West Germany - Joined by East Germany in 1990 to form Germany again.
   * Republic of Yucatan became part of Mexico
   * Zanzibar - Zanzibar merged in 1964 with Tanganyika to become Tanzania.