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List of sovereign states in the 1990s
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This is a list of sovereign states in the 1990s, giving an overview of states around the world during the period between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 1999. It contains 241 entries, arranged alphabetically, with information on the status and recognition of their sovereignty. It includes 197 widely recognized sovereign states, 28 entities which claim an effective sovereignty but are considered de facto dependencies of other powers by the general international community, 2 associated states, 14 states which were initially unrecognized but then gained full recognition later in the decade, and 1 state which was initially widely recognized but then lost full recognition later in the decade.[clarification needed]
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Members or observers of the United Nations
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Non-UN members or observers
Widely-recognized
Others
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Other entities
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Excluded from the list above are the following noteworthy entities which either were not fully sovereign or did not claim to be independent:
Antarctica as a whole had no government and no permanent population. Seven states claimed portions of Antarctica and five of these had reciprocally recognised one another's claims.[83] These claims, which were regulated by the Antarctic Treaty System, were neither recognised nor disputed by any other signatory state.[84]
East Timor was occupied and administered by Indonesia until October 1999 as Timor Timur, but this was not recognized by the United Nations, which considered it to be Portuguese territory under Indonesian occupation. In October 1999, Indonesia relinquished control over the territory to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, which took over responsibility for it.
Estonia was a part of the Soviet Union until August 1991, but its annexation was not widely recognized. A government in exile claimed independence for Estonia until 15 September 1992, but aside from its embassies in the West it controlled no territory.
The European Union was a sui generis supranational organisation which had 12 (later 15) member states. It was established on 1 November 1993. The member states had transferred a measure of their legislative, executive, and judicial powers to the institutions of the EU, and as such the EU had some elements of sovereignty, without generally being considered a sovereign state. The European Union did not claim to be a sovereign state and had only limited capacity for relations with other states.
Kosovo was a territory that was nominally part of Serbia and Montenegro, but after 10 June 1999 came under United Nations administration as part of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.
Latvia was a part of the Soviet Union until 1991, but its annexation was not widely recognized. A government in exile claimed independence for Latvia until 21 August 1991, but aside from its embassies in the West it controlled no territory.
Lithuania was a part of the Soviet Union until 1990, but its annexation was not widely recognized. Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. claimed independence for Lithuania until 6 September 1991, but aside from its embassies in the West it controlled no territory.
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta was an entity claiming sovereignty and (from 24 August 1994) a United Nations observer. The order had bi-lateral diplomatic relations with a large number of states, but had no territory other than extraterritorial areas within Rome.[85] The order's Constitution stated: "The Order is a subject of international law and exercises sovereign functions."[86] Although the order frequently asserted its sovereignty, it did not claim to be a sovereign state. It lacked a defined territory. Since all its members were citizens of other states, almost all of them lived in their native countries, and those who resided in the order's extraterritorial properties in Rome did so only in connection with their official duties, the order lacked the characteristic of having a permanent population.
The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor was a transitional non-independent territory governed by the United Nations. It was neither sovereign nor under the sovereignty of any other state. It was established on 25 October 1999, following the end of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor.
West Berlin was a political enclave that was closely aligned with – but not actually a part of – West Germany. It consisted of three occupied sectors administered by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. West Berlin was incorporated into the reunified Germany on 3 October 1990.
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See also
- List of sovereign states by year
- 1990s
- List of state leaders in 1990
- List of state leaders in 1991
- List of state leaders in 1992
- List of state leaders in 1993
- List of state leaders in 1994
- List of state leaders in 1995
- List of state leaders in 1996
- List of state leaders in 1997
- List of state leaders in 1998
- List of state leaders in 1999
Notes
- Sibghatullah Mojaddedi entered Kabul after the fall of Mohammad Najibullah and proclaimed the Islamic State of Afghanistan.[1]
- The Islamic State of Afghanistan was not recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates after 26 September 1996.
- Albania adopted a temporary basic law on 29 April 1991, changing the name of the country to "Republic of Albania". This change was confirmed in the constitution of 1998.[2]
- 23 provinces: Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Córdoba, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquén, Río Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego (from 26 April 1991), Tucumán. 1 Autonomous City: Buenos Aires (from 6 August 1996). 2 Territories: Buenos Aires (to 6 August 1996), Tierra del Fuego (to 26 April 1991).
- The Armenian people voted for succession from the Soviet Union in a referendum on 21 September 1991. The parliament of Armenia ratified the result on 23 September 1991.[4]
- 6 states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia. 3 territories: Australian Capital Territory, Jervis Bay Territory, Northern Territory.
- 9 states: Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Upper Austria, Vorarlberg, Vienna.
- On August 30, 1991, Azerbaijan's Parliament adopted the Declaration on the Restoration of the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan.[5]
- 3 communities: Flemish Community, French Community, German-speaking Community. 3 regions: Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia.
- Belize was not recognized by Guatemala (to 24 November 1992)
- The People's Republic of Benin was renamed the Republic of Benin on 1 March 1990. Its new constitution was adopted on 2 December 1990.[6]
- Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia on 5 April 1992.[7]
- The Dayton Agreement was signed on 14 December 1995, creating the unified state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[8]
- 10 cantons: Bosnian-Podrinje, Canton 10, Central Bosnia, Herzegovina-Neretva, Posavina, Sarajevo, Tuzla, Una-Sana, West Herzegovina, Zenica-Doboj.
- 26 states: Acre, Alagoas, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins. 1 federal district: Federal District.
- The Grand National Assembly of Bulgaria adopted a motion changing Bulgaria's official name on 15 November 1990.[9]
- 10 provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan. 3 territories: Northwest Territories, Nunavut (from 1 April 1999), Yukon.
- The People's Republic of China and the Republic of China did not recognize each other, as both states claimed to be the sole legitimate government of China. The following states recognized the ROC instead of the PRC: Bahamas (to 23 May 1997), Belize, Burkina Faso (from 4 February 1994), Central African Republic (from 8 July 1991 to 29 January 1998), Chad (from 15 August 1997), Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, the Gambia (from 25 July 1995), Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau (from 26 May 1990 to 13 April 1998), Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, South Korea (to 24 August 1992), Lesotho (from 5 April 1990 to 12 January 1994), Macedonia (to 27 January 1999), Malawi, Marshall Islands (from 20 November 1998), Monaco (to 16 January 1995), Nauru, Nicaragua (from 9 November 1990), Niger (from 30 June 1992 to 19 August 1996), Palau (from 1999), Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia (to 1 September 1997), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, São Tomé and Príncipe (from 6 May 1997), Saudi Arabia (to 21 July 1990), Senegal (from 6 January 1996), Solomon Islands, South Africa (to 1 January 1998), Swaziland, Tonga (to 2 November 1998), Tuvalu, and Vatican City. After 9 September 1997, Liberia recognized both the ROC and the PRC, which led to the PRC severing diplomatic relations.[citation needed]
- A Sovereign National Conference was held in the People's Republic of Congo from 25 February 1991 to 10 June 1991, during which the country was renamed.[10]
- Croatia and Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991.[11]
- Czechoslovakia was dissolved on midnight of 31 December 1992. From the start of 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia were independent countries.[12]
- Owing to a dispute over lands seized during World War II, Liechtenstein and Czechoslovakia did not recognize each other. This dispute continued with Czechoslovakia's successor states.
- Following the Velvet Revolution, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was replaced by the Czechoslovak Federative Republic.[13]
- After a naming dispute, the name of Czechoslovakia was changed to "Czech and Slovak Federative Republic"[14]
- 2 republics: Czech Socialist Republic (renamed Czech Republic on 29 March 1990), Slovak Socialist Republic (renamed Slovak Republic on 1 March 1990).
- The Workers' Party of Ethiopia regime collapsed on 28 May 1991.[16]
- 9 regions: Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambela, Harari, Oromiya, Somali, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, Tigray. 2 chartered cities: Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa.
- Fiji adopted a new constitution on 25 July 1990.[18]
- Fiji adopted a new constitution on 25 July 1997 which came into force on 27 July 1998.[19]
- Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union on 9 April 1991.[20]
- The Republic of Georgia adopted a new constitution on 24 August 1995, changing its official name to Georgia.[21]
- 16 states: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin (from 3 October 1990), Brandenburg (from 3 October 1990), Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (from 3 October 1990), North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony (from 3 October 1990), Saxony-Anhalt (from 3 October 1990), Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia (from 3 October 1990)
- 25 states: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. 7 union territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Pondicherry.
- Israel was not recognized by Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Chad, Cuba, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan (to 26 October 1994), Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
- The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia began operations on 15 March 1992.[69]
- Although the State of Cambodia had near total control over the territory of Cambodia, the majority of the states in the world recognized the former government of Democratic Kampuchea, which retained Cambodia's UN membership. The State of Cambodia was mainly recognized by Vietnam and states within the Soviet sphere of influence.
- North Korea was not recognized by Estonia, France, Japan, or South Korea.
- South Korea was not recognized by the Soviet Union to 1990, China to 1992, Romania to 1990, or North Korea.
- Kyrgyzstan declared independence from the Soviet Union on 31 August 1991.[29]
- Kyrgyzstan adopted a new constitution on 5 May 1993.[30]
- Latvia declared independence from the Soviet Union on 21 August 1991.[31]
- Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union on 11 March 1990.[32]
- Provisionally referred to by the UN and a number of countries and international organizations as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", see Macedonia naming dispute.
- Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia on 8 September 1991.[33]
- Macedonia was not recognized by Serbia and Montenegro until 8 April 1996.[34][35][36]
- 13 states: Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu. 2 federal territories: Kuala Lumpur, Labuan.
- 31 states: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas. 1 federal district: Federal District.
- Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August 1991.[39]
- Mozambique adopted a new constitution on 30 Nov 1990.[41]
- Namibia gained independence from a South African League of Nations mandate on 21 March 1990.[42]
- 36 states: Abia (from 27 August 1991), Adamawa (from 27 August 1991), Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa (from 1 October 1996), Bendel (to 27 August 1991), Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta (from 27 August 1991), Ebonyi (from 1 October 1996), Edo (from 27 August 1991), Ekiti (from 1 October 1996), Enugu (from 27 August 1991), Gombe (from 1 October 1996), Gongola (to 27 August 1991), Imo, Jigawa (from 27 August 1991), Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi (from 27 August 1991), Kogi (from 27 August 1991), Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa (from 1 October 1996), Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun (from 27 August 1991), Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba (from 27 August 1991), Yobe (from 27 August 1991), Zamfara (from 1 October 1996). 1 federal territory: Federal Capital Territory.
- 4 provinces: Balochistan, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh. 4 territories: Azad Kashmir, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Islamabad Capital Territory, Northern Areas.
- Palau's United Nations trusteeship ended on 1 October 1994.[43]
- From 25 December 1993, Russia had two equally official longform names and they were "Russia" and "Russian Federation".[44]
- The Soviet Union effectively ceased to exist on 12 December 1991 and officially ceased to exist on 26 December 1991 when the Supreme Soviet dissolved itself; Russia was recognized as its successor state by the UN.[52][53]
- 21 republics: Adygea, Altai, Bashkortostan, Buryatia, Chechnya, Chuvash Republic, Republic of Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, KalmykiaKarachay–Cherkessia, Karelia, Khakassia, Komi, Mari El, Mordovia, North Ossetia–Alania, Sakha, Tatarstan, Tuva, Udmurtia. 49 Oblasts: Amur, Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kamchatka, Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Oryol, Penza, Perm, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan, Sakhalin, Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk, Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver, Tyumen, Ulyanovsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl. 6 Krais: Altai, Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Primorsky, Stavropol. 2 federal cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg. 1 Autonomous Oblast: Jewish Autonomous Oblast. 10 autonomous okrugs: Agin-Buryatia, Chukotka, Evenkia, Khanty–Mansi, Koryakia, Nenetsia, Permyakia, Taymyria, Ust-Orda Buryatia, Yamalia.
- 2 islands: Saint Kitts, Nevis. 14 parishes: Christ Church Nichola Town (Saint Kitts), Saint Anne Sandy Point (Saint Kitts), Saint George Basseterre (Saint Kitts), Saint George Gingerland (Nevis), Saint James Windward (Nevis), Saint John Capesterre (Saint Kitts), Saint John Figtree (Nevis), Saint Mary Cayon (Saint Kitts), Saint Paul Capisterre (Saint Kitts), Saint Paul Charlestown (Nevis), Saint Peter Basseterre (Saint Kitts), Saint Thomas Lowland (Nevis), Saint Thomas Middle Island (Saint Kitts), Trinity Palmetto Point (Saint Kitts)
- Somalia was renamed after Siad Barre's overthrow on 26 January 1991.[50]
- President Ali Mahdi Muhammad of Somalia was ousted on 18 November 1991, although he continued to claim the title of President from exile. After this, there was no widely-recognized central government in the country.[51]
- 15 republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia, Estonia (to 6 September 1991), Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Latvia (to 6 September 1991), Lithuania (to 6 September 1991), Moldavia, Russian SFSR, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
- 17 autonomous communities: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Basque Country, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, Navarre, La Rioja, Valencian Community. 2 autonomous cities: Ceuta (from 14 March 1995), Melilla (from 14 March 1995).
- 30 States: Bahr el Ghazal (to 14 February 1994), Blue Nile, Central Equatoria (from 14 February 1994), Darfur (to 14 February 1994), Eastern Equatoria (from 14 February 1994), Equatoria (to 14 February 1994), Al Jazirah (from 14 February 1994), Jonglei (from 14 February 1994), Kassala, Khartoum, Kurdufan (to 14 February 1994), Lakes (from 14 February 1994), Northern Bahr el Ghazal (from 14 February 1994), North Darfur (from 14 February 1994), North Kurdufan (from 14 February 1994), Northern, Al Qadarif (from 14 February 1994), Red Sea (from 14 February 1994), River Nile (from 14 February 1994), Sennar (from 14 February 1994), South Darfur (from 14 February 1994), South Kurdufan (from 14 February 1994), Unity (from 14 February 1994), Upper Nile, Western Equatoria (from 14 February 1994), Western Bahr el Ghazal (from 14 February 1994), West Darfur (from 14 February 1994), West Kurdufan (from 14 February 1994), White Nile (from 14 February 1994), Warrap (from 14 February 1994).
- 26 cantons: Aargau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Glarus, Graubünden, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zürich.
- Turkmenistan declared independence from the Soviet Union on 27 October 1991.[55]
- 7 emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Qaiwain.
- 50 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. 1 Federal District: District of Columbia. 1 incorporated territory: Palmyra Atoll.
- Venezuela's new constitution came into force on 20 December 1999.[57]
- 23 States: Amazonas (from 23 July 1992), Anzoátegui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolívar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro (from 8 March 1991), Falcón, Guárico, Lara, Mérida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Táchira, Trujillo, Vargas (from 31 December 1998), Yaracuy, Zulia. 3 Territories: Amazonas (to 23 July 1992), Delta Amacuro (to 8 March 1991), Vargas (from 22 April 1998 to 31 December 1998). 1 Federal District: Federal District (renamed Capital District on 20 December 1999). 1 Federal Dependency: Federal Dependencies.
- Western Samoa's constitution was amended on 4 July 1997 to change the name of the country to Samoa.[58]
- The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was created on 27 April 1992, ending the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[62]
- Laurent-Désiré Kabila took power on 17 May 1997 and renamed Zaire again the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[63]
- Abkhazia re-declared independence from Georgia on 12 October 1999 (Act of State Independence of the Republic of Abkhazia), although it had been effectively self-governing since the end of the War in Abkhazia on 30 September 1993.
- The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
- Anjouan declared independence from the Comoros on 3 August 1997.[65]
- The nominally independent bantustans of Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, and Venda were only recognized by South Africa and by each other. The rest of the world regarded them as part of South Africa.
- The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria enacted its constitution on 12 March 1992.[71]
- Chechnya was recognized by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
- Mohéli declared independence from the Comoros on 11 August 1997.[73]
- The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic declared independence from Azerbaijan on 6 January 1992.[74]
- See the following on statehood criteria:
- Mendes, Errol (30 March 2010), Statehood and Palestine for the purposes of Article 12 (3) of the ICC Statute (PDF), 30 March 2010, pp. 28, 33, retrieved 2011-04-17: "...the Palestinian State also meets the traditional criteria under the Montevideo Convention..."; "...the fact that a majority of states have recognized Palestine as a State should easily fulfill the requisite state practice".
- McKinney, Kathryn M. (1994), "The Legal Effects of the Israeli-PLO Declaration ofPrinciples: Steps Toward Statehood for Palestine", Seattle University Law Review, 18 (93), Seattle University: 97, archived from the original on 2011-07-22, retrieved 2011-04-17: "It is possible, however, to argue for Palestinian statehood based on the constitutive theory".
- McDonald, Avril (Spring 2009), "Operation Cast Lead: Drawing the Battle Lines of the Legal Dispute", Human Rights Brief, 25, Washington College of Law, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, retrieved 2011-04-17: "Whether one applies the criteria of statehood set out in the Montevideo Convention or the more widely accepted constitutive theory of statehood, Palestine might be considered a state."
- Puntland declared temporary independence from Somalia on 1 August 1998.[75]
- The Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence on 7 April 1992.[76]
- The name Republika Srpska was adopted on 12 August 1992.[77]
- Transnistria had declared its independence from Moldova (but within the Soviet Union) on 2 September 1990. The Soviet Union did not recognize that declaration, leading to Transnistria's full declaration of independence on 25 August 1991.[81]
- Venda ceased to exist on 27 April 1994, when South Africa's interim constitution took effect.[72]
- The Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia declared itself an independent Republic on 26 July 1995; it was conquered by Bosnia and Herzegovina on 7 August 1995.[82]
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References
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