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Nations Older than the US

Name the currently existing sovereign states whose first historical formation came before 1776
dates refer to the creation of the first historical state resembling the modern day country, not necessarily the country in its current form
the name of the nation's first historical formation is given as a second hint, if different from its modern name
* date refers to reclamation of sovereignty, actual date of the nation's formation is unknown, but probably centuries earlier
Quiz by milk
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Last updated: May 26, 2013
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First submittedMay 26, 2013
Times taken2,699
Average score61.6%
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Hint
Answer
Hint
3200 BC
Iran
Elam
3100 BC
Egypt
 
2879 BC
Vietnam
Van Lang
2334 BC
Iraq
Akkadian Empire
2333 BC
North Korea
Gojoseon
1400 BC
Syria
Amorite (Amurru) Kingdom
1200 BC
Lebanon
Phoenicia
1070 BC
Sudan
Kush
1020 BC
Israel
 
800 BC
Ethiopia
D'mt
660 BC
Japan
 
400 BC
Azerbaijan
Caucasian Albania
393 BC
Macedonia
 
377 BC
Sri Lanka
Anuradhapura
322 BC
India
Bharatavarsa
300 BC
South Korea
Jin
221 BC
China
Qin Dynasty
202 BC
Algeria
Numidia
190 BC
Armenia
 
168 BC
Jordan
Nabatea
301
San Marino
 
681
Bulgaria
 
700
Chad
Kanem
751
Oman
 
756
Vatican City
Papal States
768
Serbia
 
788
Morocco
Idrisid Dynasty
800
Tunisia
Aghlabid Dynasty
802
Cambodia
Khmer Empire
833
Slovakia
Great Moravia
843
France
 
843
Germany
Holy Roman Empire
849
Myanmar
Pagan Empire
862
Russia
Rus'
872
Norway
 
882
Ukraine
Kievan Rus'
879
Croatia
 
895
Hungary
 
930
Iceland
 
935
Czech Republic
Bohemia
950
Tonga
 
960
Poland
 
975
Georgia
 
Hint
Answer
Hint
977
Brunei
Po-ni
980
Denmark
 
1037
Turkmenistan
Seljuq Empire
1042
Montenegro
Duklja
1137
Eritrea
Medri Bahri
1139
Portugal
 
1140
Maldives
 
1156
Austria
 
1192
Cyprus
 
1200
Rwanda
 
1206
Mongolia
 
1220
Zimbabwe
 
1229
Tunisia
Hafsid Dynasty
1230
Mali
 
1238
Thailand
Sukhothai
1253
Lithuania
 
1278
Andorra
 
1291
Switzerland
 
1297
Monaco
 
1299
Turkey
Ottoman Empire
1354
Laos
Lan Xang
1359
Moldova
 
1377
Bosnia and Herzegovina
 
1390
Congo (both)
 
1456
Kazakhstan
 
1469
Spain
Aragon and Castile
1500
Somalia
Ajuuraan Empire
1500
Malawi
 
1511
Uzbekistan
Khiva
1523 *
Sweden
 
1537
Guinea-Bissau
Kaabu
1581
Netherlands
 
1600
Benin
Dahomey
1634
Bhutan
 
1680
Burundi
 
1700
Gabon
Orungu
1701
Ghana
Ashanti Empire
1707
United Kingdom
 
1709
Afghanistan
 
1711
Libya
Karamanli Dynasty
1719
Liechtenstein
 
1744
Saudi Arabia
Diriyah
1768
Nepal
 
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27 Comments
milk
+1
Level 37
May 26, 2013
As I researched this, I originally planned to make a "younger than the US" quiz. I was surprised to learn that more than half of today's countries have shorter histories than the US, despite the commonly held perception that America is one of the youngest. Also, the older countries and their previous incarnations are much more interesting.
quizzicalguy
+1
Level 66
May 28, 2013
You should make the 'younger' quiz. It would have fewer perceived subjective problems and it would be an awesome geopolitical review.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
May 28, 2013
I agree it would be interesting, but, it would have the same problems as this one if you counted countries the same way, just in the opposite direction.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
May 27, 2013
This is an interesting and ambitious quiz, but, as you point out, even though some modern countries have older counterparts that "resemble" the current country it's not really the same country. The first Saudi state or first Saudi kingdom, known as the Emirate of Diriyah, for example, really is not the same country as Saudi Arabia. Not at all. Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
May 27, 2013
and Iraq being the same as Akkad is an even more extreme example. I mean... the boundaries aren't the same, the religion and culture is not the same, the language is different, the people are different...... saying that Iraq is as old as Akkad is kind of like if I built a bird feeder in my back lawn, and then 5,000 years later long after that birdfeeder was scrapped and thrown in the garbage bin and probably under 20 meters of soil, someone else builds a zoo on the same spot and puts an apiary where the bird feeder used to be, and then they say that the apiary is over 5,000 years old because there used to be a bird feeder there...
kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
May 27, 2013
same deal with Iran, and, most of these, actually...
milk
+1
Level 37
May 27, 2013
Demographics do not define a country. The people, language, culture, and religions change and evolve with time. Obviously Akkad is different from modern day Iraq, considering the 4000 years in between. Even the US of today is vastly different demographically and culturally than the US of 1776. I used as a basis for this quiz historical lineage, if you can call it that. That is, each of these countries can trace its "ancestry" back to the nations listed. I could have arbitrarily used the Aztecs for Mexico, for example, but didn't because we all know Mexico is totally different and came about as a result of Spanish colonization. I didn't use Hittite Kingdom for Turkey because Turkey came about separately, many centuries later, as a result of migrations and conquest from the East. Admittedly, this is a quick and superficial review of history, but most if not all of the civilizations and states I used are actually early predecessors of the countries that exist today.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 81
May 27, 2013
How on Earth does Iraq trace back to Akkad when Mexico can't go back past the Europeans arriving? There were probably 150 or more different genocides that took place on that patch of land over the years. They didn't evolve. Entire peoples were repeatedly wiped out, displaced, replaced, etc. It's not a minor change, it's that EVERYTHING is COMPLETELY different. I mean.... not even the soil is the same, the coastlines have changed, the rivers are in different places. The changes there were at least as big, if not bigger, than what happened in Mexico. I applaud the effort in even making the attempt, though.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
May 27, 2013
Anyway out of curiosity, what *does* define a country in your estimation? If not the people (in terms of language or religion- which are the two most popular bases for nationalism, or ethnic group, or genetic heritage), not the land area, not the culture, and not the system of government/political continuity... what else is there?

The United States is the same country today as it was in 1776 because (most obviously but among other things) there has been an unbroken continuity of government. In some places like China for example they look to language or culture for continuity but the US by its nature is a more diverse and amorphous place. The United States Constitution is really what makes America America.

On the other hand, claims of links to ancient kings and kingdoms has long been a trick of governments and nobles to try and give themselves some kind of legitimacy. Of course, 99% of the time these claims are totally bogus and made up.

milk
+1
Level 37
May 27, 2013
I see what you're saying and you have some good points. I know you'll argue this but I'm not saying that these are essentially the same country, just that it is something like the "first ancestor" of the country today. Akkad was the first state to unite all or most of Mesopotamia under one rule. Several empires and dynasties directly succeeded it, (mostly from the same area with similar descendant cultures and peoples, like Assyria, Babylon, etc.), and more down the line through history to Iraq, with some interruptions. Iraq was created essentially by carving up the Ottoman territories, but even the Ottomans recognized it as a unit, founded on the idea of Mesopotamia having a common identity, first established by Akkad. Mexico on the other hand is a totally new nation, created by Spanish colonizers, with no resemblance to the Aztec empire. Iraq today wouldn't exist without Akkad, but Mexico could exist in some form, similar to other "New World" countries, without the Aztecs.
milk
+1
Level 37
May 27, 2013
Perhaps I should have written "places with lots of history" ? But that wouldn't be very interesting or make much sense either. I understand your concerns, as it is hard to identify the "first nation" from hundreds or thousands of years back. Luckily this is a user-generated trivia quiz, not a history textbook. Still, I put a good amount of effort and time into researching these, and probably 80% or 90% of what's here is directly linked to the modern country and totally legitimate. Maybe you'd like me to replace Akkad with something less ancient..?
kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
May 28, 2013
eh.. no you don't need to change the quiz. It's not just Akkad I was only using that as one example. You're right, I disagree that there's any ancestral link at all. I mean, you're right about the Ottoman history part. This area was part of the Ottoman Empire for 500 years. That's a long time. 500 years ago in Virginia there was the Powhatan Confederation- an alliance of Native tribes. Imagine if the USA broke up in Civil War, and then Gloucester County, Virginia declared that they were the Christian Republic of Gloucistan. This county is roughly in the same area as part of the old Powhatan confederation, but the people there are only 0.4% Native American. They don't have anything in common with the Powhatans really. Would this be the same country? Would you say that Gloucistan would not exist if not for the Powhatan? And that's only a 500 year stretch... 4000 years is quite a bit longer. Greeks, Persians, Mongols, Arabs, etc have all rolled through there since then.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
May 28, 2013
So... I don't get why you're making the distinction between distinct countries in some places and not in others. But, it's your quiz, and I know this must have taken some work, so do what you like. :)

This also brings to mind Palestine. Many people believe that there is some connection between "Palestinians" and the very ancient Philistines. In fact, people in this region for the most part have about 0 genetic or cultural link to the ancient Canaanites. It's purely a politically expedient assertion to claim otherwise. The idea that there was a region by a certain name here has persisted but is that really a basis for a country? When the Romans ruled over the Levant they named the Jewish-dominated area around Israel as Palestina, a cognate of Philistines, because the Philistines were the ancient enemies of the Jews according to the old stories. It was meant to undermine Rome's political opponents in the area, not as a reflection of any real connection or continuity. and now...

milk
+1
Level 37
Jun 18, 2013
It still doesn't make sense to pretend that because a country wasn't on a map for a while, that nation ceased to exist. It was simply temporarily occupied and dominated by others, or reborn with a new name. Poland wasn't on a map for a couple centuries. That is also a long time. And yet, no one will deny that it is the essentially the same nation as the one that existed previously. Same for Korea, Vietnam, Norway, etc..

By the way, you're right that in Mesopotamia there was a lot of movement and change, but the people and identity didn't all get wiped out like some Native American groups, just mixed around, shifted, and changed gradually over those 4000 years. Iraq isn't Akkad 2.0, but the lineage is there... so maybe Akkad 6 or Vista :)

kalbahamut
+2
Level 81
Jun 28, 2013
I still disagree. They're not even remotely the same country. Being in roughly the same place doesn't make it the same country. If it did, then there are a bunch you missed, but you concede that this metric isn't good enough in some cases.
Parinter
+1
Level 43
Aug 23, 2016
I agree with milk, (in french) chaque pays dans le monde a une origine personnelle et lorsqu'on remonte jusqu'aux racines du pays alors on peut s'apercevoir que tel pays est très vieux en fait. Bien-sûr, dans le monde actuel, les frontière ne sont plus les mêmes car évidemment avec le temps, l'histoire, la colonisation etc... les pays ont un petit peu bougé mais la société, la culture et autres restent et le resteront pendant encore très longtemps. Par exemple, l'Egypte est un pays maintenant comme les autres mais dans le passé (tout le monde le sait), il ya eu des pharaons et une économie durable pour un pays relativement peu avancé et on ne peut pas dire que l'ancienne Egypte de 3000 ans avant JC soit un pays différent de l'Egypte d'aujourd'hui, c'est certain !
quizzicalguy
+3
Level 66
May 28, 2013
Fun quiz, milk. Where's Greece?
milk
+1
Level 37
May 28, 2013
For most of its history, Greece was split into numerous kingdoms and city-states. They retained separate identities even when they were "united" and essentially dominated by Macedon and subsequent empires. The First Hellenic Republic (1822) is actually the first time a common Greek nation was formed.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
May 29, 2013
There were other nations/city-states that existed alongside Elam, Akkad, Phoenicia, etc as well. Okay, I'll stop nitpicking your quiz now.. sorry..
adrianeng20
+1
Level 15
Apr 30, 2014
were its romania,we declare independece few time before the official recognize in 1878,bether documentation please :)
Jae67
+1
Level 12
Aug 5, 2014
In most country quizzes I type drc and I get democratic republican of the Congo. Even if it is both answers it really should except either of the actual country names themselves. Very surprised no one said this yet
Sulps
+1
Level 56
Aug 9, 2014
Are you sure this isn't called "Try Every Country Outside the Americas"? That's pretty much what I did.
Parinter
+1
Level 43
Aug 23, 2016
Great quizz !! Funny :)
piscesall
+2
Level 27
Sep 11, 2016
well one thing to complain... the placement of North Korea and South Korea

You should have put both Koreas in one, since the north and the south cam BOTH from Gojoseon and Jin.

Also, a majority of Gojoseon's lands are at modern day PR China. Why not put china too?

except that, i enjoyed the quiz.

divantilya
+1
Level 36
Apr 16, 2018
Really enjoyed this quick lesson in ancient history. Thank you, Milk.
Rick010
+2
Level 60
Mar 4, 2022
I think most of the countries are fair here, but Congo, North and South Korea, Chad, Macedonia, Algeria (for Numidia), Syria and Ukraine are just too far fetched. Modern Ukraine has nothing to do with Kievan Rus, modern Macedonia (a slavic people) has nothing to do with ancient Macedonia (Greeks, who still exist!) and Congo, Chad and the Koreas are just products of modern history. Algeria, Syria and even Iran are just premature.
Mikes
+1
Level 48
Apr 12, 2022
i believe that north macedonia is not at the list,because they dont relate with the kingdom of macedons and they have this name because the kingdom of macedon use to be there but they where also in greece which a bigger terittority than north macedonia is called just macedonia.also the capital of ancient macedon is in greece, Pella and the father of Alexander is burried there
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