Pinpointing the oldest country in the world cant be done with complete certainty.
What Makes a Country?
To be classed as a country, you must meet four specific criteria.
The first is a defined territory.
Each country has its specified boundaries, which separate it from neighboring territories.
The second is a permanent population.
An area must have inhabitants to be declared a country.
Next, your country must have a government.
This government must be capable of interacting with other states and countries.
Why We Cant Tell A Countrys Exact Age
It can be challenging to determine when acountryofficially began.
China and Egypt, for example, are two great cases of this.
Its no secret that China is one of Earths oldest civilizations.
Historians have written evidence of China dating back to 7000 BCE.
But, during those times, China wasnt the country we know today.
Instead, it was a series of dynasties.
Dynasties were regions taken over by kingdoms or warlords.
As a result, war was common between dynasties.
Because of this constant change, the borders of China were always in a state of flux.
Thats why many historians say China wasnt born until 1911-1912 when the last dynasty was replaced.
Egypt could have numerous birth dates.
In 3100 BCE, the first pharaoh united upper and lower Egypt, which created the first Egyptian dynasty.
969 could also be a birth date when the Fatimid Caliphate founded the capital city of Cairo.
You could even say it wasnt until 1922 when the U.K recognized Egypt as an independent country.
These two arent the only countries in the world with histories that are difficult to decipher.
So, thats why we cant put together a chronological list of which country is the oldest.
These are 16 of theoldest countries in the world.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a Muslim country on the Earths largest continent of Asia.
Afghanistans history dates back way before the world officially declared it a country.
Because of Afghanistans landlocked location, it served as an important trade route throughout history.
Many know Armenia for its diaspora of cultures.
Stone inscriptions in caves show evidence of Armenia being inhabited by human life in 90,000 BCE.
In 301 AD, Armenia became the first country to declare Christianity as its official region.
This means that the Armenian Apostolic Church is the worlds oldest national church.
Although we once considered this dynasty a myth, recent excavations found remains of Bronze Age settlements.
Sun Yat-sen later officially founded the worlds most populous country in 1949.
Hieroglyphs are the worlds second-oldest writing system and appeared around 3200 BCE.
Before, we briefly mentioned that the king of Egypts first dynasty unified upper and lower Egypt.
During their reign, they established their capital of Yeha which is still home to its large temple complex.
The European colonization of western Africa occurred from 1870 to 1940.
The Romans initially knew the region of France as Gaul.
Three main ethnolinguistic groups were present in the area: the Belgae, the Aquitani, and the Gauls.
Im sure you could guess which was the largest of the three groups.
The Gauls were Celtics that spoke a language named Gaulish.
From here, the medieval Kingdom of France emerged.
First unified under the Bagrationi dynasty, Georgia flourished during the 10th to 12th centuries.
The current Republic of Georgia has now been independent since 1991.
So it truly lines up with the meaning of the word ancient.
The Ancient Greek era still has its history shown in modern western civilization.
Olympia held the first Olympic games in 776 BCE.
Also known as the pre-Vedic or Vedic period.
Although Hinduism is Indias main religion, it wasnt always this way.
In the fifth century, the country was converted to Buddhism before Islam was later introduced in the eighthcentury.
By the 1st millennium BC, Iran had two distinctive states, the Medes and the Persians.
During 550 330 BCE, the Achaemenid Empire grew to be the largest empire in the world.
The Iranian Empire truly began in the Iron Age due to an influx of Iranian people.
Others know it as the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity.
The country is home to a vast selection of religious sites linked to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The Roman Empire adopted Christianity throughout Israel in the 4th century.
After this adoption, Isreal had a Greco-Roman Christian majority for six centuries.
Once the Arab Muslim Empires conquered the land, it became predominantly Muslim.
Israel took back its Jewish roots in the late 19th century after the emersion of Zionism.
This period is known as the Jomon period and was later followed by the Yayoi people.
However, we cannot entirely prove this.
Somewhere during the fourth to the ninth century,Japanwas unified under a central government.
The Emperor of Japan controlled the government and established the imperial dynasty, which continues today.
After World War 2, the states of North and South Korea formed when the allies divided the country.
The two sections now operate individually as a single government couldnt be decided on.
Northern Korea still operates privately with rules and laws that westernized countries will class as unbelievable.
For example, North Koreans arent allowed to watch films in a foreign language or listen to foreign music.
They also cant make international phone calls, disrespect the Kim family, or drive cars.
History from the region dates back to 400,000 years ago when the Homo heidelbergensis inhabited the area.
The oldest human skull on file comes from a cave in the Portuguese village of Almonda.
Neanderthals followed the Homo heidelbergensis, and the Homosapians arrived in Portugal 35,000 years ago.
While many European countries have seen considerable changes in their borders, democracies, and monarchs.
On the other hand, Portugal has remained consistent since its founding in 1143.
Tradition claims that Marinus founded San Marino in 301 AD while seeking refuge.
One of the worlds smallest countries, it is entirely surrounded by Italy.
The pope finally recognized San Marino as an independent country in 1631 AD.
The Hong Bang dynasty established the first Vietnamese dynasty in 2879 BCE.
After the death of the last Hung kings, a Chinese General took over Vietnam.
Northern Vietnam remained under Chinese rule for a thousand years before independence movements began.
As we finish up with the oldest countries in the world, wed love to know your opinions.
Which country do you believe is the oldest?
Did any countries on this list surprise you?
Let us know in the comment section below!
