List of former sovereign states

A historical sovereign state is a state that once existed, but has since been dissolved due to conflict, war, rebellion, annexation, or uprising. This page lists sovereign states, countries, nations, or empires that ceased to exist as political entities sometime after 1453, grouped geographically and by constitutional nature.[note 1]

Criteria for inclusion

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The criteria for inclusion in this list are similar to that of the list of states with limited recognition. To be included here, a polity must have claimed statehood and either:

  • had de facto control over a territory, a population, a government, a capacity to enter into relations with other states, or
  • have been recognised as a state by at least one other state.

This is not a list for all variant governments of a state, nor is it a list of variations of countries' official long form name. For purposes of this list, the cutoff between medieval and early modern states is the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Ancient and medieval states

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Modern states and territories by geography

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Africa

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Morocco (Maghreb al-Aqsa)

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Egypt, Sudan and Libya

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Algeria (Central Maghreb)

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Comoro Islands

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Madagascar

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Sub-Saharan Africa

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Horn of Africa

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Western Africa

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African Great Lakes

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Eastern Africa

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Central Africa

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Southern Africa

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Asia

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Central Asia

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East Asia

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Japanese Archipelago
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Korean Peninsula
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West Asia

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Afghanistan
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Balochistan
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Anatolia
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Cyprus
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Mesopotamia
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Persia/Iran
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Levant
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Arabian Peninsula
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South Asia

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Southeast Asia

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Europe

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Nordic countries

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In the Nordic countries, unions were personal, not unitary

Modern France

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Modern Germany

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Austria

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Switzerland

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Italy

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Modern United Kingdom

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Ireland

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Benelux

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Poland

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Ukraine

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Crimea

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Baltic countries and Belarus

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Romania and Moldova

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Russia

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