The World's Newest Nation on the Rise?

When most of the world thinks of "Sudan" they think of genocide and millions and millions displaced. They remember the images of war and hunger and of hope for some Sudanese who  knew a day like today may be on the rise. It is not official, but Southern Sudan is on the first day of voting in a week-long independence referendum that may create the world's newest nation, about five years after the end of a civil war.


The Christian dominated south is likely to spilt from the mainly Muslim North, creating two nations from Africa's largest country. A majority of residents voting see positive changes and better life. However it is still unclear how the country will untangle their economies and political allegiances.

So, why the spilt? Well southerns define themselves as Africans and have accused the Arab-north government for their underdevelopment and also accusations  of taking their oil revenues without investing in the south.  This week's referendum is part of a 2005 peace deal that ended the two-decade civil war between the north and south.

The north and south still need to negotiate the distribution of oil revenues, rights to the White Nile River, official borders and citizenship rights.

The new nation's full independence wouldn't take place before July 9, when the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA, expires and a new agreement must take its place.

If Sudan has problems in dealing with a new nation, they could take a page from the book of those who became new nations in the 1990s.

Countries Formed Since

the 1990s

Namibia became independent of South Africa

by March 21, 1990.

 North and South Yemen merged to form a unified Yemen

on May 22, 1990.

East Germany and West Germany merged to form a unified

Germany on Oct. 3, 1990.

The Czech Republic became an independent nation on

Jan. 1, 1993 after Czechoslovakia dissolved.

On Jan. 1, 1993, Slovakia became independent after

Czechoslovakia dissolved.

 Formerly part of Ethiopia, Eritrea seceded on

May 25, 1993.

East Timor (Timor-Leste) declared independence from Portugal in 1975, the nation did not became independent from Indonesia until May 20, 2002.

Though it dissolved from Yugoslavia in 1992, Montenegro split

from Serbia on June 3, 2006.

Serbia established itself as its own entity on June 5, 2006 -

two days after Montenegro split.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia Feb. 17, 2008.

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