Geopolitics can be a funny beast. While Earth’s landmass has stayed virtually identical for most of human history, borders have been drawn and redrawn time again as our planet’s inhabitants jockey for position.

Whether the dissolution of these countries is due to warfare, colonization, or straightforward diplomacy, it’s fascinating to think back on these former nations. While the landmass and the people remain, the country itself is long gone.

Yugoslavia

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Yugoslavia was one of several countries to emerge from the chaos of World War I, in this case coming from a merger between the Kingdom of Serbia with the provisional State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs.

The country had a tough history — it came into existence in 1918, was decimated by World War II, then saw various economic and political crises in the decades to come. After a series of revolutions in 1989, it divided into five countries.

East Germany

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East Germany is mostly remembered as a chapter in Germany’s history where the eastern half of the country was a communist state that was centrally planned.

While East Germany reunified with West Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it’s easy to forget that the country was the most successful in the entire Eastern Bloc, even accounting for World War II reparations that it had to pay to the Soviet Union.

Czechoslovakia

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Czechoslovakia first declared independence from Austria-Hungary after World War I. It lost territory during World War II, and actually ceased to exist during this war, as its constituent states declared independence or were invaded.

After the war, Czechoslovakia was re-established with its original borders, and became a Communist country after a 1948 coup. The 1968 Prague Spring uprising, coupled with the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union, caused Czechoslovakia to peacefully split into Slovakia and Czechia.

Austro-Hungarian Empire

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This constitutional monarchy was formed by the Habsburg monarchy in 1867 following the end of the Austro-Prussian War.

Of course, the early 20th century brought widespread change to Europe, notably the transition from monarchy to republic for many nations. After World War I, Austria-Hungary dissolved, and Austria and Hungary became two separate countries.

Soviet Union

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Likely the most notable former country on this list, the Soviet Union was easily the largest country by landmass in the world. It spanned eleven time zones and bordered twelve countries, and incorporated not just modern-day Russia, but a host of states.

The country came into existence following 1917’s October Revolution and played a major role in international geopolitics for most of the 20th century. The country dissolved in 1991 and was reconstituted as the Russian Federation.

Ottoman Empire

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An ancient nation that survived into modern times, the Ottoman Empire existed in some form between the 14th and 20th centuries, spanning parts of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa.

The Ottoman Empire gradually lost territory due to a number of military defeats in the 18th and 19th centuries. It eventually dissolved after the Turkish War of Independence in 1922.

Rhodesia

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Rhodesia had a short, chaotic history. It first emerged as an unrecognized successor state to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia.

What made Rhodesia so controversial was apartheid, with a power structure ruled entirely by White people, who made up a minority in the country. Rhodesia existed between 1965 and 1979, and emerged as Zimbabwe after the Zimbabwe African National Union won an electoral victory.

Gran Colombia

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Gran Colombia, the predecessor to modern-day Colombia, occupied much of northern South America, as well as parts of Central America, between 1819 and 1831.

The country’s large size was its undoing, as infighting between groups that favored federalism and centralism respectively came to a head. When it broke apart, it became the states of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Republic of Texas

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Texas still exists of course, and much of the source of the state’s pride comes from the fact that it used to be a sovereign country between 1836 and 1846.

Texas emerged when the formerly Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas declared independence in 1836. Following a series of conflicts with Mexico in the following decade, Texas agreed to annexation with the United States in 1846.

Zanzibar

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Officially known as the Sultanate of Zanzibar, this East African state existed for over a century until it relinquished its sovereignty in 1964.

This did not go smoothly, as the African Afro-Shirazi Party overthrew the largely Muslim government of Zanzibar, which spurred the massacre of tens of thousands of Zanzibar’s Arab citizens.

(Independent) Tibet

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The collapse of imperial China’s Qing dynasty in 1912 led to the creation of the mountainous state of Tibet. While the new Republic of China wanted to extend its claim to Tibet, the region was too remote for them to assert much authority.

Following the Chinese Civil War, the newly-formed People’s Republic of China once again set its eyes on Tibet, and annexed the territory in 1951.

Prussia

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The precursor to modern-day Germany, Prussia emerged in 1525. For most of its history, it was viewed as one of Europe’s great powers, particularly under the reign of Frederick the Great.

In 1871, Prussia united Germany’s various states to form the German Empire. The chaos of Germany’s interwar period caused borders to be drawn and redrawn, and what was left of Prussia was officially abolished by the Allies in 1947.

Dominion of Newfoundland

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Newfoundland is a large, rocky island off of Canada’s east coast, and today it (along with the Labrador region) forms the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. But for a time, it was an independent nation.

However, in the midst of the Great Depression, a financial crisis on the island caused Newfoundland’s government to voluntarily give up its self-governing status in 1934. An appointed commission governed Newfoundland until it officially joined Canada in 1949.

Kingdom of Sikkim

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This hereditary monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas was in existence for more than three centuries, between 1642 and 1975, and is now a state of India.

Conflicts between the Kingdom and India grew to a boiling point until a palace siege led to a referendum on the monarchy in 1975. While the results ostensibly justified India’s annexation of Sikkim, there are questions as to the validity of this takeover.

South Vietnam

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The site of untold atrocities and bloodshed during the Vietnam War, the nation of South Vietnam only existed between 1955 and 1975, spending almost its entire history in the midst of conflict.

The country first emerged as an independent nation after Japanese forces were expelled following World War II. The Vietnam War started that same year, and the eventual Paris Peace Accords of 1973 saw the annexation of South Vietnam by North Vietnam.

Kingdom of Hawaii

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Kamehameha I first conquered the Hawaiian islands of O’ahu, Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i in the late 18th century and unified them as the Kingdom of Hawaii.

The kingdom was widely recognized by other governments, but increased interest in the Hawaiian Islands spelled its doom. The native Hawaiian population was decimated by disease, and the weakened kingdom was ended by an American-led coup d’état in the 1890s.

Biafra

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Biafra broke away from Nigeria in 1967 to serve as a home for the Igbo ethnic group following a series of anti-Igbo pogroms in the 1960s.

The move led to immediate warfare, as the Nigerian military attempted to regain control of the area. Following three years of bitter conflict, the territory was ceded back to Nigeria in 1970.

Manchukuo

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Japan’s imperial ambitions ran rampant during the early 20th century, and the nation didn’t just annex areas — it also set up puppet states. Manchukuo, also known as the State of Manchuria, was one such state.

The country was founded as an ostensibly independent nation in 1932 and existed until the end of World War II.

Senegambia Confederation

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The Gambia, a nation that’s almost entirely surrounded by Senegal, teamed up with Senegal in the 1980s to form the Senegambia Confederation, a soft merger of the two countries designed to promote cooperation and trade.

In 1989, after The Gambia had cold feet about creating an official union, the Senegambia Confederation was officially dissolved.

Mughal Empire

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The origins of the Mughal Empire are murky, but this empire in South Asia emerged sometime in the 1500s in modern-day Uzbekistan.

The Mughal Empire flourished for a time, but the British colonial influence in India soon doomed it. The empire was dissolved by the British Raj in 1857.

Exploring The Unusual Realities Of America’s Strangest Small Towns

Any country will have its bustling metropolises and its remote, rural towns, but what those places look like can vary wildly from state to state. And while major cities can often have their own character, this reality is particularly palpable when it comes to America’s small towns.

After all, when a community is left alone for long enough, it can start developing a culture that won’t really make sense to anyone else. So when visitors do pass through and see a bizarre sight that nobody else seems to bat an eye at, it can feel like stepping into one big inside joke. Strange as they may be, all of these towns are real and make sense to somebody.

Roswell, New Mexico

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According to the Smithsonian Magazine, a rancher named W.W. “Mac” Brazel was driving through the New Mexico desert on June 14, 1947, when he came across the strange, metallic wreckage of an unidentified craft. Although this was part of a U.S. Air Force high-altitude balloon program called Project Mogul, residents in the area were convinced this was a crashed spacecraft. And the Air Force preferred to let them think that.

As theory-crafting about aliens grew in popularity from the 1970s to the 1990s and beyond, Roswell has become a haven for true believers. The town has used that reputation to its advantage, as it hosts the International UFO Museum and Research Center, includes an image of an alien in its civic seal, and has shops filled with UFO-themed memorabilia along its main street.

Casey, Illinois

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Those who visit Casey, Illinois, will quickly notice that it’s home to an unusually large number of giant objects, and that’s essentially put the town on the map. According to Atlas Obscura, its 55-foot tall wind chime is a Guinness World Record holder, as is the 56-foot tall rocking chair pictured at left towering over an adult person.

But while these examples made waves in the record books, they’re only a sample of the giant objects that the town has added to its eccentric collection of landmarks. Alongside this giant mailbox that opens and closes with a cable winch, there’s a giant golf tee, a giant bird cage, and giant knitting needles, to name a few.

Centralia, Pennsylvania

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According to the History Channel, the city council of Centralia, Pennsylvania, decided to burn the coal mining town’s landfill to clean it up for a Memorial Day celebration. However, the fire resulting from this decision ended up spreading into the mine and burned so intensely that its fire is still raging today. It would end up dooming what was once a busy town.

These underground fires continually cause smoke and noxious gas to fill Centralia’s air, shifting the ground behind former residents’ homes and creating sinkholes. In 1992, the state government kicked out all but seven residents and removed Centralia’s zip code. Those seven remaining residents are forbidden from passing down or selling their homes due to the persistent danger.

San Luis Obispo, California

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As The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported, the town’s nationally famous Bubblegum Alley began in the late 1950s, when local high school students decided to stick their used gum in a seemingly random alley as a senior prank. However, the prank quickly snowballed into a tradition that involved not only other schools but the town’s residents at large.

Although the city attempted to clean the gum away on multiple occasions, the tradition persisted to the point where Bubblegum Alley is practically San Luis Obispo’s defining feature. Although some residents think it’s an eyesore, the tradition has enough supporters that Bubblegum Alley may never be cleared away, especially with visitors continually adding to it.

Colma, California

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According to KQED, about three-quarters of the land in Colma, California, is zoned for cemeteries, and much of its local economy is dependent on the funeral industry. Although the town has approximately 1,500 living residents, there are a staggering number of deceased ones.

As Pat Hatfield of the local historical society put it, “Maybe a million and a half underground, so we’re a little bit outgunned.” As for why Colma has such a macabre reason to exist, its very creation is the result of San Franciso’s government and residents wanting its cemeteries moved elsewhere to take advantage of the city’s valuable land in the late 19th Century. Since the dead had to go somewhere, Colma was incorporated as the Bay Area’s cemetery town.

Slab City, California

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Often referred to as “the last free place” or “an enclave of anarchy,” Slab City is an unincorporated community with no official electricity, sewers, trash collections, or water systems. However, it also doesn’t have any taxes or law enforcement. And that’s because this unofficial “town” was never supposed to exist.

After World War II, the U.S. government shut down and abandoned Camp Dunlap, a former Marine Corps base. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, this led a group of squatters to make their homes among the leftover concrete slabs (hence “Slab City”) and create a community of hundreds of survivalists and other fringe residents that persists today.

Cassadaga, Florida

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If “Spiritualist” and “Mediumship” seem like odd names for streets, it’s worth noting that they’re perfectly normal in Cassadaga. According to Flamingo Magazine, this is because a famous trance medium named George Colby founded the community on his mentor’s instruction. The Spiritualist Camp he founded was supposed to be a winter home for members of the Cassadaga spiritualist community in New York but became a bedrock for an entirely new town.

And Cassadaga, Florida’s population and atmosphere haven’t strayed far from its roots, as the town is considered the “psychic capital of the world.” Although the town’s messaging in past decades suggested it was an off-beat place where people were into exploring the supernatural and other “woo-woo” interests, this framing has since become more serious as the adoption of these concepts has become more popular in American socie

Dudleytown, Connecticut

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According to the New England Historical Society, Dudleytown is supposed to be a cursed town that was founded by the descendants of a failed usurper to King Henry VIII’s throne. Eventually, the story goes, enough mysterious deaths and instances of people suddenly losing their sanity mounted that residents fearfully abandoned the town.

However, the historical society noted that the real reason for the abandonment had to do more with poor farmland and new westward opportunities than any curse. It’s especially worth noting that the tales of woe cited around the town’s residents were either fabricated or exaggerated. Nonetheless, Dudleytown’s legend persists enough that residents have described the influx of tourists recording their supernatural podcasts as the area’s real curse.

Cottonwood, Idaho

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Not everywhere will give visitors the opportunity to sleep in a giant dog, but Cottonwood, Idaho, isn’t like most places. And that’s because it’s home to the Dog Bark Park Inn. This is a bed and breakfast that not only houses guests in a giant beagle but is dotted with dog-themed decorations that also include a giant fire hydrant.

Although it’s far off the beaten path, Travel + Leisure noted that visitors will make the trip out to Cottonwood just for the dog hotel. And as the hosts — Frances and Dennis — said, “Responsible dogs who arrive with their well-behaved humans are welcome to stay.”

The Villages, Florida

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If its demographics and the ubiquity of its golf carts make The Villages seem like America’s largest retirement community, that’s essentially how it was founded. According to Vanity Fair, Harold Schwartz was able to sell off his tracts of land in Florida by turning them into a series of developments that offered an all-inclusive lifestyle for Baby Boomers.

The result is a town where about 70% of its residents are over 55 and where that’s usually how old someone needs to be to qualify for a house. And while the golf carts have become a signature aspect of the local culture in their own right, they’re also there because there are dozens of golf courses in the area.

Clark, South Dakota

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Although Clark, South Dakota, is a fairly normal small town throughout most of the year, there’s one annual event in early August that sets it apart. That’s because when the Potato Days festival rolls around, the town hosts its annual mashed potato wrestling matches.

Although it’s not unheard of for people to wrestle in a foodstuff, mashed potatoes were chosen because they’re the primary crop that many farmers in the Clark area grow, according to South Dakota Magazine. That’s the reason for the potato-based festival at large, but the mashed potato wrestling just happened to attract the most attention.