Top 10 Places That Were Once Their Own Countries
What makes a nation? Over the years, sovereign states have taken many forms and enjoyed widely disparate levels of international recognition. Some were forged by war, others as refuge from it. Some were influential kingdoms, others makeshift micronations.
But whether credible or simply incredible, nations that are no more often have fascinating backstories. Here are ten, listed in order of their founding.
Now India’s least populated state, Sikkim – located in northeastern India bordering Bhutan, Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region – was a sovereign nation for centuries. According to legend, a 14th Century Tibetan prince named Khye Bumsa came to Sikkim after a divine revelation promised him riches. In 1642 Bumsa’s descendant, Phuntsog Namgyal, was consecrated priest-king of the new Kingdom of Sikkim.