This thread is to discuss how many new countries will emerge or how many countries will lose their existence around 100 years from now. Before a hundred years, there were few independent countries, due to British and European imperialism. By 1960s, many Asian and African countries achieved independence and the number of countries increased from less than a hundred to around 150. Currently, the number of countries are 196+ and still increasing slowly, latest being East Timor. 1990s gave birth to lots of new nations, like the former Soviet bloc, splinters from Yugoslavia, Eritrea, etc. The formation and dissolution of states involves a lot of factors like politics, language, religion, race and even geography. Its amazing how the world map (not me) is changing every century. In the eighteenth and ninteenth centuries, the world was ruled by petty rulers, since there was less development in communications, aviation, etc. Then European imperialism colonized rest of the world. How do you think the world map(not me again!!) will look like a hundred years from now? Are you interested in discussing the fate of the past nations which faded in history and possibilities of new nations that can emerge?