List of World map changes



Below is a chronological list of political or geological events, which would alter the appearance of a World Map. Changes usually include (but are not limited to) the alteration of borders, the creation and fall of nations, the changes of geographical names, as well as some unusually destructive natural disasters. Through the knowledge of such dates and events, the approximate year and age of a World Map could be calculated and estimated.

Note that not all maps of the world of an age or period will be the same throughout the globe; as different mapmakers (or their employers) may have different views on the sovereignty and/or territorial integrity of the countries of the world and/or possess different levels of technological and/or geographical insight, the maps created by them might differ significantly.

2008

 * August 26 - Abkhazia and South Ossetia are recognised by the Russian Federation as independent. For further details see International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
 * August 1 - In Vietnam, Ha Tay provinces merge with Ha Noi
 * February 17 - Kosovo declares independence with only partial recognition

2007

 * July 1 - In Russia, the new krai of Kamchatka Krai is created by the unification of Kamchatka Oblast and Koryak Autonomous Okrug

2006

 * October 7 - The capital of Palau is moved from Koror to Melekeok
 * August 14 - Transfer of Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria to Cameroon, following International Court of Justice ruling
 * June 8 - Dissolution of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro into two separate states: Serbia and Montenegro

2005

 * November 6 - The capital of Myanmar is moved from Yangon to Naypyidaw

2004

 * February 24 - Ait Kamara, a village in Morocco, is destroyed in an earthquake

2003

 * February 4 - Federal Republic of Yugoslavia reconstituted into the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro

2002

 * May 20 - Independence of East Timor (Timor-Leste) from Indonesia

2001

 * January - In India, the city of Calcutta is renamed Kolkata

2000

 * November 15 - In India, the state of Jharkhand is created
 * November 9 - In India, the state of Uttarakhand is created
 * November 1 - In India, the state of Chhattisgarh is created

1999

 * December 31 - Transfer of the Panama Canal Zone from the United States of America to Panama
 * December 20 - Transfer of Macau from Portugal to the People's Republic of China
 * April 1 - Nunavut separated from the remainder of the Northwest Territories in northern Canada

1998

 * May 6 - In Kazakhstan, the capital Akmola is renamed Astana

1997

 * December 10 - The capital of Kazakhstan is moved from Almaty to Akmola
 * July - Western Samoa is renamed Samoa
 * July 1 - Transfer of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China
 * May 17 - Zaire is renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo

1995

 * January 1 - International Date Line moved around Kiribati
 * In India, the city of Bombay is renamed Mumbai

1994

 * October 1 - Independence of Palau from United States
 * March 1 - Walvis Bay is transferred from the South African Republic to Namibia

1993

 * May 24 - Independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia
 * January 1 - Dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia

1992

 * April 6 - International recognition of the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * April 2 - In Montenegro (then part of Yugoslavia), the city of Titograd is renamed to its earlier name, Podgorica
 * January 15 - Independence of Croatia and Slovenia widely recognized

1991

 * December 26 - Dissolution of the Soviet Union. Independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union
 * December 25 - Independences of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan from the Soviet Union finalized
 * December 12 - Independence of Russia from the Soviet Union (ratification of Belavezha Accords)
 * December 8 - Independence of Turkmenistan from the Soviet Union finalized
 * October 18 - Independence of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union finalized
 * September 21 - Armenia declares independence from the Soviet Union
 * September 8 - The Republic of Macedonia declares independence from Yugoslavia
 * September 6 - Independence of Latvia from the Soviet Union
 * September 6 - In the Soviet Union, Leningrad is officially renamed Saint Petersburg
 * August 30 - Azerbaijan declares independence from the Soviet Union
 * August 27 - Moldova declares independence from the Soviet Union
 * August 24 - Ukraine declares independence from the Soviet Union
 * August 20 - Estonia re-declares independence from the Soviet Union
 * June 25 - Croatia and Slovenia declare independence from Yugoslavia
 * May 18 - Somaliland declares independence from Somalia
 * April 9 - Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union

1990

 * October 3 - Reunification of Germany. The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) integrates the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
 * June 21 - In East Germany, the city of Karl-Marx-Stadt returns to its original name, Chemnitz
 * May 22 - Unification of Yemen
 * May 4 - Latvia declares independence from the Soviet Union
 * March 21 - Independence of Namibia (formerly South-West Africa) from South Africa
 * March 11 - Lithuania declares independence from the Soviet Union

1989

 * September 30 - Dissolution of the Senegambia Confederation

1988

 * In Tatarstan, Russian Federation, the city of Brezhnev is renamed Naberezhnye Chelny

1987

 * January 1 - In Canada, Northwest Territories, the town of Frobisher Bay is renamed Iqaluit

1986

 * November 3 - Independence of Federated States of Micronesia from the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
 * October 21 - Independence of the Marshall Islands from the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

1984

 * August 4 - Upper Volta is renamed Burkina Faso
 * January 1 - Independence of Brunei from the United Kingdom

1983

 * November 15 - Northern Cyprus declares independence, with only Turkey recognizing it
 * September 19 - Independence of St. Kitts from the United Kingdom as St. Kitts and Nevis
 * In Vojvodina, Serbia, then part of Yugoslavia, the town of Vrbas is renamed to Titov Vrbas

1982

 * November 18 - Naberezhnye Chelny, a city in Tatarstan, Russian SFSR, USSR, was renamed Brezhnev in honor of Leonid Brezhnev, the then-Soviet Union
 * February 1 - Creation of the Senegambia Confederation

1981

 * November 1 - Independence of Antigua and Barbuda from United Kingdom
 * September 21 - Independence of Belize from United Kingdom

1980

 * July 30 - Independence of New Hebrides from France and United Kingdom condominium as Vanuatu
 * April 18 - Zimbabwe-Rhodesia is renamed Zimbabwe upon full independence

1979

 * October 27 - Independence of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from United Kingdom
 * September 20 - Central African Empire renamed Central African Republic
 * July 12 - Independence of the Gilbert Islands from the United Kingdom as Kiribati
 * June 1 - Rhodesia becomes the transitional state of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia
 * March 26 - Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty, Sinai Peninsula is returned to Egypt
 * February 22 - Independence of Saint Lucia from United Kingdom

1978

 * November 3 - Independence of Dominica from the United Kingdom
 * October 1 - Independence of Tuvalu from the United Kingdom
 * July 7 - Independence of Solomon Islands from the United Kingdom

1977

 * June 27 - Independence of French Territory of the Afars and Issas as Djibouti
 * In Pakistan, the city of Lyallpur is renamed to Faisalabad

1976

 * December 4 - Central African Republic renamed Central African Empire
 * June 29 - Independence of Seychelles from the United Kingdom
 * February 3 - In Mozambique, the city of Lourenço Marques is renamed to Maputo

1975

 * December 30 - Malagasy Republic is renamed Madagascar
 * November 30 - Dahomey is renamed Benin
 * November 28 - East Timor declares independence from Portugal. Is annexed by Indonesia by military force
 * November 25 - Independence of Suriname from the Netherlands
 * November 11 - Independence of Angola from Portugal
 * September 16 - Independence of Papua New Guinea from Australia
 * July 12 - Independence of São Tomé and Príncipe from Portugal
 * July 6 - Independence of Comoros from France
 * July 5 - Independence of Cape Verde from Portugal
 * June 25 - Independence of Mozambique from Portugal
 * May 16 - Sikkim officially becomes the 22nd state of the Indian Union
 * South Vietnam reunited with North Vietnam at end of Vietnam War


 * The capital of Malawi is moved from Zomba to Lilongwe

1974

 * September 10 - Independence of Portuguese Guinea as Guinea-Bissau
 * February 7 - Independence of Grenada from the United Kingdom

1973

 * July 10 - Independence of Bahamas from the United Kingdom
 * June 1 - British Honduras is renamed Belize
 * In India, the State of Mysore is renamed Karnataka
 * In The Gambia, Bathurst is renamed Banjul

1972

 * May 22 - Ceylon is renamed Sri Lanka
 * February 10 - The Island of Rockall Act formally incorporated the island into the United Kingdom

1971

 * Independence of Bangladesh:
 * December 16 - Bangladesh wins independence from Pakistan
 * March 26 - Bangladesh, previously the province of Pakistan under the name Pakistan, declares independence
 * October 27 - The Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed to Republic of Zaïre
 * September 3 - Independence of Qatar from the United Kingdom
 * August 15 - Independence of Bahrain from the United Kingdom
 * Trucial States renamed United Arab Emirates

1970

 * October 10 - Independence of Fiji from United Kingdom
 * October 9 - Cambodia is renamed Khmer Republic
 * June 4 - Independence of Tonga from United Kingdom
 * The capital of British Honduras is moved from Belize City to Belmopan due to vast destruction by Hurricane Hattie

1968

 * October 12 - Independence of Equatorial Guinea from Spain
 * September 6 - Independence of Swaziland from the United Kingdom
 * March 12 - Independence of Mauritius from the United Kingdom
 * January 31 - Independence of Nauru from Australia

1967

 * November 6 - Independence of South Yemen from the United Kingdom
 * July 3 - French Somaliland is renamed French Territory of the Afars and Issas
 * June 19 - Israel occupies the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights after winning the Six Day War

1966

 * November 30 - Independence of Barbados from United Kingdom
 * October 4 - Independence of Basutoland from United Kingdom as Lesotho
 * September 30 - Independence of Bechuanaland from United Kingdom as Botswana
 * May 26 - Independence of British Guiana from the United Kingdom as Guyana
 * In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the city of Léopoldville is renamed Kinshasa

1965

 * November 11 - Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Rhodesia
 * August 9 - Singapore is expelled from the Federation of Malaysia and becomes the independent Republic of Singapore
 * July 26 - Independence of Maldives from the United Kingdom
 * February 18 - Independence of Gambia from the United Kingdom

1964

 * October 29 - The United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar is renamed Republic of Tanzania
 * October 24 - Independence of Rhodesia from the United Kingdom as Zambia
 * September 21 - Independence of Malta from the United Kingdom
 * July 6 - Independence of Nyasaland from the United Kingdom as Malawi
 * April 26 - Tanganyika and Zanzibar are united under the name United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

1963

 * December 12 - Independence of Kenya from the United Kingdom
 * December 10 - Independence of Zanzibar from the United Kingdom
 * September 16 - Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore join to become Malaysia
 * May 1 - United Nations Temporary Executive Authority in New Guinea is transferred to Indonesia
 * Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland

1962

 * October 9 - Independence of Uganda from United Kingdom
 * October 1 - Netherlands New Guinea is transferred to United Nations Temporary Executive Authority
 * August 31 - Independence of Trinidad and Tobago from United Kingdom
 * August 6 - Independence of Jamaica from the United Kingdom
 * July 5 - After a referendum, Algeria becomes independent from France
 * July 1 - Independence of Burundi from Belgium
 * July 1 - Independence of Rwanda from Belgium
 * January 1 - Independence of Western Samoa from New Zealand

1961

 * December 9 - Independence of Tanganyika from the United Kingdom
 * October 1 - Southern British Cameroon joins Cameroon
 * September 28 - Syria leaves the United Arab Republic, returning to the name of Syria
 * June 19 - Independence of Kuwait from the United Kingdom
 * May 31 - Northern British Cameroon joins Nigeria
 * April 27 - Independence of Sierra Leone from the United Kingdom

1960

 * November 28 - Independence of Mauritania from France
 * October 1 - Independence of Nigeria from the United Kingdom
 * September 22 - Independence of Mali from France
 * August 20 - Independence of Senegal from France
 * August 17 - Independence of Gabon from France
 * August 16 - Independence of Cyprus from the United Kingdom
 * August 15 - Independence of Republic of the Congo from France
 * August 13 - Independence of the Central African Republic from France
 * August 11 - Independence of Chad from France
 * August 7 - Independence of Ivory Coast from France
 * August 5 - Independence of Upper Volta from France
 * August 3 - Independence of Niger from France
 * August 1 - Independence of Benin from France
 * July 1 - Independence of Trust Territory of Somalia from Italy and union with Somaliland to form Somali Republic/Somalia
 * June 30 - Independence of the Belgian Congo from Belgium under the name Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). However, this was not a stable state of affairs, as the Congo Crisis occurred.
 * June 26 - Independence of Madagascar from France
 * June 26 - Independence of British Somaliland as Somaliland
 * April 27 - Independence of Togo from France
 * April 21 - The federal capital of Brazil is moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília, a purpose-built city
 * January 1 - Independence of Cameroon from France

1959

 * August 21 - Hawaii becomes the 50th state of the United States of America
 * January 3 - Alaska becomes the 49th state of the United States of America

1958

 * October 2 - Independence of Guinea from France
 * February 1 - Syria and Egypt form the United Arab Republic

1957

 * August 31 - Independence of Malaya from the United Kingdom
 * March 6 - Independence of the Gold Coast Colony from the United Kingdom as Ghana

1956

 * April 7 - Spanish Morocco becomes part of Morocco
 * March 20 - Independence of Tunisia from France
 * March 2 - Independence of Morocco from France
 * January 1 - Independence of Sudan from Egypt and United Kingdom condominium

1955

 * September 18 - Rockall officially claimed by the United Kingdom
 * In Argentina, Eva Perón City is restored to its original name, La Plata

1954

 * October 26 - End of the Free Territory of Trieste, divided between Italy and Yugoslavia
 * April 27 - Geneva Accords grant independence to Vietnam, provisionally divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam

1953

 * November 9 - Independence of Cambodia from France
 * July 27 - End of Korean War re-partitions Korean peninsula
 * In the German Democratic Republic, the city of Chemnitz is renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt

1952

 * April 28 - End of Allied occupation of Japan
 * In Argentina, the city of La Plata is renamed Ciudad Eva Perón (Eva Perón City)

1951

 * December 24 - Independence of Libya from France and the United Kingdom

1950

 * Eritrea joins Ethiopia

1949

 * October 7 - German Democratic Republic (East Germany) established in Soviet occupation zone of Germany
 * June 20 - The 1948 Arab-Israeli War ends, resulting in expanded borders for the state of Israel on former Palestine territory
 * May 23 - Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) established in U.S., British, and French occupation zones of Germany
 * May 11 - Siam renamed Thailand
 * April - Transjordan renamed Jordan
 * March 31 - Newfoundland joins Canada as its tenth province
 * Republic of China established in Taiwan, People's Republic of China established on mainland China

1948

 * September 9 - Independence of North Korea
 * August 15 - Independence of South Korea
 * May 14 - Israel declares independence after the United Nations approved the partition of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.
 * February 4 - Independence of Ceylon from the United Kingdom
 * January 4 - Independence of Burma from the United Kingdom

1947

 * August 15 - Independence of India from the United Kingdom
 * August 14 - Independence of Pakistan from United Kingdom
 * February 17 - Free Territory of Trieste established including parts of Italy and Yugoslavia

1946

 * July 13 - In Montenegro (then part of Yugoslavia), the city of Podgorica is renamed Titograd
 * July 4 - Independence of the Philippines from the United States
 * The city of Königsberg is renamed Kaliningrad in the Soviet Union

1945

 * End of World War II
 * December 26 - Independence of Poland
 * October 17 - Soviet Union annexes northern East Prussia
 * March 20 - France regains Alsace-Lorraine
 * Soviet Union annexes Subcarpathian Ruthenia
 * Independence of North Korea
 * Independence of South Korea

1944

 * October 11 - Soviet Union annexes Tannu Tuva
 * June 17 - Independence of Iceland from Denmark

1940

 * Soviet Union annexes Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia
 * June 15 - Germany annexes Alsace-Lorraine
 * Creation of Vichy France
 * Japan takes Indo-china from France

1939

 * October 6 - Poland partitioned between Germany and Soviet Union
 * April 12 - Italy annexes Albania
 * March 16 - Ukraine is annexed by Hungary
 * March 15 - Czechoslovakia is partitioned into the German protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Slovakia, and Ukraine

1938

 * September 29 - The Munich Agreement transfers the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to Germany and gives parts of Slovakia to Hungary
 * March 12 - Germany annexes Austria in the Anschluss

1937

 * December 29 - Irish Free State is renamed (Republic of) Ireland
 * Japan invades China

1932

 * October 3 - Independence of Iraq from the United Kingdom
 * September 23 - Formation of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

1929

 * June 3 - Tacna returned to Peru by Chile
 * February 11 - Independence of Vatican City from Italy
 * January 6 - Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes renamed Yugoslavia

1927

 * May 9 - The capital of Australia is moved from Melbourne to Canberra

1925

 * January 1 - In Norway, the capital Kristiania is renamed Oslo

1923

 * October 29 - The declaration of the Republic of Turkey that replaced the Ottoman Empire
 * October 13 - The capital of Turkey is moved from Istanbul to Ankara

1922

 * December 28 - Creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
 * December 6 - Independence of the Irish Free State from the United Kingdom
 * October - End of Far Eastern Republic
 * February 28 - Independence of Egypt from the United Kingdom

1921

 * October 13 - Treaty of Kars:
 * Turkey relinquishes claims to Armenia
 * Turkey gains the area around Kars and southern Achara
 * October 13 - Niger established as a separate colony
 * October 12 - Upper Silesia divided between Poland and Germany
 * June 1 - France reorganizes French West Africa, colony of Mauritania established

1920

 * July 9 - Denmark officially incorporates northern Schleswig following plebiscite earlier in the year
 * April 6 - Establishment of Far Eastern Republic with capital at Chita
 * January 10 - The United Kingdom officially takes over administration of German East Africa and changes name to Tanganyika

1919

 * September 25 - Spitsbergen awarded to Norway
 * September 10 - Austria signs Treaty of Saint Germain:
 * Cedes Eastern Galicia to Poland
 * Cedes South Tyrol, Trentino, Trieste and Istria to Italy
 * Recognizes the independence of Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
 * August 8 - The United Kingdom acknowledges the complete independence of Afghanistan
 * July 10 - France and the United Kingdom agree on frontier between their mandates in the Cameroons
 * June 28 - The Treaty of Versailles:
 * Eupen-Malmedy and Neutral Moresnet ceded to Belgium
 * Alsace-Lorraine officially ceded to France
 * Most of Posen and West Prussia ceded to Poland
 * Memel and Saarland under international administration
 * Provides for plebiscites in Schleswig and Upper Silesia
 * May 30 - Ruanda and Urundi (minus Kisaka district) assigned to Belgium as a mandate
 * May 7 - German New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago assigned to Australia as a mandate
 * May 7 - German Southwest Africa assigned to South Africa as a mandate
 * May 7 - German Samoa assigned to New Zealand as a mandate
 * May 7 - German Northern Pacific islands assigned to Japan as a mandate
 * May 7 - Nauru assigned to British Empire (eventually UK, Australia, and NZ) as a mandate
 * May 6 - Kionga Triangle assigned to Portugal as a mandate
 * May 6 - Kamerun and Togoland assigned to France and the United Kingdom as mandates
 * May 1 - End of Soviet republic in Bavaria
 * April 19 - Polish occupation of Vilna, disputed by the Lithuanians
 * April 4 - Soviet republic established in Bavaria
 * March 1 - French West Africa reorganized, with Upper Volta as a separate colony

1918

 * December 1 - Creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
 * November 18 - Independence of Latvia from Russia
 * November 15 - Serbian military invasion of the short-lived Banat Republic, Banat divided between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes and Romania
 * November 1 - Declaration of the short-lived Banat Republic
 * November 1 - Independence of Yemen from the Ottoman Empire
 * March 3 - The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk creates many new states out of the western Russian Empire
 * February 24 - Independence of Estonia from Russia
 * February 16 - Independence of Lithuania from Russia
 * January 22 - Independence of Ukraine from Russia
 * January 3 - Independence of Finland from Russia

1914

 * August 15 - The first official transit of the Panama Canal. Due to World War I, there was no real official opening ceremony.

1913

 * The new Australian capital city, Canberra, is founded in New South Wales

1912

 * November 28 - Independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire
 * February 14 - Arizona becomes the 48th state of the United States of America
 * January 6 - New Mexico becomes the 47th state of the United States of America

1911

 * December 29 - Mongolia declares independence from China

1910

 * August 22 - Japan annexes Korea

1908

 * August 5 - Independence of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire

1907

 * November 16 - Oklahoma becomes the 46th state of the United States of America
 * September 26 - Independence of New Zealand from the United Kingdom

1905

 * Union between Sweden and Norway dissolved:
 * October 26 - Sweden recognizes Norway as an independent country
 * June 7 - Norway's parliament declares independence
 * September 5 - Treaty of Portsmouth:
 * Liaodong Peninsula and Russian railway in south Manchuria leased to Japan
 * Japan annexes Sakhalin Island south of 50°N
 * May 15 - In the United States of America, the railway town of Las Vegas, Nevada was founded.

1903

 * November 3 - Independence of Panama from Colombia
 * Alaska Boundary Dispute with the United States of America and Canada ends

1902

 * May 20 - Independence of Cuba from the United States
 * May 8 - on the island of Martinique, the eruption of Mount Pelée destroys the city of Saint-Pierre

1901

 * January 1 - Federation of separate Australian states to form Commonwealth of Australia

1898

 * August 12 - Republic of Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States of America
 * The United States of America gains the following territories from the Spanish Empire: Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Cuba

1896

 * January 4 - Utah becomes the 45th state of the United States of America

1890

 * July 10 - Wyoming becomes the 44th state of the United States of America
 * July 3 - Idaho becomes the 43rd state of the United States of America

1889

 * November 11 - Washington becomes the 42nd state of the United States of America
 * November 8 - Montana becomes the 41st state of the United States of America
 * November 2 - North Dakota and South Dakota become the 39th & 40th states of the United States of America

1888

 * The capital of Honduras is moved from Comayagua to Tegucigalpa

1884

 * April 4 - Truce between Chile and Bolivia concluding the War of the Pacific:
 * Chile gains Antofagasta (made permanent in 1904)
 * The Greenwich prime meridian becomes the international standard reference for cartographers

1883

 * October 20 - Treaty of Ancón between Chile and Peru at the end of the War of the Pacific:
 * Chile gains Tarapacá, Arica, and Tacna

1881

 * Henry Morton Stanley founds the trading post of Léopoldville, which with time becomes modern Kinshasa

1878

 * July 13 - The Treaty of Berlin recognizes the independence of the principalities of Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia.

1876

 * August 1 - Colorado becomes the 38th state of the United States of America

1875

 * May 7 - Treaty of Saint Petersburg:
 * Japan cedes southern Sakhalin Island to Russia in exchange for the Kuril Islands north of Iturup

1873

 * November 17 - The Hungarian cities of Buda, Pest and Óbuda are united as Budapest, the new capital.

1872

 * The capital of Jamaica is moved from Spanish Town to Kingston

1871

 * January 18 - Unification of Germany
 * Rome replaces Florence as the capital city of Italy

1870

 * October 9 - Italy annexes the area around Rome
 * July 15 - Hudson's Bay Company transfers North-Western Territory to Canada

1869

 * November 16 - Opening of the Suez Canal

1868

 * In Japan, the city of Edo becomes the new capital and is renamed Tokyo

1867

 * October 18 - The United States of America purchases Alaska from Russia
 * June 1 - Canada becomes independent
 * May 29 - The Austrian Empire becomes Hungary
 * March 1 - Nebraska becomes the 37th state of the united States of America

1866

 * October 22 - Italy annexes Venetia
 * August 6 - The Colony of Vancouver Island and Colony of British Columbia are merged into the United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia

1865

 * April 9 - United States of America civil war ends. Confederate States of America reintegrated into USA.
 * Florence replaces Turin as the capital city of Italy

1864

 * October 31 - Nevada becomes the 36th state of the United States of America
 * June 20 - West Virginia becomes the 35th state of the United States of America

1861

 * January 29 - Kansas becomes the 34th state of the United States of America

1860

 * Unification of Italy

1859

 * November 10 - Sardinia-Piedmont annexes Lombardy
 * February 14 - Oregon becomes the 33rd state of the United States of America

1858

 * August 2 - The continental portion of Canada's part of Oregon Country organized as the Colony of British Columbia
 * May 11 - Minnesota becomes the 32nd state of the United States of America

1855

 * February 7 - Treaty of Shimoda:
 * Russians in north of Sakhalin Island, Japanese in south, with no defined border between
 * Russia recognizes Japanese sovereignty of the Kuril Islands from Iturup on southwards

1853

 * June 24 - The Gadsden Purchase gives a portion of southern Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico to the United States

1850

 * September 9 - California becomes the 31st state of the United States of America

1848

 * August 14 - Oregon Territory becomes part of the United States.
 * February 2 - Much of the Mexican Cession is ceded by Mexico to the United States

1847

 * July 26 - Americo-Liberian settlers declare the independence of the Republic of Liberia

1846

 * February 19 - The Republic of Texas is officially incorporated into the United States of America

1844

 * February 27 - Independence of the Dominican Republic from Haiti

1839

 * October 17 - The capital of the Republic of Texas is moved from Houston to Austin
 * August 25 - Peru-Bolivian Confederation officially dissolved
 * April 19 - The Treaty of London recognizes Belgium as an independent and neutral country.

1838

 * November 5 - Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua secede from the Federal Republic of Central America

1836

 * October 28 - Peru-Bolivian Confederation proclaimed, with its capital at Tacna
 * August 11 - North Peru proclaimed
 * May 14 - Mexico recognizes independence of the Republic of Texas
 * March 17 - South Peru proclaimed
 * March 2 - The Republic of Texas declares independence from Mexico

1833

 * January 2 - The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland takes over the Falkland Islands from the Argentine Confederation

1830

 * October 4 - Belgium declares independence from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Full recognition will follow in 1839.
 * May 13 - Independence of Ecuador and Venezuela from Colombia

1828

 * August 27 - Uruguay is recognised as an independent country in the Treaty of Montevideo

1823

 * July - The Federal Republic of Central America created from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua

1822

 * September 7 - Brazil declares independence from Portugal

1821

 * September 21 - Independence of Costa Rica from Spain
 * September 15 - Independence of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua from Spain
 * March 25 - Greece declares independence from the Ottoman Empire
 * Alaska Boundary Dispute with Russia and Great Britain begin.

1819

 * December 14 - Alabama becomes the 22nd state of the United States of America
 * August 7 - The Battle of Boyacá leads to the full independence of New Grenada

1816

 * In British West Africa, the city of Bathurst is founded as a military post

1815

 * June 8 - The German Confederation established
 * The capital of Bermuda is moved from St George to Hamilton

1813

 * November 4 - Dissolution of the Confederation of the Rhine declared by the Allies

1811

 * May 14 - Independence of Paraguay from Spain

1810

 * December 13 - France annexes northern Germany (Hamburg, Bremen, Lübeck, Salm, Arenberg, Oldenburg, parts of Westphalia and Berg)
 * July 20 - New Grenada (Colombia today) declares independence from Spain. Full recognition will follow in 1819
 * July 9 - France annexes Holland

1809

 * Finland changes hands from Sweden to Russia

1806

 * August 6 - Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
 * July 12 - Creation of the Confederation of the Rhine

1804

 * January 1 - Independence of Haiti from France

1803

 * The United States of America negotiates the Louisiana Purchase with France, by which the French territory of Louisiane is placed under American sovereignty.

1801

 * Spain annexes Olivenza from Portugal

1798

 * January 4 - France annexes Mulhouse

1793

 * June 25 - Avignon is transferred from the Papal States to France
 * March 2 - France annexes the Principality of Salm-Salm

1783

 * September 3 - The independence of the United States of America is recognized by Britain in the Treaty of Paris

1776

 * July 4 - The United States of America declares its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

1768

 * May 15 - Genoa sells to France its rights to Corsica

1763

 * February 10 - The Treaty of Paris creates a number of territory transfers between Great Britain, France, and Spain
 * The capital of Brazil is moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro

1762

 * The Louisiana Territory is transferred from France to Spain in the Treaty of Fontainebleau

1747

 * October - The Durrani Empire is founded near Kandahar on a Loya jirga, when Ahmad Shah Abdali is chosen as the king of the newly independent empire. He is later regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan.

1740

 * Prussia annexes Silesia from Austria

1739

 * January 1 - Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier discoveres Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean

1728

 * On Greenland (then part of Norway), Hans Egede founds the colony of Godthåb

1713

 * Gibraltar passes from Spain to Great Britain

1707

 * May 1 - The creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain through the Acts of Union

1648

 * The Netherlands, Switzerland, and many Italian city-states are made independent of the Holy Roman Empire

1640

 * December 1 - Portugal separates from personal union with Spain

1601

 * January 17 - France gains Bresse, Bugey, and Gex from Savoy, and cedes Saluzzo to Savoy in exchange

1596

 * Willem Barentsz makes the first indisputable discovery of the Svalbard archipelago

1580

 * Personal union of Spain and Portugal

1575

 * The capital of Chile is moved from Concepción to Chile

1501

 * May 20 - Joao da Nova Castell discovers Ascension Island

1494

 * May 3 - Christopher Columbus discovers Xamayca

1492

 * Christopher Columbus discovers America

1481

 * France gains the County of Provence

1349

 * Dauphiné sold to France

1316

 * France gains the Counties of Valentinois and Diois

1305

 * France gains the County of Vivarais

1301

 * France gains Barrois mouvant (County of Bar west of Meuse River)

1150s

 * 1154 - Al-Idrisi creates an early world map named Tabula Rogeriana, which describes the Eurasian continent and the northern half of Africa

2nd millennium

1000

 * December - King Stephen I of Hungary is crowned and begins the transformation of the early Hungarian state into the Christian Kingdom of Hungary. This is considered to be the official date of foundation of the country.
 * Gunnbjörn Ulfsson spots islands off the coast of Greenland. European discovery of the island itself is dated to the 980s, when explorers arrived from Iceland and Norway.

1st century AD

 * 43-47 - The Romans found Londinium, a town that will with time become modern London.

1st century BCE
The Romans conquer the city of Sirmium, modern Sremska Mitrovica

753

 * April 21 - The foundation of the city of Rome. The precise date is based on legend, and archaeological evidence suggests Rome did grow to city size from an earlier village in the 8th century BCE.

1300 BCE

 * Earliest date given to the arrival of Polynesian settlers to what is today New Zealand

c. 2270

 * Sargon of Akkad comes to power, soon uniting Mesopotamia under the Akkadian Empire.

c. 3150

 * Upper and Lower Egypt are united under Menes/Narmer.

70000 BCE

 * Earliest date given to the arrival of Indigenous Australian settlers to what is today Australia