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1956 CE

This year falls in the Twentieth century (1901–2000). Two world wars, the Russian and Chinese revolutions, the Cold War and the end of most colonial empires fall in this century. It also brings mass air travel, nuclear weapons, antibiotics and computers.

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Dated to 1956 CE

Country · MoroccoMorocco1956–Morocco is a North African kingdom on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its dynasties ruled for a thousand years before French and Spanish protectorates. It regained independence in 1956 and is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Country · SudanSudan1956–Sudan is a large country in northeastern Africa on the Nile. It became independent from Britain and Egypt in 1956. Coups, civil wars, and the Darfur crisis have marked it; war broke out again in 2023.
Country · TunisiaTunisia1956–Tunisia is a North African country on the Mediterranean, home of ancient Carthage. It became independent from France in 1956. The 2011 revolution that toppled its dictator started the Arab Spring.

Within fifteen years

Country · GhanaGhana1957–Ghana is a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea. It was the first Black African colony to win independence, in 1957, under Kwame Nkrumah. It is now a stable presidential republic.
Event · Twentieth century · ChinaGreat Leap Forward1958–1962The campaign launched in 1958 under Mao's authority: forced collectivization, backyard steel, and the famine of 1959–1961. Death tolls are estimates and do not agree.
Country · GuineaGuinea1958–Guinea is a West African country, the only French colony to vote no to de Gaulle's community in 1958. It became independent at once. It is a military led state after the 2021 coup.
Country · CambodiaCambodia1953–Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country, heir to the great Khmer Empire that built Angkor Wat. It won independence from France in 1953. The Khmer Rouge genocide of the 1970s killed about two million people; the country is now a constitutional monarchy.
Country · EgyptEgypt1953–Egypt is a North African country centered on the Nile, home to one of the oldest civilizations on earth. The modern republic was proclaimed in 1953 after the overthrow of the monarchy. It is a semi presidential republic and the largest Arab country.
Country · LaosLaos1953–Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, the most heavily bombed country in history per person. It won independence from France in 1953. Communists took power in 1975 and still rule as a single party state.
Country · BeninBenin1960–Benin is a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea. Its coast was once called the Slave Coast. It became independent from France in 1960 and is now a presidential republic.
Country · Burkina FasoBurkina Faso1960–Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It became independent from France in 1960 as Upper Volta and took its current name in 1984. It is a military led state after coups in 2022.
Country · CameroonCameroon1960–Cameroon is a Central African country on the Gulf of Guinea, often called Africa in miniature for its diversity. France and Britain divided it after the First World War; the French part became independent in 1960. It is a presidential republic.
Country · Central African RepublicCentral African Republic1960–The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in the heart of Africa. It became independent from France in 1960. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and has suffered repeated coups and civil wars.
Country · ChadChad1960–Chad is a large, landlocked country in north central Africa, named for Lake Chad. It became independent from France in 1960. It is a military led state after the death of President Déby in 2021.
Country · Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire1960–Côte d'Ivoire, the Ivory Coast, is a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea. It became independent from France in 1960. It is the world's largest cocoa producer and a presidential republic.
Country · CyprusCyprus1960–Cyprus is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean. It became independent from Britain in 1960. Since 1974 the island has been divided between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and a Turkish Cypriot administration in the north.
Country · Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo1960–The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second largest country in Africa, immensely rich in minerals. Belgium ruled it brutally as a colony until independence in 1960. It is a semi presidential republic scarred by decades of war.
Country · GabonGabon1960–Gabon is a forested country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, rich in oil. It became independent from France in 1960. The Bongo family ruled for more than five decades until a 2023 coup.
Country · MadagascarMadagascar1960–Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island, off the southeast coast of Africa. Its people descend from Southeast Asian settlers. It became independent from France in 1960 and is a semi presidential republic.
Country · MaliMali1960–Mali is a large, landlocked country in West Africa, heir to the great medieval empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. It became independent from France in 1960. It is under military rule after coups in 2020 and 2021.
Country · MauritaniaMauritania1960–Mauritania is a vast, mostly desert country in northwest Africa. It became independent from France in 1960. It was the last country to abolish slavery, in 1981, and is an Islamic presidential republic.
Country · NigerNiger1960–Niger is a vast, mostly desert country in West Africa, named for the Niger River. It became independent from France in 1960. It is under military rule after the 2023 coup.
Country · NigeriaNigeria1960–Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, with more than two hundred million people. It became independent from Britain in 1960. Oil wealth and a huge film industry, Nollywood, define it; it is a federal presidential republic.
Country · Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo1960–The Republic of the Congo, often called Congo Brazzaville, sits on the western bank of the Congo River. It became independent from France in 1960. It is a presidential republic dominated by Denis Sassou Nguesso.
Country · SenegalSenegal1960–Senegal is a West African country on the Atlantic, surrounding the Gambia. It became independent from France in 1960. It is one of Africa's most stable democracies and a presidential republic.
Country · SomaliaSomalia1960–Somalia occupies the Horn of Africa. Britain and Italy divided it before independence in 1960. The state collapsed in 1991 into clan warfare; a fragile federal government now fights the jihadist group al Shabaab.
Country · TogoTogo1960–Togo is a narrow West African country on the Gulf of Guinea. Germany ruled it before France took it in the First World War. It became independent in 1960 and was ruled by the Eyadéma family for half a century.