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1985 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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Within fifteen years

Country · BruneiBrunei1984–Brunei is a small oil rich sultanate on the island of Borneo. It was a British protectorate until full independence in 1984. The sultan rules as an absolute monarch under Islamic law.
Country · Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands1986–The Marshall Islands is a Pacific country of atolls and reefs. America tested nuclear weapons at Bikini Atoll here. It became independent in 1986 in free association with the United States.
Country · MicronesiaMicronesia1986–Micronesia, officially the Federated States of Micronesia, is a Pacific country of more than six hundred islands. It became independent in 1986 in free association with the United States. It is a federal presidential republic.
Country · Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and Nevis1983–Saint Kitts and Nevis is a two island country in the Caribbean, the smallest sovereign state in the Americas. It became independent from Britain in 1983. It is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Country · PalestinePalestine1988–Palestine refers to the State of Palestine, which declared independence in 1988. It holds non member observer state status at the United Nations. Its claimed capital is East Jerusalem; its administration is based in Ramallah in the West Bank.
Country · Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda1981–Antigua and Barbuda is a twin island country in the Caribbean. Britain colonized the islands for sugar, worked by enslaved Africans. It became independent in 1981 and is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Country · BelizeBelize1981–Belize is a small country on the Caribbean coast of Central America. Britain ruled it as British Honduras, logging its forests. It became independent in 1981 and is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Event · Twentieth century · ChinaTiananmen Square 19891989Beijing protests from April 1989 after Hu Yaobang's death; martial law; military clearance on 3–4 June. Death tolls remain disputed; most killing was on approaches such as Muxidi, not only inside the square.
Country · GermanyGermany1990–Germany is the largest economy in Europe and its most populous country. The modern state was reunified in 1990, when East and West Germany joined after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is a federal parliamentary republic.
Country · NamibiaNamibia1990–Namibia is a sparsely populated country in southwestern Africa, named for the Namib Desert. Germany colonized it, then South Africa ruled it. It won independence in 1990 and is a presidential republic.
Country · VanuatuVanuatu1980–Vanuatu is a Pacific archipelago of about eighty islands. Britain and France ruled it together in a rare condominium before independence in 1980. It is a parliamentary republic.
Country · YemenYemen1990–Yemen occupies the southwestern corner of Arabia. North and South Yemen united in 1990. Since 2014 it has suffered a devastating civil war that created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Country · ZimbabweZimbabwe1980–Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa, named for the medieval stone city of Great Zimbabwe. White minority rule ended in 1980 under Robert Mugabe, whose long rule ruined the economy. It is a presidential republic.
Country · ArmeniaArmenia1991–Armenia is a landlocked country in the Caucasus, the first state to adopt Christianity, in 301. Its medieval kingdom fell centuries ago; the modern republic became independent in 1991. It is a parliamentary republic.
Country · AzerbaijanAzerbaijan1991–Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus, on the Caspian Sea, rich in oil. It was briefly independent in 1918, then a Soviet republic until 1991. It is a presidential republic.
Country · BelarusBelarus1991–Belarus is a landlocked country in eastern Europe, between Russia and Poland. It became independent when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. Alexander Lukashenko has been its president since 1994.
Country · CroatiaCroatia1991–Croatia is a crescent shaped country on the Adriatic Sea. A medieval Croatian kingdom existed from the tenth century; the modern state declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. It fought a war of independence until 1995 and joined the European Union in 2013.
Country · EstoniaEstonia1991–Estonia is a Baltic country on the Gulf of Finland. It was independent from 1918 to 1940, then absorbed into the Soviet Union. It restored independence in 1991 and became known for its digital government.
Country · GeorgiaGeorgia1991–Georgia is a mountainous country in the Caucasus with one of the oldest Christian traditions. Its medieval kingdom was a regional power before falling to Mongols and Persians. It became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Country · IranIran1979–Iran, known as Persia until 1935, is heir to one of the world's oldest civilizations. The Islamic Revolution of 1979 overthrew the Shah and created an Islamic republic. It is ruled by Shia clerics under a Supreme Leader.
Event · Twenty-first century · IranIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps1979–Parallel military and security force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, founded 1979 to protect the revolution. Controls large economic and external operations alongside the regular army.
Country · KazakhstanKazakhstan1991–Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world, stretching across the central Asian steppe. It was the last Soviet republic to declare independence, in 1991. It is a presidential republic rich in oil and minerals.
Country · KiribatiKiribati1979–Kiribati is a Pacific island country of thirty three atolls straddling the equator. It became independent from Britain in 1979. Its low islands are among the most threatened by rising seas.
Country · KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan1991–Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous, landlocked country in central Asia. Its people are traditionally nomadic herders. It became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991 and is a parliamentary republic.