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1988 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 1988 CE

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.

Within fifteen years

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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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.
Country · LatviaLatvia1991–Latvia is a Baltic country on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It was independent from 1918 to 1940, then absorbed into the Soviet Union. It restored independence in 1991.
Country · LithuaniaLithuania1991–Lithuania is the largest of the Baltic states. Its medieval grand duchy was once the largest state in Europe. It was independent from 1918 to 1940, then under Soviet rule until independence was restored in 1991.
Country · MoldovaMoldova1991–Moldova is a landlocked country between Romania and Ukraine. Most of its territory was the Romanian province of Bessarabia before the Soviet Union took it in 1940. It became independent in 1991.
Country · North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia1991–North Macedonia is a landlocked Balkan country. It declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the only republic to leave without war. A naming dispute with Greece was settled in 2019, when the country added North to its name.
Country · RussiaRussia1991–Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning eastern Europe and northern Asia. The Russian Federation was founded in 1991 from the wreckage of the Soviet Union. It is a federal semi presidential republic.
Country · SloveniaSlovenia1991–Slovenia is a small country between Italy, Austria, and Croatia. It was the first Yugoslav republic to declare independence, in 1991, after a ten day war. It is a parliamentary republic and the wealthiest of the former Yugoslav states.
Country · TajikistanTajikistan1991–Tajikistan is a mountainous, landlocked country in central Asia, the poorest of the former Soviet republics. Its people speak Persian. It became independent in 1991 and suffered a civil war through the 1990s.
Country · TurkmenistanTurkmenistan1991–Turkmenistan is a desert country in central Asia, mostly covered by the Karakum. It became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. It is one of the most closed states in the world, ruled autocratically and rich in natural gas.
Country · UkraineUkraine1991–Ukraine is the largest country entirely in Europe. Its medieval state, Kievan Rus, was the cradle of Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian culture. The modern state became independent in 1991 and has fought to defend that independence since 2014.
Country · UzbekistanUzbekistan1991–Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in central Asia, home to the Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. It became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. It is a presidential republic, the most populous of the central Asian states.