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1991 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 1991 CE

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.

Within fifteen years

Country · Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina1992–Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Balkan country that declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1992. The declaration was followed by a three year war that ended with the Dayton Agreement of 1995. It is a federation of two entities sharing a three member presidency.
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 · 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 · CzechiaCzechia1993–Czechia, also called the Czech Republic, is a landlocked country in central Europe. It was part of Czechoslovakia from 1918 until the peaceful split of 1993. Václav Havel, the dissident playwright, became its first president.
Country · EritreaEritrea1993–Eritrea is a country on the Red Sea coast of the Horn of Africa. It was an Italian colony, then federated with Ethiopia, which annexed it. After a thirty year war it became independent in 1993. It is one of the most repressive states in the world.
Country · SlovakiaSlovakia1993–Slovakia is a landlocked country in central Europe. It was the eastern half of Czechoslovakia from 1918 until the peaceful split of 1993. It is a parliamentary republic.
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 · PalauPalau1994–Palau is a Pacific archipelago of about three hundred islands. Spain, Germany, Japan, and America ruled it in turn. It became independent in 1994 and is a presidential republic.
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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · Twenty-first century · United StatesSeptember 11 attacks2001On September 11, 2001, nineteen al-Qaeda hijackers seized four American airliners and used them as weapons against the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and, but for the passengers of Flight 93, the United States Capitol. 2,977 people were killed.
Country · Timor-LesteTimor-Leste2002–Timor-Leste, also called East Timor, occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor. Portugal ruled it for centuries; Indonesia invaded in 1975. After a bloody occupation it became independent in 2002, the first new state of the century.
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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · Saint LuciaSaint Lucia1979–Saint Lucia is a volcanic island country in the Caribbean. France and Britain fought over it fourteen times before independence in 1979. It is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.