Which state is the oldest country in the world? This question is far from easy to answer. Finally, the first question that arises is how a “country” is actually defined. One way of defining a country is to draw the regions as precisely delimited and accepted by neighboring countries. On the other hand, some also view a country as a form of nation-state that is still considered as such today.
Ranking of the 50 oldest countries
Rank | Country | founding year |
1 | Egypt (Africa) | -3200 |
2 | Iraq (Asia) | -3000 |
3 | Sudan (Africa) | -3000 |
4 | Syria, Arab Republic (Asia) | -2500 |
5 | Korea, Democratic People’s Republic (Asia) | -2333 |
6 | Korea, Republic of (Asia) | -2333 |
7 | Greece (Europe) | -2200 |
8 | Ethiopia (Africa) | -2000 |
9 | Kuwait (Asia) | -2000 |
10 | Lebanon (Asia) | -2000 |
11 | India (Asia) | -1500 |
12 | Israel (Asia) | -1240 |
13 | Jordan (Asia) | -1200 |
14 | Yemen (Asia) | -1100 |
15 | Iran (Asia) | -843 |
16 | Tunisia (Africa) | -814 |
17 | Italy (Europe) | -753 |
18 | Macedonia (Europe) | -700 |
19 | Japan (Asia) | -660 |
20 | Mauritania (Africa) | -350 |
21 | Georgia (Asia) | -330 |
22 | China, People’s Republic (Asia) | -221 |
23 | Vietnam (Asia) | -208 |
24 | Romania (Europe) | -80 |
25 | Armenia (Asia) | 200 |
26 | San Marino (Europe) | 301 |
27 | Ireland (Europe) | 432 |
28 | Sri Lanka (Asia) | 483 |
29 | France (Europe) | 498 |
30 | Cambodia (Asia) | 598 |
31 | Saudi Arabia (Asia) | 622 |
32 | Brunei Darussalam (Asia) | 630 |
33 | Laos (Asia) | 650 |
34 | Bulgaria (Europe) | 679 |
35 | Indonesia (Asia) | 700 |
36 | Vatican (Europe) | 754 |
37 | Chad (Africa) | 806 |
38 | Slovakia (Europe) | 870 |
39 | Czech Republic (Europe) | 870 |
40 | Iceland (Europe) | 875 |
41 | Norway (Europe) | 885 |
42 | Guatemala (North America) | 900 |
43 | Honduras (North America) | 900 |
44 | Oman (Asia) | 910 |
45 | Croatia (Europe) | 925 |
46 | Denmark (Europe) | 934 |
47 | Germany (Europe) | 962 |
48 | Poland (Europe) | 966 |
49 | Austria (Europe) | 976 |
50 | Ukraine (Europe) | 988 |
Founding years with a negative sign (-) are before the birth of Christ. |
This country comparison takes 193 countries into account.
Founding year statistics
feature | value |
Number of countries covered | 193 |
average | 1,237.76 |
Median | 1821 |
minimum | -3200 |
maximum | 2008 |
Standard deviation | 1,151.25 |
Which is the oldest country in the world? There is no clear answer to this question!
It is therefore particularly difficult to make an exact time allocation. For example, some experts are of the opinion that the founding of a state can be equated with the year that countries were founded. In that case, China could be one of the oldest countries in the world. Because here the Xiang dynasty was formed thousands of years ago. The term “country” is grouped between political-historical and geographical aspects. A country that seems particularly constant with its political constitution and territorial borders is also San Marino. This republic is not just one of the smallest countries in the world. According to many reports, the country, which was completely surrounded by Italian territory, was discovered as early as September 3, 301 BC. BC launched. See homeagerly.com for the 7 wonders of the world.
Is Israel in the list of the oldest countries?
Looking at the names of the countries, Israel is another candidate for the top 10 list. Because according to some historical evidence, Israel is the only state that today bears the same name as it did in antiquity. And yet there is another country that needs to be considered. We are talking about Egypt. The founding year of this African state goes back to 3,200 BC. BC back. In general, there are some countries whose founding dates back well before the beginning of the era. A look at the top 10 oldest countries in the world shows that each and every one of these countries came into being long before the beginning of the era. According to current information, Iraq and Sudan in Africa are also around 5,000 years old. This includes countries such as Syria, Korea, Ethiopia and Kuwait. The only representative of the top 10 from Europe is Greece. Today historians assume that ancient Greece had a decisive influence on the development of European civilization. The up to about 1,050 BC. Mycenaean culture established on the Greek territory even went down in history as the first high culture of mainland Europe.
Egypt – a country with thousands of years of history
Which countries are the oldest in the world? Opinions are divided on this question. Nevertheless, there are some countries or states that have clear facts and figures that speak for their old age. And those who work on historical buildings and wonders of the world will certainly associate countries like Egypt directly with an eventful past that has lasted for thousands of years.