Did you know about a new country that might soon appear? According to the United Nations, there are 195 countries in the world today, and the newest is South Sudan. It became independent from Sudan in 2011 after years of civil war and a national vote.
But South Sudan may lose that title very soon as a new country is about to appear on the world map, Bogenville. This island in the Pacific Ocean is still officially part of Papua New Guinea, but it may soon be separated. What's interesting is that Papua New Guinea itself also once separated until 1975.
It was part of Australia and Australia in turn separated from Great Britain in 1901 and now Bogenville might continue this chain. Because of cultural differences in 2019, Bogenville held a referendum in which 97% of residents voted for independence. This means that by 2027, the list of countries might increase to 196.
