New Kids on the Map: Countries Edition Quiz

After decades of civil war with Sudan, the Republic of South Sudan held the South Sudanese independence referendum in 2011, in which an overwhelming 98.83% of respondents voted for independence. On 9 July 2011, South Sudan gained independence, becoming Africa's 54th sovereign nation.

A referendum was held to decide the future of the union between Montenegro and Serbia. Conducted on 21 May 2006, it showed that 55.5% of voters favored independence, narrowly surpassing the 55% threshold needed for validation under European Union rules. Following this, Montenegro declared independence on 3 June 2006 and became the 192nd member of the United Nations on 28 June 2006.

This Southeast European nation has a coastline along the Adriatic Sea on its southwestern side.

Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, Serbia became part of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro in 1992, alongside Montenegro. The union was dissolved peacefully after a referendum held on 21 May 2006.

Serbian-American engineer Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) is noted for his contributions to the field of electromagnetism.

Timor-Leste declared independence from Portugal on 28 November 1975. However, this status was short-lived, as the nation was quickly invaded by Indonesia, which declared Timor-Leste its 27th province on 17 July 1976. The invasion was heavily criticized by the United Nations (UN) Security Council. A UN-supervised referendum was held in 1999, and after a transitional period, full independence was restored on 20 May 2002.

Timor-Leste is also known as East Timor. The name of the nation, "timor", means "east" in the Malay language.

In 1944, American troops captured the islands of Beliliou and Angaur in Palau from Japan during the Battle of Peleliu. Palau signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1982 and later gained independence on 1 October 1994.

Palau is located in the subregion of Micronesia in Oceania.

After a 30-year struggle for liberation from Ethiopia, Eritrea held an independence referendum in 1993, supervised by the United Nations. The result was decisive, with 99.83% of voters approving independence. Eritrea formally declared its independence on 27 April 1993 and became the 182nd member of the United Nations on 28 May 1993.

Eritrea is strategically located in the Horn of Africa, in East Africa.

Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, known as the "Velvet Divorce" in 1992, Czechia peacefully separated from Slovakia. The transition was smooth, with no armed conflict or violence, hence the term "velvet." The nation declared its independence on 1 January 1993.

Historically, the Czech Republic, also called Czechia, was known as Bohemia.

Slovakia emerged alongside Czechia in the peaceful "Velvet Divorce" of 1992, which marked the end of Czechoslovakia. Like the Czech Republic, Slovakia declared its independence on 1 January 1993.

The Tatra Mountains, a prominent range in northern Slovakia, form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland.

Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992. This triggered the Bosnian War (1992-1995), marked by ethnic conflict and severe humanitarian crises.

The Stari Most (Old Bridge) in Mostar is an iconic Ottoman-era stone bridge, famous for its elegant arch design. It was destroyed during the war but later rebuilt and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Following the collapse of USSR, Kazakhstan declared independence from the Soviet Union on December 16, 1991. The Soviet Union was eventually dissolved on 26 December 1991, which ultimately led to the independence of 15 countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world and is famous for its vast Eurasian steppes, the massive grasslands that dominate much of its landscape.