The Oldest Countries and Nations in the World

Over the millennia, countless nations and countries have arisen and disappeared
into the annals of history, but some have stuck around. Its impossible to say
absolutely which have been around longest, but here are ten of the oldest.

Greece
Greece as we know it hasnt been around for that long in the grand scheme of
things, but Greek civilization basically taught the world the meaning of the word
ancient. Europes first advanced civilizations sprouted up in Greece around 3200
BCE, and Athens would see the worlds first democratic system in 508 BCE.
Ancient Greek still remains more comprehensible to Modern Greek speakers than
Old English does to English speakers, and numerous moments in Greek history
have made their way into general Western knowledge and life take the ancient
Olympics, for example, or the Battle at Marathon, which inspired the mileage of the
modern-day long distance race.

China
China, one of the great cradles of civilization, has always been united. The first
dynasty once thought to be completely mythical was more recently bolstered by
excavations that found the remains of Bronze Age settlements. The first dynasty
that boasted a writing system, which is a direct ancestor of modern Chinese writing,
the Shang dynasty ruled from the 17th to the 11th century BCE. The Han Dynasty,
which lasted from 206 BCE to 220 CE, strengthened Chinas union and laid the
foundation for cultural elements, such as Confucianism, which are still important in
China today.

Portugal
While the founding date of 1139 doesnt exactly place Portugal among the ranks of
ancient civilizations, it deserves a place on this list because of the stability of its
borders. It was founded as a kingdom in 1139 CE. As the rest of Europe has
shuffled through ever-changing borders with various monarchs, empires, republics,
and peoples democracies, Portugal has remained Portugal. In case you need more
convincing, Portugal was also at the forefront of the Age of Discovery. Though that
time was imperialist and detrimental to aboriginal societies, it
contributed substantially to creating the world we know today.

France
Whether you trace Frances founding back to the division of Charlemagnes Holy
Roman Empire (Francia) into three parts in 843 CE, or King Cloviss accession to
the throne in 481 CE, it is undeniable that the country has existed for a long time.
And while for centuries, the feudal system granted greater power to vassals than to
the actual king (the Duke of Normandys conquest of England in 1066 is the perfect
example), the nobles were still, nominally at least, subjects of the French monarchy,
laying the foundations for a state that has survived until now.

Armenia
Much like the Jewish people, Armenia is a nation known for its great diaspora.
Nonetheless, the Armenians have possessed a country for most of the last 2,600
years, with the first mentions of Armenia occurring in the 6th century BCE. Yerevan,
now the capital of Armenia, was founded as far back as 782 BCE. The Armenians
were also the first state to officially accept Christianity as a state religion in 301 CE,
and the country still adheres very strongly to their own Armenian Apostolic Church.
Besides the diaspora, another unfortunate similarity that the Armenians share with
the Jews was a genocide perpetrated against them at the hands of the Ottoman
Empire in 191516.

Japan
Japan claims it was founded in 660 BCE by the (most likely mythical) Emperor
Jimmu. A Chinese chronicle attests to Japans existence in the 3rd century CE,
which still gives the country some serious staying power. Buddhism spread to
Japan soon after that, and the nation was already developing a literary tradition in
the 8th century, which culminated with the writing of The Tale of Genji in the early
11th century CE. The period that saw this development, the Heian period from
7941185 CE, also saw numerous other cultural traits appear that still define Japan
today.

Iran
While Iran has only existed in a recognizable form since the beginning of the 16th
century, the area has a longer history of civilization than almost anywhere in the
world. The Bronze Age Elamite civilization was one of the first to develop cuneiform
writing in the 3rd millennium BCE, and Proto-Iranian groups were already arriving in
the area in the 2nd millennium BCE. The Achaemenid Empire, which existed from
550330 BCE, was the biggest empire that the world had ever seen.
San Marino
San Marino, as the third smallest country in Europe, is certainly an outlier on this list
for various reasons. It is, however, undeniably one of the oldest countries in the
world, as it was founded in 301 CE. A stonemason, Marinus, who would eventually
become Saint Marinus, came from his home in what is now Croatia to escape
persecution for his Christian beliefs and founded the country as a republic. Its
Statute of 1600, which functions as a de facto constitution in a country that doesnt
officially have one, was the first such document in the world. While San Marino is
fairly unique now as a microstate, it reflects a long tradition of small city-states
in Europe.

Ethiopia
Going further back than nations and countries, some of the oldest hominid fossils
have been found in Ethiopia. The country has had various monarchies since the
2nd millennium BCE. Importantly, Ethiopia was the only African country that was
never colonized by a European country, as they were able to defeat all invading
forces. When the League of Nations, the interwar predecessor to the United
Nations, was formed after World War I, Ethiopia was the only independent African
member. Ethiopia has always been a highly diverse, multi-ethnic state, and this also
extends to its religion. The Kingdom of Aksum was one of the first countries after
Armenia to accept Christianity, but there are also long histories of Muslims and
Jews in the country.
Egypt
Although ancient Egypt as a culture has very few similarities with the Egypt of
today, the first cultures that resembled the early Egyptian dynasties began to form
as far back as the 6th millennium BCE. Egyptian hieroglyphs, the worlds second
oldest writing system after cuneiform, appeared around 3200 BCE, and King
Menes formed the first unified kingdom around 3150 BCE. Thirty dynasties later,
Egypt came under first Persian and then Greek rule. It came under the rule of the
Islamic Caliphate soon after, and it has remained a majority Muslim nation ever
since. The modern state of Egypt did not appear until the 20th century, when the
Egyptians finally threw off British rule in 1952.