Abkhazia

  • Unrecognized states
  • Independence declared 12 October 1999
  • Capital Sukhumi
  • Population 245.000
  • Area 8665 km²

Abkhazia is a de facto state on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, internationally considered as part of Georgia. It's independence is only recognised by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Syria and Nauru, and by the unrecognised countries of South Ossetia and Transnistria. Wars have been fought about this region in 1992-1993 and 2008. The conflict remains unresolved and since the Russian annexation of parts of Ukraine, all eyes are on Abkhazia as well - as it is seen by many as a 'Russian puppet state'. However, internal unrest shows that not all Abkhazians are in favour of the huge role of Russia on their soil.

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Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in Spain. It is in the northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula and is designated as a nationality by its Statute of Autonomy. It consists of four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. On 27 October 2017, the Catalan Parliament declared independence from Spain following a disputed referendum. The Spanish Senate voted in favour of enforcing direct rule by removing the entire Catalan government and calling a snap regional election for 21 December. On 2 November of the same year, the Spanish Supreme Court imprisoned 7 former ministers of the Catalan government on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds, while several others, including then President Carles Puigdemont, fled to various European countries.

Hans Island

Hans Island—a large rock of 1.3 km²—lies in the middle of the Nares Strait, which separates Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark) from Canada. The island lies within the 12-mile territorial limit off the coast of both Greenland and Canada, allowing both countries to claim it. The border in the channel was set in 1973, but the status of Hans Island was not resolved. This led to a symbolic claim in 1984 by Canadian troops, who planted a flag and left a bottle of Canadian whiskey. This was answered by the Danish minister of Greenland affairs who replaced the flag with a Danish one and left some Danish snaps. This tradition has been held high by both parties. In Greenlandic Hans Island is called Tartupaluk.

State of Jefferson

The State of Jefferson is a collection of counties in Southern Oregon and Northern California. It was established on November 27th in 1941, when armed men roadblocked the borders and informed all vehicles about the new territory they were entering. The two X’s inside the gold pan on their flag symbolize the feeling of being double crossed by politicians when modernization shifted tax dollars away from their communities. Jeffersonians’ dreams of independence were derailed only days after, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, thrusting the U.S. into WWII. The war effort took priority over independence, but the flags didn’t disappear. In 2013, there was a resurgence when several counties voted to secede from California and become the 51st state of America. The State of Jefferson is not to be confused with Calexit, California’s other secession movement looking to separate California from the United States.