An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a military occupation, or after a major change in government. Many countries commemorate their independence from a colonial empire.
Not all countries mark independence as a national holiday. Many, such as Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, New Zealand, Ireland, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, and Turkey mark other dates of significance.
Country | Name of holiday | Date of holiday | Year of event | Independence from | Event commemorated and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | Independence Day | 19 August | 1919 | United Kingdom | Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 or Treaty of Rawalpindi, an armistice between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan during the Third Anglo-Afghan War. [1] |
Liberation Day | 15 February | 1989 | Soviet Union | Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan | |
Albania | Independence Day | 28 November | 1912 | Ottoman Empire | Albanian Declaration of Independence. During the First Balkan War, risked by separation after war, Ismail Qemali, the first Albanian leader, declared independence in a speech only 5 minutes long. This became the Second November, after the First November, when Skanderbeg raised the Albanian flag in Krujë. The following Day, 29th November, consists of the Liberation of Albania from Nazi Germany. In this day, Albanian partisans and fighters are remembered. |
Algeria | Independence Day | 5 July | 1962 | France | Algeria gained independence following the Algerian War and the Algerian independence referendum. France officially recognized independent Algeria on 3 July, but the Independence Day is celebrated on 5 July, the day of the fall of Algiers in 1830 and the beginning of French Algeria. [2] [3] |
Angola | Independence Day | 11 November | 1975 | Portugal | The Alvor Agreement, signed on 15 January 1975, granted Angola independence from Portugal on 11 November, ending the Angolan War of Independence. [4] |
Antigua and Barbuda | Independence Day | 1 November | 1981 | United Kingdom | The effective date of the Antigua Termination of Association Order passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in July. [5] [6] |
Argentina | Independence Day | 9 July | 1816 [7] | Spanish Empire | Argentine Declaration of Independence. |
Armenia | Republic Day | 28 May | 1918 [8] | Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic | Declaration of Independence of Armenia (1918). |
Independence Day | 21 September | 1991 | Soviet Union | 1991 Armenian independence referendum. | |
Azerbaijan | Independence Day | 28 May | 1918 | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic | Declaration of Independence of Azerbaijan |
Day of Restoration of Independence | 18 October | 1991 [9] | Soviet Union | Adoption of the constitutional act "On the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan" [9] | |
The Bahamas | Independence Day | 10 July | 1973 | United Kingdom | Effective date of The Bahamas Independence Order 1973 [10] |
Bahrain | Independence Day | 16 December | 1971 | United Kingdom | Ascension of Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa to the throne. [11] |
Bangladesh | Independence Day | 26 March | 1971 | Pakistan | Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence |
Victory Day | 16 December | 1971 | Victory over Pakistan Armed Forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War | ||
Barbados | Independence Day | 30 November | 1966 | United Kingdom | Effective date of the Barbados Independence Act 1966. Also the anniversary of the formal proclamation of Barbados as a Republic in the Commonwealth in 2021. |
Belarus | Independence Day | 3 July | 1944 | Nazi Germany | The liberation of Minsk after several years of German occupation in 1944. Two other independence days – 25 March (proclamation of the Belarusian People's Republic in 1918) and 27 July (independence from the Soviet Union in 1990) – are commemorated unofficially. [12] |
Belgium | National Day | 21 July | 1831 | Netherlands | Ascension of Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld to the throne. [13] |
Belize | Independence Day | 21 September | 1981 | United Kingdom | Effective day of the Belize Act 1981. [14] |
Benin | Independence Day | 1 August | 1960 | France | Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July creating the independent Republic of Dahomey. [15] |
Bhutan | National Day | 17 December | 1907 | ||
Bolivia | Independence Day | 6 August | 1825 | Spain | Bolivian Declaration of Independence. |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Independence Day | 1 March | 1992 | Yugoslavia | 1992 Bosnian independence referendum. |
Botswana | Independence Day | 30 September | 1966 | United Kingdom | Effective date of the Botswana Independence Act 1966. [16] |
Brazil | Independence Day (Dia da Independência) | 7 September | 1822 | Portugal | Declaration of independence by Pedro I of Brazil (see Independence of Brazil). [17] |
Brunei | National Day | 23 February | 1984 | United Kingdom | Brunei gained full independence effective 1 January 1984 under the Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation of 7 January 1979 between United Kingdom and Brunei. [18] However, the celebrations of the first National Day were delayed until 23 February and that day continues to be celebrated since. [19] |
Bulgaria | Liberation Day | 3 March | 1878 | Ottoman Empire | Treaty of San Stefano which created the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria. [20] |
Independence Day | 22 September | 1908 [21] | Bulgarian Declaration of Independence. [21] | ||
Burkina Faso | Proclamation of Independence Day | 11 December | 1958 | France | Effective date when French Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community. |
Independence Day | 5 August | 1960 [22] | Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July and creation of the independent Republic of Upper Volta. [15] | ||
Burundi | Independence Day | 1 July | 1962 | Belgium | Effective date of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1746 terminating the Ruanda-Urundi Trusteeship. [23] [24] |
Cambodia | Independence Day | 9 November | 1953 | France | Ceremony transferring military from French to Cambodian officials based on a military hand-over agreement reached on 17 October 1953. [25] [26] |
Cameroon | National Day | 20 May | 1960 | United Kingdom France | Cameroon gained independence on 1 January 1960, but does not celebrate that date. Instead, it celebrates the National Day on 20 May commemorating the 1972 Cameroonian constitutional referendum. [27] |
Canada | Canada Day | 1 July | 1867 | United Kingdom | Canada Day on 1 July commemorates the establishment of the Dominion of Canada in 1867. [28] |
Cape Verde | Independence Day | 5 July | 1975 | Portugal | Effective date of the Agreement Between Portugal and Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PAIGC) signed on 18 December 1974. [29] |
Central African Republic | National Day | 1 December | 1958 | France | Effective date when Central African Republic became an autonomous republic of the French Community. [30] |
Independence Day | 13 August | 1960 [31] | Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 12 July. [15] | ||
Chad | Republic Day | 28 November | 1958 [32] | Effective date when Chad became an autonomous republic in the French Community. [33] | |
Independence Day | 11 August | 1960 | Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 12 July. [15] | ||
Chile | Independence Day (part of Fiestas Patrias) | 18 September | 1810 | Spanish Empire | Establishment of the Government Junta of Chile. [34] The following day, 19 September, is celebrated as the Army Day. [35] The two holidays collectively are known as Fiestas Patrias. [36] |
China, People's Republic of | National Day | 1 October | 1949 | Republic of China | Mao Zedong's formal proclamation of the establishment of the People's Republic of China |
Colombia | Independence Day | 20 July | 1810 | Spanish Empire | Colombian Declaration of Independence |
Comoros | Independence Day | 6 July | 1975 | France | Unilateral declaration of independence by the Chamber of Deputies of Comoros following the 1974 Comorian independence referendum. [37] |
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Independence Day | 30 June | 1960 | Belgium | Effective date of the Treaty of Friendship, Assistance and Co-operation between Belgium and the Congo concluded on 29 June 1960. [38] |
Congo, Republic of the | Republic Day | 28 November | 1958 [39] | France | Effective date when Congo became an autonomous republic in the French Community. [39] |
Independence Day | 15 August | 1960 | France | ||
Costa Rica | Independence Day | 15 September | 1821 | Spanish Empire | Act of Independence of Central America.[ citation needed ] |
Croatia | National Day | 30 May [40] | 1990 [41] | Yugoslavia | First session of the Croatian Parliament following the 1990 Croatian parliamentary election. [41] 8 October (when the parliament adopted a decision to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia in 1991) and 25 June (when the parliament voted for independence in 1991) were also celebrated as independence days. After the 2019 changes to the law on public holidays, 8 October is the Parliament Day and 25 June is the Independence Day, but they are memorial days and not public holidays. [40] |
Cuba | Independence Day [42] | 10 October | 1868 [43] | Spanish Empire | Call to rebellion (known as Grito de Yara) by sugar planter Carlos Manuel de Cespedes that led to the Ten Years' War for independence. [44] |
Cyprus | Independence Day | 1 October | 1960 | United Kingdom | Effective date of the London-Zürich Agreements was 16 August 1960, but the public holiday was moved to 1 October to avoid summer heat and tourist season. [45] |
Czech Republic | Independence Day | 28 October | 1918 | Austria-Hungary | Independence declaration by the Czechoslovak National Council. [46] Official day of independence of the Czech Republic |
Restoration Day | 1 January | 1993 [47] | Czechoslovakia | Effective date of the Peaceful Dissolution of Czechoslovakia into Czech Republic and Slovakia. [48] | |
Djibouti | Independence Day | 27 June | 1977 | France | |
Dominica | Independence Day | 3 November | 1978 | United Kingdom | |
Dominican Republic | Independence Day | 30 November | 1821 | Spanish Empire | Independence from Spain in November 1821. [49] |
27 February | 1844 | Haiti | Independence re-declared from Haiti in 1844, after a 22-year occupation. Start of the Dominican War of Independence. | ||
Restoration Day | 16 August | 1863 | Spanish Empire | Day of Grito del Capotillo on August 16, 1863. Independence officially restored from Spain on July 11, 1865 after victory in the Dominican Restoration War. | |
East Timor | Proclamation of Independence Day | 28 November | 1975 | Portugal | East Timor Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the Portuguese rule in 1975. |
Ecuador | Independence Day | 10 August | 1809 | Spanish Empire | Proclaimed independence on 10 August 1809, but failed with the execution of all the conspirators of the movement on 2 August 1810. |
Egypt | Revolution Day | 23 July | 1952 | United Kingdom | |
El Salvador | Independence Day | 15 September | 1821 | Spanish Empire | Act of Independence of Central America.[ citation needed ] |
Equatorial Guinea | Independence Day | 12 October | 1968 | Spain | |
Eritrea | Independence Day | 24 May | 1991 | Ethiopia | Eritrean War of Independence. |
Estonia | Independence Day | 24 February | 1918 | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic | Estonian Declaration of Independence. |
Day of Restoration of Independence [50] | 20 August | 1991 | Soviet Union [50] | Estonian Restoration of Independence. | |
Eswatini | Independence Day (Somhlolo Day) | 6 September | 1968 | United Kingdom | Commemorates independence. [51] Also called Somhlolo Day or Subhuza Day, after the 19th-century leader Sobhuza I. [52] |
Fiji | Fiji Day | 10 October | 1970 | United Kingdom | Instruments of Independence |
Finland | Independence Day | 6 December | 1917 | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic | Finnish Declaration of Independence |
Gabon | Independence Day | 16–17 August | 1960 | France | Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 15 July. [15] |
Gambia, The | Independence Day | 18 February | 1965 | United Kingdom | Effective date of the Gambia Independence Act 1964. |
Georgia | Independence Day | 26 May | 1918 | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic | Day of the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918. |
National Unity Day | 9 April | 1991 | Soviet Union | ||
Germany | German Unity Day | 3 October | 1990 | West Germany East Germany Soviet Union | It commemorates German reunification in 1990 when the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) were unified. |
Ghana | Independence Day | 6 March | 1957 | United Kingdom | |
Greece | Independence Day | 25 March | 1821 | Ottoman Empire | Declaration of independence 1821. Start of the Greek War of Independence. |
Grenada | Independence Day | 7 February | 1974 | United Kingdom | |
Guatemala | Independence Day | 15 September | 1821 | Spanish Empire | Act of Independence of Central America.[ citation needed ] |
Guinea | Independence Day | 2 October | 1958 | France | |
Guinea-Bissau | Independence Day | 24 September | 1973 | Portugal | |
Guyana | Independence Day | 26 May | 1966 | United Kingdom | |
Haiti | Independence Day | 1 January | 1804 | France Spain | Haitian Declaration of Independence. |
Honduras | Independence Day | 15 September | 1821 | Spanish Empire | Act of Independence of Central America.[ citation needed ] |
Hungary | Day of Hungarian Freedom (A magyar szabadság napja) | Last Saturday of June | 1991 | Hungarian People's Republic Soviet Union | Restoration of Hungary's sovereignty after the withdrawal of Soviet troops in June 1991. [53] [54] |
Iceland | National Day | 17 June | 1944 | Denmark | Effective date of the dissolution of the Danish–Icelandic Act of Union following the 1944 Icelandic constitutional referendum. [55] |
India | Independence Day (Swatantra Diwas) | 15 August | 1947 | United Kingdom | Effective date of the Indian Independence Act 1947. [a] |
Indonesia | Independence Day (Hari Kemerdekaan) | 17 August | 1945 | Empire of Japan Netherlands | Proclamation of Indonesian Independence. |
Iran | Iranian Islamic Republic Day | 1 April | 1979 | Imperial State of Persia | After holding a referendum, Iran officially became an Islamic republic in April 1979. [56] |
Iraq | Independence Day | 3 October | 1932 | United Kingdom | |
Israel | Independence Day (Yom Ha'atzmaut) | Iyar 5 (On or between 15 April and 15 May, depending on the Hebrew calendar). | 1948 | United Kingdom Mandatory Palestine British Mandate for Palestine | Israeli Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948 (5 Iyar 5708 in the Hebrew calendar). Yom Ha'atzmaut is celebrated on the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nearest to 5 Iyar, so it occurs between 3 and 6 Iyar each year; this means that the holiday can fall any time between and including 15 April and 15 May, according to the Gregorian calendar. |
Italy | Anniversary of the Unification | It celebrates the birth of Italy as a modern nation state, which took place following the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy on 17 March 1861. However, the complete unification of Italy took place only in the following years. 17 March | 1861 | - | The political and social movement that on 17 March 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of Sardinia, resulting in the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. |
Ivory Coast | Independence Day | 7 August | 1960 | France | Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July. [15] |
Jamaica | Independence Day | 6 August | 1962 | United Kingdom | Independence of Jamaica. |
Japan | National Foundation Day | 11 February | 660 BCE | ||
Jordan | Independence Day | 25 May | 1946 | United Kingdom Emirate of Transjordan Mandate for Palestine | Ascension of Abdullah I of Jordan to the throne. [55] |
Kazakhstan | Independence Day | 16 December | 1991 | Soviet Union | |
Kenya | Jamhuri Day | 12 December | 1963 | United Kingdom | |
Kiribati | National Day | 12 July | 1979 | United Kingdom | Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming a sovereign state in 1979. |
North Korea | National Liberation Day of Korea (Chogukhaebangŭi nal) | 15 August | 1945 | Empire of Japan | Liberation from the Empire of Japan in 1945. See Japanese Occupation of Korea. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was founded in 1948. |
South Korea | March 1st Movement (Samiljeol) | 1 March | 1919 | Korean Declaration of Independence in 1919. This day is celebrated as Samiljeol, or Independence Proclamation Day. | |
National Liberation Day of Korea (Gwangbokjeol) | 15 August | 1945 | Liberation from the Empire of Japan in 1945. See Japanese Occupation of Korea. The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was founded in 1919. | ||
Kosovo | Independence Day | 17 February | 2008 | Serbia | February 17th is celebrated as Independence Day in Kosovo, commemorating the declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008, marking a significant milestone in the nation's history. |
Kuwait | National Day | 25 February | 1961 | United Kingdom | Independence actually occurred on 19 June 1961, but celebrate on 25 February each year to honor Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim, who is credited with ending the treaties with Britain and instigating democratic life in Kuwait. |
Kyrgyzstan | Independence Day | 31 August | 1991 | Soviet Union | |
Latvia | Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia | 18 November | 1918 | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic German Empire | Proclamation of independence on 18 November 1918. Latvia was part of Russian Empire prior to World War I, but its territory had been ceded to German Empire in March 1918. |
Day of Restoration of Independence | 4 May | 1990 | Soviet Union | On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia. | |
Lebanon | Independence Day | 22 November | 1943 | Vichy France | |
Lesotho | Independence Day | 4 October | 1966 | United Kingdom | |
Liberia | Independence Day | 26 July | 1847 | American Colonization Society | Liberian Declaration of Independence. |
Libya | Independence Day | 24 December | 1951 | United Kingdom Italy France | Independence from Italy on 10 February 1947, released from British and French on 24 December 1951. |
Liechtenstein | National Day | 15 August | 1866 | German Confederation | |
Lithuania | Statehood Restoration Day | 16 February | 1918 | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic German Empire | Act of Independence of Lithuania. |
Independence Restoration Day | 11 March | 1990 | Soviet Union | Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania. | |
Madagascar | Independence Day | 26 June | 1960 | France | |
Malawi | Independence Day | 6 July | 1964 | United Kingdom | |
Malaysia | Independence Day/National Day (Hari Kemerdekaan/Hari Kebangsaan) | 31 August | 1957 | Malayan Declaration of Independence. | |
Malaysia Day (Hari Malaysia) | 16 September | 1965 | Malaysia Agreement | ||
Maldives | Independence Day | 26 July | 1965 | United Kingdom | |
Mali | Independence Day | 22 September | 1960 | France | |
Malta | Independence Day | 21 September | 1964 | United Kingdom | |
Marshall Islands | Constitution Day | 1 May | 1979 | United States | |
Mauritania | Independence Day | 28 November | 1960 | France | Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 19 October. [15] |
Mauritius | Independence Day | 12 March | 1968 | United Kingdom | |
Mexico | Independence Day (Día de la Independéncia) Cry of Dolores (Grito de Dolores) | 16 September | 1810 | Spanish Empire | Start of the Mexican War of Independence. |
Micronesia | Independence Day | 3 November | 1986 | United States | Effective date of the Compact of Free Association. |
Moldova | Independence Day | 27 August | 1991 | Soviet Union | Moldovan Declaration of Independence. |
Mongolia | Independence Day | 29 December [57] | 1911 | Qing dynasty [58] [59] | Independence declared in 1911 during the Xinhai Revolution. However, Mongolian independence was neither recognized by Qing China nor its successor state, the Republic of China. The newly established Bogd Khanate of Mongolia led by the Bogd Khan lasted for 8 years until it was occupied by the Republic of China in 1919, to regain independence not long after.The Imperial Edict of the Abdication of the Qing Emperor issued in 1912 provided the legal basis for the Republic of China to inherit all Qing territories, including Mongolia. [60] [61] [62] The Republic of China later established de facto control over Mongolia in 1919. Mongolia subsequently re-asserted its independence in 1921. During the years of socialism, the value of this historically important day was ignored, but the law of the State Greate Khural of the Republic of Mongolia on August 16, 2007, made December 29 a public holiday, and later enshrined it into law on December 23, 2011, making it a public holiday, the Day of the Restoration of National Freedom and Independence. |
Montenegro | Independence Day | 21 May | 2006 | Serbia and Montenegro | 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum. |
Morocco | Proclamation of Independence Day | 11 January | 1944 | France Spain | Proclamation of Independence. |
Independence Day | 18 November | 1955 | Return of Mohammed V of Morocco from exile. | ||
Mozambique | Independence Day Dia da Independência Nacional | 25 June | 1975 | Portugal | In September 1964 the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) began an armed guerilla campaign against the Portuguese. FRELIMO took control of Maputo in April 1974 in a coup. Independence for Mozambique was officially declared a year later on 25 June 1975. [63] |
Myanmar | Independence Day | 4 January | 1948 | United Kingdom | Burmese Declaration of Independence. |
Namibia | Independence Day | 21 March | 1990 | South Africa | |
Nauru | Independence Day | 31 January | 1968 | Australia New Zealand United Kingdom | Effective date of the Nauru Independence Act 1967 . Also marks the date of the return of the Nauruans from Truk island after the Japanese occupation of Nauru during World War II. [64] |
Nicaragua | Independence Day | 15 September | 1821 | Spain | Act of Independence of Central America.[ citation needed ] |
Niger | Independence Day | 3 August | 1960 | France | Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July. [15] |
Nigeria | Independence Day | 1 October | 1960 | United Kingdom | |
North Macedonia | Republic Day | 2 August | 1903 | Ottoman Empire | Republic Day: Recognition of the establishment of the short-lived Kruševo Republic during the Ilinden Uprising. |
Independence Day (Den na nezavisnosta) | 8 September | 1991 | Yugoslavia | ||
Norway | Constitution Day | 17 May | 1814 | Denmark | National Day: Independence and the Constitution of Norway (17 May 1814). |
Independence Day | 7 June | 1905 | Sweden | Union Dissolution and Independence Day (7 June 1905). | |
Oman | National Day | 18 November | 1650 | Portugal | |
Pakistan | Independence Day (Youm-e-Azadi) | 14 August | 1947 | United Kingdom | Effective date of the Indian Independence Act 1947; [b] [65] see also: Pakistan Day (23 March). |
Palau | Independence Day | 1 October | 1994 | United States | 9 July 1980 is Palau's Constitution Day usually commemorated with formal events. Independence Day celebrations are more elaborate and last several days. |
Palestine | Independence Day | 15 November | 1988 | Israel | Palestinian Declaration of Independence on 15 November 1988. |
Panama | Independence Day | 28 November | 1821 | Spanish Empire | Independence Act of Panama |
Separation Day | 3 November | 1903 | Colombia | Panama was member of Gran Colombia until 1903. The 1903 separation from Colombia is celebrated as an official holiday day on 3 November. | |
Papua New Guinea | Independence Day | 16 September | 1975 | Australia | Effective date of the Papua New Guinea Independence Act 1975 |
Paraguay | Independence Day | 14 and 15 May | 1811 | Spanish Empire [66] | |
Peru | Independence Day | 28 July | 1821 | Spanish Empire | |
Philippines | Independence Day (Araw ng Kalayaan or Araw ng Kasarinlan) | 12 June | 1898 | Philippine Declaration of Independence by Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The Philippines achieved self-rule from the United States on 4 July 1946, and celebrated 4 July as Independence Day until 1964. [69] | |
Republic Day | 4 July | 1946 | United States | ||
Poland | Independence Day (Święto Niepodległości) | 11 November | 1918 | Russian Republic Austria-Hungary German Empire | Restoration of Poland's independence in 1918 after 123 years of partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria. |
Portugal | Restoration of Independence Day | 1 December | 1640 | Spanish Empire | Portugal was officially an autonomous state, but the country was in a personal union with the Spanish crown from 1580 to 1640 – date of the restoration of full Portuguese autonomy from Iberian Union with Spain. [70] |
Qatar | National Day | 18 December | 1878 | Ottoman Empire | |
Romania | National Independence Day (Ziua Independenței Naționale) | 10 May | 1876 | Ottoman Empire | Romania's declaration of its independence and subsequent victory in the Romanian War of Independence, part of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, against the Ottoman Empire. [71] |
Great Union Day (Ziua Unirii Mare) | 1 December | 1918 | Unification of Romania on 1 December 1918 | ||
Rwanda | Independence Day | 1 July | 1962 | Belgium | Effective date of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1746 terminating the Rwanda-Urundi Trusteeship. [23] [24] |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Independence Day | 19 September | 1983 | United Kingdom | |
Saint Lucia | Independence Day | 22 February | 1979 | ||
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Independence Day | 27 October | 1979 | ||
Samoa | Independence Day | 1 June | 1962 | New Zealand | |
São Tomé and Príncipe | Independence Day | 12 July | 1975 | Portugal | Effective date of the agreement with Portugal reached on 26 November 1974. [72] [73] |
Senegal | Independence Day | 4 April | 1960 | France | |
Serbia | Statehood Day | 15 February | 1804 and 1835 | Ottoman Empire | Outbreak of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, which evolved into a Serbian Revolution; the adoption of the first modern constitution in 1835. |
Seychelles | Independence Day | 29 June | 1976 | United Kingdom | |
Sierra Leone | Independence Day | 27 April | 1961 | ||
Singapore | National Day | 9 August | 1965 | Malaysia | Proclamation of Singapore. |
Slovakia | Independence Day | 28 October | 1918 | Austria-Hungary | Independence declaration by the Czechoslovak National Council. [74] |
Independence Day | 17 July | 1992 | Czechoslovakia | Declaration of Independence in 1992 (only a remembrance day), de jure independence came on 1 January 1993, after the division of Czechoslovakia (public holiday). | |
Restoration Day | 1 January | 1993 | Czechoslovakia | Effective date of the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia into Czech Republic and Slovakia. [75] | |
Slovenia | Statehood Day | 25 June | 1991 | Yugoslavia | Date of Slovenia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. |
Independence and Unity Day | 26 December | 1990 | Yugoslavia | Date of the release of the official results of the independence plebiscite in 1990, confirming secession from Yugoslavia. | |
Solomon Islands | Independence Day | 7 July | 1978 | United Kingdom | |
Somalia | Independence Day | 26 June | 1960 | United Kingdom | |
Somaliland | Independence Day | 26 June | 1960 | United Kingdom | |
Independence Day | 18 May | 1990 | Somalia | ||
Sri Lanka | Independence Day | 4 February | 1948 | United Kingdom | Celebrates to commemorate the country’s political independence from British rule in 1948. [76] Event celebrated annually. |
Sudan | Independence Day | 1 January | 1956 | United Kingdom Egypt | |
South Sudan | Independence Day | 9 July | 2011 | Sudan | |
Spain | San Sebastian Day or Tamborrada | 20 January | 1479 | Castile Aragon | |
Suriname | Independence Day | 25 November | 1975 | Netherlands | |
Switzerland | Swiss National Day | 1 August | 1291 | Holy Roman Empire | Alliance against the Holy Roman Empire in 1291. |
Syria | Evacuation Day | 17 April | 1946 | France | End of the French Mandate of Syria in 1946. |
Tajikistan | Independence Day | 9 September | 1991 | Soviet Union | |
Tanzania | Independence Day | 9 December | 1961 | United Kingdom | Independence as Tanganyika. |
Togo | Independence Day | 27 April | 1960 | France | |
Tonga | Emancipation Day | 4 June | 1970 | United Kingdom | Termination of protectorate status in 1970. |
Trinidad and Tobago | Independence Day | 31 August | 1962 | Effective date of the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962. | |
Tunisia | Independence Day | 20 March | 1956 | France | |
Turkmenistan | Independence Day | 27 September | 1991 | Soviet Union [77] | |
Tuvalu | Independence Day | 1 October | 1978 | United Kingdom | |
Uganda | Independence Day | 9 October | 1962 | United Kingdom | |
Ukraine | Independence Day | 24 August | 1991 | Soviet Union | Declaration of Independence of Ukraine |
Day of Unity | 22 January | 1919 | Russian SFSR Austria-Hungary | Unification of Ukraine on 22 January 1919. [78] | |
United Arab Emirates | National Day | 2 December | 1971 | United Kingdom | |
United States | Independence Day or Fourth of July | 4 July | 1776 | Kingdom of Great Britain | United States Declaration of Independence |
Uruguay | Independence Day | 25 August | 1825 | Empire of Brazil | Declaration of independence and union with the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata |
Uzbekistan | Independence Day | 1 September | 1991 | Soviet Union | |
Vanuatu | Independence Day | 30 July | 1980 | United Kingdom France | |
Vatican City | Lateran Treaty Day | 11 February | 1929 | Kingdom of Italy | Lateran Treaty establishing Vatican City as an independent state |
Venezuela | Independence Day | 5 July | 1811 | Spanish Empire | Venezuelan Declaration of Independence. |
Vietnam | National Day | 2 September | 1945 | Empire of Japan France | Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. |
Yemen | Independence Day | 30 November | 1967 | United Kingdom | Declaration of independence as Kingdom of Yemen |
Zambia | Independence Day | 24 October | 1964 | United Kingdom | Effective date of the Zambia Independence Act 1964. |
Zimbabwe | Independence Day | 18 April | 1980 | United Kingdom | Granting of independence by the United Kingdom in 1980 |
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Cameroon's population of nearly 31 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both. Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos Camarões, which became Cameroon in English. Fulani soldiers founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north in the 19th century, and various ethnic groups of the west and northwest established powerful chiefdoms and fondoms.
A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their metropole. This separated rule was often organized into colonial empires, with their metropoles at their centers, making colonies neither annexed or even integrated territories, nor client states. Particularly new imperialism and its colonialism advanced this separated rule and its lasting coloniality. Colonies were most often set up and colonized for exploitation and possibly settlement by colonists.
Western Sahara, formerly the colony of Spanish Sahara, is a disputed territory claimed by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro, which is an independence movement based in Tifariti and Bir Lehlou. The Annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco took place in two stages, in 1976 and 1979, and is considered illegal under international law.
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March or May. It complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Father's Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents' Day.
Veterans Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with holidays in several countries, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which also occur on the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official end of World War II in Europe in the Eastern Front, with the last known shots fired on 11 May.
Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence movements in the colonies and the collapse of global colonial empires.
A national day is a day on which celebrations mark the statehood or nationhood of a state or its people. It may be the date of independence, of becoming a republic, of becoming a federation, or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler.
Human Rights Day (HRD) is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year.
The decolonisation of Africa was a series of political developments in Africa that spanned from the mid-1950s to 1975, during the Cold War. Colonial governments gave way to sovereign states in a process often marred by violence, political turmoil, widespread unrest, and organised revolts. Major events in the decolonisation of Africa included the Mau Mau rebellion, the Algerian War, the Congo Crisis, the Angolan War of Independence, the Zanzibar Revolution, and the events leading to the Nigerian Civil War.
Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947. On this day the Indian Independence Act 1947 came into effect, transferring legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly. India attained independence following the independence movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience led by Indian National Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may observe the same holiday, with the most prominent united celebrations occurring in states that comprised the Allies of World War II, celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The decolonization of the Americas occurred over several centuries as most of the countries in the Americas gained their independence from European rule. The American Revolution was the first in the Americas, and the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War (1775–83) was a victory against a great power, aided by France and Spain, Britain's enemies. The French Revolution in Europe followed, and collectively these events had profound effects on the Spanish, Portuguese, and French colonies in the Americas. A revolutionary wave followed, resulting in the creation of several independent countries in Latin America. The Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), perhaps one of the most successful slave uprisings in history, resulted in the independence of the French slave colony of Saint-Domingue. The Peninsular War with France, which resulted from the Napoleonic occupation of Spain, caused Spanish Creoles in Spanish America to question their allegiance to Spain, stoking independence movements that culminated in various Spanish American wars of independence (1808–33), which were primarily fought between opposing groups of colonists and only secondarily against Spanish forces. At the same time, the Portuguese monarchy fled to Brazil during the French invasion of Portugal. After the royal court returned to Lisbon, the prince regent, Pedro, remained in Brazil and in 1822 successfully declared himself emperor of a newly independent Brazilian Empire.
Independence Day is a national holiday in the Philippines observed annually on June 12, commemorating the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain in 1898. Since 1978, it has been the country's National Day.
The decolonisation of Oceania occurred after World War II when nations in Oceania achieved independence by transitioning from European colonial rule to full independence.
Pioneers' Day or Pioneer Day was a public holiday in Rhodesia. The day was created to commemorate the Pioneer Column led by Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company on 12 September 1890. It was originally called Occupation Day when established in 1920 but was renamed as Pioneers' Day in 1961. The day was abolished as a public holiday following Rhodesia becoming Zimbabwe in 1980.
The United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, or the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), is a committee of the United Nations General Assembly that was established in 1961 and is exclusively devoted to the issue of decolonization.
The Independence Day of Ghana is a national holiday celebrated yearly. This day is an official state holiday for the citizens of Ghana both within and in the diaspora to honour and celebrate the Heroes of Ghana who led the country to attain its independence. The Independence Day is celebrated on March 6 every year. Independence Day is also remembrance of the day that marks the declaration of Ghanaian independence from the British colonial rule. The first Prime Minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, became the Head of Government from 1957 to 1960. On Wednesday, 6 March 1957 Kwame Nkrumah declared to the people of Ghana about their freedom, he added that, "the African People are capable of managing their own affairs and Ghana our beloved country is free forever." Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve its independence from European colonial rule. Many Ghanaians who have had the opportunity to serve as president have remembered the occasion and made Ghana Independence Day a public holiday to celebrate. Granting the day as a national holiday is well recognized such that, if 6 March of a year fell on a weekend of the Independence Day celebration, the working day that follows which is a Monday will be granted and observed as a holiday by the whole nation. Many Presidents from other African countries and Europe have been invited to Ghana to join in the celebration either as Guest Speakers or Invited Guests since the reign of former President Kwame Nkrumah till now.
Relations between the government of Hong Kong SAR of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China (ROC) encompass both when Hong Kong was under British rule or when the Republic of China controlled mainland China and afterwards the ROC fled to Taiwan. This is also a part of the Cross-strait relations.
On October 27, 1991, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic declared its independence from the Soviet Union.