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Declaration of independence

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For other uses, see Declaration of Independence (disambiguation).

A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood is an assertion by a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state. In 2010, the UN's International Court of Justice ruled in an advisory opinion in Kosovo that "International law contains no prohibition on declarations of independence",[1] though the state from which the territory wishes to secede may regard the declaration as rebellion, which may lead to a war of independence or a constitutional settlement to resolve the crisis.

List of declarations of independence

State Declaration Date Year Association Signatories First recognizing state
Albania Albanian Declaration of Independence November 28 1912 Ottoman Empire Assembly of Vlorë Austria-Hungary
Provinces of the Rio de la Plata
(present-day
Argentina
Uruguay
Bolivia)		 Argentine Declaration of Independence July 9 1816 Spain Congress of Tucumán Hawaii
Armenia Declaration of Independence of Armenia May 28 1918 Russia Armenian National Congress (1917) Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF Dashnak) Russia
Azerbaijan Declaration of Independence of Azerbaijan May 28 1918 Russia Azerbaijani National Council (Hasan bey Aghayev, Fatali Khan Khoyski, Nasib Yusifbeyli, Jamo bey Hajinski, Şefi bey Rustambeyli, Nariman bey Narimanbeyov, Javad Malik-Yeganov, Mustafa Mahmudov) Ottoman Empire
Azawad Azawadi declaration of independence April 6 2012 Mali National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
Bangladesh Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence March 26 1971 Pakistan Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh Bhutan
Belarus Third Constituent Charter March 25 1918 Russia Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic
Belarus Announcement of the Declaration of Independence of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Byelorussia July 31 1920 Poland Communist Party (bolsheviks) of Byelorussia, trade unions Russia
Belarus Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic July 27 1990 Soviet Union Supreme Soviet of the BSSR Turkey
Belgium Belgian Declaration of Independence October 4 1830 Netherlands Provisional Government of Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian Declaration of Independence March 1 1992 Yugoslavia Bulgaria
Brazil Independence of Brazil September 7 1822 Portugal Pedro I of Brazil United States
Bougainville Bougainville Declaration of Independence May 1990 Papua New Guinea Bougainville Interim Government
Bulgaria Bulgarian Declaration of Independence September 22 1908 Ottoman Empire Ferdinand of Bulgaria and the Government of Bulgaria Russia (5 February 1909)
Burma Burmese Declaration of Independence January 4 1948 United Kingdom
Catalonia Declaration of the Catalan Republic as a state of the Iberian Federation April 14 1931 Spain Francesc Macià, Generalitat Government of Catalonia
Catalonia Declaration of the Catalan state within the Federal Republic of Spain October 6 1934 Spain Lluís Companys, Generalitat Government of Catalonia
Catalonia Declaration from the representatives of Catalonia as the Catalan Republic October 27 2017 Spain
Central America Act of Independence of Central America September 15 1821 Spain
Chile Chilean Declaration of Independence February 12 1818 Spain National Congress Portugal
Colombia Colombian Declaration of Independence July 20 1810 Spain
Flag of the Comoros (1963–1975).svg Comoros Comorian Declaration of Independence July 6 1975 France - Guinea
Croatia Declaration of the Establishment of the Sovereign and Independent Republic of Croatia June 25 1991 Yugoslavia Iceland
Crimea Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Crimea March 11 2014 Ukraine Supreme Council of Crimea Russia
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovak Declaration of Independence October 18 1918 Austria-Hungary Czechoslovak National Council United States
Dominican Republic Dominican Declaration of Independence February 27 1844 Haiti United Kingdom
East Timor East Timorese declaration of independence November 28 1975 Portugal Morocco
Egypt Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence February 28 1922 United Kingdom Unilateral grant of independence by the British government United Kingdom
Estonia Estonian Declaration of Independence February 24 1918 Russia Salvation Committee Russia
Estonia Estonian Reconfirmation of Independence August 20 1991 Soviet Union Congress of Estonia Iceland (reconfirmed earlier recognition)
Finland Finnish Declaration of Independence December 6 1917 Russia Parliament of Finland Russia
Florida Florida's Constitution of 1861 January 10 1861 United States Florida State Legislature
Galicia Declaration of the Republic of Galicia June 27 1931 Spain
Georgia, Democratic Republic of Democratic Republic of Georgia May 26 1918 Russia Germany
Georgia, Republic of Act of Restoration of State Independence of Georgia April 9 1991[2] Soviet Union Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia Switzerland
Georgia, State of Georgia's secession declaration January 29 1861 United States
Greece Greek Declaration of Independence January 1 OS 1822 Ottoman Empire First National Assembly Haiti (1822)
Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau Declaration of Independence September 24 1973 Portugal
Haiti Haitian Declaration of Independence January 1 1804 France Jean-Jacques Dessalines France
(April 17, 1825)[3]
Hungary Hungarian Declaration of Independence April 14 1849 Habsburgs
Iceland Icelandic Declaration of Independence June 17 1944 Denmark United States
Iraq Iraq Declaration of Independence October 3 1932 United Kingdom United Kingdom
India Declaration of the Independence of India January 26 1930 United Kingdom
Indonesia Proclamation of Indonesian Independence August 17 1945 Netherlands Sukarno & Mohammad Hatta Egypt
Vatican City[4]
Ireland Proclamation of the Irish Republic April 24
(Easter Monday)		 1916 United Kingdom Provisional Government of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic Irish Declaration of Independence January 21 1919 United Kingdom Dáil Éireann Russia
Israel Israeli Declaration of Independence May 14 1948 United Kingdom Jewish People's Council United States
Northern Epirus Northern Epirote Declaration of Independence February 28 1914 Albania Provisional Government of Northern Epirus
Katanga Katangan Declaration of Independence 1960 Congo-Léopoldville
Korea Korean Declaration of Independence March 1 1919 Japan Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea China (1933)
North Solomons Declaration of Independence of the Republic of the North Solomons September 1 1975 Territory of Papua and New Guinea (Australia) Unknown Vatican City
Kosovo Kosovo declaration of independence February 17 2008 Serbia
UN Administration		 Democratically elected leaders of our people[5] Afghanistan
Albania
Costa Rica
Kosova Proclamation of the Republic of Kosova September 22 1992 FR Yugoslavia Assembly of Kosovo Albania
Latvia Latvian Declaration of Independence November 18 1918 Germany
Russia 		People's Council of Latvia Russia
Latvia On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia May 4 1990 Soviet Union Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR Iceland
Liberia Liberian Declaration of Independence July 16 1847 American Colonization Society Liberian Constitutional Convention United Kingdom
Lithuania Act of Independence of Lithuania February 16 1918 Germany
Russia 		Council of Lithuania Germany
Lithuania Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania March 11 1990 Soviet Union Supreme Council of Lithuania Iceland
Macedonia Independence of the Republic of Macedonia September 8 1991 Yugoslavia Bulgaria
Malaya
(present day Malaysia)		 Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957 August 31 1957 United Kingdom Tunku Abdul Rahman, Prime Minister of Malaysia United Kingdom[6]
Mississippi A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union January 9 1861 United States
First Mexican Empire
(present day Mexico)		 Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire
(real independence)		 September 28 1821 Spain Supreme Provisional Governmental Board United Kingdom (January 4, 1825)[7]
Moldova Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova August 27 1991 Soviet Union Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Romania
Morocco Moroccan Declaration of Independence January 11 1944 France Istiqlal Party
Montenegro Montenegro declaration of independence June 3 2006 Serbia and Montenegro Assembly of the Republic of Montenegro Iceland
Netherlands Act of Abjuration July 26 1581 Spain Union of Utrecht
United Tribes of New Zealand Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand October 28 1835 — Māori chiefs United Kingdom[8]
Northern America
(present day Mexico		 Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America November 6 1813 Spain Congress of Anáhuac
Northern Cyprus Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus November 15 1983 Cyprus Turkey
Norway
(Kingdom of Norway)		 Declaration of Independence of Norway (short after, sovereign under the Swedish monarchy), and the Constitution of Norway May 17 1814 Denmark-Norway
(As of Treaty of Kiel)		 Norwegian Constituent Assembly
Padania Padanian Declaration of Independence September 15 1996 Flag of Italy (1946–2003).svg Italy
Pakistan Pakistan Resolution March 24 1940 United Kingdom Muslim League (Pakistan)
Palestine Palestinian Declaration of Independence November 15 1988 Palestinian territories

Jordan (claimed the West Bank until 1988)

Palestinian National Council Arab League
Peru Act of the Declaration of Independence of Peru July 28 1821 Spain José de San Martín Argentina
Philippines Philippine Declaration of Independence June 12 1898 Spain 98 representatives of Dictatorial Government of the Philippines[9] (ratified on September 29, 1898 by the Malolos Congress[10])
Rhodesia Rhodesian Unilateral Declaration of Independence November 11 1965 United Kingdom Ian Smith and the rest of the Cabinet none
Romania Romanian Declaration of Independence May 22 1877 Ottoman Empire King Carol I
Russia Belavezha Accords December 12 1991 Soviet Union Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR
Western Sahara Bir Lehlou declaration February 27 1976 Spanish Sahara Polisario Front Madagascar
Scotland Declaration of Arbroath April 6 1320 England Scottish leaders
Serbia The Proclamation (Proglašenije/Проглашеније) February 1809 Ottoman Empire Karađorđe Petrović and Serbian MPs
Singapore Proclamation of Singapore[11] August 9 1965 Malaysia[12][13] Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore United Kingdom
(confirmed earlier recognition)[14]
Slovakia Slovak National Council's Declaration of Independence of the Slovak Nation July 17 1992 Czechoslovakia Slovak National Council
Slovenia Slovenian Declaration of Independence June 25 1991 Yugoslavia Croatia
Somaliland Somaliland Declaration of Independence May 18 1991 Somalia none
South Carolina Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union December 24 1860 United States South Carolinians in Charleston
Sri Lanka Declaration of Independence of Sri Lanka (Then known as "Ceylon") February 4 1948 United Kingdom
Texas, Republic of Texas Declaration of Independence March 2 1836 Mexico France
Texas, State of A Declaration of the Causes which Impel the State of Texas to Secede from the Federal Union February 1 1861 United States Texas Legislature
Tibet Tibet's Declaration of Independence February 13 1913 China 13th Dalai Lama none
Turkmenistan Declaration of independence 1991 Soviet Union none Turkey
Ukraine IV Universal January 22 1918 Russia Central Council of Ukraine
Ukraine Declaration of Independence of Ukraine August 24 1991 Soviet Union Verkhovna Rada Poland
Canada[15]
United States United States Declaration of Independence July 2[a] 1776 Great Britain Second Continental Congress Morocco[18][19]
Uzbekistan Declaration of Independence August 31 1991 Soviet Union Supreme Council of Uzbekistan Turkey
Venezuela Venezuelan Declaration of Independence July 5 1811 Spain National Congress
Vermont Vermont Declaration of Independence January 15 1777 United States British Quebec United States
Vietnam Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam September 2 1945 France Hồ Chí Minh Soviet Union
Lower Canada Declaration of Independence of Lower Canada February 22 1838 United Kingdom Robert Nelson none

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Continental Congress voted in favor of the Declaration of Independence on July 2.[16] Versions were not printed until July 4 and later, while the signatories did not sign the Matlack declaration until August.[17]
    Further information: Lee resolution

References

  1. ^ "Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in Respect of Kosovo" (PDF). Icj-cij.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-21. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  2. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200520083218/https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/32362
  3. ^ Ashmore, Harry S., ed. (1961). "Encyclopædia Britannica: a new survey of universal knowledge, Volume 11". p. 85. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Murti Hadi SJ: Soegija Bukan Film Dakwah". filmindonesia.or.id.
  5. ^ No reference in original Albanian text to the declaration being the work of the Assembly of Kosovo. The language used in the declaration differs from that employed in acts of the Assembly of Kosovo in that the first paragraph commences with the phrase “We, the democratically-elected leaders of our people . . .”, whereas acts of the Assembly of Kosovo employ the third person singular. Moreover, the procedure employed in relation to the declaration differed from that employed by the Assembly of Kosovo for the adoption of legislation. It was not transmitted to the Special Representative of the Secretary General and was not published in the Official Gazette of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo. As the practice shows, he would have been under a duty to take action with regard to acts of the Assembly of Kosovo which he considered to be ultra vires. Taking all factors together, the authors of the declaration of independence of 17 February 2008 did not act as one of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government within the Constitutional Framework, but rather as persons who acted together in their capacity as representatives of the people of Kosovo outside the framework of the interim administration.
  6. ^ Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957
  7. ^ "Inglaterra: primer país que reconoce la Independencia de México" (in Spanish). Memoria Politica de México. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  8. ^ The Lord Glenelg (25 May 1836), "EXTRACT of a DESPATCH from Lord GLENELG to Major-General Sir RICHARD BOURKE, New South Wales", written at London, Documents > Declaration of Independence, Christchurch: Waitangi Associates, retrieved 22 May 2010
  9. ^ Philippine History. Rex Bookstore, Inc. 2004. p. 162. ISBN 978-971-23-3934-9.
  10. ^ Tucker, Spencer (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. 364. ISBN 978-1-85109-951-1.
  11. ^ Singapore was forced out of Malaysia by the Malaysian parliament, and the proclamations were then agreed by the two governments. See the Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965 (1985 Rev. Ed.) and the Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
  12. ^ Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign state
  13. ^ Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign state/proclamation of singapore
  14. ^ Singapore Act 1966
  15. ^ Ukraine and Russia: The Post-Soviet Transition by Roman Solchanyk, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000, ISBN 0742510182 (page 100)
    Canadian Yearbook of International Law, Vol 30, 1992, University of British Columbia Press, 1993, ISBN 9780774804387 (page 371)
    Szporluk, Roman (24 February 2020). Russia, Ukraine and the Breakup of the Soviet Union. Hoover Press. ISBN 978-0-8179-9543-0., p. 355
  16. ^ A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation : U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1875. Library of Congress. 2003. pp. 506–507. Tuesday July 2, 1776 [...] Resolved, That these United colonies are, and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved of all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connexion between them and the state of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
  17. ^ Coelho, Chris (2013), Timothy Matlack, Scribe of the Declaration of Independence, McFarland, p. 61, ISBN 978-0-7864-7443-1
  18. ^ US-Morocco Diplomatic Relationship Archived 2015-08-12 at the Wayback Machine. Official Web site of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United States of America.
  19. ^ Dolan, Kerry A. (November 21, 2013). "Why Morocco Matters To The U.S." Forbes. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

External links

  • Media related to Declarations of independence at Wikimedia Commons
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