| In this survey, the term "nation" refers to a people politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite, inter-nationally recognized territory. The number of such nations has almost tripled since the end of World War II. On the eve of the war there were 70 nations; by January 2002, there were 191. When East Timor proclaimed its status as the world's newest country on May 20, 2002, the number reached 192. |