The "second oldest country" depends on how you define "country," but by earliest known organized government, Egypt (around 3100 BCE) is often listed as second to Iran, with other contenders for the top spots including Vietnam, Armenia, China, and India, all with ancient governmental roots. If focusing on the oldest continuous government, Japan or San Marino are strong contenders, while older civilizations (like Mesopotamia in modern-day Iraq) existed but not always as unified nation-states.
2. India (3,000 BCE): The land of silk and spices.
The 10 Oldest Countries in the World (By Cultural Continuity)
China (over 4000 years)
China is over 4,000 years old which makes it one of the world's oldest continuous civilisations. From the legendary Xia Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China has witnessed the rise and fall of numerous dynasties, each leaving an indelible mark on its culture and governance.
Mesopotamia (c.
Around 10,000 BCE, some of the first fully developed Neolithic cultures began to settle in the fertile crescent, which includes Mesopotamia. Around 8,000 BCE, people in northern Mesopotamia began to cultivate barley and wheat, which they used to make beer, gruel, soup, and eventually bread.
Most historians, archaeologists, and Egyptologists concur: Egypt's first unified kingdom stands a few centuries older than China's first historically attested dynasty. However, the Neolithic cultures of China are roughly contemporary with the very first agricultural settlements in Egypt.
Persia (roughly modern-day Iran) is among the oldest inhabited regions in the world. Archaeological sites in the country have established human habitation dating back 100,000 years to the Paleolithic Age with semi- permanent settlements (most likely for hunting parties) established before 10,000 BCE.
Another way to look at the age of a country is when it became a sovereign state: Iran, 2600 B.C.E. India, 2500 B.C.E. China, 1600 B.C.E.
Japan: 15 Million Years Old
Japan, popularly known as the land of rising sun or we may say oldest country in the world by age, has seen many empires rising and simultaneously, falling. Japan became an influential country only during the Meiji Restoration era.
You could look at when the country was first founded. You could look at how long it has been independent. Or you could think about whether its government structure or name has stayed the same over time. By these standards, San Marino has a pretty strong claim to being the oldest country in the world.
The 10 Newest Countries In The World
However, the recent findings have established a huge gap between the two civilizations, suggesting that the Indus Valley began around 6000 BCE and not 3300 BCE. This is more than 2,500 years earlier than previously recorded, making it far older than ancient Egypt, if validated.
Civilization expanded to other areas in East Asia gradually. In Korea Gojoseon became the first organized state around approximately 195 BC. Japan emerged as a unitary state with the creation of its first constitution in 604 AD.
List of Oldest Countries in the World (by Oldest Civilization)
Roughly 10,000 years ago, Earth was experiencing a time of critical change. The planet was leaving the Ice Age, near the end of a much larger pattern of warming and cooling climate events. This led to major changes in the environments people were living in.
While reliable records date only to about 400 A.D., legend has it that Japan was founded in 600 B.C. by Emperor Jimmu, a direct descendent of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, and ancestor of the present ruling dynasty.
Jurassic. The Jurassic ranges from 200 million years to 145 million years ago and features three major epochs: The Early Jurassic, the Middle Jurassic, and the Late Jurassic. The Early Jurassic spans from 200 to 175 million years ago.
In terms of age, civilizations in other parts of the world precede China. Writing systems in Egypt and Mesopotamia predate Chinese writing by a thousand years. The world's first city, Uruk, in modern-day Iraq, dates back seven thousand years. Even in comparison to Europe, China isn't that old.
Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By 1200 BCE, an archaic form of Sanskrit, an Indo-European language, had diffused into India from the northwest.
The potential is enormous, but education must take priority. Last year, India surpassed China to become the world's most populous country. Since the early 2020s, its economy has been growing faster than China's, and forecasts suggest this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
The hunter-gatherer San are among the oldest cultures on Earth, and are thought to be descended from the first inhabitants of what is now Botswana and South Africa. The historical presence of the San in Botswana is particularly evident in northern Botswana's Tsodilo Hills region.