Top 10 Countries That Disappeared In The 20th Century

New nations seem to pop up with alarming regularity. At the start of the 20th century, there were only a few dozen independent sovereign states on the planet; today, there are nearly 200! Once a nation is established, they tend to stick around for awhile, so a nation disappearing is quite uncommon. It’s only occurred a handful of times in the last century. But when they do, they completely vanish off the face of the globe: government, flag, and all. Here then, in no particular order, are the top ten countries that had their moment in the sun but are, alas, no more.

10. East Germany, 1949-1990

Created from the Soviet controlled sector of Germany after the Second World War, East Germany was probably best known for its Wall and its tendency to shoot people who attempted to cross over it. Now, it’s one (over-reactionary) thing to shoot foreigners who are trying to enter your country illegally, but these were its own people!

40 Most Powerful Images of the Century

Photography, always left an indelible mark on the soul of every person.

 Three sisters, three "segments" of time, the three photos.

Annual Bearded Competition of France

  More than a hundred bearded men took part in the annual competition. European Championship for the beard and mustache was in town Vitedorf (Haut-Rhin, France).

Total Solar Eclipse in Australia - 14 Nov 2012

 In the morning of 14 november, thousands of people in northern Australia have witnessed a total solar eclipse. Full phase, when the moon completely obscured the sun, it lasted about two minutes.

Events in Pictures

A huge eye test is seen on the side of an eye hospital in Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin ProvincePicture: HAP/Quirky China News / Rex Features



A man rides the European Sperm Bank's 'Spermbullit' on the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark, to transport sperm to fertility clinicsPicture: European Sperm Bank/POLFOTO/AP

2012 Important Events

Global press agency AFP have already released their selection of 2012's best pictures — even though there is still a full month to go. The incredible images capture every major news story of the year so far, from triumph at the Olympics to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in the US and ongoing violence in Syria.

The list has been released surprisingly early this year — usually, it doesn't arrive until December.

Maybe the press agency thought the year was already too packed with memorable moments: from the sight of the Queen (or a performer dressed like her) parachuting into Olympic Park, to Mo Farah's Olympic gold medal victory, to an overly enthusiastic supporter hoisting up President Barack Obama during his successful election campaign in the US.


These are our top picks from AFP's selection for best pictures of the year.



An ecstatic Mohamed Farah celebrates winning his second gold as the Olympic Park roars to life at the men's 5000m final on August 11. The British runner became only the seventh man to complete a double victory in the 5,000m and 10,000m races at the same Games, earning his place among the finest runners of his generation.

US Presidential Elections 2012 - Nov 06 2012

Tuesday, November 6, U.S. citizens went to the polls to participate in presidential elections. After bitter election campaign, President Barack Obama was elected to a second term defeating his rival Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Light Festival Kobe - Japan

This year the famous festival of light in Kobe will be held from 6 to 17 December.

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House of Chairs - Abu Dhabi

From 7 to 10 November 2012 in the capital of United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, is the annual festival of art Abu Dhabi Art Fair. The highlight was the work of Japanese Tadashai Kawamata Chairs, representing a circular building with the height of 6 meters, collected from hundreds of chairs.Kawamata intentionally used different chairs to highlight the mixing of people of different nationalities, which features today the United Arab Emirates.

Flowered Parade in Zundert - Netherlands

Flower parades are held all over the world, but the one that takes place in Zundert, the Netherlands, is extraordinarily artistic. It’s also the largest parade in the world. Huge floats are made of wire, cardboard and papier-mache', and entirely covered in dahlias in intricate designs. The dahlias for grown specifically for the parade, and thousands of them are required just to cover one float.

The huge floats are made by twenty different hamlets and each of them consists of hundreds of builders, aged 1 to 100, who are all equally crazy about the bloemencorso. The older members of the hamlet are often responsible for planting and growing the dahlias, while the younger ones build the float in large temporary tents that are built exclusively for the event.

US Navy Jet Crash - Apr 6 2012 (Virginia)

All residents of an apartment complex for the elderly in Virginia that was destroyed when a U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed into it on Friday have been accounted for, and everyone injured have been discharged from a hospital, rescue officials said on Saturday, April 7, 2012.

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Cargo Ship Disaster - Oct 11 2011 (New Zealand)

RENA OIL SPILL
The remains of the stricken container ship Rena are stuck on a rock reef about 14 nautical miles (22 km) from Tauranga on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. Rena ran aground six months ago, in what authorities say is one of the nation's worst environmental disasters, April, 4 .

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