of the UK)

Saint Kitts and Nevis
19 September 1983 (from UK)

Saint Lucia
22 February 1979 (from UK)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
none (territorial collectivity of France;
has been under French control since 1763)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
27 October 1979 (from UK)

Samoa
1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)

San Marino
3 September 301

Sao Tome and Principe
12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

Saudi Arabia
23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)

Senegal
4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence was
achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

Serbia and Montenegro
27 April 1992 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
or FRY - now Serbia and Montenegro - formed as self-proclaimed
successor to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or SFRY)

Seychelles
29 June 1976 (from UK)

Sierra Leone
27 April 1961 (from UK)

Singapore
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

Slovakia
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech
Republic and Slovakia)

Slovenia
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

Solomon Islands
7 July 1978 (from UK)

Somalia
1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which
became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian
Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered
UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)

South Africa
31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a
republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum

Spain
the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of
independent kingdoms prior to the Moslem occupation that began in
the early 8th century A. D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the
small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost
immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this
event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is
traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain

Sri Lanka
4 February 1948 (from UK)

Sudan
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

Suriname
25 November 1975 (from Netherlands)

Svalbard
none (territory of Norway)

Swaziland
6 September 1968 (from UK)

Sweden
6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)

Switzerland
1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)

Syria
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French
administrati