10 Countries To Visit That Didn't Exist 20 Years Ago (PHOTOS)

Since the late 1980s there have been least 10 new countries appear on the global map from the Horn of Africa to the Pacific.

Lonely Planet put together this guide to 10 new nations that are worth a visit, either for their tormented history, stunning scenery or rich culture.

Countries like the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which came about because of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution. Or Serbia's emergence after the demise of Yugoslavia in 1990.

 

Did we forget any countries? Send us your picks!

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Czech Republic

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Following Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution in 1989, the Czech Republic and Slovakia finally sealed their Velvet Divorce in 1993. Less than 20 years on, Prague neighborhoods like elegant Vinohrady and energetic Žižkov are buzzing, and a country full of emerging microbreweries proves there's more to Czech beer than Pilsner Urquell or Budvar. Add virtue to these delicious liquid vices by cycling and hiking through the idiosyncratic landscapes of Bohemian Switzerland or the Český ráj region. Away from bustling Prague, discover quieter provincial gems like Olomouc (seen here), Telč and Loket, all still retaining the essence of Bohemian and Moravian culture. Explore the Czech Republic's rapidly expanding beer scene at Prague's Czech Beer Festival or the Olomouc Beer Fest.

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Following Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution in 1989, the Czech Republic and Slovakia finally sealed their Velvet Divorce in 1993. Less than 20 years on, Prague neighborhoods like elegant Vinohrady and energetic Žižkov are buzzing, and a country full of emerging microbreweries proves there's more to Czech beer than Pilsner Urquell or Budvar.

Add virtue to these delicious liquid vices by cycling and hiking through the idiosyncratic landscapes of Bohemian Switzerland or the Český ráj region. Away from bustling Prague, discover quieter provincial gems like Olomouc (seen here), Telč and Loket, all still retaining the essence of Bohemian and Moravian culture.

Explore the Czech Republic's rapidly expanding beer scene at Prague's Czech Beer Festival or the Olomouc Beer Fest.

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Comments

[TomMartin]

06:20 PM on 03/17/2011

Thanks for showing the country of my birth, the Czech Republic, first, it is indeed worth a visit. It is now a free country, no more Soviet occupiers.

[irnawa]

04:59 AM on 03/14/2011

Wow, a lovely array of former Eastern Bloc countries, repressive African nations, and... Kyrygzstan... wheres my suitcase?!

[Blackorpheus]

02:22 AM on 03/14/2011

Keep tuned for Texas; they want to secede and take Dubya with them.

[CAMBEL]

10:57 AM on 03/11/2011

All places I would love to visit!

[LMPE]

07:19 PM on 03/10/2011

Is it a safe bet that most Americans had no idea that Slovaks, Slovenes, Croats, Bosniaks, Serbs, and Kazakhs existed before those countries gained independence?

Palau passed an anti-nuclear constitution in 1979. By the time that the country gained independence, the US had sponsored ten unsuccessful elections to change the law.

[Serbian American]

09:35 AM on 03/10/2011

Kosovo i Metohija (KiM) is not an independent country. It is not a member of UN. And according to UN resolution 1244 it is an integral part of the Republic of Serbia. Membership to World Bank and IMF is literally "given" to KiM by the fact that some members of these two organizations have disproportionately higher number of votes. Even according to Marty Ahtisaary plan, KiM is not independent due to the fact that Ahtisary plan calls for foreign administrators with powers including "annulling decisions by Kosovo public authorities". Not to mention a foreign military presence to insure "safe and secure environment" for aforementioned foreign administrators?

[ivan ko]

07:22 PM on 03/10/2011

Why don't you tell us how many Serbs hate USA?

[Serbian American]

10:27 AM on 03/11/2011

Ivan, do you recognize and accept the following: USA constitution, UN chapter, NATO chapter and Final Helsinki act?
Ivan, I am adult and am not going to be dragged into emotional reaction to nonsense provocations.

[French Toast]

02:20 AM on 03/10/2011

I'm all about food tourism. =B

[Erewhon7]

12:52 AM on 03/10/2011

Countries of Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia. Nice beaches. Great wine.

[Otari Giutashvili]

01:48 AM on 03/10/2011

still recognized as Georgia to 98% of the world...nice try ;)

[Erewhon7]

12:02 PM on 03/10/2011

Well, you're Georgian. Try to go to Abkhazian beach vacation with your passport. You can't. Reason-- it is no longer Georgia but a sovereign nation.
You people should've though twice before trying blitzkrieg on the people of Ossetia.

[SallySassalot]

09:58 PM on 03/09/2011

Bosnia gets a photo of GRAVES?

"Come on down and see our dead people! Fun for the whole family!"

[dim]

09:02 PM on 03/09/2011

You don't wash anything down with vodka. You take a shot and *follow* it with ... er... offal stew.

[AnneHolland]

05:39 PM on 03/09/2011

I'm visiting Serbia from the US right now and buying a home here shortly. Serbs are incredibly friendly people to foreigners and many in Belgrade speak some English. The art galleries, sidewalk cafes, barge-restaurants on the Sava river, green markets in every town, gypsy music, turkish coffee, and my favorite beer Jelen Pivo, can't be beat. Belgrade is a wonderfully walkable - not to mention safe - city. And compared to Croatia, Serbia's still relatively cheap. So glad to see it get a good mention here.

[ivan ko]

07:20 PM on 03/10/2011

Some advice for you. Beware what you say in Serbia because Serbs will kill you very fast. Serbs hate Americans.

[wom122]

10:09 AM on 03/12/2011

I happen to have quite few American Serbian friends who live in the US, work hard, and pay their taxes. Stereotyping is wrong and serves no useful purpose.

[matson]

03:06 PM on 03/09/2011

It is strange to see Kosovo represented by a Serbian Orthodox monastery since these religious sites are systematically being destroyed by the Albanians who have cleansed everyone out of Kosovo, including Serbs, Roma, and Turks. Unlike Albania proper, the Albanians in Kosovo are 99% Muslim although nationalism still trumps religion but religion is catching up when we see what happened the other day in Germany when two American soldiers were killed by an Albanian from Kosovo. The tragedy of Kosovo is that both Serbs and Albanians have taken turns being oppressors and victims and each side only admits half of their history.

[philly282]

05:36 PM on 03/09/2011

brilliant...using it in class

[Serbian American]

09:07 AM on 03/10/2011

In March 2004 alone, more then 30 Christian churches were damaged and destroyed in Kosovo and Metohija. Some of them were under UNESCO protection. Some of them were a real rarity of Christianity in Balkan peninsula built in 14th and 15th century. KiM is now 99% Muslim, and it wasn't like that in the past.

[Susan Osterhout Troiano]

03:04 PM on 03/09/2011

Put it this way and not in my life time there won't be anything....KABOOM!

[HBHB]

01:55 PM on 03/09/2011

Same places, different names.

[MsVella]

01:44 PM on 03/09/2011

Ops I have to admit I never heard of East Timor

[john55]

08:29 AM on 03/10/2011

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) has lots of material on East Timor. It is a beautiful country with a people who suffered greatly from Indonesia's illegal occupation backed by the United States.