The tidy four-color maps we see in atlases are misleading; the patchwork of nations we're used to seeing on the evening news are often convenient fictions. It's hard to point to a place anymore that is "Afghanistan", and it's harder to point to a reason why Afghanistan is still an important idea as opposed to ideas like "Taliban" or "Pathan". (NOTE- The above was written in 2000. For "Taliban", please substitute "Tajik"; I think you'll find it's still a valid concern.) States and power are fluid things, and no map ever shows the world as it truly is.

The idea of the nation-state is a relatively young one, and in much of the world has not completely taken root. It is therefore unsurprising that the nations we see on maps often have a hard time asserting control over the territory that they have claimed. This work provides an overview of ephemeral states, micronations, secessionist states, and every other kind of country you never heard of in high school. From Maryland in Africa to the Republic of West Florida to the Centro-Caspian Dictatorship, I've included as many of the forgotten nations as I could find (and brother, I'm still lookin). Enjoy.

For those of you who remember this site in its previous incarnation, thanks for your patience as I dealt with other projects. I've added a number of new entires and revised many old ones- I hope this will be as entertaining as it always was. Come to think of it, I hope this is entertaining.

James Erwin