Independencia – Indépendance – Indipendenza – Onafhankelijkheid !

Here in the United States we love to celebrate one of our favorite national holidays, the 4th of July. This day commemorates the day in 1776 that we declared  through the Declaration of Independence that the original thirteen colonies would separate themselves from Great Britain. The American Revolutionary War had already begun, this was the formal statement of our independence. We were not the first country to separate ourselves from another country and declare independence, I looked around the world to find out when other countries celebrated their own independence. There are global independence days all over the world to celebrate freedom.

If you notice quite a few countries separated themselves from Spain however the Spanish influence and language stillLearn Spanish remains there. If you are traveling to one of these countries on vacation or for business you might want to learn to speak Spanish, that could be the beginning of a wonderful experience.

Here are a few of the countries listed in alphabetical order. It is interesting to note that quite often the primary language that is spoken and the form of government that still exists today is a direct result of the country that they were formerly a part of.

Afghanistan August 19     Separated from United Kingdom in 1919. Primary languages – Pashto & Dari Persian
Argentina July 9                 Separated from the Spanish Empire in 1816. Primary language – Spanish
Armenia September 21    Separated from the Soviet Union in 1991. Primary language – Armenian
Bahamas July 10                 Separated from the United Kingdom in 1973. Primary language – English
Belgium July 21                  Separated from the Netherlands on October 4, 1830. Primary languages – Dutch,French, German
Bolivia August 6                 Separated from Spain in 1825. Primary languages – Spanish, Quechua
Bosnia & Herzegovina March 1     Separated from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. Primary language – Bosnian, Croatian
Botswana September 30     Separated from the United Kingdom in 1966. Primary languages – English, Setswana
Brazil September 7               Declared Independence from Portugal on that date in 1822. Primary language – Portuguese
Cambodia November 9       Separated from France in 1953. Primary language – Khmer
Chad August 11                        Separated from France in 1960. Primary languages – French, Arabic
Democratic Republic of the Congo June 30     Independence from Belgium in 1960.  Primary language – French
Dominican Republic February 27     Independence from Haiti in 1844, after a 22-year occupation. Primary language – Spanish
Fiji October 10     Separated from United Kingdom in 1970. Primary languages – English, Bau Fijian
Ghana March 6     Separated from the United Kingdom in 1957. Primary language – English
Haiti January 1     Separated  from France in 1804. Primary language – French, Haitian, Creole
Iran April 1     Islamic Republic is Proclaimed through referendum in 1979. Primary language – Persian
India August 15      Separated from the United Kingdom in 1947. Primary languages – Hindi, English
Israel On or between April 15 and May 15 (in accordance with the Hebrew calendar). Primary languages – Hebrew, Arabic
Jamaica August 6     Separated from the United Kingdom in 1962. Primary language – English
Jordan May 25          Separated from the United Kingdom in 1946. Primary languages – English, French, Circassian
Kuwait June 19          Separated from the United Kingdom in 1961. Primary language – Arabic
Madagascar June 26     Separated from France in 1960. Primary languages – Malagasy, French
Mexico September 16     Independence from Spain declared in 1810. Primary language – Spanish
Morocco November 18     Separated from France and Spain in 1956. Primary language – Arabic
Nigeria October 1     Separated from United Kingdom in 1960. Primary language – English
Peru July 28               Separated from Spain in 1821. Primary language – Spanish
Switzerland August 1     Swiss National Day, alliance against the Holy Roman Empire in 1291. Primary languages – German, French, Italian
Turkey October 29     Turkish War of Independence in 1923 which broke up the Ottoman Empire. Primary language – Turkish
United States July 4     Declaration of Independence 1776 from  Great Britain. Primary language – English
Uruguay August 25     Declaration of Independence 1825 from Brazil. Primary language – Spanish
Yemen November 30 South Yemen Declaration of Independence 1967 from the United Kingdom. Primary language – Arabic
Zambia October 24     Declaration of independence 1964 from United Kingdom. Primary language – English
Zimbabwe April 18     Declaration of independence from United Kingdom in 1980. Primary languages – English, Shona

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This is by no means a complete list of global independence days but it is a good sampling. The celebrations are differ largely depending on the customs and cultures of the country. In the United States it is a family holiday with parades, picnics, barbecues and fireworks. Let’s take a look at how they celebrate independence in Ghana:

These countries gained their independence in a variety of ways. Some of them by hard fought wars such as was the case in the United States. Others gained their independence through bloodless negotiations, Botswana is a good example of that. Countries continue to evolve, some have even changed their names to more reflect their origins. Independence is sweet; the ability for self rule, to grow to stand among the nations of the world with your own unique identity. And yet, the former rulers have left their mark which is still reflected in their people today. This is how it has been all throughout history.

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