Ghost Countries

New Caledonia, sometimes also called Kanaky, is one of the few remaining French-administered territories outside Europe itself. Located in the southwest Pacific, between Vanuatu and Australia, the archipelago’s history goes bask as far as the Lapita culture (1600 BC - 500 BC) and changed dramatically following its discovery by Captain Cook in 1774. He was followed by European traders in search of sandalwood, which eventually led to New Caledonia being annexed by France in 1853. Following WWII, the archipelago has undergone profound change, but questions remain over its future: will New Caledonia opt for independence from France - something it has rejected in two of three planned referendums on the matter - or will it remain part of l'Outre-mer? This question has, at times, led to a bitter divided between New Caledonia’s European population, know as the Caldoche, and the Melanesian Kanak people. #newcaledonia #kanaky #france #referendum #history Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC by 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International (CC by 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Intro Animation / Character Design: Emily Clearwater (iamprettyawesome.co.nz) Map of Oceania created using mapchart.net and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Source: https://mapchart.net Intro Music: “Darxieland” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Background Music: “Crossing the Chasm” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Western Sahara: No Data. The conflict between the largely unrecognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Morocco for control over the Western Sahara spans nearly five decades now, having first arguably begun in 1975 following the withdrawal of Spain in accordance with the Madrid Accords. To understand the roots of this still ongoing conflict, however, we need to go further back: exploring the basis of Morocco's (and, for a while, Mauritania's) claims to the disputed territory, how European colonialism in North Africa shaped the region's modern borders, and how the push for self-determination in the 20th century gave rise to the purveyor of Sahrawi nationalism, the Polisario Front. Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC by 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Intro Animation / Character Design: Emily Clearwater (iamprettyawesome.co.nz) Intro Music: “Darxieland” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Background Music: “Desert City” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Though often eclipsed by Sparta, Athens, and Macedon, the ancient state of Epirus nonetheless was a more than capable Hellenic power in its own right. From the Oracle at Dodona to its role in the Diadochi Wars and Pyrrhus’ invasion of southern Italy, in which the Epirote king bested the Romans during the Battle of Asculum in 279 BC, but still was forced to retreat, giving us the term “Pyrrhic victory.” Epirus has left an indelible mark on world history. #history #ancientgreece #epirus Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC by 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Intro Animation / Character Design: Emily Clearwater (iamprettyawesome.co.nz) Intro Music: “Darxieland” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Background Music: "Morgana Rides" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/