Newest countries

Quazie asks:

Drew,
What is the newest country in the world to gain its independence?
How many countries have gained their independence since you were born?


Drew sez:

Hm, let's take the second question first. Three countries--Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia--have declared independence since I was born in August of 2002. It's actually kind of interesting, though, because is 2006, Montenegro gained its independence, then two days later, Serbia became its own country. Then, less than two years later, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia (February 17, 2008). So that's the answer to the first question: Kosovo!