The Fourth of July, our Independence Day, is so recognized and celebrated in the United States, it is hard to realize that other countries do not also celebrate this great day, the day we declared our independence from Great Britain. Of course, many other countries do celebrate Independence Days... they simply differ from ours.

In many countries, Independence Day is a national holiday, just like it is in the United States, celebrated with much vigor. Here are some of the Independence Days of other countries, by order of date:

• Mexico – September 16th, 1810, Mexico declared independence from Spain.
• Argentina – July 9, 1816… independence from Spain.
• Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua – September 15, 1821. All of these countries share the same Independence Day, the day they achieved independence from Spain or Mexico.
• Dominican Republic – February 27, 1844… independence from Haiti.
• Bulgaria – September 22, 1908… independence from the Ottoman Empire.
• Iceland – June 17, 1944… independence from Denmark.
• South Korea – August 15, 1945. This Independence Day, also known as Gwangbokjeol, celebrates

South Korea’s independence from Japan. It also marks the creation of South Korea’s government in 1948, on the same day.

• Belarus – June 3, 1966. This day marks the liberation of Minsk (the capital of Belarus) from Nazi Germany.
• Russia – June 12, 1990. This Russian Independence Day is also known as Russia Day. It was on this date that the Russian parliament formally declared its sovereignty. This is one of the newest

Independence Days celebrated by any countries.

• Armenia – September 21, 1991… independence from the Soviet Union.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – March 1, 1992. This Independence Day celebrates their independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugolsavia.
• Montenegro – June 3, 2006. This recent Independence Day marks Montenegro’s independence from Serbia. They voted to secede on May 21, 2006.

Many countries have Independence Days to celebrate their independence from the United Kingdom, just like we do. Here are just a few of those countries and the dates of their Independence Days… notice how recent some of them are:

• Australia – January 1, 1901
• Afghanistan – August 19, 1919
• Jordan – May 25, 1946
• India – August 15, 1947
• Sri Lanka – February 4, 1948
• Malaysia – August 31, 1957
• The Republic of Cyprus – October 1, 1960
• Jamaica – August 6, 1962
• Trinidad and Tobago – August 31 1962
• Malta – September 21, 1964
• Guyana – May 26, 1966
• Swaziland – September 6, 1968
• Tonga – June 4, 1970
• Bahamas – July 10, 1973
• Zimbabwe – April 18, 1980
• Belize – September 21, 1981