Another possible union is the unification of Belarus with Russia. While Belarus currently remains an isolated country in Eastern Europe, it shares a border with Russia, and its diplomatic stance is closely connected with Russia’s. Belarus also seems to follow Russia’s foreign policy very closely, establishing strong economic, military, and political connections with the Russian Federation. The Russian federation already has some semi-autonomous republics within it, so Belarus could be the next one to join.

“Belarus Russia Locator” By Russavia (CC BY-SA 2.5) via Commons Wikimedia

Turkic states are those countries that historically share a Turkish culture and heritage. They are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, essentially the -Stan countries in Central Asia plus Azerbaijan and Turkey. They’re all already a part of the Turkic council or the organization of Turkish states, which is an intergovernmental organization whose objective is promoting cooperation among states that speak Turkish languages and share that heritage. So far, it’s an inter-governmental organization whose members are fully sovereign countries, but in 2021, General Secretary Baghdad Amrayev announced that the Turkic council seeks a united state overseeing the Turkic world. The general idea is to create the United Turkish States, a union of somewhat sovereign states, a union sharing a common diplomatic representation and a number of common policy guidelines.

Although this makes sense for the Central Asian countries, it would be odd for Turkey and Azerbaijan to join, given that they are territorially disconnected. Turkey has so much of its own identity due to its own individual history and heritage, and it would be sad to see it somewhat disappear to become just a member state of something that is a part of its culture.

“Flag of the Organization of Turkic States” By Organization of Turkic States - (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

What if Moldova joined Romania? The unification of these two Easter European countries has been a popular concept since the 1980s. In 1917, the Bessarabia governance of the Russian empire declared independence as the Moldovan republic and united with the Kingdom of Romania in 1918. This was before the soviet occupation in 1940. After Moldova gained independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it remained an independent country. Today some people argue that the countries should reunite as they did in 1918.

An example of their cultural similarity is their almost identical flag. One poll from march 2021 stated that 43.9% of Moldova would vote to reunite with Romania; now, the value might be even higher because Moldova seems more and more eager to establish further connections with the west and the European Union of which Romania is a member of.

“Potential union of Romania and Moldova including Transnistria” By User:Scooter20 - Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

Korean reunification has been a goal for both South Korea and North Korea since the 1953 armistice agreement. Before World War I and Japan’s annexation of Korea, both South Korea and North Korea were parts of just one single country. For centuries, it was known as the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. Therefore, these two countries are neighbors that share the same language and similar cultures. But at present, they have completely different political systems and lifestyles.

When it comes to modern unification concepts, proposed strategies vary between the two Koreas. Both countries want unification under one system while abandoning the other. The north wants to rule the south, and the south wants to rule the north. The fact they both have completely opposite systems makes a compromise difficult. In a recent edition of the Winter Olympics, both countries’ athletes competed together under the same banner, and negotiations between the two continued to happen, but it’s unlikely that a real unification will happen in the short-term future.

“Unification flag of Korea (pre 2009)” By Pk0001 - derived from Unification flag of Korea (pre 2009).png (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

This is a proposed political union between the seven member states of the East African community. The member states of this potential new country would be Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Recently, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo also expressed an interest in this union. The union makes sense and has great potential for the first five countries, but south Sudan is a problematic territory with border disputes and recent independence from the north. It might add unnecessary trouble to this new nation. The democratic republic of the Congo might be a good addition, especially because it would unite both African coasts, something that has never been done since the British Empire. The Portuguese attempted to unite Angola and Mozambique, but the British refused it. The idea of this federation has existed since the early 1960s. In 2022, the institutions needed for its functioning are already in place, and representatives from all related nations have been working together toward the goal of unification.

“EAF - no borders (orthographic projection)” By M.Bitton - Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

Saint Martin is another possible union of two European overseas territories into a new country of its own. Saint martin or Saint Marten is a small island in the Caribbean divided today between the Netherlands and France, remnants of each of their colonial empires, and the division itself goes back to 1648. Today a movement exists to unite the island into one single sovereign country. They even have a proposed flag already. The 1648 treaty of Concordia allowed freedom of movement between both parts of the island. This promoted a common sentiment among the island’s inhabitants, similar to what we see in the republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, some see formal unification as unnecessary. It’s also interesting to note that a lot of people that support reunification don’t necessarily want independence; they just want the unification of the two areas, which doesn’t make much sense. The question remains: would just France or the Netherlands have control over it completely, or would both continue to co-rule the territory?

“Saint Martin map” By Hogweard - Saint-Martin Island map-en.svg (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

In Central America, one political leader has rekindled the idea of a Federal Republic of Central America. The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, has put forth calls for pursuing a deeper regional integration, eventually resulting in a modern Central American unified nation. This would include Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, and Panama. The idea would be a remake of the Federal Republic of Central America, which existed between 1823 and 1841, although at the time, it didn’t include Belize or Panama. The countries do have some cultural similarities, but they also display a lot of differences. Perhaps a federal state with a large degree of autonomy for each member would be a way to increase economic development in these regions.

“United Provinces of Central America (orthographic projection)” By Heraldry - CentralAmerica1860Map.jpg -  created with the Generic Mapping Tools (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

This is about the proposed union of Canada with the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean. The proposed Canadian annexation of the Turks and Caicos islands has been an ongoing political discussion between the two nations since a Canadian prime minister (Robert Borden) first proposed the idea at the beginning of the twentieth century. Both Canada and the islands operate under a Westminster system of government and share King Charles III as their head of state, but while Canada is independent, the islands are currently a British overseas territory under the direct sovereignty of the united kingdom. The process would essentially replace the UK with Canada, but the UK has been granting increasing rights to the islands, and interest on Canada’s behalf has been apparently diminishing as well.

It’s unclear how the people of Turks and Caicos would feel about this unification. It was first proposed by  Canada to the UK in 1917 and then resurged as an issue in the 1970s, but it was always Canada wanting the islands and the UK refusing.

“Canada and Turks and Caicos Islands” By Lord of the East - Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

Since Kosovo’s independence from Serbia in 2008, there have been several discussions between Albania and Kosovo to unite into a greater Albania due to Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanian population. However, this unification doesn’t seem to be really taken seriously by either government. Despite Serbian opposition, Kosovo is a de facto independent state, and since they are ethnically Albanian and get along well, a union could be the way forward. But this unification would anger the Serbians even more, and we all know how much of a powder keg the Balkans are, especially in the Serbia-Bosnia area.

The union would, however, play into the fulfillment of the concept of a greater Albania, an irredentist and nationalist concept that seeks to unify the lands Albanians claim as their natural homeland. They base the claims on the present-day or historical presence of Albanian populations in those areas. The most radical position states that in addition to Albania proper, they should include Kosovo, some valley in Serbia, territories in Montenegro, Greece, and even north Macedonia. If the union with Kosovo led to these further desired territorial extensions, it would pose a big problem. But it’s not clear whether Albania even wants this to happen. Most Albanian politicians are more interested in joining the European Union and NATO than in national unification. However, the people in the two countries seem to share an interest in the union. In a public poll carried out in 2019, 82.9% of Albanians and 79.4% of Kosovar Albanian showed an interest in the unification.

“Albania Kosovo Locator” By Turkish Flame - Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a Buddhist country in Southeast Asia, but it celebrates festivals from different cultures and religions. The total number of public holidays in Myanmar is 32, making it the country with the most public holidays. Did you know that some holidays in Myanmar last more than 5 days? Myanmar New Year Holidays that fall in April is an 8-day holiday, while Thadingyut Holidays, which marks the end of Buddhist Lent, is a 5-day holiday. In addition to these Buddhist holidays, Myanmar also celebrates Islamic holidays like Eid-ul-Adha, Christian holidays like Christmas, and Hindu holidays like Diwali. The main national holidays in Myanmar are Independence Day on January 4 and Resistance Day on March 27.  All in all, Myanmar has 32 public holidays per year, which makes it the country with the greatest number of public holidays in the world.

"Myanmar Buddhist Temple" (CC0) via Hippox

Nepal is a South Asian country with a variety of religious and non-religious holidays due to its diverse culture. Maha Shivaratri, Prithvi Jayanti, Majdur Diwas,  Bakr-Id,  and Buddha Jayanti are some examples. Some holidays can be state-specific or gender-specific. For example, religious holidays like Gai Jatra and Indra Jatra are only celebrated in Kathmandu valley, while Nari Diwas is a non-religious holiday to celebrate women. Meanwhile, the longest holiday in Nepal is Vijaya Dasham, which lasts for more than five days.

Nepal has six working days per week, and Saturday is considered a holiday. Per year, all employees are entitled to 13 paid holidays.

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Iran is a Middle Eastern country with a complex public holiday system. Since it's an Islamic country, most of its public holidays are based on the important events of the Islamic calendar. It's important to know that this country uses both lunar and solar Hijri calendars, and there are only a few fixed public holidays. Many unofficial holidays are added to the calendar each year, which makes the number of holidays exceed 26.

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Sri Lanka, a small island just below India, that has 25 public holidays. This high number of holidays is due to its multi-ethnic population. The main religious group in Sri Lanka are Buddhists, and it's known as one of the very few Buddhist countries in the world. Keeping in with the Buddhist tradition, every full moon day is known as a poya day and has a specific significance in the Buddhist history. Each full moon day in Sri Lanka is a public holiday. In addition, it also celebrates main Hindu, Muslim, and Christian holidays, letting the people enjoy 25 public holidays per year. The only non-religious public holidays are Labor Day on May 1 and Sri Lankan Independence Day on February 4. But note that not all these holidays are bank holidays or mercantile holidays.

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Malaysia is one of the most developed countries in the world, as well as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. The public holidays in Malaysia are a mix of secular holidays celebrating the nation and its history, including traditional holidays of the various ethnic groups that make up the country. Chinese New Year, Vesak, Christmas Day, Ramadan, and Deepavali are a few holidays related to these various nationalities. The most widespread secular holiday is the "Hari Kebangsaan," the National Day.

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Bangladesh is one of the highest densely populated countries in the world, with a population of more than 165 million people in an area of 148,460 km2. Like its neighbor India, Bangladesh also celebrates several religious festivals. They celebrate four main Islamic holidays, two Hindu holidays, and one Buddhist and one Christian holiday. Some of the main national holidays include National Mourning Day on August 15 and Language Martyr's Day on February 21. The country has 22 public holidays in total.

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Egypt is another country with 22 public holidays. However, granting public holidays is quite complex in Egypt. Holidays are a mix of non-secular days and religious days. It's an Islamic country, and the holidays are determined according to the Gregorian calendar as well as the Islamic lunar calendar. Therefore, some holidays are fixed, while the holidays that are determined by the lunar calendar are movable (they can fall on different dates in different years). There are four main Islamic holidays (Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, Islamic New Year, and Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad) and two Christian holidays.

The Egyptian National Day falls on July 23. The annual celebration of the Egyptian revolution of 1952, which declared the modern republic of Egypt, also falls on this date. The Egyptian calendar also has a newly added public holiday on January 25 to commemorate the public uprisings of 2011.

"Egypt Pyramid" (CC0) via Pixabay

The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelagic country with more than 20 public holidays per year. Some of these holidays include Bonifacio Day, Eid'l Fitr, and Rizal Day. The Philippines' Independence Day falls on June 12.

The Philippines mainly has two types of holidays as specified by the Labor Code of the Philippines: "regular holidays" and "special non-working days." There is a difference in the salary received by employees on these two types of holidays. On regular holidays, employees are entitled to 100% of their daily wage even if they don't work. But on special non-working days, employees do not get any pay if they don't work. In addition, if an employee works on a special non-working day, he or she is entitled to an additional payment of 30% of his/her daily wage.

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Cambodia is a Buddhist country. Cambodia has many public holidays, including both memorial holidays and religious holidays of Buddhist origin. Some of the memorial holidays include National Day of Remembrance on May 20, Constitution Day on September 24, Queen Mother's Birthday on June 18, and Independence Day on November 9. The Cambodian New Year, which falls on April 13 – 15, is considered to be the most important calendar and involves three days of celebration. The most significant Buddhist festivals are Visakh Bochea (falling in April or May) and Pchum Ben (falling in September or October). The traditional calendar is based on the movement of the moon, but calendar dates are synchronized with the solar year.

"Angkor Wat Cambodia" (CC0) via Pixabay

India, the country with the second-highest population in the world, is a highly diverse land. Indians celebrate a variety of cultural and religious holidays, which are legislated at state or union levels. Indian states and territories have the right to choose holidays based on their culture, religious beliefs, events related to their area, and linguistic preferences.

More than 30 grand festivals are celebrated in major parts of India, along with smaller state festivals. Some of the main Hindu celebrations include Diwali, Holi, and Maha Shiva Rati, while the main Islamic celebrations include Ramadan and Laylat Al-Qadr. In addition, it also celebrates Buddhist holidays like the Buddha Jayanti and Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter. However, it only has three national festivals: Republic Day on January 26, Independence Day on August 15, and Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.

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Kazakhstan, the world's largest landlocked country, also shares an impressive 21 holidays per year. Some of these holidays include Kazakhstan People's Unity Day on May 1, Eastern Orthodox Christmas on January 7, Defender of the Fatherland Day on May 7, and Capital City Day on July 7. Did you know that International Women's Day on March 8 is also a public holiday in Kazakhstan?

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Have you ever heard of Liechtenstein? It's a small German-speaking country between Switzerland and Austria, known for its scenic beauty and medieval castles. This European country has many public holidays when compared to its neighbors. Most of these holidays are based on Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter. In addition, Liechtenstein also celebrates lesser-known Christian celebrations like Mary's Birth and Whit Monday.

Two public holidays marked on the Liechtenstein calendar have no legal recognition. These are Saint Berchtold's Day and Shrove Tuesday. Hence, the number of public holidays in Liechtenstein is between 20 – 22.

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