We’ve all heard of them- the ‘lost’ countries that were split up, condensed down, or just plain taken over. No longer are they called by their old names- they’re now whole new countries. There’s something so intriguing about visiting these countries, especially when you learn about the history behind them. Luckily, there are plenty of Azure luxury holidays available so you can combine a luxurious experience with lots of exploring and learning.
Here are some of the lost countries I think are well worth a visit:
Czechoslovakia
This country became Slovakia and the Czech Republic. While I’ve been to the Czech Republic (only Prague), I haven’t been to Slovakia although I’ve heard it’s beautiful. This country was originally formed in 1918 as the Austrian-Hungarian empire collapsed at the end of World War I. It was the most politically stable and prosperous country in Eastern Europe, and it wasn’t until 1993 that it separated into the two countries we know as the Czech Republic and Slovakia today.
Rhodesia
Today, this is Zambia in the North and Zimbabwe in the South. I actually hadn’t heard about Rhodesia until recently, and I find it super fascinating. It was originally named after Cecil Rhodes- a British colonial administrator and was exploited during the 19th century due to its vast coal, copper, and gold deposits.
In 1911 it became Southern and Northern Rhodesia, and by 1965 it had been declared as an independent country (self-declared and without any international recognition).
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia was formally known as the Republic of Colombia and included Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, and Colombia. The country wasn’t given international recognition because it refused to accept monarchs from European dynasties. It was dissolved by 1831 thanks to a number of political differences between people who supported centralism and those who supported federalism. It first broke up into Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia, and Panama was still a part of Colombia until 1903.
Ceylon
While this country is now known as Sri Lanka, it was called Cylon from 1505 to 1972. In the 17th century, it was used as a trading hub by Arabs, and was then taken over by a number of Europeans- from the Portuguese to the Dutch and finally to the British up until 1948. In 1972 the country gained full independence and became Sri Lanka. I’ve heard incredible things about traveling Sri Lanka, so this is definitely on my list.
