:''For other uses, see
Independence (disambiguation)
Independence is fully
autonomous self-government of a
nation by its residents and indigenous population, generally exercising
sovereignty.
The term
independence is used in contrast to
subjugation, which refers to a region as a "territory" —subject to the political and military control of an external government.
Independence can be the initial status of an
emerging nation (often filling a political void), but is often an
emancipation from some dominating power, only obtained by
decolonization (Independences obtained that way are listed chronologically in that article), or by separation or
dismemberment.
Although the last three can often coincide with it, they are not to be confused with
revolution, which typically refers to the
violent overthrow of a ruling authority, but usually only aims to redistribute power -with our without an element of emancipation, such as in democratization-
within a state, which as such may remain unaltered.
Autonomy (in slight contrast) refers to a kind of independence which has been granted by a overseeing authority that itself still retains ultimate authority over that territory. A
protectorate refers to an autonomous region that depends upon a larger government, for its protection as an autonomous region.
The dates of established independence and (to a lesser degree the commencement of revolution or some other symbloic moment, e.g. the swearing in of the first king of Belgium), are typically celebrated as national holidays.
See also
Article note
The dates of independence, as they have been ported into many articles from the
CIA World Factbook are defined as follows:
:''For most countries, [the given date is that] when
sovereignty was achieved...For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of
unification,
federation,
confederation,
establishment, or fundamental change in the form of government, such as state succession.''
Category:Freedom
de:Unabhängigkeit (Politik)
el:Ανεξαρτησία
es:Independencia
fr:Indépendance
is:Sjálfstæði
he:עצמאות
lv:Neatkarība
lt:Nepriklausomybė
nl:Onafhankelijkheid
pl:Niepodległość
ru:Независимость
sl:neodvisnost