Exploring autonomous regions around the globe: A closer look

This video was made in collaboration with DadIsInteresting. He did the first part on my channel and I did a second part on his. The link for my video is in the description. I hope you guys enjoy this extra video by him and we'll be back to the regular scheduled program this Friday as always. Depending on how you look at it, there are anywhere from 193 to 197 countries on Earth. But within many of those independent sovereign nations, there exist areas with their own culture, society, and even their own government. These are autonomous regions, places that have some degree of self-government or autonomy, and there are hundreds of them. Some may have very little say of what happens in their region, while some may be independent in all but name. Hello and welcome to That is Interesting. I'm your host Carter. Today, General Knowledge and I take a look at a few of these fascinating regions and how they came to be. Up first is Åland, an archipelago consisting of one large island called Fostalåland and 6,500 other small islands and rocks. It sits where the Gulf of Bothnia meets the Baltic Sea, and lies directly between Sweden and mainland Finland. The archipelago belongs to Finland, but shares a lot in common with Sweden. The Ålandic people speak Swedish, and their autonomous status is the result of a fascinating and complicated history. In the early 17th century, Finland was a part of Sweden, even though it was inhabited by different ethnic groups that spoke different languages than in the rest of the country. But Sweden faced a major competitor, Russia. Both nations wanted control of the Baltic Sea and its strategic trade routes, leading to a power struggle that lasted for centuries. But in 1808, these tensions reached a boiling point. Europe was immersed in the Napoleonic Wars, with many European countries pitted against the Napoleon-led France and its allies in proxy wars that occurred across the continent. Russia, who saw the conflict as an opportunity to make Finland a part of their growing empire, invaded Sweden in what was known as the Finnish War, which would last through 1809, with several other European powers joining in. When the war was over, Russia was the clear winner, and therefore had a lot of bargaining power over Sweden, which gave Russia the entirety of Finland, which was merged with the Russian region of Vyborg to become an autonomous region within Russia. But Finland wasn't all Russia wanted. Åland had been indisputably a part of Sweden, home to Swedish people, Swedish culture, and the Swedish language. But even though it wasn't part of Finland, Åland's location at the mouth of the Gulf of Bothnia, not far from the Swedish capital of Stockholm, gave it strategic importance that would cement Russia's role as a Baltic superpower. Russia demanded the islands as a part of the treaty, and Sweden reluctantly handed them over. Åland remained a part of Russia within the autonomous Finland for the next century, until instability during World War I caused the rise of the Soviet Union. The chaos in Russia led to political division in Finland, which soon turned to a war, with Russian-backed liberals and Swedish and German-backed conservatives clashing in a three-month-long conflict. Finland, tired of belonging to Russia, was especially concerned about being part of the USSR, and following the Finnish Civil War and World War I, was recognized by the international community as independent, with Åland a part of it. The desire for independence throughout the country, something the ethnic Swedes in Åland were not happy with. Following Finland's independence, nearly 97% of the archipelago's voters signed a petition in favor of making Åland a part of Sweden once again. Finland, however, did not want to give the islands up, and the dispute went to the League of Nations, the precursor to the UN, for resolution. In the League's first ever decision, they chose for Åland to remain a part of Finland, but to be an autonomous region. Today, Åland and Finland have a good relationship. An independence movement does exist there, but it only has limited support, and Finland has respected the region's autonomy. The vast majority of the archipelago's population speaks Swedish. They have their own flag, representing their Swedish and Finnish heritage, and their 30,000 residents are represented in the Parliament of Åland, housed in the capital city of Mariehamn, as well as have a representative in the Finnish Parliament. Moving back to Europe, we have the Faroe Islands, a Danish archipelago located partway between Britain, Iceland, and Norway, with a population of 52,000 people. The islands are home to an ethnic group called the Faroese, who trace their ancestry to Scandinavians who had settled in the British archipelagos of Orkney, Shetland, and the Hebrides, as well as Celtic people from Scotland and Ireland. Because of this, their language, Faroese, is descended from Old Norse, but contains some Irish influence. Their roots in both Norse and Celtic traditions, as well as their isolation from the regions that settled them, have given the Faroe Islands a unique and distinct culture and identity. For much of their history, they belonged to Norway. That changed in 1397, when Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, which if you remember from earlier, controlled Finland, joined together to form one country, called the Kalmar Union. By that point, Norway had control of not just the Faroe Islands, but Shetland, Orkney, Greenland, and Iceland as well, meaning all of what are today known as the Nordic countries, plus Shetland and Orkney, were united as one. In 1523, Sweden left, taking Finland with it. But Denmark, Norway, and the islands they controlled remained united as Denmark-Norway. But by the time the early 1800s rolled around, Europe was at war. Like I mentioned earlier, the Napoleonic Wars saw France and its allies fighting its enemies in individual wars all across Europe. Not only was Sweden fighting Russia over control of Finland, but they were also fighting Denmark-Norway. Denmark-Norway was an ally of France, whereas Sweden was not. Supported by Britain, Sweden went to war and defeated Denmark-Norway. As a part of the Treaty of Kiel, Denmark-Norway was forced to give up Norway and became, well, just Denmark. After a failed war for independence, Norway joined Sweden, forming the new country of Sweden-Norway, which I must say, had a pretty cool flag. Sweden-Norway would exist until 1905, when they peacefully split back up into the countries we know today. But although Denmark had to give Norway to Sweden, it was able to keep all of the Kalmar Union's island possessions, except for Shetland and Orkney, which had joined Scotland a couple decades after the union was first formed. So now Denmark had control of several island possessions that had once belonged to Norway, places with different cultures and societies. Iceland gained full independence in 1944, but today the Faroe Islands and Greenland both remain a part of Denmark, with nearly the same population as one another, even though Greenland is over 1,500 times larger than the Faroes. Soon after a successful independence referendum saw Iceland leave Denmark, the Faroe Islands held a referendum of their own. It passed by a razor-thin margin, with 50.73% voting to leave and 49.27% voting to stay. As the referendum did pass, they declared independence, but unlike with Iceland, the results were so close that if those who didn't vote were taken into account, support for independence had not quite reached 50%. Because of this, Denmark did not support their claim for independence, but instead gave the islands autonomy just a few years later, with a parliament held in the capital city of Torshavn. But desire for independence is still strong on the islands, and about half of their population want to leave while about half want to stay. Denmark is not opposed to Faroese independence, and as Greenland also looks to potentially leave Denmark, it is definitely a possibility that the Faroe Islands may try to once more. The U.S. has 50 states, but also contains five major territories, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Arguably the most well-known is Puerto Rico, often seen as a contender to be the 51st state, due to its population of over 3 million people, most of whom live in and around the capital city of San Juan. It's home to more people than 20 U.S. states, and significantly more than any other U.S. territory. Located 70 miles east of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, it's 1,000 miles from the rest of the U.S., farther than Alaska, but closer than Hawaii. It consists of Puerto Rico, the third largest island in the U.S., and several smaller islands. For centuries, the island was inhabited by the Taino people, but was colonized by Spain in the 1500s, nearly wiping the native people off the island. It remained a part of Spain through the 1800s, although discontent with Spanish rule began to build in the beginning of the century, as a man from Venezuela named Simón Bolívar led successful wars for independence throughout South America, and won independence for what is now Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. Bolívar's exploits inspired independence movements throughout Spanish colonies, including in Puerto Rico, and significantly destabilized the empire. While Spain was losing its grip on the Western Hemisphere, the United States was starting to become a major regional superpower. Union victory was followed by a period of economic growth and territorial expansion, and government officials started to throw around the idea of building a canal through Central America, or annexing the Dominican Republic, ideas that if executed, would certainly put them on a collision course with Spain. By 1898, many regions once belonging to the Spanish Empire had successfully achieved independence. Soon, they would lose control of most of them. Cuban rebels have been fighting a war of independence against Spain for three years, and Americans were mostly sympathetic with their cause. If Cuba gained independence, it could become an American ally, or even part of the United States. The U.S. strongly supported Cuban independence, but until 1898, had no reason to go to war against Spain. That all changed when an American ship called the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, killing 266 people. While those on board claimed it had been an accident caused by a fire that spread on board the ship, the American press claimed that it had exploded intentionally by Spain. The US grew furious and soon joined the Cuban revolutionaries, starting the Spanish American War. It would become a war over control of the last of Spain's empire, with the US assisting revolutionaries in both Cuba and the Philippines. The US, along with the Cuban and Filipino Revolutionaries were victorious, and Spain was forced to hand over Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States. Unable to defend much of its scattered island holdings, Spain soon sold the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Northern Marianas to Germany. Western Sahara and Equatorial Guinea gained independence in coming decades, and today all that remains of the Spanish Empire are the Canary Islands and Spain's possessions in North Africa, neither of which lie very far from mainland Spain. The US would grant Cuba independence in 1902, and would fight a bloody war against the Filipino rebels to maintain control of the islands, which they would grant independence in 1946. Ever since the end of the war, Puerto Rico has belonged to the United States. They're a territory, a strange status meaning they are Americans but not quite a state. While not officially an autonomous region, their unique status makes them about the closest thing the US has to one. The US has several different types of territories, and Puerto Rico, along with the Northern Marianas, is considered a commonwealth. This means that they have the right to self-government, and that Congress cannot get rid of them, making them very much like an autonomous region. They have a territorial government based in San Juan, which is very similar to a US state government with a governor and a state house. The island does have an independence movement, but it is very small, with only about 5% support. The major movement in Puerto Rico is for statehood. Out of those who don't support independence, about half want to remain a territory and half become a state, making it very possible that this territory of 3 million people could become the 51st state. Mount Athos, officially the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos, is a thin, mountainous peninsula in Greece, home to about 2,000 monks from different branches of Orthodox Christianity, living in 20 monasteries across the peninsula. Sometimes known as the Christian Tibet, Mount Athos is an autonomous region set aside for these Orthodox monks, and has been a center of monasticism for 1800 years. Athonite monks began living there when it was a part of the Roman Empire. In the year 480, the western half of Rome fell, but the eastern half survived as the Byzantine Empire. Under Byzantine rule, the peninsula was set aside for monks, and has remained so ever since, through both Ottoman and Greek control. Out of its 20 monasteries, it contains one for Russian monks, one for Georgian monks, one for Serbian monks, and one for Bulgarian monks. These spectacular structures are often carved in the hillsides, atop mountaintops, or nestled by the ocean. The autonomous region is governed by the Protos, an elected monk who governs from the town of Karyes, the Athonite capital and the region's most populous settlement, home to restaurants, a post office, and numerous churches. Mount Athos has been subject to controversy, as women are not allowed to live in or even enter the peninsula. It's difficult to access at all, reachable only by boat or helicopter. The flag of the autonomous region is that of the Greek Orthodox Church, a common symbol of the Byzantine Empire that is sometimes considered the empire's flag. This small and unique peninsula is likely to always remain autonomous, as it has throughout its history. The next two regions, Scotland and Wales, are both a part of the United Kingdom, along with Northern Ireland and England. Both located on the island of Great Britain, they've maintained throughout their history a different culture than nearby England. Scotland, sitting in the mountain and loch-filled northern part of the island, is home to 5.4 million people. In Wales, a mountainous region on the western part of Great Britain, just 3.1 million. England, on the other hand, holds nearly 56 million. This has led England to dominate British politics, and in response, Britain has given Scotland and Wales, along with Northern Ireland, greater autonomy in their own regional parliaments, with the Scottish Parliament held in Edinburgh and the Welsh Parliament in Cardiff. Along with Ireland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall, and Brittany, both Scotland and Wales were Celtic nations, regions heavily influenced by Celtic languages and culture. For much of the island's history, it was inhabited by tribes of Celtic people, with the Picts living in the north and the Britons in the south. Scotland was invaded by Celts from Ireland, who spoke a language called Gaelic, and the two predominant cultures of Scotland, the Picts and the Gaels, together began to see themselves as Scottish. Although in the year 43 much of Britain was conquered by Rome, the Celtic people still remained prevalent across the island. That changed in the beginning of the fifth century, when following the end of Roman rule, a people known as the Anglo-Saxons began migrating to Britain from continental Europe. They ended up inhabiting much of what is now England, and the island's Celtic people were pushed north into Scotland, and west into what is now Wales, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly, from where many left Great Britain altogether and began settling in Brittany, a region of France still heavily influenced by Celtic tradition, and Galicia, a part of northern Spain where many Celtic place names still exist, although the language has disappeared. These Celts living in the western part of Britain started to form a unified national identity and see themselves as Welsh. In the year 927, many small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had unified to found England, which was to become a powerful force in the island. Scottish kingdoms had unified to found Scotland in 843, and many Welsh kingdoms unified as well, forming the Principality of Wales in 1216. But the newly founded Wales was not to last long. In 1277, it was invaded and annexed by England. But England gave the region autonomy. For the next few centuries, it acted as an independent country within England, and the Welsh language, culture and traditions were preserved. The same thing happened in Scotland, which was invaded but granted full autonomy. However, just a few decades after the invasion, Scotland revolted against England and won back independence. While Scotland went from an autonomous part of England to an independent country, Wales ended up losing its autonomy. In 1542, it became fully integrated into England and wouldn't gain autonomy again until 1998. In 1603, King James of Scotland inherited the throne of England upon the death of his distant cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, who died without any children. His descendants ruled over both England and Scotland, but governed them as different countries with different parliaments. In 1707, having been led by the same monarch for nearly a century, England and Scotland decided to unify, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain, today the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Since British unification, Scotland and Wales had always maintained their own unique cultural identities from the rest of the country, and by the end of the 20th century, they were yearning for greater autonomy. Both Wales and Scotland voted to create their own regional parliaments, making them autonomous regions within the UK. Today, English is the main language in both regions, although Welsh is spoken by about 20% of people in Wales. Scottish Gaelic is only spoken by about 1% of Scotland's population, although a Germanic language called Scots is spoken by 30%. In Wales, independence from Britain is popular, but by no means has majority support, with around 10-25% of Welsh citizens desiring independence. In Scotland, however, independence is a common political issue, and a referendum held in 2014 saw 45% of Scottish citizens voting in favor of independence, a number that could be higher now that Britain has left the EU. This is the first video in a two-part series on autonomous regions, So if you enjoyed this, please be sure to watch part two, which was made by General Knowledge, and is posted on my channel. The link will be in the description. Don't forget to leave a like, and if you haven't already, subscribe to General Knowledge, and that is interesting. Thank you for watching this video, and I hope you learned something new. Subscribe for more content like this. I cover the countries, cities, people, and places of the world and beyond. These videos will leave you saying, that is interesting.