According to the latest analysis of the geopolitical, global and economic processes under way today, in the next 20 years we'll witness grandiose changes among the world's political borders, writes the Daily Mail. The research has been done by a diverse group of scientists from the University of Oxford, who have reached the conclusion that in just 20 years nearly 10 countries will cease to exist. Here they are:
North Korea
British experts are convinced that no later than 8 years from now, the economic capacity of the completely isolated from the rest of the world North Korea will be completely spent and riots will explode throughout the country, leading to its end.
Belgium
Belgium has for long years been on the brink of collapse. The nation contains 2 regions that are fundamentally different from one another - Dutch Flanders and French Wallonia. The 2 regions have been seeking independence from each other for many years, with analysts predicting that Belgium will become nothing more than a historical memory by the end of this decade.
China
Unexpectedly, the British place China on the list of countries that will disappear. According to them, the downfall of the Celestial Empire will happen due to the total depletion of its natural resources, the disastrous pollution and destruction of the environment in the country which have accompanied its current economic success. The fatal blow for China will come with its depletion of drinkable water, which will happen in the year 2030 according to local and foreign scientists.
Iraq
Even today, Iraq controls less than half of its own territory. Experts predict that no later than 5 years from now the country will be divided into 3 - a Sunni, Shia and Kurdish part. Actually, today Kurdistan is an independent country with its own government and trade with international partners.
Libya
In the aftermath of Muammar Gaddafi's governance, Libya has for all intents and purposes been a fictitious concept. The country is divided into several dozen independent regions and was artificially created by Italy in 1911, when colonial forces from the Apennines conquered the Turkish provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica.
Islamic State
The state founded in 2014 controls a large part of Iraq and Syria at this time. But the experts from Oxford posit that soon, the world will unite and ultimately destroy the new caliphate.
Great Britain
British geopolitical scientists theorize that even their very own country will vanish very soon. They point to the independence referendum in Scotland, which nearly managed to win independence for the mountainous country, as well as the ever-growing movements supporting independence from England in Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Maldives
The one country that's definitely on its way to literally disappearing is the Maldives. The island country is rapidly sinking into the Indian Ocean. In 2008, the president of the Maldives looked at a proposed plan for purchasing land in a new area and resettling of the population. The sea level is expected to rise by 23 1/4″ (59 cm) and for the picturesque islands to vanish from the face of the Earth in the coming decades.
