Where does this countries never colonized data come from?

Name: Countries Never Colonized
Creator: Rankodex

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: 10 Countries Who Were Never Colonized By Europeans - World Atlas; Countries that have been under European Control - Vox; Which Asian Nations Were Never Colonized by Europe? - Thought Co; Countries in Africa Considered Never Colonized - Thought Co.

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Countries Never Colonized

Countries Never Colonized: compare 15 countries on 1 metric.

Politics & Government15 countries · 1 metricUpdated Dec 29, 2023Original page

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15 countries


Afghanistan	Never colonized despite Britain's attempts in the Anglo-Afghan Wars (1839-1842 and 1878-1880) and Russia's 1979 invasion. Foreign relations controlled by Britain 1880-???, but remained self-governing. Occupied and controlled by US 2001-2021, but not colonized.
Bhutan	Never colonized, though it ceded territory to Britain at the end of the Duar War in 1865. Became British protectorate in 1866 a "princely state" in 1910, which established Bhutanese independence but left Britain still in control of Bhutanese foreign policy.
China	Conquered by Mongols in 1200s, who established Yuan dynasty and ruled until 1368 AD. Opium wars entrenched outside influence and gave UK control over Hong Kong from 1841-1997, gave France, Russia, US additional influence as well; portions annexed by Japan during WWII. However,…
Ethiopia	Avoided becoming Italian colony due to a treaty mistranslation, then avoided it again by winning subsequent war with Italy. Annexed by Italy 1939-1944 (WWII), but this is generally considered brief military occupation rather than colonization.
Iran	Conquered and briefly ruled by Greece 334 BC, ruled by various Arab kingdoms (approx. 600s to 800s), parts occupied by or ceded to Russia during wars in 1804–1813 and 1826–1828. Like Ottoman Turkey, took out loans that gave UK and Russia outsized control over economy in 1900s,…
Japan	After defeating China in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 and Russia in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan not only avoided colonization, but became a conqueror itself, annexing Korea and Manchuria for a time.
Liberia	Never forcibly colonized, although it was founded as a de facto US colony. Founded in 1820 by the American Colonization Society to return freed slaves to their homeland. Declared its independence in 1847, which was recognized by US in 1862.
Mongolia	Established Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire in 1200s, Absorbed by China's Qing dynasty in late 1600s, ruled by China until 1911, then became satellite state (but not colony) of Soviet Union 1924 to 1992. Yet never colonized.
Nepal	Avoided outright colonization by Brits, but ceded significant territory during Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816) and became British protectorate in 1816. Arguably functioned as British puppet state for some time.
North Korea	Never colonized by a European country. Annexed by Japan in 1910 and occupied until 1945, which some historians consider a colonization.
Saudi Arabia	Varying but significant areas controlled by Ottoman empire from early 1500s-early 1900s. Established as a British protectorate—but not a colony—in 1915 and became fully independent in 1932.
South Korea	Never colonized by a European country. Annexed by Japan in 1910 and occupied until 1945, which some historians consider a colonization.
Thailand	Never colonized by European country (despite attempts by both France and Great Britain). Arguably colonized by Japan during WWII, though some consider that time a military occupation rather than colonization.
Tonga	British protected state 1900-1970, giving Britain preferential trade terms and control over foreign affairs. However, remained self-governing.
Turkey	Part of the Ottoman Empire throughout much of modern history. Took loans from European banks after the Crimean War (1853-1856), giving foreign interests significant influence and control, but remained self-governing.

Quick answers

Where does this countries never colonized data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: 10 Countries Who Were Never Colonized By Europeans - World Atlas; Countries that have been under European Control - Vox; Which Asian Nations Were Never Colonized by Europe? - Thought Co; Countries in Africa Considered Never Colonized - Thought Co.