How do you start a new country?

[@JayForeman]

At 3:42 we used the outdated term 'aborigines'. We apologise for not paying careful enough attention to our language, and we're sorry if we upset anyone. Thanks to those who have pointed it out - we always welcome feedback and will happily post corrections.

[@bobbywilliam7440]

@Thomas Brookes it'd be the name of the tribe/culture being referred to if you wanted to refer to all tribes and cultures you could use 'indigenous' or 'oppressed' people

[@tnfsg1866]

@@benwhiley9680 But it is an offensive term that had roots from the racist system back then. You wouldn't call a lower-IQ person a retard and a black person a negro, right?

[@m136dalie]

@Thomas Brookes Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples is the commonest used term here, especially in official settings. Indigenous works too. Or you could just refer to them by the group's name, in this case the Murrawarri people.

[@FractalZero]

@@benwhiley9680 oh piss off

[@Thor-hu2wq]

@@benwhiley9680 so you've decided to make a fool of yourself on the internet

[@Patterrz]

KZbin "how to" videos are getting a bit extreme nowadays

[@detectiverick9934]

Where do we go from here? How to start your own civilization?

[@nathanclements8421]

Hello Patterrz.

[@excitableboy7031]

What's up checkmark

[@amiscellaneoushuman3516]

@@detectiverick9934 how to create your own sapient species

[@GZDKSH]

OMG you're here?

[@Discitus]

The difference between South Sudan and others is that the country they broke away from recognized them. Sudan says there is a South Sudan, so nobody bothers to contest it.

[@marcussantos2141]

that's just because george clooney convinced them

[@jasonsilverman3125]

and oil

[@j3011]

I was about to comment that! Nobody would bother discussing Kosovo if they were recognised by Serbia

[@HyTricksyy]

there's also an amount of territory at the border that belongs to neither country because neither want it.

[@bluemountain4181]

@@HyTricksyy Abyei? I thought they both wanted it because there is oil there

[@evan]

Wow I can't believe how big you guys have become to have George freakin Clooney in an episode of Map Men. GOOD GOING

[@conormurphy4328]

Much better than that time Jay dressed up as Matt Lucas

[@njujuznem6554]

+

[@kingdomdeen4105]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYOqln6Eg7yZg9U

[@bertaroo]

Lol

[@augustuscaesar8287]

@@kingdomdeen4105 I laughed so hard when I saw that on TV. How great. Shame we've been robbed.

[@natalyabarton2205]

My unis “claim to fame” was declaring ourselves an independent country in 1980 to protest education cuts. The “Free Republic of Keele” declared themselves independent of the UK, made their own passports, had their own enforced border control and their own national anthem. Apparently, they sent a letter of state recognition to every nation and got a response from Cuba This one response meant that Keele University became its own seperate state away from the UK, literally within the borders of Keele Uni was a completely seperate country. This lasted all of 3 days until HM Army invaded Keele University and conquered the state to get it back into the UK

[@clinton8421]

Those must have been three glorious days for the students of Keele University. If my school broke away from my country and declared independence as a sovereign state, I would be sure to have a hell of a time being a part of that movement.

[@laurensutcliffe9081]

I love how i lived 15 minutes away from the uni visited with schools but was never told this lmao

[@kalamaike]

@@laurensutcliffe9081 omg i live 15 minutes away too get out of my house

[@mouf725]

@@laurensutcliffe9081 same wtf

[@12-343]

The fact it was Cuba of all places really says something.

[@davidgustavsson4000]

"Monopoly over violence" as opposed to the much more common "Violence over Monopoly"

[@FiredAndIced]

Then again there had been moments where wars almost did happened because of a bungled board game session.

[@markwright3161]

@@FiredAndIced So, get a Monopoly board made for Forvik, Invite George Clooney over for a game, have a war with him and ta-da, Forvik is it's own country :)

[@wonniewarrior]

To quote Chief Wiggum "How do those Parker brothers sleep at night". This is after Officer Lou exclaimed "looks like another case of Monopoly related violence".

[@larsnyman2455]

Comrade, every state has a “Monopoly over Violence”, in all of history

[@nuxx1876]

@@FiredAndIcedapparently one time at the soviet antarctic base Vostok Station, someone murdered someone else with an axe over a game of chess and ended up getting chess banned from all soviet/russian antarctic bases from that point on

[@jrosenthal7111]

That 'map men men' caught me off guard.

[@C.I...]

I'm still waiting for them to lean themselves against the wall, and animate some maps saying: "Here are the men, and we're the map"

[@ninjawarrior8994]

@@C.I... Men Maps Men Maps Men Men Men Maps Maps

[@HolyRomanEmpire962-1806]

Mep man mep man mep mep mep man man

[@gsurfer04]

Identifying as a map is not a good idea these days.

[@-atimes3-]

gave me a fucking heart attack

[@ricdavid]

I wanted to see what the Canada joke was, so that led me to pausing and reading every one of the cards. Your hard work was not in vain, Map Men.

[@bruceboa6384]

I caught it too. But, then as a Canadian I'm hypersensitive to when a foreigner actually acknowledges the official existence of the country...maybe?

[@Fawkes42]

If you were on PC you could've just used the < and > keys to go frame by frame

[@ricdavid]

That's good to know, thanks.

[@whydoineedanameiwillneverp7790]

@@Fawkes42 So *that's* how people read these! I'm on mobile and it took me like 10mins of tapping my screen to read all the cards. Came down to the comments thinking surely there has to be a better way - and I wasn't disappointed. THANK YOU!

[@waziotter]

@@whydoineedanameiwillneverp7790 I was the same. It took me half an hour to watch an 11min video. Taiwan 🇹🇼 was my favourite.

[@Unclep318]

As a Scotsman I recognise Forvik as an independent nation with a responsible governing body

[@alex_mcburney]

As an American, I also recognize the country of Forvik

[@AA-hg5fk]

As Stuart Hill said, Forvik is part of the old Norse empire so he doesn't need the recognition of Scotland!

[@Girlkissah]

I do not recognize Forvik, i think the Old Norse Empire still exists

[@MC_Mega-Jessup]

As a person with functional long-term memory, I shall recognize Forvik should I ever rewatch this video.

[@davestrider4973]

As a Forvikman I recognise Scotland as an independent nation with a responsible governing body

[@cgoulddc]

Love the “Countdown” music at the end.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Putting more effort than usual into the ad bit.

[@eggy543]

...except it's French style.

[@FiredAndIced]

As a non-British citizen, the silly point for me was that I tuned to the *other" Countdown series just because Jimmy Carr frequented as guest contestant for then-Stephen Fry's Qi series, which I still followed just because I like smart alecks talking out of their arses and then get bamboozled by the siren.

[@AeroLowdown]

The...note at the end got me too

[@hilotakenaka]

Mark doesn’t need to worry The ad only lasted 2 minutes. That means that there he still has 4 minutes until countdown is on

[@B3Band]

4 minutes*

[@slimeytheslime363]

@@B3Band If when they started the conversation there was 4 minutes remaining, then take away the 2 minutes they spent talking, they have 2 minutes left until its on.

[@ClementinesmWTF]

@@slimeytheslime363 calm down there Rachel Riley

[@timothymclean]

@@slimeytheslime363 Bit there were _six_ minutes remaining when they started the conversation at 2:04. 6-2=4

[@slimeytheslime363]

@@timothymclean Ah, yes it would appear I'm an idiot, thank you for correcting me.

[@robintownrobintown]

As a Canadian I always assumed that Canada was a real country but I've got to thank Jay and Mark for getting me on the right path of truth at long last.

[@loranddeka]

Patiently waiting for all the Quebec replies.

[@martinsirois3770]

@@loranddeka After seeing the Scotland card, I thought they would at least show Québec. I mean, we Québécois are rather vocal about Québec's (maybe future, I guess?) independence.

[@martinsirois3770]

BTW, here's the text on the Canada card : "Since 1867, the north American territory of Canada has functioned much like a country with its own government, flag, and prominence on the world stage. This "nation" is not without its controversy however. Geography teacher Mark Cooper-Jones once left it out when listing every country in the world by heart, for days afterwards insisting to his pupils that this was due to its status as 'not a real country'.."

[@vladtepes97]

wasn't it bouchard who said canada is not a real country?

[@Doogie2K3]

To be fair, we have credibly been accused of being "three mining companies in a trench coat."

[@vtndzn]

SOUTH SUDAN!! I used the little pause you gave us to loudly show off the knowledge I got when I attended to the geopolitics class at the academy of sam o'nella in Delaware, hope you guys appreciate it

[@Etienne.6329]

As a french person, I can tell you that this totally unexpected reference to "Des chiffres et de lettres" on "france 3" really took me off-guard. (Also thanks to you, I learned it was still on TV... which was equally surprising)

[@bobemmerson1580]

Okay but I'm only interested if there is a "Huit de dix chat fait Des chiffres et de lettres" - and I have no idea whether that translates properly

[@romainsavioz5466]

@@bobemmerson1580 pretty much but it would be huit chat sur dix font/jouent des chiffres et des lettres no there isn't

[@rocketman584]

You probably didn't know that the music at the end is the theme tune from Countdown, a British TV show which is based on Des chiffres et de lettres.

[@leoprin5792]

@@rocketman584 Oh wow! Well thanks for that, I'm going to check, now

[@MarceldeJong]

@@leoprin5792 Don't forget your Surfshark VPN account.

[@olakrisma6859]

I’m from Somaliland and the reason we do not have recognition is because Somalia doesn’t want to let us go. Yes, we have own clan, dialect, government and Independence Day but Somalia refuse to give us written independence even though they recognise us. That’s the difference. I’m proud to be from Somaliland and we do not need recognition from other countries to know that we exist. SOMALILAND HA NOO LAATO 💚🤍❤️

[@extraemontamontes3618]

Yeah Sudan did grant independence to south sudan so that is a difference

[@cheesebusiness]

Do you still hijack ships?

[@olakrisma6859]

@Welly Boot thank you for your lovely comment! I’m born and bred in the UK and I’ve never been to my country! Somaliland is thriving and I would love to go soon God willing💚🤍❤️

[@olakrisma6859]

@@cheesebusiness that is a stereotype portrayed in Western media. Somaliland has beautiful culture and history! Thanks to us the world has coffee!

[@cheesebusiness]

@@olakrisma6859, it’s not a stereotype. My father worked on a ship that was tried to be hijacked near Somali. I don’t say that every Somalian is a pirate.

[@AO00720]

In Somaliland we just now concluded an election for parliamentarian and municipality representatives, where 1.3mil registered voters casted their votes. Somaliland is still doing well than most of our neighbors without a recognition.

[@ultrahenk]

For one, it's doing much better than the country it's supposed to be a part of.

[@camdenbeahan-smith9226]

That's really good to hear

[@coltonbates629]

Idk how you feel about it but I think it’s pry better for the country to stay incognito

[@AO00720]

@@coltonbates629 staying incognito helped us, more than you can imagine. It gave us 30 years to build up a consolidated social structure, without foreign intervention. But this decade is ours. Recognition is on the horizon.

[@cheesebusiness]

I hope you’ve stopped hijacking ships

[@zappawench6048]

You sign off "Yours faithfully" when you began the letter "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam". You sign off "Yours sincerely" if you began the letter with the person's name. In other words, the complementary close has to match the salutation.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

But what if I address the United Nations as a person? "Dear U.N.", that sounds pretty much like it needs "Yours sincerely"

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

I didn't know that! Thanks for the comment!

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

@@HappyBeezerStudios If we were to treat the UN as a person, good point! In any case, chances are that a country filling out a hypothetical recognition form would probably address it to the new country officer (like the one featured in this video), so the letter would begin with the officer's name and end with "Yours sincerely" anyway! Thanks for the comment!

[@Demiglitch]

I'm neither sincere nor faithful. I just sign my name after I've given my demands.

[@elogy890]

I'll happily admit that I read every single one of the cards.

[@FreyaCatherineMusic]

Same! Take that, Taiwan card!

[@RadeticDaniel]

@@FreyaCatherineMusic and now we await for the video by said card

[@station240]

@@RadeticDaniel don't mention the words "video" and "card" in the same sentence, it triggers IT people.

[@RadeticDaniel]

@@station240 true, I've changed the sentence around before writing 'cause it triggered me too XD

[@llamasugar5478]

How did you do it? When I pause the video, the picture darkens and I can’t read it.

[@prodigalretrod]

Shout-out to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a centuries-old "country" (or more correctly, sovereign entity) with only 3 passport holders.

[@madeleine61509]

Same number of passport holders as the USA. I don't see the issue 🤷

[@pattersong6637]

It's amazing that the final legacy of the Crusaders is an obscure philanthropic order that is theoretically the direct successor of the Knights Hospitaler if you squint hard enough.

[@kabobawsome]

@@pattersong6637 Really is wild that most Holy Orders started as philanthropic hospitals and safe houses, then they went fuckin nuts and hyper militaristic and then the last few are just back to where they started.

[@grzegorzha.]

3 passport holders and no territory!

[@waverod9275]

3 passport holders, no territory any longer, diplomatic relations since 1966 with the nation recognized as ruling over its most recent territory, observer status at the UN, and does not claim to be a nation.... got to love the odd historical remnants.

[@SamPearman]

"map men men" is such a clever way of making it more or less fit musically like it was never meant to, while working against Jay's own mind having spent so much time editing the bloody thing that his brain (and ours too, but probably not as much) just hear the additional beat as normal and not off-putting anymore. And it even keeps the actual line intact.

[@bucklberryreturns]

Yes indeed. Those freaking out about the extra "men" (which literally does make up the poetic meter) like it's exclusive to this particular video. Silly. It's like saying The Beatles Oh-Bla-Di Oh-Bla-Da was satanism or something... 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@honorarymancunian7433]

Are people not familiar with their older videos?!

[@arnox4554]

Men Men Men Men Men Men Men ...

[@NautilusGoose]

Next video should just be total silence with a single "men" at the end

[@semiayub895]

5:16 I love how they took the time to print out a newspaper just for one scene! The amount of effort they put into these videos is insane. Keep it up! Edit: Also look at 6:40, and 6:52. And yes Jay and Mark, I do read the print.

[@iammrbeat]

Once again, I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that I'm starting a country in Marie Byrd Land and am now taking applications for citizens who would like to join me. No one can stop me.

[@nfmns]

ok mr beat, also im 1st yay

[@bjh]

I'd like to join

[@joshuahicks4574]

Im coming, as long as I get to be in charge of HobNob production

[@mikeoxsmal8022]

Can i be a citzen and the speaker/chair of the legislature

[@EpicGamer-yu9qn]

Can I be the a tax collector? Only then I will join.

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

"Palestine, Taiwan, and Kosovo, to name but two and a half" Gold.

[@bernatgarcia6348]

I didn't get it, can anyone explain??

[@megarockman]

@@bernatgarcia6348 Palestine's situation right now is...*tenuous* regarding how well it is able to function as a state vis-a-vis its conflict with Israel (I'm trying not to drag that flame war into here). Kosovo and Taiwan, though not widely recognized diplomatically, function de facto as a state pretty much like any other UN member state with wide diplomatic recognition.

[@brancaleone8895]

@@bernatgarcia6348 half of palestine is in control of isreal

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

@@bernatgarcia6348 All of those are 'states but not states, maybe, look, it's complicated' but giving a straight either way answer on any of them will piss off a LOT of people, so they neatly dodge it.

[@AbdulRehman-wk3cs]

@@bernatgarcia6348 He said 2 and a half instead of three so that it leaves you guessing about which one they only half-recognize, for example, if you're a nationalist Serb, you'll comfort yourself by thinking Jay doesn't recognize Kosovo, if you're a far-right Jew, then Palestine and so on

[@sergarlantyrell7847]

That accordion countdown music was hillarious, and the "hon" at the end was priceless!

[@stabor_editor]

It's unreal how much I love this show. The little things, like the 'Cooperworld-Jonesania' card and the concertina Countdown theme - complete with the "honh!" at the end... *chef's kiss*

[@ralphhowes]

Brilliant. The accordion Countdown music was perfection.

[@a1white]

Did-a-did-a-dida-did-a.. hoh!

[@Nooticus]

^

[@Ausecko1]

"Letters and Numbers" is a perfectly reasonable thing to call a TV show

[@tvdinner1986]

"That's Numberwang!"

[@mremumerm]

like Countdown?

[@stefanamg63]

I would've thought that it should either be Letters and Digits, or Words and Numbers, but that's because I'm a pedant.

[@Slamolo]

@@stefanamg63 "Des chiffres et des lettres" is ackchyully "digits and letters", but it doesn't have the same ring to it.

[@stefanamg63]

@@Slamolo Ah excellent!

[@DrMcFly28]

Still reeling from the fact that you actually got George Clooney to appear in your video

[@Ometecuhtli]

Really nice of Clooney to take some time off from making countries independet, too.

[@XSpamDragonX]

I think it's totally cool for someone to get a back tattoo of the world map, as long as the map projection was chosen and aligned properly, and then track which countries you've visited by filling them in, as long as you don't go around showing it off to people.

[@dexterjettster3683]

I have a new conspiracy theory; either mark or jay is the person with the map tattoo and they keep showing it in videos as something bad to make people think it’s not them

[@thomasdavis8117]

Curious to note the lack of border between France and Germany I wonder what that could mean?

[@artcamp7]

@@dexterjettster3683 This is my theory after watching a few of these. You think why are they making fun of this tattoo so much? And the strange detail "Got lashed here" pointing to Myanmar. Sounds awful if true.

[@Stapler42]

@@artcamp7 You might know this already but "lashed" is a term for getting really drunk (similar to sloshed or getting pissed), it doesn't mean lashing as in being whipped.

[@justmeajah]

​@@artcamp7or Thailand? I don't think it's Myanmar

[@rubenlarochelle1881]

6:51 Gotta love how Palestine, Taiwan and Kosovo are counted as "two and a half" and the viewer is left with the doubt of which one is the "half" ahah

[@jeannebouwman1970]

They are all jut 0.833… country

[@haroldinho9930]

Taiwan is 2 because it claims China too.

[@DacLMK]

Both Taiwan and Kosovo are not countries and should be annexed by China and Serbia respectively.

[@Scriptedviolince]

I say Taiwan counts as the half because it's not that it claims to be its own country, it claims to be the legitimate government of china. Respecting its claim means recognizing that it's incomplete. Thus half.

[@jeannebouwman1970]

@@Scriptedviolince I think that Taiwan is a little less than half china

[@spaghettification8658]

6:44 "This "nation" is not without controversy however. Geography teacher Mark Cooper-Jones once let it out when listing every country in the world by heart, for days afterwards insisting to his pupils that this was due to its status as "not a real country"." Right there with you, Mark! I still remember the day I left New Hampshire of a list of all the American states, it haunts me...

[@FirstNameLastName-gh9iw]

7:48 you can feel the pain as he says enjoy the sun as snow covers him

[@andrew4363]

2:26 I’d argue an Englishman claiming part of Scotland is a historical practice

[@HolyRomanEmpire962-1806]

ㅤ

[@PlatinumAltaria]

England hasn't claimed any part of Scotland since the 1300s, which goes a long way to explaining the union of the past 300 years.

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@HolyRomanEmpire962-1806 ?

[@JohnyG29]

and vice versa.

[@andrew4363]

@@JohnyG29 *shouts of “you started it!”*

[@andyjay729]

Christiania: This former military base in the Danish capital Copenhagen sat abandoned for many years until 1971 when a bunch of hippies broke down the barricades and began squatting there. Nowadays approximately 900 people live in the area, and the community have their own rules and regulations, completely independent of the Danish government - most notably when it comes to the sale of marijuana. Danes have a mixed/uneasy relationship with Christiania depending on who you ask - interesting and idealistic social experiment or lawless crack den that shouldn't be tolerated. Bit of a stretch to call it a country, but it is commonly considered to be quite "cool" (not that we'd know).

[@KaosKrusher]

I forgot about Christiania thx ;) the cards were too fast :/

[@nulnoh219]

That sounds like the Kowloon Walled City.

[@KaosKrusher]

@@nulnoh219 I think the walled city was more "dangerous" also the walled city was really one of a kind ... too bad they destroyed it :/

[@indieguy103]

I went to Christiania once. Bleak doesn’t begin to describe it...

[@dogcarman]

Erm… not quite. Christianians may have opinions on the sale of various drugs but the the Danish police have a slightly different set of views that are regularly enforced. So independent - not so much. But different? Hell yeah.

[@MasakoX]

Does my stain on my jacket that looks like the Shetland Islands count as a country?

[@ataphelicopter5734]

Perhaps, go check with the folks in Shetland

[@sachiconza9406]

Do you have an ancestral link to that stain?

[@lawrencesmeaton6930]

Depends, is it in a box or not?

[@officialjarix]

Are the stains "shet"?

[@Gribbo9999]

Try it but you will probably end up in the soup like your jacket.

[@liammkirby]

Watching this with my six-year-old daughter, she exclaimed "He should be called Stupid Hill". Consider yourself absolutely ROASTED, Stuart Hill.

[@Becky_Cooling]

Ah, the wisdom of 6-year-olds.

[@andyjay729]

Cooperworld Jonesania: Even though no territory has been demarcated for the somewhat flippant would-be country of Cooperworld Jonesania, and even though it doesn't have much of a raison d'etre, or a political ideal (let alone institution), and even though it doesn't have much motivation to actually be a country, it does have a flag.

[@RAFMnBgaming]

It does?

[@wattisphysik]

And it is the most beautiful flag i have ever seen.

[@TheIronArmenianakaGIHaigs]

Releasing a video just after Tom Scott posted one, okay this is getting a bit Sus.

[@markobajramoski5661]

Maybe Tom is doing some sort of experiment?

[@FixTheWi-Fi]

This gets said every time. They just upload on the same days often, 'snot a bloody conspiracy.

[@armorsmith43]

You know how women sometimes get their cycles synced up? The same thing happens with KZbinrs.

[@bruzie900]

@@FixTheWi-Fi The difference this time is that Tom's video mentions the history of Englishmen strolling up to a Scottish island and claiming they own the place.

[@DominickvdHoff]

they should space it out a bit

[@pwildr2603]

A day when a Map Men episode comes out it always a good day.

[@mysterious7215]

Yes

[@J.C_1_2_3]

Agreed.

[@brandonchan4537]

yes ,I watched it before I slept at 11pm and watched it until 12am,so I got 2 days of good day!

[@chloroxiphite]

Aah finally. Somebody who recognises "Cooperworld Jonesania".

[@sirapple589]

0:32 “Got Lashed Here” I think that’s one of the spiciest jokes in Map Men.

[@ThierryPeek]

Can you explain it? Never heard of Mynmar (which I believe is the country that gets colored in)

[@rockifythis]

Is this a reference to the ongoing, uh, _situation_ in Myanmar?

[@justanotherglorpsdaymornin5097]

On the one hand it could be spicy. On the other lashed is one of the many terms for getting plastered, wasted or just plain blackout drunk used by us Brits.

[@alibrown172]

@@ThierryPeek I think its a reference to this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3ypm4qIbL1omrc

[@HolyRomanEmpire962-1806]

@@alibrown172 ?

[@lawrencesmeaton6930]

The constant tweaks to the map men theme just to fuck with everyone is hilarious.

[@IVaV1]

yes

[@lenonel3286]

Men... Men.. men

[@idontwanttobefishingforfish]

map men map map men men map map men men men map men menmap mapmen hommescartes carteshommes mapthingmen menthingmen thingmenmap thingmapmen

[@BlackBoi1daybeforeElectionDay]

Do not say cuss word

[@lawrencesmeaton6930]

@@BlackBoi1daybeforeElectionDay ok

[@nedimar5696]

I am waiting for them to say "We're the map - and here's the men.".

[@jonarihernandez9522]

Your a video late

[@tommarsdon5644]

Men map men map men men men map map

[@Amazin01]

Please never stop with your tiny little details hidden in your videos such as those surprisingly informative country cards or your hilarious UN country application (and it being hidden behind mark)

[@EliStettner]

The reason South Sudan was recognized and Somaliland was not isn’t because of George Clooney, it’s because they made a peace deal and got Sudan to recognize them. Somalia does not recognize Somaliland, that is the difference.

[@guppy719]

So Somaliland just needs to send out a strikeforce to Mogadishu.

[@vocesdelrioriourbano7236]

@@guppy719 Good luck with that...

[@RaidsEpicly]

and Somalia can't recognize them since there'd hardly be any Somalia left at that point, since most of the rest of the country is also de facto controlled by groups other than the central government (including some areas by isis and other islamist groups)

[@NicolaW72]

If we talk seriously: Indeed, exactly. Somalia would have to officially recognize Somaliland as an independent country - as Serbia would have to officially recognize Kosovo as an independent country.

[@AppleSauceGamingChannel]

@@NicolaW72 Serbia could never recognize Kosovo as a country and that wouldn't make it not so... It's to do with the international community at large, not just one single country recognizing or not. Regarding Kosovo in particular, really the most crucial step is once all EU members recognize it, now at 22 of 27. Once that happens they can apply for membership. That would pretty much set that matter in stone for a long while.

[@elijaha773]

6:40 Your comedy always shines in the details.

[@waziotter]

You two are amazing. The sheer quantity of work and care that goes into these videos is mind-boggling. I am one of the people you didn’t think would read the Taiwan card but actually did. And I don’t blame you for what you said on the Palestine card. I can’t think of any other channel which could be arsed to record an accordion version of the Countdown theme to play for an ad read. Much less do the theme tune to Count Duckula in French. Chapeau!

[@philipsullivan4885]

Thank you, I have been looking for that "Countdown" music for so long.

[@Rafs-on-the-roof]

My favourite part of jays videos is often pausing the read all the little bits of text he puts in, knowing full well hardly anyone will actually read them. They’re still written to an impressively informative and entertaining way. KZbin goat

[@ADCD-dj8gz]

Another Map Map Map Men Men, my favorite time of quarter-year

[@Sphagetti__]

Map Map Map Menmen*

[@chriskeene]

Publish at the same time: Tom Scott: 'I decided not to land on the Scottish island, as well, there's a bit of a history of english men coming up here and declaring it their's' I refuse to believe this is coincidence

[@cereal_chick2515]

:O I didn't even notice!! C o n s p i r a c y.

[@kirbykilledgod]

Shhhhh

[@juancitoplasma1404]

no way... it's true! hahaha

[@qwvpv]

hello, you don't need an apostrophe in theirs.

[@BlackJackOfAllTrades]

I watched his video right before this one and I'm glad I'm not the only person to notice that

[@SovietLlamaMC]

Tom Scott: The Accidental Rush for Anthrax Island A few minutes later... Map Men: How do you start a new country? Coincidence? I think not.

[@jordand4738]

Tom Scott is related to Ian Scott confirmed

[@rogerstone3068]

Countdown theme on an accordion: brilliant attention to detail. Well done. Provided you were wearing a beret and had a string of onions hanging from the handlebars.

[@drinkingwater8439]

I know that this video is gonna be gold even before I started watching it

[@kevinthetree3521]

Yed

[@tvnker]

Remember guys! Stay hydrated!

[@Dimjenz]

Same

[@latl089er]

this channel is the TOP GEM of youtube.

[@Steve_McMillen]

0:17 that "Mapmenmen" was unexpected!

[@ShieldAre]

How to be a country: Make other countries recognise you as one. Usually getting recognition from the country you're seceding from is enough. The easiest way to do this is to just ask nicely, and surprisingly that works sometimes (Canada, many former colonies). The other way is to enforce it militarily (USA and a wide variety of countries). And sometimes you might become a country simply because your parent country didn't want you anymore (Singapore). Being influential culturally and diplomatically helps, which is for example why Catalonian independence often isn't taken that seriously, but Scottish independence is widely supported even though Scots themselves voted it down. Pretty much everyone knows about Scotland, Scotch, Lochs, kilts, haggis, bagpipes and the rest, but most people outside Catalonia would have a hard time naming three things or even one thing that is Catalan and not Spanish.

[@willy_dot]

Ahaha.. Singapore gets dumped by Malaysia and Malaysian still a developing country today while Singapore....

[@ap1765]

Well according to the video Canada is not a real country lol

[@peperoni_pepino]

@Martin Cregan I think the city of Barcelona and hence the corresponding football team are Catalan as well? FC Barcelona is quite well known, so that would give at least some cultural influence to Catalonia.

[@xway2]

I think it's more that the UK was ok with Scottish independence (I mean they didn't want it, but they allowed the referendum), whereas Spain has never accepted the possibility of Catalonian independence. So if you don't want to piss of Spain, you can't even entertain the possibility of Catalan independence but if you argue in favour of Scottish independence the UK can't really say anything since they allowed for the possibility already.

[@AppleSauceGamingChannel]

@Martin Cregan Which for any non Iberian is not easily distinguishable from castilian, let's be honest.

[@lunaholiday8585]

Thank goodness for rewind and pause; I like reading the “documents”.

[@alydev23]

I read the cards, Mark, and I'm grateful for the extra details. Also, as an Aussie, I didn't know about the Murrawarri people or their territory claim until just now, thanks for the info. Our government has an abysmal track record when it comes to recognising the rights of the indigenous population.

[@wasabista1613]

Canada: Two points suggest it isn't a real country. First, the South Park song Blame Canada says, "It isn't a real country anyway!" Second, until 1982 its constitution was an act of the British Parliament. We had to ask nicely to get it FedExed to Ottawa, but the British were very nice and didn't even charge us shipping and handling.

[@davidlittle7182]

Even madder that the UK doesn't have a written constitution

[@adambasinger6239]

Also the native people's who's unceded territory it consists of, so shitposts aside "Canada isn't a real country" does have some legitimacy to it

[@wasabista1613]

@@adambasinger6239 Okay, that's three.

[@RabbiHerschel]

@@adambasinger6239 the territory didn't belong to anyone before the British civilized it. The only "people" there were literal Stone Age primitives.

[@adambasinger6239]

@@RabbiHerschel Well you said it yourself, there were people there. People who's lands were stolen by about 90% plague (the actual percentage of the population whiped out by old world diseases) 5% naked agression and then the rest is a combination of lies and cultural genocides. There were people here before the british. They had governments, cultures and a way of life that worked. They are still alive today, and your a fucking idiot if you think they are only air quotes people.

[@ErikVSV]

I LOVE that you included Christiania! (Even if it was so brief.) It may have started as a lawless place, but it now actually has many local businesses and even a great music venue. The people have since bought the majority of the land, so they are there legally. There are also no hard drugs allowed. 😎 but what a cool place! Hilsen fra Danmark!

[@wheelygd]

You broke my pause button. Also, the only series that makes me want to watch the promotion.

[@MichaelWarman]

Lengthy, though hopefully interesting musings on international law and what makes a state: From an international law standpoint, there are no hard and fast criteria for what a state is. The closest we have is the Montevideo Conference, though it isn't binding and has no enforcement process. The criteria are having 1. fixed territory/borders, 2. a fixed(ish) population, 3. effective and exclusive control of their territory (i.e. no bands of local warlords undermining you or 'foreign' powers pushing you around) and 4. "ability to enter into diplomatic relations with other states" (a criteria perhaps deliberately vague so that the results could be fiddled either way). There is also no consensus on UN recognition; some claim UN recognition grants statehood that wasn't valid until then, while others say that statehood is an inherit thing and that UN recognition only acknowledges the statehood that already exists. Obvious examples include "Sealand" a small WW2 gun platform off the coast of Britain that was abandoned when the war ended, and then taken over by a family that declared their independence and started flogging merchandise like worthless titles of nobility; no countries recognise them (to my knowledge) and the UK has the power to do as they please with the territory. Other cases to consider might be Tibet, where Chinese control has meant they tend not to get international recognition, Palestine, which largely has international recognition as a state despite the large degree of control Israel is able to exercise over the territory, or even The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which at the hight of its power did have a large amount of territory and its people relatively firmly under its control.

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

I found this musing to be quite interesting! I knew that the Montevideo Conference left some doors open, but now, I know just _how_ much of a question the requirements for recognition are! Thanks for the comment!

[@LadyCooper]

Somewhere like Kosovo is interesting because US, Canada, and other Western countries recognize it, while Russia and its allies don't - leading to a stalemate and keeping it out of the UN. Basically, you need enough UN-member countries to recognize you to win a vote. Also interesting is Nauru, which is a full country and will recognize other countries for money - Taiwan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, etc.

[@russellzacharias3535]

I also thought there was something about several countries what is effectively a veto power and if those countries don't agree/vote "yes" nothing is going to change. (US, China, Russia plus 4 or 5 others, I think; my understanding is that is a large part of the reason Taiwan doesn't get "recognized" by the UN as a group, China just vetoes)

[@AppleSauceGamingChannel]

@@russellzacharias3535 UN Security Council. Also why Israel hasn't been intervened in by blue helmets to stop the genocide like in Rwanda. US veto.

[@ClementinesmWTF]

@@russellzacharias3535 US, UK, France, Russia (formerly the USSR), and China (PRC, previously ROC-now called Taiwan or “Chinese Taipei”) are the permanent members of the security council, while 10 other “random” (Im not sure how they pick them) non-permanent members are chosen. Any of these objecting to membership will halt membership. The most common factions are US+UK+France and Russia+China. There’s very few membership applications that fall outside of both those two groups’ ideals, and so they often get rejected.

[@russellzacharias3535]

thanks!

[@kabobawsome]

@@ClementinesmWTF Would like to take this chance to remind everyone that the Cold War never ended, and it was always really just Great Power politics in a new coat of paint.

[@SebastianAriza]

1:21 Oh that's the island, I tough my screen was dirty

[@hamueramusic]

how does mark not like watching countdown?! It's a great show RIP Sean Lock

[@davepoole9520]

I can't watch it since Rachel Riley proved what a horrible person she was.

[@ashholiday123]

I for one stand by the liberation of the democratic Republic of the map men.

[@thefrenchareharlequins2743]

men

[@AxxLAfriku]

Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else. Gets me frustrated. Just admit that you love the videos I make, my dear ash

[@moshahriz1346]

@@AxxLAfriku excuse me what

[@lucash1980]

Nothing democratic about them.

[@0x8badf00d]

@@moshahriz1346 AxxL is a serial spammer.

[@akseluslunder2186]

I'm so happy for all the detail that went into the cards appearing in the video. I definitely bothered to read 'em!

[@andyjay729]

Sealand: This very small WWII naval fort off the coast of Essex was just a bit too far away from the coast to be considered part of the UK, and therefore is technically in international waters, and therefore up for grabs. In 1967, fisherman Paddy Roy Bates turned up to the abandoned fort with the intention of running a pirate radio station, but instead decided to declare it an independent country, which his son is the king of to this day. It even has its own football team who play other non-countries you haven't heard of such as Tamil Eelam and Occitania.

[@DannyDevitoOffical-TrustMeBro]

What a mad lad, paddy Roy bates

[@RammusTheArmordillo]

Yes please, an episode about Taiwan would be lovely (some people do read all the cards)

[@resolvanlemmy]

And basically all of the "disputed territories" that they call themselves "countries"

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

I just read the cards, and it sounds interesting! I would be interested in watching the video, if they want to make it!

[@gwantouwong922]

Taiwan is complicated, they are de facto Republic of China, former government of China. Constitutionally they claim the whole China nowadays and Republic of Mongolia (outer Mongolia), part of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Tuva Republic (small part of Russia). While nowadays they are generally called Taiwan😂

[@artugert]

@@gwantouwong922 The main island is called Taiwan. The nation is called Republic of China.

[@Yasumy_myl]

I didn't expect to hear about "Des Chiffres et des Lettres" and France 3 on a british video today ! Thanks for the laugh

[@TarkTheConlanger]

same

[@FiredAndIced]

That I'd gone into the rabbit hole and finally figured out that not only did I *not* watch an original Countdown series (I watched the "other" Countdown by virtue of its host) but there also exist a *French* version of it, too?!

[@toast99bubbles]

I always enjoy your sponsor sketches, but today's about Countdown (and the French show it was based on) was great, especially the version of the Countdown theme you used at the end.

[@niroshanaperera7330]

Me: _Prepares myself for anything the intro might do_ The intro: Map Men Map Men Map Map Map *M E N M E N* Me: *Surprised Pikachu face

[@icehawk3442]

I know mapmen has been going on for a bit, but I've just realised how much the intro has Fun With Flags vibes and it's such precious gold hahaha

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Mark will surely like 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown instead of regular Countdown.

[@ze_rubenator]

Cats Does Countdown is unequivocally better. Partly because it's silly, and partly because the contestants are so bad it makes me feel better about myself.

[@Thakar98]

Hey it's the guy from the NJB comment section

[@FiredAndIced]

Me, a non-British: "You mean there are TWO Countdowns?"

[@BOABModels]

0:07 I was in (non-independent) Lincolnshire when this video dropped.

[@elliottchrist]

0:29 - that map seems to have France and Germany fused together - or, as I like to call it, What If Neville Chamberlain Had Fucked Up Even Harder.

[@theleva7]

I'm surprised the artist didn't include Belgium into the mix just for those extra cockup cascade points.

[@darek4488]

Many things are wrong with that map.

[@MrFantasnick]

Charlemagnia ? :P

[@RabbiHerschel]

France declared war on Germany, not the other way around.

[@MrJimheeren]

I’ve finally read all the cards. Gosh you guys really put in the details

[@Xalantor]

There is but a single requirement to being a country. That is having the military/economic might to force others to agree with you, if they want to or not.

[@matthewmcneany]

When a daddy country and and a mummy country love each other very much...

[@westrim]

daddy invades the mummy, and a few hundred years later, a new country is born! *pops champagne* Mazel tov, it's a United Kingdom!

[@deltahalo241]

I'm glad Mark didn't have to miss out on Countdown even while he was on Holiday in Hawaii

[@elliotmidgley]

A good way to get people to recognise you is to get a flag emoji like this one 🇦🇱

[@MichaelDoesStuff420]

“Tell me your Albanian without telling me your Albanian”

[@elliotmidgley]

@@MichaelDoesStuff420 not albanian but ok

[@MichaelDoesStuff420]

@@elliotmidgley ik you just had the Albanian flag and I just thought it was funny sorry I knew you PROBALY went to but-

[@elliotstarchannel2023]

Or this one 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@DrakiniteOfficial]

I love your channel and your presentation style. You two manage to make maps interesting to someone who barely cares about politics, history or geography.

[@skyholmes5322]

Absolutely love how informal that murrawarri letter is. This is how all important documents should be written

[@Akovor_]

Petition to start the country of Mapmenistan

[@eamonlyons8318]

Where tho

[@_qpas_fury_1572]

@@eamonlyons8318 everywhere

[@HolyRomanEmpire962-1806]

@@eamonlyons8318 everywhere

[@tiagoprado7001]

@@eamonlyons8318 Jay's half of the desk, obviously

[@thulyblu5486]

What about "Cooperworld-Jonesania" featured and described at exactly 6:42 in this video? It has one of the map men and English breakfast in its flag! If you wanna look and read yourself I recommend clicking on 6:32 which gives you up to 10 seconds to change the video speed to 25% so you can pause at exactly the right moment. Isn't this the name for a map men country? In case I'm missing an insider joke, please explain, thx :)

[@DangoGaming1000]

Thank you for letting me find the sample of “the wait is over” I couldn’t find it anywhere!

[@monsvague4825]

There is no other channel on KZbin that makes me happier when they release a video. You guys rock!

[@tristansoendergaard7867]

Always a lovely day when the Map Men appear.

[@beatricerossi9757]

Thank you for the amazing video! Guys, have you ever heard of the "Republic of Rose Island" in Italy? It was an artificial island that claimed to be a nation. It also drew the UN attention and, as a result of this attempt, the territorial waters' border has been moved further away from the coastline. Maybe it would be interesting to make a video about it. Greetings from Italy!

[@DeclanCarnage]

I'm glad I stuck around for the Surfshark ad because the French Countdown theme completed me.

[@charlottejohnson5173]

The end credits almost led to myself fainting from lack of oxygen; I was laughing way too much

[@krakenpots5693]

I didn't expect anyone outside of France to know about "des chiffres et des lettres"!!! It used to be one of my favourite shows when I was a kid (that and "Question pour un champion")

[@Septimus_ii]

Question for a Mushroom?

[@krakenpots5693]

@@Septimus_ii Champion, not Champignon

[@James-gc5if]

'Des chiffres et des lettres' is one of those quiz programmes that has been exported around the world. The UK version, being referenced here, is called 'Countdown'.

[@krakenpots5693]

@@James-gc5if I can still remember the clock music!!!

[@never8931]

Wow one letter really makes a difference

[@ulfjohnsen6203]

Getting UN recognition is a result of being a country, not a requirement. The requirement is convincing the former owners to let you have the land.

[@yds6268]

"convincing"

[@mukrifachri]

"former owner"

[@TopchetoEU]

"."

[@SinemaSurf]

"Ulf"

[@tarksurmani6335]

You don't need former owners recognition if the rest of 200 countries recognize you.

[@melinalicharowicz7332]

The countdown music at the end really sold me

[@mooseade]

"You've got to teach the World to sing, Danny Wallace is the King"

[@BenCol]

Yes

[@Oscar92839]

4:12 “twice the size of Denmark” *greenland left the chat*

[@Flow86767]

Damn, thank you for hiding the historical context of Taiwan, Kosovo (and definitely totally writing a long and very detailed explanation of Palestine), it is very nice to find out all the little details in your videos.

[@HarryR545]

6:42 can't believe Canada was a semi-country this whole time...

[@KelnelK]

It's actually genuinely kind of difficult to watch countdown from the US if you're not a resident of the UK because of the difficulty of obtaining a TV license.

[@Arquinsiel]

I have the solution for you! Set your VPN to Ireland, where Channel 4 is available too and thus More4 allows you to stream it.

[@emjayay]

Or watch old ones here.

[@Arquinsiel]

@@emjayay There's nothing quite like the thrill of watching Countdown live though.

[@ccaagg]

Literally just use a VPN and say you have a TV license. It works fine. Plenty of people I know who are UK citizens do the same, without a TV license. To my knowledge, there don't exist any checks at all. The only time you actually need to pay for a TV license is if you have a physical TV which demonstrably has service, since all the TV licensing people have is whether your address has a TV license and whether there's a TV which isn't being used as simply a screen for other devices when they visit. The TV licencing people do not care enough to liaise with the ISP of every IP which uses iPlayer and claims to have a TV license to check whether that address does in fact have a licence. It's far too much work for far too little gain. And if you really are paranoid of that, using a VPN completely protects you from this.

[@CarthagoMike]

"How does a country become a country?" half of the older countries in Europe: _break away from your Habsburg overlords_ half of the younger countries in Europe: _break away from your soviet overlords_

[@AuxenceF]

France : does its thing

[@danielf.7151]

Half of the younger countries in the world: _break away from your british overlords_

[@SirSaladhead]

Germany: *Vell zis is awkward*

[@bgggsht]

Except most European countries can be traced back to 10th century or earlier, it's a long history of pre-state tribal settlements, religious expanses, ethnical and geographical borders etc. Conquest was - and still is - a major factor though, some just don't care about centuries of heritage.....

[@emjayay]

Break away from your soviet overlords - with the option of splitting yourself into two countries after that.

[@Sirenhound]

"To name but 2 and a half" I see what you did there. If anyone takes umbrage with the inclusion of one of them, you can say that's the half country.

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

Agreed! These disputed countries are quite controversial. As an added bonus, another comment I found here made another interpretation: all three of them are 83%-countries, because that would add up to "two-and-a-half"!

[@neddyladdy]

Sit in the driving seat. put the seat belt on. tighten it to the appropriate tension, ensure all passengers are seated with the seat belts approximately adjusted, give each kid a clip across the ear. because, just because. Insert the ignition key into the ignition and proceed by following the starting instructions.