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South Ossetia tours with unrecognized countries tourism? If the open-mindedness of Erbil surprised you, especially after strolling down the streets of Ankawa, only to see liquor shops, churches and quite some expats everywhere, be prepared when you get to Sulaymaniyah, because this is the most westernized city in Iraqi Kurdistan and, of course, in Iraq. Despite being a predominantly Sunni Muslim city, you won’t see many women wearing hijab but, what surprised me the most is that in all the bars I went into, I always saw mixed groups of both local women and men, something rarely seen in the Middle East. By the way, you will see that everybody pronounces and writes the city name in a different way: Sulaymaniyah, Slemani, Suli, As Sulaymaniyah, Sulemani, etc. Don’t ask me why.

Somaliland, a former British Protectorate, achieved its independence on 26th June 1960. Somaliland united with the former Italian colony of Somalia on 1st July 1960 to form the Republic of Somalia. Somaliland became autonomous from the rest of Somalia, based on the original colonial boundaries, and restored a democratic rule on 18th May 1991 after the civil war. The Somaliland state was established following a series of negotiation and reconciliation meetings involving representatives of different clans (congress of elders) held from 27th April-18th May 1991 in Burao, Somaliland. Constitutionally, Somaliland has a multi-party system of democracy, with an elected president and local council. Since 1991, the country has held 5 democratic elections, and has already established monetary as well as national policies to guide its operations. Discover extra info at Somaliland Tours.

The 1992-1993 war left most of Abkhazia in ruin. Even today, derelict, windowless buildings are more rule than exception, and their presence lends a bleakness to the landscape that’s hard to shake. You’ll catch glimpses of Abkhazia’s erstwhile grandeur along the boardwalk in Sukhum, whose lampposts and esplanade date back to Soviet times, and you’ll undoubtedly swallow hard when you arrive at the city’s abandoned parliament, a somber 12-story megalith of lightless rooms and flame-licked brick. Less-traumatic reminders of the republic’s pre-war past can be found in its flamboyantly designed bus stops.

A number of entities have declared independence and sought diplomatic recognition from the international community as de jure sovereign states. However, they have not been internationally recognized as such and left in an ‘unrecognized state.’ These entities often have de facto control of their territory, a government, a military, and a legal system. A number of such entities exist today and operate as functioning states. Read extra info at www.politicalholidays.com.