Which Countries Have the Most Obvious/Well Known History and Which Countries the Most Unknown/Obscure History? (WW2, Egypt)

[Trimac20]

I always hear about British history here. Especially about this king or queen, wars.etc. Actually most people don't know much about French history here pre-Napoleon. US history is very modern so it's easier to summarize it if you know what I mean.

Rome, Egypt, Greece, China are also heavily featured. Chinese history is so long but I think most people are aware of things like the Mongol conquest, Opium War, Boxer Rebellion, Rape of Nanking. In later years, the histories of Germany and Japan are well known.

[NJGOAT]

That's a tough one depending on how you frame it. If we are only talking countries, then places like the US, Britain and France certainly have some of the most extensive and accessible histories. For instance, the US, as a nation, probably has one of the most extensive and well documented histories for the sum of its existence.

In general terms though, nations like Egypt, Iran and China easily have some of the longest historical records. For most obscure, as others have said, just find any nation/area that did not have a written history for much of its time. Pacific islands, areas of Africa and South America certainly count in that, where much of their known history is colonial and post-colonial or divined from archeological records.

[Fred314X]

Originally Posted by Thepastpresentandfuture

The top 10 countries with generally the most unknown/obscure history:

1. Kyrgyzstan
2. Bhutan
3. Azerbaijan
4. Tajikistan
5. Thailand
6. Cambodia
7. Laos
8. Guyana
9. Gabon
10. Fiji

Worthy candidates all...but I'm curious to know why Liechtenstein, Andorra and Qatar didn't make your list?

[Thepastpresentandfuture]

Originally Posted by Fred314X

Worthy candidates all...but I'm curious to know why Liechtenstein, Andorra and Qatar didn't make your list?

Thanks! I am glad there are other people that agree with those 10 countries I mentioned to be great candidates for countries with the most unknown/obscure history.

I do think there are some other countries that are good candidates too such as what you mentioned with Liechtenstein, Andorra, and Qatar.
They could make my top 10 as well, or at the very least a top 15 to top 20.

[Thepastpresentandfuture]

Originally Posted by NJGOAT

That's a tough one depending on how you frame it. If we are only talking countries, then places like the US, Britain and France certainly have some of the most extensive and accessible histories. For instance, the US, as a nation, probably has one of the most extensive and well documented histories for the sum of its existence.

In general terms though, nations like Egypt, Iran and China easily have some of the longest historical records. For most obscure, as others have said, just find any nation/area that did not have a written history for much of its time. Pacific islands, areas of Africa and South America certainly count in that, where much of their known history is colonial and post-colonial or divined from archeological records.

I agree that the USA, United Kingdom/England, and France have some of the most Obvious/Well Known History and easily make my top 10 and even top 3 which includes how extensive their historical records are and how accessible it is to others.

That is also true about Egypt being able to make the top 10.That country could easily make my top 10 as well. I was deciding between Germany, Japan, and Egypt for 9th place/10th place.

For the thread subject, I meant it more by most people’s perception for the history of certain countries such as how obvious/well known and unknown/obscure it is to the perception of most people. However, the actual extent of written history records for a certain country and how extensive/accessible those historical records are to others can definitely influence most people's perception for the history of a certain country.

[Boompa]

Tannu Tuva

Bokhara

Khiva

Sikkim

[Clark Park]

The history of Thailand and Cambodia is obscure????

Are you serious???

These countries have long well documented and celebrated histories going back to the Khmer Empire and the Sukhothai,Ayutthaya and Rattanakoisin periods. Music, dance, art and architecture survived over the centuries from these places.

I would say the land where some of my ancestors came from - Bessarabia - is far more obscure.

Places like Borneo, Bhutan,Swaziland,and Uzbekistan would have more obscure histories.

[skihikeclimb]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

The history of Thailand and Cambodia is obscure????

Are you serious???

These countries have long well documented and celebrated histories going back to the Khmer Empire and the Sukhothai,Ayutthaya and Rattanakoisin periods. Music, dance, art and architecture survived over the centuries from these places.

I would say the land where some of my ancestors came from - Bessarabia - is far more obscure.

Places like Borneo, Bhutan,Swaziland,and Uzbekistan would have more obscure histories.

Ya I would agree. Southeast Asia has a pretty well documented history.

I would definitely put China, Egypt and many of the near eastern nations at the top though for the most documented ancient history.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by Thepastpresentandfuture

The top 10 countries with generally the most unknown/obscure history:

1. Kyrgyzstan
2. Bhutan
3. Azerbaijan
4. Tajikistan
5. Thailand
6. Cambodia
7. Laos
8. Guyana
9. Gabon
10. Fiji

Obscure? No. Unknown? Yes.

[Nolefan34]

As an American, I would say the histories most taught in public schools were-

1. USA
2. England
3. France
4. Ancient Greek
5. Ancient Roman
6. Ancient Egyptian
7. Spanish
8. Russian/Soviet
9. Mexican
10. Canadian

Everywhere else was secondary.