Answer:
Before we begin, take a few seconds to look at a current political map of the world. Pretty colorful, isn't it? Sure, there are larger swaths on the map, like Russia and Brazil, but Eastern Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia all have several colors snaking around and crammed in between one another, don't they?
Well, a big reason for the numerous amount of countries in the world today is the process of decolonization that occurred after World War II (WWII) in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Indeed, as recently as 70 years ago, the political map of the world was far less colorful than it is today. Now, in 2014, there are over 200 nations on the planet!
Explanation: