It won't be as easy as a tiny vowel change. On Sunday the new Republic of Kosova (formerly Kosovo) declared itself independent, the world's newest country, but several countries are refusing to recognise it - perhaps unsurprisingly, mainly countries that have most to lose from emboldened secessionist movements, such as Russia, Spain and Greece.

There are hundreds of secession movements across the world (as many as 30 US states including Vermont, Texas and Alaska have groups wanting to form breakaway republics). "For many it's a chance to express their culture, language or religion more freely," says Andrew Swan of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation, which was set up to represent indigenous people, minorities and unrecognised or occupied territories. Are there economic advantages? "There can be. The Ogoni, for instance, live in a region in the major oilfield areas of Nigeria. Even though it is one of the richest areas of Nigeria, they remain the poorest people in the country."

The UNPO has 69 members, from Abkhazia (seeking independence from Georgia) to Zanzibar (Tanzania's semi-autonomous islands), representing 150 million people. It promotes nonviolent self-determination, which, given that violence is almost always a feature of secession, excludes many potential members.

Here in the UK, Scottish and Welsh independence is not inconceivable in the future. The territory of Western Sahara, currently under Moroccan control, has been in talks with the UN. John Donaldson, research associate at the International Boundaries Research Unit at Durham University, thinks South Sudan is a region to watch. "In 2011, it will have a referendum on independence," he says. Other states, such as Somaliland, have claimed independence without being recognised by the international community. "Northern Cyprus has also declared itself independent," says Donaldson, "but only Turkey has recognised it as an independent state. Politically, it can be very complicated, and there are no fixed rules on which states should be recognised as independent and which cannot."