This may come as a surprise to some, but Spain has been teetering on the verge of collapse since 2008.

Spain is currently embroiled in an economic crisis. Spain's National Debt to GDP ratio is at a dangerous 94%.

Meanwhile, 24% of Spanish citizens were unemployed in January 2015.

However, Spain's economy is only half of the country's worries.

Two regions of Spain could very easily break free of the country within the next 20 years.

In Western Spain, a region called Catalonia has a thriving independence movement, with strong popular support.

The people of Catalonia have few cultural ties to the rest of Spain, and to prove their desire for independence...

In 2013 they formed a 300 mile human chain around the country, to cut it off from the rest of Spain.

At the same time, many of the Basque region of Northern Spain long for independence.

The people of Basque, speak Basque, not Spanish. And several violent terrorist groups are currently fighting for independence.

Number 9: North Korea

It's no secret that technological advancement is leaving North Korea far behind the rest of the world.

Despite North Korea's policy of total self reliance, North Korea simply does not have enough resources

within its borders to survive the 21st century.

At some point, North Korea will need to leave behind its isolation, and expand trade and cooperative ties

with other countries

When North Korea finally does open up its borders to the rest of the world, it's probable that the Kim regime

wont be able to survive

There is a chance that Kim Jong Un will attempt Chinese style reforms, in an attempt to copy China.

But that may only speed up North Korea's demise

North Korea's government holds on to power very tightly

and one mistake or internal power struggle could

end Kim Jong Un's grip on power

Number 8: Belgium

Belgium's citizens are deeply divided along ethnic lines.

In fact, the two halves of Belgium: Flanders and Wallonia have little in common with each other

In the south of Belgium lies Wallonia, a nearly autonomous region dominated by French speaking people

Many French speakers want either an independent Wallonia or a union with France

The north of Belgium is known as Flanders

and the people of the region are ethnically Flemish

and want an independent Flanders

In the next 20 years Belgium may fracture

Creating two new countries in Europe: Flanders and Wallonia

Number 7: China

Perhaps the most surprising entry on this list is China

Despite having the largest military in the world

and one of the most powerful economies

China has deep seated problems they must address

in order to survive the 21st century

Even though the Chinese Communist Party harshly cracks down on anyone who opposes them

China is on a collision course with disaster

Many of China's problems stem from the outright destruction of the country's environment

Half of China's rivers and reservoirs are polluted beyond what is considered safe for any form of human consumption

Also, according to the Chinese government, by 2030 China will have used all of its drinkable water

and according to the World Bank, every year 250,000 Chinese people die prematurely because of pollution

The Chinese Government tried to block the release of this report, fearing that it would cause massive social unrest

Disaster may just be around the corner for China

Number 6: Iraq

The rise of the Islamic State has brought international attention to the deeply rooted divisions in Iraq

Iraq's borders were originally created by British colonial authorities in the 20th century

with absolutely no regard for the cultural divides of the region

Saddam Hussein was able to keep Iraq together by opression and brute force

but now, the country is quickly falling apart at the seams

three groups dominate Iraq,

the Kurds in the North

the Sunnis in the west

and the Shiites in the south

In order for Iraq to be once again be unified

the Kurds will have to surrender their newfound control of Iraq's north

The Islamic State will have to be defeated

and the Sunnis, Kurds, and Shiites will have to agree to live under one nation again

However, it's more likely that these groups will choose to be separate, each under their own flags

Number 5: Libya

Similar to Iraq, Libya is also an artificial creation of a colonial era

Libya was an Italian colony until 1951, and the country was later held together by Colonel Gaddafi

until his defeat in the Libyan Civil War of 2011

Now after Gaddafi's fall, the country is fracturing

Before the Italian occupation, Libya did not exist

and the area was divided into three regions:

Tripolitania

Cyrenaica

and Fezzan

the people of these regions are more loyal to their tribal routes, than any artificial notions of statehood

The Second Libyan Civil War is currently ongoing, but it is likely a unified Libya will not survive the conflict

Number 4: The Islamic State

The Islamic State saw a rapid rise to power in early 2014

seizing a third of Iraq and Syria in a stunning military takeover

However since then, the Islamic State embroiled in conflict against an increasingly long list of enemies

In order for The Islamic State to survive it must either defeat or make peace with:

Iraq, Kurdistan, The Syrian Government, The Free Syrian Army, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the US lead coalition

currently engaged in combat against The Islamic State

until then, The Islamic State's survival will be under constant threat

Number 3: The United Kingdom

Scotland may have failed to gain independence in their 2014 referendum, but the Scots won't give up their

quest for independence so easily

Also, there's a simmering movement in Wales and Northern Ireland that seeks autonomy and possibly

independence for these regions

if any of these regions were to gain autonomy from the United Kingdom

it's possible that the Union may fall apart

Number 2: The United States of America

Many divisions that caused the United States' Civil War still exist to this day, if these deep rooted political and

cultural differences within the United States aren't rectified, it's possible that some states could break free

within the next 20 years

as recently as 2012, 50 states submitted petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures asking to

secede from the Union

the two most likely states to leave the Union are Alaska, and Texas

Number 1: The Maldives

located between India and Africa, the island nation of Maldives is in extreme danger of sinking due to rising

sea levels. The former President of the Maldives looked into buying land in South Asia to transplant all the

residents of the Maldives before the islands are submerged