Why do we have countries at all? Couldn’t Earth just be one big global clubhouse? 🌍
In this episode of Explain It Like I’m 5, host Alex unpacks one of humanity’s biggest—and strangest—ideas: borders. From ancient tribes and empires to the Treaty of Westphalia and modern nation-states, we’ll explore how humans went from “our cave vs. your cave” to nearly 200 separate countries—each with its own flag, snacks, and rules.

You’ll learn:

• What a “nation-state” really is

• Why countries exist (organization, identity, protection, resources)

• How borders were born

• Whether one world government could actually work

• And some wild geography trivia—like the unclaimed land between Egypt and Sudan and why Canada is basically 90% lakes

So grab your map (or your fries) and join Alex for a fun, curious dive into the invisible lines that shape our world.