Founded in 1945, the United Nations originally had 51 member nations. "United Nations" was coined by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1942 with the "Document of United Nations" in which 26 representatives of various international governments pledged to fight together against the Axis Powers during World War II (WWII). Prior to the founding of the United Nations, the League of Nations was established under the 1919 Treaty of Versailles during the first World War. The League of Nations was created to promote international peace and security. The organization ended when it failed to prevent the second World War. Since its creation, the United Nations has continued to grow, and as of 2014 has 193 member nations with South Sudan being the latest member in 2011.
More about the United Nations:
- There are two non-member permanent observer states to the UN: the State of Palestine and the Holy See.
- The UN discusses a wide-range of topics such as climate change, peacekeeping, youth issues, and sustainable development.
- The UN does have its own flag and emblem. The design is a map of the world with the center being the North Pole, and two olive tree branches crossed at the bottom and wrapping part way around the map.