Not just the Scots -- places and people with independence pushes

The republic on the southern edge of Russia won some autonomy under a peace agreement in the 1990s. But separatists want independence, some of them an Islamic state. In this photo, residents of Grozny, the republic’s capital, make their way through the ruins of their house in 2005, looking for materials they can use to repair their temporary shelter.  (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)

The Mediterranean island is part of France. Separatists have carried out bombings since the 1970s. The top French official on the island was assassinated in 1998. In this photo, then-President Jacques Chirac speaks during a ceremony in honor of the slain prefect, Claude Erignac.  (George Gobet / AFP/Getty Images)

The Caribbean island has debated whether to remain a U.S. commonwealth or become a U.S. state. The Puerto Rican Independence Party wants it to become independent. In this 1997 photo, supporters of Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood movement cheer the arrival of then-Gov. Pedro Rossello outside status hearings being held in San Juan, the island’s capital.  (John McConnico / Associated Press)

The largely French-speaking Canadian province nearly embraced sovereignty in 1995, but its independence movement seems to have slid into decline since then. In this 1998 photo, people representing different regions of Quebec demonstrate outside the Canadian Supreme Court.  (Tom Hanson / Associated Press)

Somaliland is a northern region of Somalia that declared independence in 1991 but has yet to get international recognition. It has tried to distance itself from the chaos raging to the south. In this photo, young girls pay attention to their teacher in a classroom in Hargeisa in 1996.  (Jean-Marc Bouju / Associated Press)

The Himalayan region is ruled by China. A Harvard academic was elected prime minister of its government-in-exile, which contends that Tibet was colonized by China. Monks say about 30 Tibetans were injured this month when Chinese police fired into a crowd of protesters. In this photo, Tibetan exile students pose on their bicycles during a stopover at a demonstration in Bangalore, India, on Jan. 25, 2012. The students are cycling to New Delhi to create awareness about alleged human rights violations by Chinese authorities in Tibet.  (Aijaz Rahi / Associated Press)

The archipelago is a semiautonomous part of Tanzania off the East African coast. Zanzibar was independent before it merged with Tanganyika to create Tanzania; some groups want it to regain independence. In this photo, a Zanzibari woman waves a flag of Tanzania’s main opposition party, the Civic United Front, before elections in 2005.  (Marco Longari / AFP/Getty Images)