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The micronation of Sealand

Micronations — sometimes also referred to as cybernations, fantasy countries, model countries, and new country projects — are entities that resemble independent nations or states but which are unrecognized by world governments or major international organisations. These nations usually exist only on paper, on the Internet, or in the minds of their creators. Micronations differ from secession and self-determination movements in that they are largely viewed as being eccentric and ephemeral in nature, and are often created and maintained by a single person or family group. A microstate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very little land area - usually both. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Picture of Sealand With permission of Bureau of Internal Affairs Principality of Sealand From; http://www. ... Picture of Sealand With permission of Bureau of Internal Affairs Principality of Sealand From; http://www. ... The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius. ... For other uses, see Nation (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see State (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Secession (disambiguation). ... Self-determination is a principle in international law that a people ought to be able to determine their own governmental forms and structure free from outside influence. ... Eccentric is from the Greek for out of the centre, as opposed to concentric, in the centre. ... For the kind of film, see ephemeral film. ...

Some micronations have managed to extend some of their operations into the physical world by issuing coins, flags, postage stamps, passports, medals and other items. Such trappings of "real" sovereign states are created as a way of seeking to legitimize the micronations that produce them. This article is about monetary coins. ... For other uses, see Flag (disambiguation). ... This 1974 stamp from Japan depicts a Class 8620 steam locomotive. ... For Microsoft Corporation’s “universal login” service, formerly known as Microsoft Passport Network, see Windows Live ID. For other types of travel document, see Travel document. ... A medal is a small metal object, usually engraved with insignia, that is awarded to a person for athletic, military, scientific, academic or some other kind of achievement. ...

The term "micronation" dates at least to the 1970s (see The People's Almanac #2, page 330) to describe the many thousands of small, unrecognized, state-like entities that have mostly arisen since that time. The term has since also come to be used retroactively to refer to earlier ephemeral unrecognized entities, some of which date as far back as the early 19th century.

Definition

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Micronations generally have a number of common features: Image File history File links Emblem-important. ...

1. They often assert that they wish to be widely recognized as sovereign states, but are not so recognized.
2. They are small; those that claim to control physical territories are mostly of very limited extent. While several micronations claim hundreds or even thousands of members, the vast majority have no more than one or two active participants.
3. Some issue government instruments such as passports, stamps, and currency, and confer titles and awards; these are rarely recognised outside of their own communities of interest.

These criteria distinguish micronations from imaginary countries, eco-villages, campuses, tribes, clans, sects, and residential community associations, which do not usually seek to be recognised as sovereign. Micronations are also distinguishable from entities that have diplomatic relations with other recognised nation-states of the world without being formally recognised themselves by many nation-states or accepted by major international bodies (such as the UN), for example the Republic of China (Taiwan). By contrast, micronations do not have diplomatic relations with recognised nation-states of the world or major international bodies (such as the UN). For Microsoft Corporation’s “universal login” service, formerly known as Microsoft Passport Network, see Windows Live ID. For other types of travel document, see Travel document. ... An imaginary country or fantasy country is often important in mail art, as it issues its own artistamps. ... Ecovillages are socially, economically and ecologically sustainable villages of 50 to 150 people. ... The Universitätscampus Wien, Austria ( details) Campus (plural: campuses) is derived from the (identical) Latin word for field or open space. English gets the words camp and campus from this origin. ... http://www. ... For other uses, see Clan (disambiguation). ... This article is about religious groups. ... Some of the developments that real estate developers build are common interest developments, a category that includes planned–unit developments of single–family houses, condominiums, and cooperative apartments. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... For the Chinese civilization, see China. ...

The term "micropatrology" is sometimes used to describe the study of both micronations and microstates by micronational hobbyists, some of whom refer to sovereign nation-states as "macronations". A microstate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very little land area - usually both. ... “Sovereign” redirects here. ... The term nation-state, while often used interchangeably with the terms unitary state and independent state, refers properly to the parallel occurence of a state and a nation. ...

Legitimacy

See also: constitutive theory of statehood and declarative theory of statehood

In international law, the Montevideo Convention on the Right and Duties of States sets down the criteria for statehood in article 1: The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states. The constitutive theory of statehood defines a state as a person of international law which is recognised as sovereign by other states. ... The declarative theory of statehood defines a state as a person of international law that meets certain structural criteria. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States was a treaty signed at Montevideo on December 26, 1933, at the Seventh International Conference of American States. ... For other uses, see State (disambiguation). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Types of administrative and/or political territories include: A legally administered territory, which is a non-sovereign geographic area that has come under the authority of another government. ...

The first sentence of article 3 of the Montevideo Convention explicitly states that "The political existence of the state is independent of recognition by the other states."

Under these guidelines, any entity which meets all of the criteria set forth in article 1 can be regarded as sovereign under international law, whether or not other states have recognized it. Most micronations are commonly seen to have failed to meet one or more of these criteria.

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta does not meet all the criteria, but has been considered a sovereign nation for centuries while the Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads met all the criteria for over a century, but has effectively been dismantled due to multiple foreign invasions by China, the Phillipines, Vietnam and even Taiwan. The Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads was a republic in the Spratly Islands established by Christopher Schneider in 1959. ...

The doctrine of territorial integrity, however, effectively prohibits unilateral secession from established states in international law. Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border changes in other nation-states. ... For other uses, see Secession (disambiguation). ...

Early history and evolution

The Old Light, Lundy

The micronation phenomenon is tied closely to the development of the nation-state concept in the 19th century, and the earliest recognisable micronations can be dated to that period. Most were founded by eccentric adventurers or business speculators, and several were remarkably successful. These include the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, ruled by the Clunies-Ross family, and Sarawak, ruled by the "White Rajahs" of the Brooke family; both were independent personal fiefdoms in all but name, and survived until well into the 20th century. Author Peter L. Wilson has suggested that so-called pirate utopias located on the Barbary Coast during the 16th century were also a type of early micronation. The Old Light, Lundy Island. ... The Old Light, Lundy Island. ... This article is about the island of Lundy, which is part of England. ... The term nation-state, while often used interchangeably with the terms unitary state and independent state, refers properly to the parallel occurence of a state and a nation. ... The King of the Cocos Islands governed the islands from 1824 to 1944 when it became part of Australia. ... For the river, see Sarawak River. ... The White Rajahs refer to a dynasty that founded and ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946. ... Brooke can refer to: Brooke, Norfolk, England Brooke, Rutland, England Brooke County, West Virginia, United States Brooke Bond, a tea company Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas This page or section lists people with the surname Brooke. ... Fief depiction in a book of hours Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord, generally to a vassal, in return for a form of allegiance, originally to give him the means... Hakim Bey redirects here. ... Pirate utopias were described by historian Peter Lamborn Wilson in his eponymous 1995 book. ... The Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to the coastal regions of what is now Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. ...

Less successful micronations are the Long Republic (1819–1820), in what is now the U.S. state of Texas, the Republic of Indian Stream (1828–1835), which is now the town of Pittsburg, New Hampshire, the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia (1860–62) in southern Chile and Argentina, and the Kingdom of Sedang (1888–90) in French Indochina. The oldest extant micronation to arise in modern times is the Kingdom of Redonda, founded in 1865 in the Caribbean. It failed to establish itself as a real country, but has nonetheless managed to survive into the present day as a unique literary foundation with its own king and aristocracy — although it is not without its controversies: there are presently at least four competing claimants to the Redondan throne. The Long Republic (formal name: Republic of Texas) lasted from June 23, 1819 to October 8, 1820. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Map showing location of the Republic of Indian Stream. ... Pittsburg is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 867 at the 2000 census. ... The Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia (also called New France) was a self-proclaimed independent state or micronation founded by a French lawyer and adventurer named Orelie-Antoine de Tounens in southern South America in the mid 19th century. ... Official language French/Vietnamese Headquarters Pelei Agna Last Head of State Charles-Marie David de Mayréna I The Kingdom of Sedang (sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of the Sedang) was an ephemeral political entity established in the latter part of the 19th Century by a French adventurer Charles... Flag Capital Hanoi Language(s) French Political structure Federation Historical era New Imperialism  - Addition of Laos 1893, 1887  - Vietnamese Declaration of Independence September 2, 1945  - Independence of Laos July 19, 1949  - Independence of Cambodia November 9, 1953  - Recognized Independence of Vietnam 1954, 1954 Area  - 1945 750,000 km² Currency French... The Kingdom of Redonda was a briefly independent kingdom. ... West Indies redirects here. ...

Martin Coles Harman, owner of the U.K. island of Lundy in the early decades of the 20th century, declared himself King and issued private coinage and postage stamps for local use. Although the island was ruled as a virtual fiefdom, its owner never claimed to be independent of the United Kingdom, so Lundy can at best be described as a precursor to later territorial micronations. Another example is the Principality of Outer Baldonia, a 16-acre rocky island off the coast of Nova Scotia, founded by Russell Arundel, chairman of the Pepsi Cola Company (later: PepsiCo), in 1945 and consisting of a population of 69 fishermen.
Martin Coles Harman bought the island of Lundy in 1925 and proclaimed himself King of Lundy. ... “UK” redirects here. ... This article is about the island of Lundy, which is part of England. ... This article is about the island of Lundy, which is part of England. ... The Principality of Outer Baldonia is a now defunct micronation whose territorial pretensions comprised the roughly 4 acres of Outer Bald Tusket Island 8 nautical miles off the southern tip of Nova Scotia (Canada). ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867... PepsiCo, Incorporated (NYSE: PEP) is a global American beverage and snack company. ...

History during 1960 to 1980

The 1960s and 1970s witnessed the foundation of a number of territorial micronations. The first of these, Sealand, was established in 1967 on an abandoned World War II gun platform in the North Sea just off the East Anglian coast of England, and has survived into the present day. Others were founded on libertarian principles and involved schemes to construct artificial islands, but only three are known to have had even limited success in realizing that goal. The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... This article is about the political philosophy based on private property rights. ... Before Mexico City, Tenochtitlan was an artificial island of 250,000 (Dr Atl) Dejima, not allowed direct contact with nearby Nagasaki Formoza (Gdynia) The World in Dubai An artificial island is an island that has been formed by human, rather than natural means. ...

The Republic of Rose Island was a 400 m² platform built in 1968 in Italian national waters in the Adriatic Sea, 7 miles off the Italian town of Rimini. It is known to have issued stamps, and to have declared Esperanto to be its official language. Shortly after completion, however, it was seized and destroyed by the Italian Navy for failing to pay state taxes. A stamp issued by Rose Island and overprinted in black with Esperanto text stating Italian (military) occupation. Rose Island (Esperanto: Insulo de la Rozoj) was a short-lived micronation located on a man-made platform in the Adriatic Sea, seven miles off the coast of Rimini, Italy. ... A satellite image of the Adriatic Sea. ... Rimini is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. ... This article is about the language. ... Pre-unitarian navies of the Italian states Regia Marina - Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Italy (1861 - 1946) Marina Militare - Navy of the Italian Republic (1946 - today) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

In the late 1960s, Leicester Hemingway (aka Lester Hemingway), brother of author Ernest, was involved in another such project — a small timber platform in international waters off the west coast of Jamaica. This territory, consisting of an 8 foot by 30 foot barge, he called "New Atlantis". Hemingway was an honorary citizen and President; however, the structure was damaged by storms and finally pillaged by Mexican fishermen. In 1973, Hemingway was reported to have moved on from New Atlantis to promoting a 1,000-square-yard platform near the Bahamas. The new country was called "Tierra del Mar" (Land of the Sea). (Ernest Hemingway's adopted hometown of Key West would itself be part of another micronation; see Conch Republic.) Leicester C. Hemingway, born April 1, 1915 in Oak Park, Illinois. ... Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ... Map of Key West Key West is a city located in Monroe County, Florida. ... The Conch Republic is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek protest secession of the city of Key West from the United States on April 23, 1982. ...

The Republic of Minerva was set up in 1972 as a libertarian new-country project by Nevada businessman Michael Oliver. Oliver's group conducted dredging operations at the Minerva Reefs, a shoal located in the Pacific Ocean south of Fiji. They succeeded in creating a small artificial island, but their efforts at securing international recognition met with little success, and near-neighbour Tonga sent a military force to the area and annexed it. The Republic of Minerva was one of the few modern attempts at creating a sovereign micronation on the reclaimed land of an artificial island. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ... Michael Oliver may be: Michael Oliver (actor) Michael Oliver (writer, broadcaster) Michael Oliver (Carleton president), Canadian academic Michael Oliver (real estate), the founder of the Republic of Minerva Michael Oliver, English football referee. ... The Minerva Reefs are a group of reefs located at 23°23′S 178°58′W in the Pacific Ocean. ...

On April 1, 1977, bibliophile Richard George William Pitt Booth declared the Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye an independent kingdom with himself as its monarch. The town has subsequently developed a healthy tourism industry based on literary interests, and "King Richard" (whose sceptre consists of a recycled toilet plunger) continues to award Hay-on-Wye peerages and honors to anyone prepared to pay for them. is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Bibliophilia is the love of books. ... This article is about the country. ... Second-hand bookshop at Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye (Welsh: Y Gelli Gandryll or Y Gelli), often described as the town of books, is a market town in Brecknockshire, Wales, very close to the border with England, within the Brecon Beacons National Park. ...

Australian developments

Micronational activities were disproportionately common throughout Australia in the final three decades of the 20th century.

• The Hutt River Province Principality was founded in 1970, when Leonard Casley declared his property independent after a dispute over wheat quotas.
• 1976 witnessed the creation of the Province of Bumbunga on a rural property near Snowtown, South Australia, by an eccentric British monarchist.
• The Sovereign State of Aeterna Lucina was created in a hamlet on the New South Wales north coast in 1978.
• An anti-taxation campaigner founded the Duchy of Avram in western Tasmania in the late 1970s; "His Grace the Duke of Avram" was later elected to the Tasmanian Parliament.
• In Victoria, a long-running dispute over flood damage to farm properties led to the creation of the Independent State of Rainbow Creek in 1979.
• The Empire of Atlantium was established in Sydney, in 1981 as a non-territorial global government.
• A mortgage foreclosure dispute led George and Stephanie Muirhead of Rockhampton, Queensland, to briefly and abortively secede as the Principality of Marlborough in 1993.
• Another Australian farm tried to establish itself as a secessionist micronation on 1 May 2003 as the Principality of United Oceania.
• The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands was established in 2004 as a symbolic political protest by a group of gay rights activists based in southeast Queensland.
• The United Federation of Koronis, based in Australia, claims the Koronis family of asteroids as its territory.
• The Principality of Ponderosa, based on a small farm in Northern Victoria, achieved notoriety in 2005 when its founders — Vergilio and "Little Joe" Rigoli were convicted of tax fraud.
• The Principality of Snake Hill, founded in 2003, is located 45 km from the regional town of Mudgee, northwest of Sydney, Australia. The principality is roughly 1.6 km² in size, establishes Prince Paul as the ruler of the land, his wife as Princess Helena and his daughter as Crown Princess Paula.

The Hutt River Province Principality is Australias oldest micronation. ... The Province of Bumbunga was an Australian secessionist micronation located on a farm near Snowtown and Lochiel, (northeast of Adelaide), South Australia during the 1970s and 1980s. ... Settlement The town of Snowtown is located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km north of Adelaide at 33°47′ S 138°12′ E. The town initially grew up around the railway station at what is now Snowtown. ... The Sovereign State of Aeterna Lucina (referred to in some court transcripts as the Sovereign Humanitarian Mission State of Aeterna Lucina) was an Australian micronation that existed between the late 1970s until the death of its founder in the 1990s. ... NSW redirects here. ... The Duchy of Avram and The Grand Duchy of Avram are considered by some a micronation The Grand Duke is someimes located near the town of Sorell in the south eastern part of Australias island state, Tasmania. ... Slogan or Nickname: Island of Inspiration; The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle Motto(s): Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product... VIC redirects here. ... The arms of Rainbow Creek, depicting the scales of justice weighted towards Barnes nemesis - the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission. ... The Empire of Atlantium, based in Sydney, Australia, claims to be a progressive political advocacy group promoting the idea of world government, non-territorial sovereignty and a hybrid monarchist-republican form of government. ... This is about the city of Sydney in Australia. ... Rockhampton, sometimes abbreviated to Rocky, is a city in Central Queensland, Australia, located 42 kilometres (26 mi) inland from the Capricorn Coast on the Bruce Highway, approximately 640 kilometres (398 mi) north of Queenslands capital city, Brisbane. ... The Principality of Marlborough was a short-lived micronation located near Rockhampton, Australia in 1993. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands is a micronation established as a symbolic political protest by a group of gay rights activists based in southeast Queensland Australia. ... The Koronis family is a family of asteroids in the Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter. ... For other uses, see Asteroid (disambiguation). ...

Effects of the Internet

Micronationalism shed much of its traditionally eccentric anti-establishment mantle and took on a distinctly hobbyist perspective in the mid-1990s, when the emerging popularity of the Internet made it possible to create and promote statelike entities in an entirely electronic medium with relative ease. As a result the number of exclusively online, fantasy or simulation-based micronations expanded dramatically.

The activities of these types of micronations are almost exclusively limited to simulations of diplomatic activity (including the signing of "treaties" and participation in "supra-micronational" forums such as the League of Micronations and the Micronational News Network), the conduct and operation of simulated elections and parliaments, and participation in simulated wars — all of which are carried out through online bulletin boards, mailing lists and blogs. Some micronations also make use of online wikis. A Wiki or wiki (pronounced wicky, weekee, or veekee; see pronunciation section below) is a website (or other hypertext document collection) that allows users to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows anyone to edit the content. ...

A number of older-style territorial micronations, including the Hutt River Province, Seborga, and Sealand, maintain websites that serve largely to promote their claims and sell merchandise.

Categories

In the present day, seven main types of micronations are prevalent:

1. Social, economic, or political simulations.
2. Exercises in personal entertainment or self-aggrandisement.
3. Exercises in fantasy or creative fiction.
4. Vehicles for the promotion of an agenda.
5. Entities created for fraudulent purposes.
6. Historical anomalies and aspirant states.
7. New-country projects.

Social, economic, or political simulations

These micronations tend to have a reasonably serious intent, and often involve significant numbers of people interested in recreating the past or simulating political or social processes. Examples include:

• Talossa (Kingdom of Talossa and the Republic of Talossa), a political simulation founded in 1979, with more than 130 members ("citizens") and an invented culture and language.
• Holy Empire of Reunion (Sacro Imperio de Reuniao) — a Brazilian micronation founded in 1997 as an online constitutional monarchy simulation. It claims several dozen members around the world.
• Nova Roma, a group claiming a worldwide membership of several thousand that has minted its own coins [6], maintains its own Wiki [7], and which engages in real-life Roman-themed re-enactments.

This article is about small nations that are not recognized by any world government. ... The flag of Nova Roma, based on the colours and symbols of the Roman Empire. ...

Exercises in personal entertainment or self-aggrandisement

With literally thousands in existence, micronations of the second type are by far the most common. They exist "for fun", have few participants, are ephemeral, Internet-based, and rarely survive more than a few months — although there are notable exceptions. They are usually concerned solely with arrogating to their founders the outward symbols of statehood. The use of grand-sounding titles, awards, honours, and heraldic symbols derived from European feudal traditions, the conduct of "wars" and "diplomacy" with other micronations, and claims of being located on fantasy continents or planets are common manifestations of their activities. Examples include: This article discusses states as sovereign political entities. ...

Flag of the Aerican Empire

• The Aerican Empire, a Monty Pythonesque micronation founded in 1987 and known for its tongue-in-cheek interplanetary land claims, smiley-faced flag and a range of national holidays that includes "Topin Wagglegammon" amongst others.
• Tarsicia, a project that has undergone a mind-boggling series of reinventions by its teenage creator, including claims to be a proto-undersea kingdom.

• Republic of Molossia, a desert-based micronation located near Reno, Nevada. [8]
• The Kingdom of Lovely is an attempt by King Danny I (Danny Wallace) to create an internet nation based in his flat in London.

Image File history File links Aericaflag1. ... Image File history File links Aericaflag1. ... Capital Montreal, Canada Official languages English Government Parliamentary democracy  -  Emperor Eric C. Lis  -  Senator Randy Walker Establishment  -  Founded May 8, 1987  Area  -  Total 8 km²  3 sq mi  Population  -  01/21/2007 census 150   -  Density N/A /km² (N/A) N/A /sq mi Time zone Imperial Standard Time (UTC... Capital Montreal, Canada Official languages English Government Parliamentary democracy  -  Emperor Eric C. Lis  -  Senator Randy Walker Establishment  -  Founded May 8, 1987  Area  -  Total 8 km²  3 sq mi  Population  -  01/21/2007 census 150   -  Density N/A /km² (N/A) N/A /sq mi Time zone Imperial Standard Time (UTC... Monty Python, or The Pythons,[2][3] is the collective name of the creators of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. ... The Republic of Molossia is a micronation founded in 1977. ... Reno redirects here. ... The Kingdom of Lovely is a partly Internet-based micronation which claims the flat of its creator and ruler – the comic writer Danny Wallace – as its territory. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Exercises in fantasy or creative fiction

Micronations of the third type include stand-alone artistic projects, deliberate exercises in creative online fiction, and artistamp creations. Examples include: An artistamp (a portmanteau of the words artist and stamp) or artists stamp refers to a postage stamp-like artform. ...

• The Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a small European kingdom depicted in the book: "The Mouse That Roared".
• Lizbekistan, a popular Internet-based project created by Australian artist Liz Stirling.
• Upper Yafa and Oecussi-Ambeno, two micronations using the names of real territories within Yemen and East Timor repectively. Part of an extraordinarily diverse and entertaining array of micronations invented by prolific New Zealand-based artistamp producer Bruce Grenville since the early 1970s.
• Aristasia[9] a fully developed Feminine Empire with two legal sexes "blonde and brunette". Maps, flags and other regalia exist as well as an extensive lore and philosophy. Aristasia has existed since the 1970s and has physical "embassies" in various countries.
• The Republic of Howland, Baker and Jarvis, a highly developed web-based alternative reality project developed by Stephen Abbott named for three uninhabited US minor outlying islands.
• The Grand Duchy of the Lagoan Isles is the creation of a self-styled Grand Duke Louis, who claims that three tiny islands in a Portsmouth pond are not owned by the local council, and so has declared them an independent state. These islands have been the subject of a book 'Micronations' by Lonely Planet and website.
• The nation of NSK — Neue Slowenische Kunst, a nation created by a number of Slovene artists who satirically claim to be part of a voluntary totalitarian collective, among them Laibach.
• In the 1948 Margaret Rutherford / Stanley Holloway movie Passport to Pimlico, the then-London Borough of Pimlico supposedly declares independence from Britain and becomes a micronation.
• The Republic of Kugelmugel, founded by an Austrian artist and based in a ball-shaped house in Vienna, which quickly became a tourist attraction.
• The Copeman Empire, run from a caravan park in Norfolk, England, by its founder Nick Copeman, who changed his name by deed poll to HM King Nicholas I. He and his empire are the subject of a book (ISBN 0-09-189920-6 ) and a website.
• La Republique de Rêves, a combined exercise in fiction and art by G. Garfield Crimmins.
• San Serriffe, an April Fool's Day hoax created by the British newspaper The Guardian, in its April 1, 1977 edition. The fictional island nation was described in an elaborate seven-page supplement and has been revisited by the newspaper several times.
• Republic of Saugeais (République du Saugeais), a fifty-year-old "republic" in the French département of Doubs, bordering Switzerland. The republic is made of the 11 municipalities of Les Allies, Arcon, Bugny, La Chaux-de-Gilley, Gilley, Hauterive-la-Fresne, La Longeville, Montflovin, Maisons-du-Bois-Lievremont, Ville-du-Pont, and its capital Montbenoit. It had a "president" — Georgette Bertin-Pourchet, elected in 2006 — a "prime minister" and numerous "citizens". It was born from a joke between a Sauget resident and the local Préfet.
• Walter Battiss created Fook Island as a pastiche of many places that he had visited.

A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess. ... The Duchy of Grand Fenwick is a tiny fictional country created by Leonard Wibberley in a series of comedic novels beginning with The Mouse That Roared (1955), which was later made into a film. ... The Mouse that Roared is a 1955 novel by Irish writer Leonard Wibberley that launched a series of satirical books about a fictional European nation called the Duchy of Grand Fenwick. ... Map of the Federation of South Arabia Upper Yafa, Upper Yafai (Arabic: يافع العليا []), or the Sultanate of Upper Yafa (Arabic: سلطنة يافع العليا []), was a state in the Aden Protectorate. ... Oecussi-Ambeno (also variously Ocussi, Oekussi, Oekusi, Okusi, Oé-Cusse) is a district of East Timor. ... An artistamp (a portmanteau of the words artist and stamp) or artists stamp refers to a postage stamp-like artform. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Howland Island Howland Island is an uninhabited atoll located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean at 0°48′N 176°38′W, about 3,100 km (1,675 nautical miles) southwest of Honolulu. ... Baker Island is an uninhabited atoll located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean at 0°13′N 176°31′W, about 3,100 km (1,675 nautical miles) southwest of Honolulu. ... Jarvis Island (formerly also known as Bunker Island[1]) is an uninhabited 4. ... The flag of the United States is used for all of the United States Minor Outlying Islands The United States Minor Outlying Islands, a statistical designation defined by ISO 3166-1, consists of nine insular United States possessions: All of these islands are in the Pacific Ocean except Navassa Island... For other places with the same name, see Portsmouth (disambiguation). ... Logo of Neue Slowenische Kunst Neue Slowenische Kunst (a German phrase meaning New Slovenian Art), aka NSK, is a controversial political art collective that announced itself in Slovenia in 1984, when Slovenia was still part of Yugoslavia. ... Laibach is a Slovenian experimental music group, strongly associated with industrial, martial and neo-classical. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dame Margaret Rutherford DBE (11 May 1892–22 May 1972) was an English Academy Award-winning character actress who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Cowards Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest. ... Stanley Augustus Holloway (October 1, 1890 - January 30, 1982) was an English actor and entertainer famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred Doolittle in My Fair Lady. ... A British comedy film Passport To Pimlico (Ealing Studios made in 1948). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Look up Borough in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster that is primarily residential and well known for its collection of small hotels. ... The Republic of Kugelmugel Another view of Kugelmugel Kugelmugel is a micronation located in Vienna, Austria. ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ... For alternative meanings see: Norfolk (disambiguation) Norfolk (pronounced NOR-fk) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... Nick Copeman / HM King Nicholas I Nicholas Henry John Copeman, born January 6, 1979, is a situation-based prankster turned author. ... A deed poll is a legal document binding only to a single person or several person acted jointly to express an active intention. ... King Nicholas and the Copeman Empire is a memoir by Nick Copeman, published in July 2005, by Random House. ... San Serriffe is a fictional island nation created for April Fools Day. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... The Republic of Saugeais (French: La République du Saugeais) is a long-lived micronation located in western France, in the département of Doubs. ... This article refers to the French department; for other meanings see Doubs (disambiguation). ... Walter Wahl Battiss (January 6, 1906 - August 20, 1982) was a South African artist, generally considered the foremost South African abstract painter and known as the creator of the quirky Fook Island concept. ...

Vehicles for agenda promotion

These types of micronation are typically associated with a political or social reform agenda. Some are maintained as media and public relations exercises, and examples of this type include: // Dictionary. ...

• The Kingdom of Barbaria, established on Giant's Tomb Island, Georgian Bay (Lake Huron), Canada, in 1974 by disgruntled high school students from a nearby town.
• The Global State of Waveland, established on the North Atlantic island of Rockall by Greenpeace protesters in 1997.
• The Conch Republic, which began in 1982 as a protest by residents and business owners in the Florida Keys against a United States Border Patrol roadblock. It has since been maintained as a tourism booster, though the group has engaged in other protests.
• The Kingdom of L'Anse-Saint-Jean, started to promote tourism in a small Quebec town.
• The Republik Freies Wendland, founded 1980 as part of a campaign to prevent the construction of a nuclear waste disposal facility in Gorleben, in the Wendland (northern Germany).
• The Independent State of Aramoana, a secessionist state founded in 1980 to oppose the proposed construction of an aluminium smelter in an environmentally sensitive area of New Zealand.
• The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, founded in June 2004 on the uninhabited Coral Sea Islands off the coast of Queensland, in response to the Australian government's refusal to recognize same-sex marriage.
• The Republic of New Afrika, a controversial separatist group seeking the creation of an independent black nationalist state across much of the southern USA.
• The "conceptual country" of Nutopia, declared by John Lennon in 1973, a "state" designed to uphold Lennon's ideals such as those portrayed in "Imagine". This declaration was done to advocate Lennon's philosophies, and is believed to also be intended partly to protest the trouble Lennon was having immigrating to the United States.
• The Maritime Republic of Eastport, a part of the City of Annapolis, Maryland, that "seceded" from the rest of the city. It still exists as a charitable and publicity vehicle, and runs a unique fund-raiser in the form of a cross-water Tug of War.
• Proposed demolition and redevelopment of the Freston Road area in north Kensington in 1977 prompted the local residents to declare independence as Frestonia (see [10] [11]). This delayed the redevelopment scheme and forced the Greater London Council to renegotiate.
• Protesters against the M11 motorway link road through Wanstead in north-east London in 1994 proclaimed two areas of squatted homes to be the Republics of Wanstonia and Euphoria.

Rockall, a small, isolated rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean Rockall is a small uninhabited rocky islet in the North Atlantic and one of the sea areas named in the Shipping Forecast broadcast on BBC Radio 4. ... Greenpeace protest against Esso / Exxon Mobil. ... The Conch Republic is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek protest secession of the city of Key West from the United States on April 23, 1982. ... Palm trees in Islamorada The Florida Keys is an archipelago of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... LAnse-Saint-Jean is a small town, population 1269 (2001) in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ... Gorleben is a small municipality (Gemeinde) in the Gartow region of the Lüchow-Dannenberg district in the far north-east of Lower Saxony, Germany, a region also known as the Wendland. ... Throughout history, there has been different usage of the term (ON.) Wendland, Vendland, Ventheland or (Lat. ... Stamps issued in 1981 by Aramoana to raise funds for the anti-smelter campaign. ... The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands is a micronation established as a symbolic political protest by a group of gay rights activists based in southeast Queensland Australia. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... See also Civil union Registered partnership Domestic partnership Timeline of same-sex marriage Listings by country This box:      Same-sex marriage is not recognised under Australian federal law. ... The Republic of New Africa flag is that first used by Marcus Garvey. ... Black nationalism is a political and social movement prominent in the 1960s and early 70s among African Americans in the United States. ... A concept is an abstract, universal psychical entity that serves to designate a category or class of entities, events or relations. ... Nutopia is a conceptual country created by John Lennon and Yoko Ono on April Fools Day 1973. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Imagine is a utopian-themed song performed by John Lennon, which appears on his 1971 album, Imagine. ... In 1998 the Maryland Highway administration announced it would close the bridge linking the neighborhood of Eastport to the rest of the City of Annapolis, Maryland, USA for repairs. ... City nickname: Americas Sailing Capital Location in the state of Maryland Founded 1649 Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 19. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N... For other uses, see Kensington (disambiguation). ... An area around Freston Road, Notting Hill, that declared independence from Great Britain in the late 1970s. ... Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ... The M11 link road protest was an anti-road campaign in London, UK in the early 1990s. ... This page is about the M11 motorway in England. ... , Wanstead is a suburban area in the London Borough of Redbridge, East London. ... As part of the M11 link road protest, on 13 January 1994, squatted houses at 2-12, Cambridge Park and 106, Eastern Avenue, in Wanstead declared themselves the Independent Free Area of Wanstonia as independent from the UK. There is some debate as to whether this was a sincere or...

Entities created for allegedly fraudulent purposes

A number of micronations have been established for fraudulent purposes, by seeking to link questionable or illegal financial actions with seemingly legitimate nations.

• The Territory of Poyais was invented by Scottish adventurer and South American independence hero Gregor MacGregor in the early 19th century. On the basis of a land grant made to him by the Anglophile native King of the Mosquito people in what is present-day Honduras, MacGregor wove one of history's most elaborate hoaxes, managing to charm the highest levels of London's political and financial establishment with tales of the bucolic, resource-rich country he claimed to rule as a benevolent sovereign prince, or "Cazique", when he arrived in the UK in 1822. MacGregor's appointed diplomatic representatives were even received at the Court of St. James, and thousands of investors subsequently parted with hundreds of thousands of pounds (equivalent to many millions today) in exchange for Poyaisian bonds, land grants, and official government appointments and commissions. The hoax was exposed when several shiploads of immigrants arrived at "Poyais" to find a fetid, uninhabited swamp instead of the thriving European-style metropolis that MacGregor's guidebooks and maps had led them to expect. Hundreds died of disease, and the remainder relocated to Belize — yet amazingly, MacGregor escaped prosecution, lived out his days in Venezuela, and was honoured with a state funeral upon his demise.

• The Dominion of Melchizedek has been widely condemned for promoting fraudulent banking activities and other financial scams, and for the involvement by one of its founders in the attempted secession of the Fijian island of Rotuma.^[1]

• New Utopia, operated by Oklahoma City longevity promoter Howard Turney as a libertarian new country project was stopped by a United States federal court temporary restraining order from selling bonds and bank licenses. New Utopia has claimed for a number of years to be on the verge of commencing construction of an artificial island territory located approximately midway between Honduras and Cuba, on the Misteriosa Bank but no such project has yet been undertaken.

• The Kingdom of EnenKio, which claims Wake Atoll in the Marshall Islands belonging to the US minor outlying islands, has been condemned for selling passports and diplomatic papers by the governments of the Marshall Islands and of the United States. ^[2] On April 23, 1998, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Marshall Islands issued an official Circular Note, denouncing representatives of both "EnenKio" and "Melchizedek" for making fraudulent representations. ^[3]

• Another micronation associated with fraudulent activities was the United Kingdom of Atlantis, which operated a website that ceased to function in 2005, and which claimed to be located in the Pacific Ocean near Australia. The "kingdom" published maps of its alleged location; however, the islands shown did not exist. Atlantis' leader, the self-styled Sheikh Yakub Al-Sheikh Ibrahim, was wanted in the US for various crimes including fraud and money laundering. At one point, Atlantis sent a delegation to Palau to offer a low interest loan of $100 million. ^[4]

Gregor MacGregor (December 24, 1786 – early December 3, 1845) was a Scottish soldier, adventurer and colonizer who fought in the South American struggle for independence. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Court of St Jamess is the popular name of the royal court of the United Kingdom. ... The Dominion of Melchizedek (DoM) is a micronation that has been accused of being linked to large scale banking fraud in many parts of the world. ... In the broadest sense, a fraud is a deception made for personal gain. ... Rotuma is a Fijian Dependency, consisting of the island of Rotuma and the nearby islets of Hatana, Hofliua, Solkope, Solnohu and Uea. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the political philosophy based on private property rights. ... The Misteriosa Bank is an underwater reef in the Caribbean Sea - approximately equidistant from Mexico, Honduras and Cuba, with a surface area of over 400 square kilometres with an average depth of 20 metres. ... Separatist flag of EnenKio The Kingdom of EnenKio, or EnenKio for short, is a small separatist group of Marshall Islander heritage who lay claim to the United States unincorporated territory of Wake Island. ... USGS Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite image of Wake Island. ... The flag of the United States is used for all of the United States Minor Outlying Islands The United States Minor Outlying Islands, a statistical designation defined by ISO 3166-1, consists of nine insular United States possessions: All of these islands are in the Pacific Ocean except Navassa Island...

Historical anomalies and aspirant states

A small number of micronations are founded on historical anomalies or eccentric interpretations of law. This category includes:

• Sovereign Military Order of Malta, considered to be the main successor to the medieval Knights Hospitaller who were founded in 1080. Today they operate as a largely religious, charitable and hospitaller organization. It retains its claims of sovereignty under international law and, unique among micronations, they have been granted permanent observer status at the United Nations.

• Berwick upon Tweed, an English town which, according to an apocryphal story, was technically at war with Russia between 1856 and 1966.

• Seborga, a town in the Italian region of Liguria, near the southern end of the border with France, which traces its history back to the Middle Ages.

• Tavolara, an island off the northeast coast of Sardinia, which in 1836 was recognized as a kingdom by Charles Albert of Sardinia and was never formally annexed by Italy.

• The Hutt River Province Principality (formerly "Hutt River Province"), a farm in Western Australia which claims to have seceded from Australia to become an independent principality with a worldwide population numbered in the tens of thousands.

• The Principality of Sealand, a World War II-era anti-aircraft platform built in the North Sea beyond Britain's then territorial limit, seized by a pirate radio group in 1967 as a base for their operations, and currently used as the site of a secure web-hosting facility. Sealand has continued to promote its independence by issuing stamps, money, and appointing an official national athlete. It is one of the only micronations currently recognised by the United Kingdom and other European countries. For example, understandably it evades any form of applicable British tax, has previously used firearms for defence against intruders (with no legal problems) and has successfully imprisoned a man of German nationality. When Germany protested to The British Government, the UK denied all responsibility (citing a previous decision to leave Sealand alone) and release was agreed between the German Government and Sealand for a sum of money.

• Llanrwst, a town in North Wales declared a "free borough" by a Welsh prince which unsuccessfully applied to the United Nations in 1947 and has the motto "Cymru, Lloegr a Llanrwst" (English: Wales, England and Llanrwst) as testament to its apparent independence.

• Republic of Indian Stream, now the town of Pittsburg, New Hampshire — A geographic anomaly left unresolved by Treaty of Paris that ended the U.S. Revolutionary War, and claimed by both the U.S. and Canada. Between 1832 and 1835, the area's residents refused to acknowledge either claimant.

• The splinter group Republic of Texas claims that the original Republic of Texas was never properly annexed by the United States.

• The Free State Bottleneck (German: Freistaat Flaschenhals) was formed in 1919 following the Allied occupation of the western Rhineland in post-WWI Germany. To establish a military presence on the eastern side of the Rhine, bridgeheads of a 30 km radius were established from the regional Allied headquarters of Koblenz and Mainz. Due to an error in measurement, this left a small piece of land that was surrounded by these bridgeheads but now cut off from the rest of unoccupied Germany. This micronation — called Bottleneck, owing to its shape from the circular bridgeheads — existed until 1923 and is now part of the modern German state of Hesse.

• The Free Republic of Schwarzenberg Was formed by a conglomerate of anti-fascist action groups on May 18, 1945 because it was never occupied by the Soviet and American occupiers, but needed some form of government. Resolved on June 24, 1945 when the Soviets finally occupied the area.

These types of micronations are usually located on small (usually disputed) territorial enclaves, generate limited economic activity founded on tourism and philatelic and numismatic sales, and are tolerated or ignored by the nations from which they claim to have seceded. Motto Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum(Latin) Defence of the faith and assistance to the poor Anthem (Latin) Hail, thou White Cross Capital Palazzo Malta, Rome Official languages Italian Government  -  Grand Master Fra Andrew Bertie Currency Scudo The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The Knights Hospitaller (also known as the , Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Knights of Malta, Knights of Rhodes, and Chevaliers of Malta; French: Ordre des Hospitaliers) is a Christian organization that began as an Amalfitan hospital founded in Jerusalem in 1080 to provide... Berwick-upon-Tweed , situated in the county of Northumberland, is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the river Tweed, situated 2. ... City motto: Sub umbra sedi (Latin: Sit in the Shade) Founded 954 Region Liguria Province Imperia Mayor Franco Fogliarini from 05/31/2001 Nearest Commons Ospedaletti, Perinaldo, Sanremo, Vallebona Area  4 km² Altitude 500 Latitude 43° 50 43 Longitude 7° 42 0 Population  362 Density 85 Habitants Name seborghini... Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. ... Tavolara Island. ... For the place in the United States, see Sardinia, Ohio. ... Charles Albert of Sardinia Charles Albert (October 2, 1798 – July 28, 1849) was the Duke of Savoy, Piedmont, Aosta and King of Sardinia from 1831 to 1849. ... The Hutt River Province Principality is Australias oldest micronation. ... Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State or the Golden State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Ken Michael Premier Alan Carpenter (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 15  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2005-06)  - Product ($m)  $107,910 (4th)  - Product per capita  $53,134/person... A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a Monarch with the title of prince or princess (a synonym is princedom) or (in the widest sense) a Monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince. ... The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Llanrwst (pronounced , or approximately hlanROOST) is a small town and Community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in the county borough of Conwy, traditional county of Denbighshire, North Wales. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... Map showing location of the Republic of Indian Stream. ... Painting by Benjamin West depicting (from left to right) John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. ... Republic of Texas logo used in some of their documents and Web sites The Republic of Texas is an independence movement that claims that the annexation of Texas by the United States was illegal and that Texas remains an independent nation under occupation. ... For the latter day independence movement surrounding Texas, see Republic of Texas (group). ... Capital Lorch Government Republic President E. Pnischeck Historical era Interwar period  - Established 10 January 1919  - Abolished 23 February 1923 Population  - 1920 est. ... The Rhineland (Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Rhine (disambiguation). ... For other places with the same name, see Koblenz (disambiguation) Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German spellings; French Coblence) is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument (Emperor William I on horseback... Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE7 Capital Wiesbaden Largest city Frankfurt Minister-President Roland Koch (CDU) Governing party CDU Votes in Bundesrat 5 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  21,100 km² (8,147 sq mi) Population 6,077,000 (08/2006)[1]  - Density... The Free Republic of Schwarzenberg (German: Freie Republik Schwarzenberg) was a de facto independent entity that existed for several weeks after the German capitulation on May 8, 1945. ... Anti-Fascism is a belief and practice of opposing all forms of Fascism. ... Tourist redirects here. ... Close examination of the Penny Red, left, reveals a 148 in the margin, indicating that it was printed with plate #148. ... Numismatics (ancient Greek: νομισματική) is the scientific study of money and its history in all its varied forms. ...

New-country projects

New-country projects are attempts to found completely new nation-states. They typically involve plans to construct artificial islands (few of which are ever realised), and a large percentage have embraced or purported to embrace libertarian or democratic principles. Examples include: See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... For other uses, see Democracy (disambiguation). ...

• Operation Atlantis, an early 1970s New York-based libertarian group that built a concrete-hulled ship called Freedom, which they sailed to the Caribbean, intending to anchor it permanently there as their "territory". The ship sank in a hurricane and the project foundered with it.
• Republic of Minerva, another libertarian project that succeeded in building a small man-made island on the Minerva Reefs south of Fiji in 1972 before being ejected by troops from Tonga, who later formally annexed it.
• Principality of Freedonia, a libertarian project that tried to lease territory from the Sultan of Awdal in Somaliland in 2001. Resulting public dissatisfaction led to rioting, and the reported death of a Somali.
• Oceania (also known as "The Atlantis Project", but unrelated to the 1970s project listed above), another libertarian artificial island project that raised US $400,000 before going bankrupt in 1994. ^[5]

Operation Atlantis was a project developed with the intent of establishing a libertarian country on unowned international waters. ... West Indies redirects here. ... The Republic of Minerva was one of the few modern attempts at creating a sovereign micronation on the reclaimed land of an artificial island. ... The Principality of Freedonia is a micronation based on libertarian principles. ... For other territories formerly called Somaliland, see Somaliland (disambiguation). ...

Academic, literary and media attention

There has been a small but growing amount of attention paid to the micronation phenomenon in recent years. Most interest in academic circles has been concerned with studying the apparently anomalous legal situations affecting such entities as Sealand and the Hutt River Province, in exploring how some micronations represent grassroots political ideas, and in the creation of role-playing entities for instructional purposes. The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius. ... The Hutt River Province Principality is Australias oldest micronation. ...

In 2000, Professor Fabrice O'Driscoll, of the Aix-Marseille University, published a book about micronations: "Ils ne siègent pas à l'ONU" ("They are not in the United Nations"), with more than 300 pages dedicated to the subject. The three Universities of Aix-Marseille, situated in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille for over five centuries, are the successors to the original establishments created in the region during the 19th century. ...

In May 2000, an article in the New York Times entitled "Utopian Rulers, and Spoofs, Stake Out Territory Online" brought the phenomenon to a wider audience for the first time. Similar articles were published by newspapers such as the French "Liberation", Italian La Repubblica, Greek "Ta Nea", O Estado de São Paulo in Brazil and Portugal's Visão at around the same time. The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

Several recent publications have dealt with the subject of particular historic micronations, including Republic of Indian Stream (University Press), by Dartmouth College geographer Daniel Doan, and The Land that Never Was, about Gregor MacGregor and the Principality of Poyais, by David Sinclair (Review, 2003, ISBN 0-7553-1080-2 ). Dartmouth College is a private, coeducational university located in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Incorporated as Trustees of Dartmouth College,[6][7] it is a member of the Ivy League and one of the nine colonial colleges founded before the American Revolution. ...

In August 2003, a summit of micronations took place in Helsinki at Finlandia Hall, the site of the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). The summit was attended by delegations of the Principality of Sealand, the Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland, NSK-State in Time, Ladonia, the Transnational Republic, the State of Sabotage and by scholars from various academic institutions. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius. ... Logo of Neue Slowenische Kunst Neue Slowenische Kunst (a German phrase meaning New Slovenian Art), aka NSK, is a controversial political art collective that announced itself in Slovenia in 1984, when Slovenia was still part of Yugoslavia. ... Anthem: Two unnamed anthems1 Capital Nimis and Arx Official languages Phrased Latin2 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Ywonne I Jarl  -  President Kicki Hankell Independence from Sweden   -  Declared June 2, 1996  Area  -  Total 1 km²   sq mi  Population  -   census 0   -  Density 0 /km² (0) 0 /sq mi Currency Örtug3 (no code) Time... The TRansnational Republic (TR) is a micronation founded in 2001 and is the result of an interesting shift by a group of anti-top-down-globalizers to form a new instrument to obtain political influence. ...

From 7 November through 17 December 2004, the Reg Vardy Gallery at the University of Sunderland (UK) hosted an exhibition on the subject of micronational group identity and symbolism. The exhibition focused on numismatic, philatelic and vexillological artifacts, as well as other symbols and instruments created and used by a number of micronations from the 1950s through to the present day. A summit of micronations conducted as part of this exhibition was attended by representatives of Sealand, Elgaland-Vargaland, New Utopia, Atlantium, Frestonia and Fusa. The exhibition was reprised at the Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York City from 24 June–29 July of the following year. Another exhibition about micronations opened at Paris' Palais de Tokyo in early 2007. is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... St Peters Campus The University of Sunderland is located in the City of Sunderland in North East England. ... Numismatics (ancient Greek: νομισματική) is the scientific study of money and its history in all its varied forms. ... Close examination of the Penny Red, left, reveals a 148 in the margin, indicating that it was printed with plate #148. ... Flag of the Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques. ... The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Empire of Atlantium, based in Sydney, Australia, claims to be a progressive political advocacy group promoting the idea of world government, non-territorial sovereignty and a hybrid monarchist-republican form of government. ... An area around Freston Road, Notting Hill, that declared independence from Great Britain in the late 1970s. ... County Hordaland Landscape Midhordland Municipality NO-1241 Administrative centre Eikelandsosen Mayor (2003) Hans S Vindenes (Sp) Official language form Nynorsk Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 246 379 km² 355 km² 0. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Palais de Tokyo is a contemporary art museum in Paris, France. ...

The Sunderland summit was later featured in a 5-part BBC light entertainment television series called How to Start Your Own Country presented by Danny Wallace. The series told the story of Wallace's experience of founding a micronation, Lovely, located in his London flat. It screened in the UK in August 2005. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... How To Start Your Own Country was a six-part British television series aired by the BBC at 10:00pm from August 3, 2005, until September 6, 2005. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Kingdom of Lovely is a partly Internet-based micronation which claims the flat of its creator and ruler – the comic writer Danny Wallace – as its territory. ...

Similar programmes have also aired on television networks in other parts of Europe. In France, several Canal+ programmes have centred around the satirical Presipality of Groland, while in Belgium a series by Rob Vanoudenhoven and broadcast on the Flemish commercial network VTM in April 2006 was reminiscent of Wallace's series, and centred around the producer's creation of Robland. Among other things Vanoudenhoven minted his own coins denominated in "Robbies". Canal+ (Canal Plus, meaning Channel Plus/More in French) is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. ...

On September 9th 2006, The Guardian newspaper reported that the travel guide company Lonely Planet had published the world's first travel guide devoted to micronations. For other uses, see Guardian. ... Lonely Planet logo Lonely Planet Publications (usually known as Lonely Planet or LP for short) claims to be the largest independently owned travel guidebook publisher in the world. ... The following is a list of travel guides and web sites with substantial international coverage. ...

See also

• List of micronations
• Microstate

The following is intended as a comprehensive list of micronations that are documented in both online and offline third-party sources as having some form of interaction with the real world, or which have had some manner of impact on real world events. ... A microstate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very little land area - usually both. ...

General entries

• Simulation / Simulation game
• Ocean colonisation
• Space colonisation
• Pirate utopias
• Temporary Autonomous Zones (TAZ)
• Imaginary country — "countries" created mostly by artistamp producers.

This article is about the general term. ... A screenshot from The Sims: Deluxe Edition. ... Ocean colonization is the theoretical practice of building structures to allow humans to live permanently in areas of Earth covered in water; whether floating on the surface of the ocean, secured to the ocean floor, or somewhere in between. ... Artists conception of a space habitat called the Stanford torus Space colonization, also called space settlement and space humanization, is the hypothetical permanent autonomous (self-sufficient) human habitation of locations outside Earth. ... Pirate utopias were described by historian Peter Lamborn Wilson in his eponymous 1995 book. ... T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism is Hakim Beys most famous work. ... An imaginary country or fantasy country is often important in mail art, as it issues its own artistamps. ... An artistamp (a portmanteau of the words artist and stamp) or artists stamp refers to a postage stamp-like artform. ...

Related concepts

• List of fictional countries — places that are locations for fictional stories in literature and film.
• Joshua A. Norton — San Francisco resident who proclaimed himself "Emperor of the United States".
• Partenia — a cyber-diocese with a real Roman Catholic bishop.
• Passport to Pimlico — a film in which the London neighbourhood of Pimlico proclaims itself independent.
• Cascadia — A regional Pacific Northwest (North America) secession movement.
• Italian Regency of Carnaro, now Rijeka (Fiume), a seaport in Croatia that was ruled for a short time (1919.-1920.) by Italian nationalist poet Gabriele D'Annunzio
• Christiania — a partially self-governing neighborhood in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Hartola — a small Finnish town with anomalous claim to being a royal parish of the Swedish monarchy.
• Jones County, Mississippi — rebelled against the Confederacy.
• Winston County, Alabama — rebelled against the Confederacy.
• Winn Parish, Louisiana Union enclave in Confederate state.
• Bantustan — quasi-independent homelands in South Africa.
• List of U.S. state secession proposals

List of fictional countries is a list of fictional countries from published works of fiction (books, films, television series, etc. ... Joshua Abraham Norton ( 1819[2] – January 8, 1880), also known as His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco, California who proclaimed himself Emperor of these United States[3] and later Protector of Mexico in 1859. ... Partenia is a diocese in Algeria. ... A British comedy film Passport To Pimlico (Ealing Studios made in 1948). ... Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster that is primarily residential and well known for its collection of small hotels. ... One popular proposed flag for Cascadia. ... DAnnunzio as the Duce of Fiume The Italian Regency of Carnaro (Reggenza Italiana del Carnaro in Italian) was proclaimed as a state by Gabriele DAnnunzio in Fiume, now the city of Rijeka in Croatia, on September 8, 1920. ... Gabriele dAnnunzio (12 March 1863, Pescara – 1 March 1938, Gardone Riviera, province of Brescia) was an Italian poet, writer, novelist, dramatist and daredevil, who went on to have a controversial role in politics as a precursor of the fascist movement. ... Nickname: Country Denmark Region Hovedstaden City Copenhagen Squatted 1971 Legalized 1995 Government  - Type Consensus democracy Area  - Land 0. ... For other uses, see Copenhagen (disambiguation). ... Hartola (Gustav Adolfs in Swedish) is a municipality of Finland. ... Jones County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. ... Winston County is a county of the State of Alabama. ... Winn Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Map of the black homelands in South Africa as of 1986 Map of the black homelands in Namibia as of 1978 Bantustan is a territory designated as a tribal homeland for black South Africans and Namibians during the apartheid era. ... This is a list of U.S. state secession proposals; that is, a list of official or otherwise noteworthy proposals for dividing existing U.S. states into multiple states. ...

References and notes

References

• Ref United Oceania: Australian Daily Telegraph, Thursday, 24 July 2003, page 20, "Prince finds if all else fails, secede".
• E. S. Strauss: How to start your own country, ISBN 0-915179-01-6 , ISBN 1-893626-15-6.
• Samuel Pyeatt Menefee, "Republics of the Reefs": Nation-Building on the Continental Shelf and in the World's Oceans, California Western International Law Journal, vol. 25, no. 1, Fall, 1994, pp. 81-111.
• It's Good to Be King Wired 8.03 March 2000.
• Kochta/Kalleinen (Ed.): Amorph!03 Summit of Micronations – Documents/Asiakirjoja, 2003, ISBN 3-936919-45-3.
• The Sydney Morning Herald — Good Weekend, "If at first you don't secede..." by Mark Dapin, , 12 February 2005, pp 47-50.
• The Daily Telegraph (UK), "Mini-states Down Under are sure they can secede" by Nick Squires, 24 February 2005.
• iberkshires.com "Bite-sized sovereignties offer worlds of fun", by Kathy Ceceri, 2 February 2005.
• * Ref Republic of Saugeais: Office du Tourisme du canton de Montbenoît, 25 November 2004.
• Autopia, Saya de Malha Bank.
• Nations Come Together at Sunderland — Sunderland, UK exhibition.
• Andrew Kreps Gallery — New York City exhibition.
• Peter Needham. "Born to rule", The Australian, 2006-09-26. 
• [12] — Building Blog article on the Lonely Planet book The Lonely Planet Guide to Micronations

is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Australian is a national daily broadsheet newspaper published by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Lonely Planet logo Lonely Planet Publications (usually known as Lonely Planet or LP for short) claims to be the largest independently owned travel guidebook publisher in the world. ...

External links

• Micronations: An Introduction Overview of the Micronation Phenomenon, taken from 'Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations'.
• Believe, and Be Happy: An Interview with John Ryan, George Dunford & Simon Sellars Interview with the authors of 'Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations', featuring a discussion of micronational concepts and their real-world importance.
• DIY Sovereignty and the Popular Right in Australia — University paper discussing the prevalence of right wing political ideologies among Australian micronations.
• Footnotes to History — list of failed secessionist states, alternative governments and other historical oddities
• Imperial Collection — Comprehensive online catalogue of stamps, coins, banknotes, awards and ephemera issued by various secessionist states and micronations.
• The Microfreedom Index On-line directory of micronation, independence and seditionist websites
• Micronations in the media — A selection of newspaper reports about micronations, scanned from the original publications.
• Micronations.net — Online micronational portal and resources
• The Micronations Page
• #micronations — IRC chatroom associated with online micronations (this link is for Java-based page)
• MicroWiki — Wiki focused on online micronations
• The Micronations Wikia aka MicroWiki
• Numismondo website with information about various micronation banknotes.
• Unrecognised States Numismatic Society — coin club specialising in coins and banknotes from micronations.
• Micronational Cartography Society (MCS) — an online community with invented map for existing micronations to "claim" land on
• Geographical Standards Organisation (GSO) — another online community with map for nations to "claim" land on, seen as the MCS's biggest "competitor" in micronational "mapping"
• The Kingdom of Morovia

Wikibooks' Making an Island has more about this subject:

Declaring Independence

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Micronation

• /Flags Of Micronations