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WORLD
STATESMEN.org
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Self-Proclaimed Micronations
Note: This page is about a
small number of entities that are mostly historical
anomalies and aspirant states founded on historical
anomalies or eccentric interpretations of law. This
page is about entities that are not recognized by
world governments or major international
organizations. For information on countries that are
generally recognized, but are geographically tiny such
as Nauru, Vatican City, or San Marino, see
microstates. Micronations – sometimes also referred to
as cybernations, fantasy countries, model countries,
and new country projects – are entities that resemble
independent nations or states, but for the most part
exist only on paper, on the Internet, or in the minds
of their creators. Some micronations have managed to
extend some of their operations into the real world:
examples of this may include currency, flags, postage,
etc. These trappings of the more widely accepted
nations and states of the "real world" may serve to
enhance the suspension of disbelief for people both
inside and outside of the micronations in question.
The term "micronation" is a
neologism originating in the 1990's to describe the
many thousands of small, unrecognized state-like
entities that have arisen mostly since that time. The
term has since also come to be used retroactively to
refer to earlier unrecognized entities, some of which
date as far back as the 19th century. In recent years
the term "micropatrology" has been used by some to
describe the study of micronations; it is not a formal
academic discipline.
Micronations should be
distinguished from various entities which exercise
effective governmental and military control over a
territory, despite not being recognized as a state by
most or all other states. Examples of such entities
would include South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and
Transnistria, or many parts of the world controlled by
rebel guerrilla groups. By contrast, micronations do
not exercise effective military or governmental
control of any more than a very small area (e.g. the
private property of its founders), if that. These
criteria distinguish micronations from imaginary
countries, eco-villages, campuses, tribes, clans,
sects, and residential community associations, which
do not usually seek to be recognized as sovereign.
Micronations should also be distinguished from
entities that have diplomatic relations with other
recognized nation-states of the world without being
formally recognized themselves by many nation-states
or major international bodies (such as the UN).
Examples of this include Taiwan, Tibet, and Palestine.
By contrast, micronations do not generally have
diplomatic relations with recognized nation-states of
the world or major international bodies (such as the
UN).
Disclaimer: This page does
not formally recognize, support or endorse these
polities or any money making schemes they
operate.
Hutt River
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- Adopted 1970
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Map
of Hutt River
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Hear
National Anthem
"Hutt River
National Anthem"
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Text
of National Anthem
Adopted 1984
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Constitution
(1 Oct 2005/1 Jan 2011)
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Capital:
Nain
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Currencies:
Hutt River Dollar;
Australian Dollar (AUD)
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National
Holiday: 21 Apr (1970)
Independence Day
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Population:
30 (2017)
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GDP: $N/A
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Exports:
$N/A
Imports: $N/A
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Ethnic groups:
European, Aboriginal
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Total Armed
Forces: None
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Religions:
Anglican, other
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International
Organizations/Treaties: None |
Hutt
River Index
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Chronology
21 Apr
1970
Province of Hutt River; declares
secession from
the State of Western
Australia and
from Australia
(not formally recognized by
Australia or Western Australia).
1970
Hutt River
Province Principality
23 Nov
1977
George F. Hamm laid claim to part of
Antarctica in
the name of the Sovereign
of Hutt River while on
on the Qantas 707 South
Magnetic Pole flight.
1 Oct 2005
Principality of Hutt River Province
12 Sep 2006
Principality of
Hutt River
31 Jan
2020
Suspends all government external
services and
closes the border due to the Covid-19
pandemic.
3 Aug 2020
Announcement that the
government will dissolve and
once again become part of Australia.
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Hutt
River website
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Administrator
21 Apr 1970 -
1970
Leonard
(b. 1925 - d. 2019)
(= Leonard George Casley)
Princes
1970 - 11 Feb 2017
Leonard
I
(s.a.)
11 Feb 2017
-
Graeme I (= Graeme Ernest Casley) (b. 1957)
Prime minister
.... -
Prince Ian (= Ian
George Casley) (b. 1947)
Territorial Dispute: 'independence'
not recognized by Australia or any other nation.
note: Leonard Casley (s.a.)
settled as a farmer in Western Australia in 1969.
Outraged by the low wheat allotment sent him by the
Australian government that year, Casley seceded and
formed the independent Hutt River Province. Casley's
new country soon came under attack, when the Prime
Minister began threatening action against Hutt River.
The citizens of Hutt River responded by acclaiming
Casley as Prince Leonard I; under Commonwealth law, a
monarch could not be charged with treason. While the
loopholes have since been closed, the Australian
government has not moved against Hutt River since the
declaration. Leonard and his son, Crown Prince Ian,
rule as benevolent monarchs over the sixty-odd
residents and some 17,500 overseas citizens.
Hutt River Province
Principality is situated 595 km north of Perth,
Western Australia and is about 75 square km in size,
consisting of some 18,500 acres of land. Hutt River is
an Independent Sovereign State having seceded
from Australia on 21 Apr 1970 and is of comparable
size to Hong Kong (not including the New
Territories).
Minerva: see under Tonga
Outer Baldonia
1949 - 28 Dec 1973
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Map of Outer Baldonia
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Hear National
Anthem |
Text of
National Anthem
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State Charter
(1949-1973)
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Capital:
Royal Palace |
Currency:
Tunar;
Canadian Dollar (CAD) |
National
Holiday: N/A
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Membership:
69 |
GDP: $N/A
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Exports: $N/A
Imports: $N/A
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Ethnic
groups: White
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Total
Naval Force: 69
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Religions:
N/A
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International
Organizations/Treaties: None
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Outer Baldonia
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Chronology
1948
Outer Bald Tusket Island, 8 nautical
miles off the
southernmost extremity
Nova
Scotia, Canada, is
purchased by Russell
Arundel for $750.
1949
Principality of Outer Baldonia
declared independent
9
Mar 1953
Declares
war on Soviet Union in response to
negative press in the Literaturnaya
Gazeta.
28 Dec 1973
Sold
by Arundel for $1 to the Nature
Conservancy of
Canada. Is is now under the Nova
Scotia Bird
Society as Earle E. Arundel Bird
Sanctuary.
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Prince (styled Prince of Princes)
1949 - 28 Dec 1973
Russell M. Arundel ("Russell Rex I")(b. 1902 - d. 1978)
note: This
was a tongue-in-cheek nation founded by American
businessman Russell M. Arundel (s.a.) on a wind
swept rocky island. It was reportedly recognized only by
Nova Scotia. The text of the Charter of Outer
Baldonia is preserved in the Yarmouth County Museum, but
we must rely on what few details have been repeated by
those familiar with its contents. The general drift may
be surmised by the following extract from the
Declaration of Independence: "That fishermen are a race
alone. That fishermen are endowed with the following
inalienable rights: The right to lie and be believed.
The right of freedom from question, nagging, shaving,
interruption, women, taxes, politics, war, monologues,
care and inhibitions. The right to applause, vanity,
flattery, praise and self-inflation. The right to swear,
lie, drink, gamble and silence. The right to be noisy,
boisterous, quiet, pensive, expensive and hilarious. The
right to choose company and the right to be alone. The
right to sleep all day and stay up all night."
After the Soviet Literaturnaya Gazeta
attacked Outer Baldonia as an imperialistic stronghold
promoted by Wall Street, Baldonia declared a state of
war with the U.S.S.R. Baldonia never received a formal
reply from the Soviet government, however it did not
survive the ensuing media attention and the decline in
Tuna. Today the tuna are gone, and all that remains of
Baldonia is a sadly neglected stone hut and a few
precious notes and articles kept in the back closet of
the Yarmouth County Museum.
Saugeais
Adopted 1973
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Map
of Saugeais
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Hear National Anthem
"Hymne National
Saugeais"
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Text
of National Anthem
Adopted 1947
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Constitution
(2001)
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Capital:
Montbenoît
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Currency:
Saugeais Sol;
Euro (EUR);
to 1 Jan 2002 French
Franc (FRF)
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National
Holiday:
1st Sunday in Oct.
(Montbenoît Festival)
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Population:
5,029 (2017)
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GDP: $N/A
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Exports:
$N/A
Imports: $N/A
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Ethnic groups:
French, Swiss, German
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Total Armed
Forces: 13 (2005)
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Religions:
Roman Catholic, others
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International
Organizations/Treaties: None |
Saugeais Index
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Chronology
1150
Landry, Seigneur of Joux, gives
the
territory to Humbert, the Archbishop
of
Besançon.
1100
A hermit named Benoît lives with a
small
community. These religionists were
led by
Narduin and lived under the rule
of
St. Colomban. They clear the region
and
construct the abbey, around which
later will
group eleven communes (which today
are in
the French département
of Doubs).
1773
Abbey is closed.
1947
Republic of Saugeais (République
du Saugeais)
proclaimed, partly in response to a
joke by
the local Prefect Ottavianni (not
recognized
by Doubs département
or France).
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Saugeais
website
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Presidents
1947 -
1968
Georges
Pourchet
(b. 1901? - d. 1968)
1968 - 31 Aug
2005
Gabrielle Pourchet
(f)
(b. 1906 - d. 2005)
(de facto to 1972)
1 Sep 2005 - 28 Jan 2006
Jean-Marie Nicod
(interim)
(b. 1951)
28 Jan 2006
-
Georgette Bertin-Pourchet
(f) (b. 1934)
Prime minister
1990
-
Jean-Marie
Nicod
(s.a.)
Territorial Dispute: 'independence'
not recognized by France or any other nation.
note: The Republic of
Saugeais is located in the upper valley of the river
Doubs, an area known as Val Sauget since the XIIth
century. The republic is made of the 11 municipalities
of Les Alliés, Arçon, Bugny, La Chaux-de-Gilley,
Gilley, Hauterive-la-Fresne, la Longeville,
Maisons-du-Bois-Lièvremont, Montbenoît, Montflovin and
Ville-du-Pont.
In the middle of the XIIth
century, Landry, Lord of Joux, decided to found and
fund an abbey in the desert upper valley of Doubs. He
gave land to Humbert, Archbishop of Besançon, who
invited monks from Saint-Maurice-d'Agaune
(Valais/Wallis, Switzerland) to settle there. The
monks came with colons from the Grishuns and Savoy,
who brought their local languages
which were still widely used in the
valley in the beginning of the XXth century. The
colons met the local hermit Benoît, and the abbey was
named after him. A monk called Norduin built the
abbey, which was placed under St. Colomban's rule. The
abbey remained under the control of the Lords of Joux.
In 1508, the system of commende was established, by
which the abbots
rcieved a rent but did not live in
the abbey. The most famous of these commendataire
abbots was Ferry Carondelet, a former councilor of
Emperor Charles V fond of the Italian Renaissance, who
richly decorated the abbey. The abbey was eventually
closed in 1723.
In 1947, the Prefect of the
department of Doubs, Mr. Ottavianni, came to
Montbenoît to attend the recruiting board. He took his
lunch in the Hôtel de l'Abbaye in Montbenoît, owned by
Georges Pourchet. As a joke, Pourchet asked the
Prefet: "Do you have a transire allowing you to enter
the Republic of Saugeais?" The Prefect asked for more
details on the Republic and
eventually answered: "A Republic
must have a President. You are appointed President of
the Free Republic of Saugeais." The President died in
1968. His wife Gabrielle retired in 1970 but remained
active in Montbenoît, helping the parish priest to
preserve the abbey. In 1972, a festival was organized
in order to raise funds for the abbey preservation.
During the lunch,
Gabrielle Pourchet was elected by
acclamation President of the Free Republic of Saugeais
for the rest of her life.
Sealand
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Adopted 2 Sep 1967
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- Principality
Standard
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Map
of Sealand
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Hear
National Anthem
"E Mare Libertas"
(From the Sea, Freedom)
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Text of
National Anthem
Adopted 2001 (no Lyrics)
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Constitution
(2 Sep 1967/1989)
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Capital:
Sealand
(Fort Roughs)
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Currency:
Sealand Dollar (SX$)
(from 1972)
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National
Holidays: 2 Sep (1967)
Independence Day;
8 Aug (1952)
Regents Day
(Birthday of Prince
Michael)
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Population:
50 (2013)
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GDP:
$600,000 (2002)
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Revenue:
$372,000 (2002)
Expenditures:
$194,000 (2002)
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Ethnic groups:
European, North American
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Total Security
Force: about 10 (2003)
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Religions:
Church of England 26%, other 74%
(2002)
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International
Organizations/Treaties: None |
Sealand
Index
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Chronology
1942
United Kingdom creates a base
consisting of
concrete and steel construction
outside British
territorial waters named Royal Fort
Roughs Tower
(at 51-53-40 degrees North latitude
and 01-28-57
degrees East longitude).
1945/46
The fort is abandoned after World War
II.
2 Sep
1967
Principality of Sealand (not
recognized by U.K.).
25 Nov
1968
De facto recognition by British court
when it
admits it "could not exert any
jurisdiction
outside the national territory at the
high seas."
Aug
1978
Several Dutch and Germans mercenaries
fail in a forced
attempt to occupy Sealand.
1 Oct
1987
Extension of U.K. territorial waters
from 3
to 12 NM.
22 Aug 2000 - 2008
Leased to internet
hosting company HavenCo.
23 Jun 2006
The
top platform of the Roughs Tower
caught fire,
damage repaired by Nov 2006.
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Picture
of Sealand
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Sealand
website
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Princes
2 Sep 1967 - 9 Oct 2012
Roy I (= Roy
Bates)
(b. 1921 - d. 2012)
6 Nov 1999 - 9 Oct
2012 Prince Michael of Sealand -Regent
(b. 1952)
(= Michael Bates)
9 Oct 2012 -
Michael
(s.a.)
No Political Parties Exist
Territorial Disputes: U.K. claims
Sealand territorial waters and jurisdiction since 1987
(date of extension of U.K. territorial limits); 'independence'
not recognized by U.K. or any other nation.
note: Sealand is an
abandoned World War II anti-aircraft platform in the
Thames Estuary. It just outside the UK's 3-mile
territorial water limit. In the mid 1960s it was
occupied by a British businessman, Roy Bates (s.a.),
and his family. He proclaimed himself Prince Roy and
the platform to be the Principality of Sealand. They
have had a checkered history: at one point some
associates of Prince Roy made an armed occupation of
the platform and he had to make an armed counter-coup.
The invaders were overwhelmed, tried and sentenced to
death for treason. However, the Sealanders decided it
would be prudent to commute the sentences to exile and
the invaders were released.
Recently the British Home
Office issued a statement saying that in the British
government's view Sealand remains British territory
and that if there are grounds to suspect that its
occupants have broken British law action will be
taken.
The nation of Sealand is
composed of a steel and concrete platform anchored to
the bottom of the sea off the coast of England, not in
the Channel but in the North Sea. Once known as Roughs
Tower, it was built by the British military in what
were then international waters anywhere beyond 3
nautical miles from the coast as a defense against
Germany during World War II. The fortress is located
about 7 nautical miles from shore at 51° 53' 40" north
latitude, 01° 28' 7" east longitude.
The troops abandoned the fort
after the war, leaving it legally deserted and
abandoned, and easing the way for Englishman Roy Bates
and his family to settle there on September 2, 1967.
Proclaiming the island his own state, Bates gave the
titles of prince and princess to himself and his wife
and called his new home the Principality of
Sealand.
Prince Roy's sovereignty was
contested by the British government in 1968. When
Royal Marines were cruising off his "coast," the
prince even fired warning shots from the fort's old
guns. Soon after, a British court declared it had no
jurisdiction outside British territorial waters, thus
leaving Sealand its autonomy. Since 1987 English
territorial waters have extended from 3 to 12 nautical
miles. The principality now has 160,000 citizens,
mostly business people who claim secondary citizenship
in Sealand but live in their countries of
origin.
Seborga
Princes
14 May 1963 - 25 Nov 2009 Giorgio I (=
Giorgio Carbone)
(b. 1936 - d. 2009)
25 Nov 2009 - 22 May 2010 Alberto Romano
-Regent
22 May 2010 - 10 Nov 2019 Marcello I (=
Marcello Menegatto) (b. 1978)
22 Feb 2016 - 12 Apr 2019
Nicolas I (= Nicolas Mutte)
(b. 1970)
(in opposition to Mar 2020)
Princess
10 Nov 2019
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Nina (= Nina Döbler Menegatto) (b.
1978)
Territorial Dispute: 'independence'
not recognized by Italy or any other nation.
note: On 21 May 1995, the
news program ARD Weltspiegel (German
television) reported from the 'independent Principato
di Seborga' at the foot of the Ligurian
Alps in Italy (near the border with France). At the
end of Apr 1995, the majority of the inhabitants (304
against 4) of this tiny village voted in favor of
independence.
Giorgio Carbone (s.a.), the
so-called "prince" of Seborga, claims the independence
of that village, but it had been annexed by the
Kingdom of Sardinia (ruled by the House of Savoy) on
20 Jan 1729. Before that date the village wasn't a
Principality, but a feudal possession of the of the
Cistercian Order. The inhabitants might have voted for
the independence in an illegal referendum made by
Carbone, but they still vote in the legal elections of
the Republic of Italy, as demonstrated by at
(www.parlamento.it) And the mayor, Franco Fogliarini,
democratically elected by the citizens of the
municipality of Seborga on 13 May 2001, is openly
against the independence of Carbone's "Principality",
as demonstrated by his interview in article at
(www.lapadania.com). After Carbone's
death 31 year old building contractor, Marcello
Menegatto (s.a.) is elected prince for the next 7
years as Marcello I.
© Ben Cahoon
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