The Empire of Atlantium is a
micronation
A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified se ...
and secular,
pluralist progressive lobby group based in
New South Wales, Australia
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
''
Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations'' described Atlantium in 2006 as "a refreshing antidote to the reactionary self-aggrandisement of so many micronations", and "an extremely sophisticated nation-state experiment, as well as an entirely serious claimant to legitimate statehood". The book's entry on Atlantium notes its espousal of "
progressive,
liberal policies" and characterises it as a "secular
humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humani ...
utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
".
Among the causes Atlantium supports are the right to unrestricted international
freedom of movement
Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights' ...
, the right to abortion, the right to
assisted suicide
Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...
and
decimal calendar
A decimal calendar is a calendar which includes units of time based on the decimal system. For example a "decimal month" would consist of a year with 10 months and 36.52422 days per month.
History
Egyptian calendar
The ancient Egyptian calenda ...
reform.
In 2015, the micronation had almost 3,000 "citizens", most of whom signed up online from over a hundred countries, and have never been to Atlantium.
History
Atlantium was established in 1981 by three Sydney teenagers – George Francis Cruickshank, Geoffrey John Duggan and Claire Marie Coulter (née Duggan). The three claimed a "provisional territory" in the southern suburb of
Narwee as Atlantium's first capital, and declared Cruickshank to be Sovereign
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
, with the title "Emperor George II".
Geoffrey Duggan was elected as
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
in 1982, serving until 1986. Damian Scott held the position from 1986 to 1988 and Kevin Fanucchi became Prime Minister in 1988, but by 1990, when the original group members had graduated from
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
and moved away, the group ceased to be active.
In 1999 Cruickshank purchased an apartment in the inner Sydney suburb of
Potts Point
Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.
Potts Po ...
, and soon after revived Atlantium, launching a website, which was instrumental in attracting new members. The apartment, known as the Imperium Proper, became the second capital of Atlantium.
Concordia became the third capital of Atlantium on 12 January 2008, when the rural Province of Aurora, approximately southwest of Sydney, was created. The Atlantium website describes Aurora as Atlantium's "global administrative capital, ceremonial focal point and spiritual homeland".
Status and operations
The Atlantium website used several different self-descriptions, including "
self-declared state", "aspirant
microstate
A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area, usually both. However, the meanings of "state" and "very small" are not well-defined in international law.Warrington, E. (1994). "Lilliputs ...
" and "global
sovereign state
A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a polity, political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defin ...
". In line with its claim to be a "primarily non-territorial" state Atlantium does not maintain any formal territorial claims; however, it does promote the idea that Cruickshank's apartment, and the Province of Aurora, have
extraterritorial
In international law, extraterritoriality is the state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations.
Historically, this primarily applied to individuals, as jurisdiction was usually cla ...
status. In practice these properties remain under Australian
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
Jur ...
.
No established nation had recognised Atlantium's sovereignty claims, and it had no reciprocal
diplomatic relations
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
. Atlantium had appointed "unaccredited diplomatic representatives" called "Imperial Legates" in the United States,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, Brazil,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Italy,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, Singapore,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. The group had awarded "Imperial Honours" to various recipients, generally in recognition of political activism or for service to local communities.
Stamps, coins and banknotes
Stamps, coins and banknotes were sold by Atlantium, which used a decimal currency system of 100 imperial centi to the imperial solidus. Atlantium's website claimed that the profits from those sales are used for "the Empire's ongoing operations" as well as charitable causes.
The earliest documented media report referring to Atlantium is a 1984
philatelic
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
magazine article about its
cinderella stamp
In philately, a cinderella stamp is "virtually anything resembling a postage stamp, but not issued for postal purposes by a government postal administration". There is a wide variety of cinderella stamps, such as those printed for promotional ...
releases. There were 12 issues of Atlantian stamps.
Atlantium minted coins, though the levels of Atlantian economic activity remained low. The first coin was the 20th anniversary 10 solidi coin, which has a likeness of George Cruickshank as the obverse and the
imperial eagle
The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of the ...
as the reverse. In 2011, a 30 solidi coin was issued to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Atlantium. The coin had the likeness of George Cruickshank on the obverse and the
wedge-tailed eagle
The wedge-tailed eagle (''Aquila audax'') is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is also found in southern New Guinea to the north and is distributed as far south as the state of Tasmania. Adults of this species have lon ...
(''Aquila audax'') on the reverse and was struck in
cupronickel
Cupronickel or copper-nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper that contains nickel and strengthening elements, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. (Monel is a nickel-copper alloy that contains a minimu ...
and plated with 9 carat gold. Banknotes of Atlantium were denominated in imperial solidi (10, 25, 50 and 100 imperial solidi) and are currently divided into a 2006 series and a 2007 series.
Citizenship
, Atlantium had almost 3,000 citizens from (and still therein residing due to the small area of the Empire of Atlantium) over 100 countries.
The website names individuals holding such functions as minister, director,
magister and imperial legate. Atlantium said its citizenship does not supersede existing citizenships. Atlantians contend that they are all dual citizens, and that Atlantium actively encourages its citizens to participate in the political processes of their resident countries.
In late 2016, Atlantium stopped accepting citizenship requests according to a reply posted on the official Facebook page. On 1 January 2018 the citizen application process was re-opened, charging a US$25 fee.
See also
*
List of micronations
Micronations, sometimes also referred to as ''model countries'' and ''new country projects'', are small, self-proclaimed entities that claim to be independent sovereign states but which are not acknowledged as such by any recognised sovereign st ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Official websiteAtlantium Paper Money
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantium
Micronations in Australia
1981 establishments in Australia