A micronation is a
political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent
nation
A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by th ...
or
sovereign state
A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined ter ...
, but which lacks
legal recognition
Legal recognition of a status or fact in a jurisdiction is formal acknowledgement of it as being true, valid, legal, or worthy of consideration, and may involve approval or the granting of rights.
For example, a nation or territory may require a ...
by world governments or major
international organization
An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states a ...
s. Micronations are classified separately from
de facto states and
quasi-state
A quasi-state (some times referred to as state-like entity or proto-state) is a political entity that does not represent a fully institutionalised or autonomous sovereign state.
The precise definition of ''quasi-state'' in political literature f ...
s; they are also not considered to be
autonomous
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
nor
self-governing
__NOTOC__
Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...
as they lack the legal basis in
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
for their existence. Micronations' activities are almost always trivial enough to be ignored rather than challenged by the established nations whose territory they claim—referred to in micronationalism as "macronations." Several micronations have issued coins, flags, postage stamps, passports, medals and other state-related items, some as a source of revenue. Motivations for the creation of micronations include theoretical experimentation, political
protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...
, artistic expression, personal entertainment and the conduct of criminal activity. The study of micronationalism is known as micropatriology or micropatrology.
Although several historical states have been retroactively called micronations, the concept was formulated in the 1970s, with a particular influence from the
International Micropatrological Society. Micronationalism saw several developments thereafter, with several micronations being founded in Australia in the 1970s and a "micronations boom" in Japan in the 1980s. As a result of the emergence of the
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet.
Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web ...
in the mid-1990s, micronationalism lost much of its traditionally eccentric anti-establishment sentiment in favour of more hobbyist perspectives, and the number of exclusively online or merely simulation-based micronations expanded dramatically. This has allowed several intermicronational organisations to form, as well as allow for numerous
diplomatic summits to take place since the 2000s.
Definition
Micronations are
aspirant states An aspirant state is a polity which seeks to achieve international recognition as a sovereign state. This can involve separatist polities seceding from their parent state with or without legal permission or individuals seeking to establish a novel s ...
that claim
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...
but lack
legal recognition
Legal recognition of a status or fact in a jurisdiction is formal acknowledgement of it as being true, valid, legal, or worthy of consideration, and may involve approval or the granting of rights.
For example, a nation or territory may require a ...
by world governments or major
international organisations
An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states an ...
.
Micronations are classified separately from
states with limited recognition and
quasi-state
A quasi-state (some times referred to as state-like entity or proto-state) is a political entity that does not represent a fully institutionalised or autonomous sovereign state.
The precise definition of ''quasi-state'' in political literature f ...
s, nor are they considered to be
autonomous
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
nor
self-governing
__NOTOC__
Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...
as they lack the legal basis in
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
for their existence. While some are
secessionist
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...
in nature, most micronations are widely regarded as sovereignty projects that instead seek to mimic a
sovereign state
A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined ter ...
rather than to achieve
international recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral declarative political act of a state that acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state (may be also a recognized state). Recognition can be accord ...
, and their activities are almost always trivial enough to be ignored rather than challenged by the established nations whose territory they claim—referred to as a "macronation" in micronationalism. Some micronations admit to having no intention of actually becoming internationally recognised as sovereign.
Geographically, most micronations are very small, are often the outgrowth of a single individual, rely on their sovereign state to some extent, and mimic sovereign states by creating their own government, legislation, proclaiming
national symbols
A national symbol is a symbol of any entity considering and manifesting itself to the world as a national community: the sovereign states but also nations and countries in a state of colonial or other dependence, federal integration, or even an e ...
, holding national elections and engaging in
diplomacy
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. ...
with other micronations. While most micronations claim sovereignty over physical territory, others are based solely around the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...
or do not claim sovereignty at all, a hobbyist paradigm of micronationalism that arose with the rise of the Internet from the mid-1990s onwards.
In 2021, legal academics Harry Hobbs and
George Williams, in their ''
Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty'', defined micronations as:
Online dictionary ''
Collins English Dictionary
The ''Collins English Dictionary'' is a printed and online dictionary of English. It is published by HarperCollins in Glasgow.
The edition of the dictionary in 1979 with Patrick Hanks as editor and Laurence Urdang as editorial director, wa ...
'', published by
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...
, gives a similar definition:
History
Retrospective micronations
Several historical
political entities have been retroactively described as "micronations" in academic and journalistic works, including the
Islands of Refreshment (existed 1811–16),
Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia
The Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia ( es, Reino de la Araucanía y de la Patagonia; french: Royaume d'Araucanie et de Patagonie, sometimes referred to as ''New France'') was an unrecognized state declared by two ordinances on November 17, 1 ...
(since 1860),
State of Scott (1861–1986),
Republic of Parva Domus Magna Quies (since 1878), and the more contemporaneous
Kingdom of Elleore
The Kingdom of Elleore is a micronation located on the island of Elleore in the Roskilde Fjord, north of Roskilde on the Denmark, Danish island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand.John Ryan, Simon Sellars and George Dunford''Micro Nations – The Lonel ...
(since 1944),
Republic of Saugeais (since 1947),
Principality of Outer Baldonia
The Principality of Outer Baldonia is a defunct micronation that claimed sovereignty over approximately of Outer Bald Tusket Island, the southernmost of the Tusket Islands off the southern tip of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Founded in ...
(1949–1973) and
Sultanate of M'Simbati (1959–).
Libertarian micronations and seasteading projects: 1964–1972
Several entities that can be considered micronations by contemporary standards were established throughout the 1960s and early 1970s and based on ideals of
libertarianism
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...
and many of them created via
seasteading
Seasteading is the concept of creating permanent dwellings at sea, called seasteads, in international waters outside the territory claimed by any government.
No one has yet created a structure on the high seas that has been recognized as a sov ...
.
New Atlantis was founded in 1964 by writer
Leicester Hemingway, claiming a bamboo raft that he had constructed with steel, iron piping and rock. Hemingway had it towed off the coast of Jamaica and argued that it was technically an
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...
and fully sovereign based on the
Guano Islands Act of 1856. Although Hemingway had plans to expand the raft, it was destroyed in 1966 by tropical storms, and the project was completely abandoned in 1973.
In 1967,
Paddy Roy Bates
Patrick Roy Bates (29 August 1921 – 9 October 2012), also known as Prince Roy of Sealand, was a British pirate radio broadcaster and micronationalist, who founded the Principality of Sealand.Strauss, Erwin. ''How to Start Your Own Country'', ...
squatted on
HM Fort Roughs, an offshore platform in the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...
used during World War II approximately off the coast of the United Kingdom.
Bates had intended to broadcast a
pirate radio station
Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license.
In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially ...
from the platform, however ultimately never did so. He instead declared the independence of Fort Roughs and deemed it the
Principality of Sealand.
Bates died in 2012, and
Michael Bates has since succeeded him as Prince of Sealand. The
Republic of Rose Island, an artificial platform constructed in 1968 by Italian architect Giorgio Rosa in the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...
, was originally built as a
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural ...
, but Rosa soon declared it as sovereign. The micronation had its own currency, a post office and commercial establishments. In 1969, the
Italian Navy
"Fatherland and Honour"
, patron =
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = ( is the return of soldiers to their barrack, or sailors to their ship after a ...
used explosives to destroy the facility, claiming it was a ploy to raise money from tourists while avoiding national
taxation
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal person, legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regiona ...
.
The
Republic of Minerva
The Republic of Minerva was a micronation consisting of the Minerva Reefs. It was one of the few modern attempts at creating a sovereign micronation on the reclaimed land of an artificial island in 1972. The architect was Las Vegas, Nevada, Las V ...
was a libertarian project that succeeded in building a small,
artificial island
An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure to those tha ...
on the
Minerva Reefs
The Minerva Reefs ( to, Ongo Teleki) are a group of two submerged atolls located somewhere in the Pacific Ocean between Fiji, Niue and Tonga. The islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between Fiji and Tonga, and in addition were briefly ...
in 1972 by importing sand. It was invaded by troops from Tonga that same year, who
annexed
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
it before destroying the island. During its brief existence, Minerva was a
media sensation
Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived t ...
.
Conceptualisation
The
International Micropatrological Society (IMS), an American
learned society
A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...
and
research institute
A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often i ...
, was founded in 1973 and dedicated to the study of micronations, a discipline it named ''micropatrology''. By 1976, it had documents pertaining to 128 micronations and similar political entities.
The earliest attested use of ''micronation'' in its current meaning appeared on 28 March 1976 in an article by ''
the New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' about the IMS.
The first use of ''micronation'' in a book was in an eponymous dedicated section of the 1978 ''
The People's Almanac #2'' by
David Wallechinsky
David Wallechinsky (born David Wallace, February 5, 1948) is an American populist historian and television commentator, the president of the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) and the founder and editor-in-chief of AllGov.com and ...
and
Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace (March 19, 1916 – June 29, 1990) was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. He was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme.
Early life
Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Bessie Liss a ...
. In 1979, the first book about micronations, ''How to Start Your Own Country'', was published by
Erwin S. Strauss
Erwin S. Strauss is an American author, science fiction fandom, science fiction fan, noted member of the MITSFS, and filk musician, born in Washington, D.C. He frequently is known by the nickname "Filthy Pierre".
Science fiction and writing
Str ...
. The IMS contributed considerably to the work. However, the word ''micronation'' is notably absent from the book. A second edition of the work was published in 1984 by
Loompanics
Loompanics Unlimited was an American book seller and publisher specializing in nonfiction on generally unconventional or controversial topics. The topics in their title list included drugs, weapons, survivalism, anarchism, sex, conspiracy theories ...
, followed in 1999 by a third edition published by
Paladin Press
Paladin Press was a book publishing firm founded in 1970 by Peder Lund and Robert K. Brown. The company published non-fiction books and videos covering a wide range of specialty topics, including personal and financial freedom, survivalism and p ...
. According to the
Yearbook of International Organizations
The Yearbook of International Organizations is a reference work on non-profit international organizations, published by the Union of International Associations. It was first published in 1908 under the title ''Annuaire de la vie internationale'', a ...
, the IMS was disestablished in 1988.
Initial developments in Australia: 1970–1981
left, Entrance to the (formerly Hutt River Province), a micronation founded in 1970">Principality of Hutt River (formerly Hutt River Province), a micronation founded in 1970
Australia has a disproportionate number of micronations compared to other countries.
The first micronation founded within Australia was the
Principality of Hutt River
The Principality of Hutt River, often referred to by its former name, the Hutt River Province, was a micronation in Australia. The principality claimed to be an independent sovereign state, founded on 21 April 1970. It was dissolved on 3 Augus ...
in 1970. It was declared independent by farmer
Leonard Casley
Leonard George Casley (28 August 1925 – 13 February 2019), better known as Prince Leonard, was the founder of the self-proclaimed micronation, the Principality of Hutt River, within the Australian state of Western Australia. He governed Hutt R ...
over a dispute concerning wheat
production quotas
A production quota is a goal for the production of a good. It is typically set by a government or an organization, and can be applied to an individual worker, firm, industry or country. Quotas can be set high to encourage production, or can be use ...
.
In 2017, the
Supreme Court of Western Australia
The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters (although it usually only hears matters involving sums of A$750,00 ...
ordered that Casley pay $2.7 million in unpaid tax, and that his son Arthur Casley pay $242,000 in unpaid tax. Casley abdicated in 2017 in favour of his son
Graeme.
Leonard died in 2019, and Hutt River dissolved the following year amidst continued disputes with the
Australian Taxation Office
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system, superannuati ...
as well as the
financial impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 1976, the
Province of Bumbunga
The Province of Bumbunga () was an Australian secessionist micronation located on a farm at Bumbunga near Snowtown and Lochiel, South Australia, from 1976 until approximately 2000. Its founder and only ruler was a British monkey trainer, uran ...
was declared by Alec Brackstone in response to the
1975 Australian constitutional crisis
The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, also known simply as the Dismissal, culminated on 11 November 1975 with the dismissal from office of the prime minister, Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), by Governor-General Sir Jo ...
. Brackstone, an ardent British monarchist, became alarmed by what he saw as a drift away from the Australian system of
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
toward outright
republicanism
Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...
. Thus, to ensure that at least one portion of Australia would remain loyal to the
British Crown
The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...
, Bumbunga was declared.
The
Sovereign State of Aeterna Lucina
The Sovereign State of Aeterna Lucina (also known as the Sovereign Humanitarian Mission State of Aeterna Lucina), was an Australian micronation. It was founded in 1978, and continued until the death of its founder.
The founder and "Supreme Lo ...
was proclaimed in 1978 by German migrant Paul Neuman. Aeterna Lucina came to public attention in 1990 when Neuman faced fraud charges in the
New South Wales
)
, 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 ...
court system relating to land sale offences; the case was abandoned in 1992. In 1979, the
Independent State of Rainbow Creek
The Independent State of Rainbow Creek was an Australian secessionist micronation active during the 1970s and 80s, located in Cowwarr, a town on the Thomson River in the Victorian Alps. It was founded on 23 July 1979 by Thomas Barnes in protes ...
was declared by Thomas Barnes in protest of alleged incompetence by the
Government of Victoria
The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive ...
in regards to the flooding of his and others' properties. He was inspired by Hutt River. The
Grand Duchy of Avram
The Grand Duchy of Avram is a micronation founded in the early 1980s by Tasmanian John Charlton Rudge, who styles himself the "Grand Duke of Avram".
Royal Bank of Avram
The public manifestation of the Duchy was the Royal Bank of Avram, which at ...
was established in
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
in the early 1980s by politician
John Charlton Rudge
John the Duke of Avram (born John Charlton Rudge) (born 12 March 1944) is the titular head of the Grand Duchy of Avram, an Australian micronation. He also served one term in the Tasmanian House of Assembly, representing the Liberal Party in the s ...
, and issues its own banknotes.
In recognition of his status, Rudge legally changed his name to John the Duke of Avram. In 1981, the
Empire of Atlantium
The Empire of Atlantium is a micronation and secular,
pluralist progressive lobby group based in New South Wales, Australia.
'' Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations'' described Atlantium in 2006 as "a refreshing antid ...
was founded in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
as a non-territorial global government based on the ideals of
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...
,
progressivism
Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...
and
liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
. 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
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
, and 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 ...
.
Micronational community in Japan: 1981–1991
In 1981, drawing on a news report about Leicester Hemingway's "New Atlantis", novelist
Hisashi Inoue
was a leading Japanese playwright and writer of comic fiction. From 1961 to 1986, he used the pen name of Uchiyama Hisashi.
Early life
Inoue was born in what is now part of Kawanishi in Yamagata Prefecture, where his father was a pharmacis ...
wrote a 700-page work of
magic realism, ''
Kirikirijin'', about a village that secedes from Japan and proclaims its bumpkinish, marginalized
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
its national language, and its subsequent
war of independence
This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence.
List
See also
* Lists of active separatist movements
* List of civil wars
* List of o ...
. This single-handedly inspired a large number of Japanese villages, mostly in the northern regions, to "declare independence", generally as a move to raise awareness of their unique culture and crafts for urban Japanese who saw village life as backwards and uncultured. These micronations even held intermicronational
summits
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a ...
beetween 1983 and 1985, and some of them formed confederations and intermicronational
organisations
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
. The Ginko Federation held an intermicronational
Olympic games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in 1986. However, the economic impact of the
Japanese asset price bubble
The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991 in which real estate and stock market prices were greatly inflated. In early 1992, this price bubble burst and Japan's economy stagnated. The bubble was characterized by rapid acceleration ...
in 1991 ended the boom. Many of the villages were forced to merge with larger cities, and the micronations and confederations were generally dissolved.
Protest micronations: 1980s
The 1980s saw the establishment of several micronational entities in protest.
The
Free Republic of Wendland
The Free Republic of Wendland (from German ''Republik Freies Wendland'') was a protest camp established in Gorleben, West Germany, on 3 May 1980 to protest against the establishment of a nuclear waste dump there. On 4 June 1980, the police moved i ...
was a
protest camp
Protest camps are physical camps that are set up by activists, to either provide a base for protest, or to delay, obstruct or prevent the focus of their protest by physically blocking it with the camp. Protest camps may also have a symbolic or repr ...
established in
Gorleben
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.
Gorleben was first recorded as a town by the rulers of D ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in 1980 in order to protest against the establishment of a
nuclear waste
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons r ...
dump at the site. The residents created a
border checkpoint
A border checkpoint is a location on an international border where travelers or goods are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders ofte ...
and built a temporary village with more than 100 huts, ranging from elaborate round houses to tents. After 33 days, the local police moved in and evicted the camp. Also in 1980, the
Independent State of Aramoana
The Save Aramoana Campaign was formed in 1974 to oppose a proposed aluminium smelter at Aramoana in New Zealand.
In the late 1970s Aramoana was proposed as the site of a major aluminium smelter by a consortium of New Zealand-based Fletcher-Challen ...
was declared by residents of the
eponymous settlement during the
Save Aramoana Campaign
The Save Aramoana Campaign was formed in 1974 to oppose a proposed aluminium smelter at Aramoana in New Zealand.
In the late 1970s Aramoana was proposed as the site of a major aluminium smelter by a consortium of New Zealand-based Fletcher-Challen ...
, which was opposed to the proposed construction of an
aluminium smelter
Aluminium smelting is the process of extracting aluminium from its oxide, alumina, generally by the Hall-Héroult process. Alumina is extracted from the ore bauxite by means of the Bayer process at an alumina refinery.
This is an electrolytic ...
at Aramoana in New Zealand. This was because the project called for the destruction of the villages of Aramoana and Te Ngaru, and also threatened a local wildlife reserve. The project was ultimately abandoned in the early 1980s, and the micronation of Aramoana peacefully reintegrated into New Zealand.
The
Conch Republic
The Conch Republic () is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek secession of the city of Key West, Florida, from the United States on April 23, 1982. It has been maintained as a tourism booster for the city. Since then, the term "Conch Rep ...
was founded by local residents of the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
in 1982 after the
United States Border Patrol
The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States' U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Customs and Border Protection and is responsible for securing ...
set up a roadblock and inspection point on one of the only two roads connecting the Florida Keys with the mainland. The
Key West City Council
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
complained repeatedly about the inconvenience, claiming that it hurt the Keys' tourism industry. Though the roadblock was soon removed, the claim to sovereignty of the Conch Republic has persisted as a
tongue-in-cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
venture meant to booster tourism. In 1986, the
Kingdom of North Dumpling
North Dumpling Island is a island in Fishers Island Sound of Long Island Sound, off the coast of Connecticut, south of Groton, within the territory of the town of Southold on Long Island in New York State. The island is about north of Sou ...
was declared by inventor
Dean Kamen
Dean Lawrence Kamen (born April 5, 1951) is an American engineer, inventor, and businessman. He is known for his invention of the Segway and iBOT, as well as founding the non-profit organization FIRST with Woodie Flowers. Kamen holds over 1,000 ...
after a denial from local officials to build his own wind turbine on
North Dumpling Island
North Dumpling Island is a island in Fishers Island Sound of Long Island Sound, off the coast of Connecticut, south of Groton, Connecticut, Groton, within the territory of the town of Southold, New York, Southold on Long Island in New York Sta ...
, which Kamen privately owns. Kamen wrote his own constitution and created a flag, currency and national anthem for the micronation. In 1992, despite still being recognised as part of the United States, Kamen was able to leverage his personal relationship with then-president
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
to sign an unofficial
non-aggression pact
A non-aggression pact or neutrality pact is a treaty between two or more states/countries that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other. Such treaties may be described by other names, such as a tr ...
.
Artistic micronations: 1990s
Several
conceptual art
Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...
projects with micronational claims arose in the 1990s, usually as a means to challenge the idea of
statehood
A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "sta ...
.
In 1991,
Neue Slowenische Kunst
Neue Slowenische Kunst (; NSK; German: "New Slovenian Art") is a political art collective that formed in Slovenia in 1984, when the Socialist Republic of Slovenia was part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. NSK's name was chosen to refl ...
(NSK), a Slovenian
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
art collective
An artist collective is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the needs ...
, declared independence. NSK describes itself as a "State in Time," claiming no territory in order to be a "stateless state."
Elgaland-Vargaland
Elgaland-Vargaland is a conceptual art project and micronation conceived and developed by Swedish artists Carl Michael von Hausswolff and Leif Elggren in 1992. It is also known by its acronym "KREV" (KonungaRikena Elgaland-Vargaland).
Origins
V ...
is a conceptual art project founded in 1992 by Swedish artists
Carl Michael von Hausswolff
Carl Michael von Hausswolff (born 1956) is a composer, visual artist, and curator based in Stockholm, Sweden. His main tools are recording devices (camera, tape deck, radar, sonar) used in an ongoing investigation of electricity, frequency, ar ...
and
Leif Elggren
Leif Elggren (born 1950, Linköping, Sweden), is a Swedish artist who lives and works in Stockholm.
Active since the late 1970s, Leif Elggren has become one of the most constantly surprising conceptual artists to work in the combined worlds of ...
. According to them, everyone who dies is automatically granted citizenship. Among Elgaland-Vargaland's territorial claims include
graveyards
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
, people's
mental state
A mental state, or a mental property, is a state of mind of a person. Mental states comprise a diverse class, including perception, pain experience, belief, desire, intention, emotion, and memory. There is controversy concerning the exact definiti ...
s and "the distance between
high tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
and
low tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
" of France. They also claim to operate
embassies
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
around the world. In 1996, Swedish artist
Lars Vilks
Lars Endel Roger Vilks (20 June 1946 – 3 October 2021) was a Swedish visual artist and activist who was known for the controversy surrounding his drawings of Muhammad. He also created the sculptures ''Nimis'' and ''Arx'', made of driftwood an ...
proclaimed the
Royal Republic of Ladonia
Ladonia ( sv, Ladonien) is a micronation, proclaimed in 1996 as the result of a years-long court battle between artist Lars Vilks and local authorities over two sculptures. The claimed territory is part of the natural reserve of Kullaberg in sou ...
as a result of a court battle between local authorities over Vilks'
illegal construction
Illegal construction (also known as illegal building or illegal housing) is construction work (or the result of such) without a valid construction permit. Besides the potential technical hazards on uncontrolled construction sites and in finished ...
of two sculptures in the natural reserve of
Kullaberg
Kullaberg () is a peninsula and nature reserve of land protruding into the Kattegat in Höganäs Municipality near the town of Mölle in southwest Sweden. The site in the province of Skåne is an area of considerable biodiversity supporting a num ...
in southern Sweden. Ladonia's claim of independence has since persisted following Vilks' death in 2021, with
Carolyn Shelby
Carolyn Shelby is an American micronationalist who currently reigns as the Queen and head of state of the Royal Republic of Ladonia. She has been reigning since June 2, 2011, succeeding Ywonne I Jarl as the head of state after being elected by ...
serving as Queen since 2011. In 1997, the neighbourhood of
Užupis
Užupis ( yi, זארעטשע, be, Зарэчча, russian: Заречье, pl, Zarzecze) is a neighborhood in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, largely located in Vilnius's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Užupis means "beyond the r ...
in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, Lithuania declared tongue-in-cheek independence as a republic consisting of laidback artists.
Effects of the Internet and media attention
In the mid-1990s, the emerging popularity of the
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet.
Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web ...
made it possible for anyone to create their own virtual state-like entity with relative ease,
and many micronations launched their own
website
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...
s.
As a result, micronationalism lost much of its traditionally eccentric anti-establishment sentiment in favour of more hobbyist perspectives, and the number of exclusively online or merely simulation-based micronations expanded dramatically. Intermicronational
organisations
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
were also established, with the
League of Secessionist States, originally founded in 1980 by the
Kingdom of Talossa
Talossa, also known as the Kingdom of Talossa ( tzl, Regipäts Talossan ), is one of the earliest micronationsfounded in 1979 by then-14-year-old Robert Ben Madison of Milwaukee and at first confined to his bedroom; he adopted the name after dis ...
, and the
United Micronations
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 ...
being at the forefront.
The
French Institute of Micropatrology
The International Micropatrological Society (IMS) was an American learned society and research institute dedicated to the study of micronations. Founded in 1973 by Frederick W. Lehmann IV of St. Louis, Michigan, the IMS coined '' micropatrology'' ...
(''l'Institut français de micropatrologie'') was founded in 1996 by Swiss author
Fabrice O'Driscoll
Fabrice is a French masculine given name from the Roman name ''Fabricius'', which is itself derived from the Latin ''faber'' meaning blacksmith or craftsman. Notable people with the name include:
* Fabrice Balanche (born 1969), French geographer
* ...
of
Aix-Marseille University
Aix-Marseille University (AMU; french: Aix-Marseille Université; formally incorporated as ''Université d'Aix-Marseille'') is a public research university located in the Provence region of southern France. It was founded in 1409 when Louis II o ...
to study this phenomenon.
Other online micronational services during the 1990s included MicroWorld, a monthly micronational magazine,
and alt.politics.micronations, a
Usenet
Usenet () is a worldwide distributed discussion system available on computers. It was developed from the general-purpose Unix-to-Unix Copy (UUCP) dial-up network architecture. Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979, and it was ...
newsgroup dedicated to discussions regarding micronationalism. In 2000, O'Driscoll published his book ''Ils ne siègent pas à l'ONU: revue de quelques micro-Etats, micro-nations et autres entités éphémères'' (They don't sit at the UN: a review of some micro-states, micro-nations and other ephemeral entities), which details over 600 micronations.
In 2000, the Republic of Molossia and the erstwhile Kingdom of TorHavn hosted an Intermicronational Olympic Games online to coincide with the 2000 Summer Olympics. Six micronations competed and were asked to record their performances then report it to a Molossian message board. In 2003, the ''First Summit of Micronations'' summit commenced in Helsinki, Finland, coinciding with a performance art festival called Amorph!03. Six micronations were represented. An art exhibition exhibiting various micronational miscellanea, ''We Could Have Invited Everyone'', occurred in 2004 and 2005 at the Reg Vardy Gallery, University of Sunderland, England and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York City, United States respectively.
The items were featured alongside artwork by artists including Yoko Ono and Nina Katchadourian.
Both exhibitions coincided with an intermicronational summit. In 2005, the six-part BBC comedy-documentary series ''How to Start Your Own Country'' aired on BBC Two, in which comedian Danny Wallace (humorist), Danny Wallace attempts to create his own country in his apartment in Bow, London. The micronation he created was eventually named the Kingdom of Lovely. The following year, the travel guide company Lonely Planet published a light-hearted guide to numerous micronations titled ''Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations''.
In 2007, two self-proclaimed princesses of the Sunda Democratic Empire, sisters Puteri Lamia Roro Wiranata and Puteri Fathia Reza, were detained by Malaysian immigration authorities for attempting to enter from Brunei using diplomatic passports from the Sunda Empire. They claimed to be the princesses of the historical Sunda Empire and that their parents were in "exile." In early 2008, they were freed by the Sessions Court, but maintained their claim of Sundan citizenship, thus making them ineligible for deportation to Indonesia. The Malaysian authorities subsequently deemed them stateless individuals, and they were interned at an immigration depot under supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
2010s
In 2010, the documentary film ''How to Start Your Own Country (film), How to Start Your Own Country'', directed by Jody Shapiro, was screened as part of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, 35th Toronto International Film Festival.
The documentary explored various micronations around the world, and included an analysis of the concept of statehood, seasteading and citizenship.
The film was inspired by Erwin Strauss' eponymous book. Also that same year, an intermicronational summit, PoliNation 2010, was held at Dangar Island in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia. It was organised by Judy Lattas of Macquarie University, Princess Paula of the Principality of Snake Hill and George Cruickshank of the
Empire of Atlantium
The Empire of Atlantium is a micronation and secular,
pluralist progressive lobby group based in New South Wales, Australia.
'' Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations'' described Atlantium in 2006 as "a refreshing antid ...
.
Between 2013 and 2014, two Aboriginal Australian
nation
A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by th ...
s declared independence from Australia as part of the concept of Australian Aboriginal sovereignty—first the Murrawarri Republic, comprising the Muruwari, in 2013, and the Sovereign Yidindji Government, comprising the Yidiny people, Yidindji, in 2014. In both cases, the declarations of independence went wholly unrecognised by the Government of Australia.
In 2015, the first convention of the biannual MicroCon was held in Anaheim, California, United States. Hosted by the Republic of Molossia, several presentations were held by micronationalists regarding various topics in micronationalism.
The ''Organisation de la microfrancophonie'', a French intermicronational organisation, was founded in 2015. The organisation organised its first summit in 2016, hosted by the Principality of Aigues-Mortes.
In 2018, the Principality of Islandia was established by two individuals aiming to build a crowdfunded micronation. Successfully purchasing the uninhabited Coffee Caye in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Belize in 2019, Prime Minister of Belize John Briceño dismissed the project in 2022, calling them "stupid" and stating "We will never allow anybody to have their own country within this country [Belize] - what a stupid thing. If you stupid enough to pay a lot of money to buy [a] piece of land, good for you."
2020s
During the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, several micronations imposed their own restrictions, mimicking countries. Some inactive Internet-based micronations also returned to activity as people were commanded to stay home and quarantine. In 2020, Netflix released the film ''Rose Island (film), Rose Island'', based on the story of engineer Giorgio Rosa and the Republic of Rose Island. In 2021, academics Harry Hobbs and George Williams published ''Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty'', a book exploring various aspects of micronationalism. It was published by Cambridge University Press. A follow-up book on micronations by Hobbs and Williams, entitled ''How to Rule Your Own Country: The Weird and Wonderful World of Micronations'', was published in 2022 by the University of New South Wales Press. Also in 2022, illusionist Uri Geller purchased Lamb (island), Lamb, an uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland, and declared it independent as the Republic of Lamb. Geller offers citizenship, with proceeds going to Save a Child's Heart, an Israeli charity.
Territorial claims
While most micronations land claim, claim land they can administer, often private property, some have made claimants to uninhabitable tracts of land. For instance, some micronations have claimed Bir Tawil and Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica, lands which are ''terra nullius''—unclaimed by any other sovereign state. Several others have also made claimants to other portions of Antarctica. Examples are the Grand Duchy of Westarctica and Grand Duchy of Flandrensis. However, due to Antartica's remoteness, no micronation has yet to establish a permanent residence on the continent. On the other hand, at least one micronationalist has physically reached Bir Tawil; in June 2014, Virginian farmer Jeremiah Heaton travelled to the area and proclaimed the Kingdom of North Sudan. Heaton stated that he claimed the territory in order to fulfil a promise to his daughter to make her a princess, however Heaton has appeared to have other motivations, offering several initiatives—such as the implementation of a national currency and the construction of an international airport and capital city—via crowdfunding.
Other micronational claimants have been made to Croatia–Serbia border dispute, small pockets on the west bank of the Danube between Serbia and Croatia. Some micronationalists argue that the land is ''terra nullius'' because Croatia states the pockets are Serbian, whilst Serbia makes no claims on the land. However, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (Croatia), Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs has rejected these claims, stating that the differing border claims between Serbia and Croatia do not involve ''terra nullius'', and are not subject to occupation by a third party. The most prominent example is the Free Republic of Liberland, which was proclaimed in April 2015 by Czech right-libertarian politician and activist Vít Jedlička, and claims the largest pocket Gornja Siga. The land lacks infrastructure and lies on the floodplain of the Danube.
Seasteading
Some micronations have attempted to establish themselves in international waters—parts of the sea that cannot be claimed by any sovereign state—by
seasteading
Seasteading is the concept of creating permanent dwellings at sea, called seasteads, in international waters outside the territory claimed by any government.
No one has yet created a structure on the high seas that has been recognized as a sov ...
. This involves the creation of permanent dwellings at sea. In 1964, writer
Leicester Hemingway built a bamboo raft with steel, iron piping and rock, and had it towed off the coast of Jamaica.
Hemingway declared it an independent constitutional republic called
New Atlantis, arguing that his raft was technically an island and based his sovereignty on the
Guano Islands Act of 1856. Although Hemingway had plans to expand the raft, it was destroyed in 1966 by tropical storms.
By 1973, Hemingway had completely abandoned the project. Operation Atlantis, another example, was a project started in 1968 by Werner Stiefel, aiming to establish a new, libertarian nation in international waters via seasteading. The operation launched a ferrocement boat on the Hudson River in December 1971, piloting it to an area near the Bahamas with the intent to permanently anchor it as their territory. Upon reaching its destination, however, it sank in a hurricane. After a number of subsequent failed attempts to construct a habitable sea platform and achieve sovereign status, the project was abandoned in 1976. Another seasteading micronation was the Republic of Rose Island in the Adriatic Sea.
Other claims
The Space Kingdom of Asgardia, founded in October 2016, claims an artificial satellite that orbited the Earth. Named Asgardia-1, the two-unit CubeSat was successfully launched by Orbital ATK in November 2017 as part of an International Space Station resupply mission. Asgardia-1 reportedly re-entered the atmosphere in September 2022. The Nation of Celestial Space claims all of outer space, whilst the Empire of Angyalistan lays claim to garbage patches around the world's oceans in protest against their existence.
Functions as a sovereign state
Micronations function in the same way as sovereign states in that they have their own government, constitution, legislation, and (if a democracy) hold national elections. Micronations often have national symbols such as a Flags of micronations, flag, coat of arms or seal, national motto, motto and national anthem, anthem, and many micronations also issue coins, banknotes, stamps, passports, passport stamps, orders of merit and bestow honours and false titles of nobility, titles of nobility, although these are not recognised internationally.
Some micronations have made profits by selling these items as souvenirs and memorabilia to tourists and via their national websites, and others have even sold citizenship and titles of nobility.
Sone micronational coinage and stamps, if professionally made, have become valued as collector's items by numismatists and philatelists (stamp collectors) alike. In addition, both Sealand and Seborga have their own national association football teams. The Sealand national football team was founded in 2004 and became an associate member of the N.F.-Board, a federation made up of unrecognised states, stateless peoples, regions and micronations that are not allowed to join FIFA, in 2006. The Seborga national football team was founded in 2014, and is run by the Football Federation of the Principality of Seborga.
Community
Diplomacy
file:Flandrensispolination.JPG, Representatives of the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis and the Republic of St. Charlie after signing a treaty
Like countries, micronations engage in intermicronational
diplomacy
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. ...
with one another. This includes the signing of treaties,
non-aggression pact
A non-aggression pact or neutrality pact is a treaty between two or more states/countries that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other. Such treaties may be described by other names, such as a tr ...
s and intermicronational conventions, diplomatic missions and declarations of war. Several intermicronational
organisations
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
also exist, with some having as many as 80 member states. Most of these organisations generally work to maintain peace, strengthen micronational cooperation and to improve diplomatic relations between member states. Due to the large number of such organisations existing and operating soley online, with many having a similar purpose, the disparaging epithet "YAMO" (an acronym for the phrase "Yet Another Micronational Organisation") is commonly used in the intermicronational community in criticism of such organisations.
Intermicronational summits
Intermicronational summits are also commonplace within the micronational community, and several reoccurring summits have taken place. These include the sporadic PoliNation, biannual MicroCon;
and the ''Organisation de la microfrancophonie'' has hosted three intermicronational summits between its member states.
PoliNation 2010 was held at Dangar Island,
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia and was organised by Judy Lattas of Macquarie University, Princess Paula of the Principality of Snake Hill and George Cruickshank of the
Empire of Atlantium
The Empire of Atlantium is a micronation and secular,
pluralist progressive lobby group based in New South Wales, Australia.
'' Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations'' described Atlantium in 2006 as "a refreshing antid ...
.
PoliNation 2012 was held in London, United Kingdom, and PoliNation 2015 commenced at Umbria, Italy. MicroCon 2015 was held in Anaheim, California and hosted by Molossia;
MicroCon 2017 in Tucker, Georgia by the Kingdom of Ruritania; MicroCon 2019 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada by the Kingdom of Slabovia;
and MicroCon 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada by Westarctica, having been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With 113 attendees, MicroCon 2019 claims to have been the most attended intermicronational summit in history.
The first summit hosted by the ''Microfrancophonie'' was held in 2016 in Aigues-Mortes, Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, and hosted by the Principality of Aigues-Mortes;
the second summit took place in 2018 in w:Vincennes, Vincennes, Paris and was hosted by Angyalistan;
the third summit took place in 2022 in Blaye, w:Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, organised by the Principality of Hélianthis.
Websites and online communities
There are thousands of micronations which exist and operate solely online. Micronationalists convene and engage with one another through several online platforms, especially social media and historically Internet forum, forums (message boards), where micronationalists can share lessons and ideas as well as gain inspiration for establishing their own micronation. MicroWiki, the largest micronational wiki and encyclopaedia, has thousands of articles on various topics related to micronationalism "with many country pages [on MicroWiki] longer than those of real nations [on Wikipedia]," and a number of micronations exist and conduct diplomacy solely on the wiki, utilising it as an online community.
As of December 2022, the largest micronational Facebook Group, group on Facebook, ''Micronations and Alternative Polities'', had almost 3,400 members, and the subreddit forum r/micronations on Reddit had another 6,700.
Legality
The study of micronationalism is known as micropatriology or micropatrology.
Arguments for sovereignty
Micronations have no basis in
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
. Despite this, several micronations have attempted to justify their claims to sovereignty by citing loopholes in local laws. A commonly attempted tactic used by micronationalists to legitimise their claims is the declarative theory of statehood as defined by the Montevideo Convention, which defines a ''State (polity), 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."
In 2019, a couple seasteading off the coast of Thailand went into hiding after being accused by the Royal Thai Navy of violating Thailand's sovereignty. If found guilty, they could face life in prison or the death penalty.
Based on historical claims
Some micronations are founded on the basis of historical anomalies. The Principality of Seborga was founded in 1963 by Giorgio Carbone, who claimed to have found documents from the Vatican archives which, according to Carbone, indicated that Seborga had never been a possession of the House of Savoy and was thus not legally included in the Kingdom of Italy when it was formed in 1861, meaning that Seborga had remained sovereign. The Romanov Empire (micronation), Romanov Empire, created by chairman of the Monarchist Party of Russia Anton Bakov, claims to be a re-creation of the Russian Empire that holds Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen as the rightful heir to the imperial throne.
See also
* League of Small and Subject Nationalities
* List of micronations
* List of unrecognised countries
* Fictional country
* Nation-building
* Quasi-state
* State-building
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
*
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External links
Micronationat MicroWiki, the free micronational encyclopædia
micronationat ''Lexico UK English Dictionary''. Oxford University Press.
{{Micronations
Micronations,
Political neologisms
Hobbies