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Countries Which Don't Exist (Self-Declared; Unrecognised; Etc.)

This lengthy SLATE article tells the story of the failed 1970s attempt to create a libertarian paradise within the territory of Tonga.
The Brief Life and Watery Death of a ’70s Libertarian Micronation

A wealthy American wanted to build an island republic. The king of Tonga had other ideas. ...

Once upon a time, a wealthy man set out to establish his own country. He found a shallow reef over which the waters of a vast ocean had lapped since time immemorial. He hired a company to dredge the ocean floor and deposit the sand on the reef. An island would be born, upon which the man had a concrete platform built, a flag planted, and the birth of the Republic of Minerva declared. The monarch of a nearby island kingdom was not impressed. He opened the doors of his kingdom’s one jail and assembled a small army of prisoners. The monarch, his convicts, and a four-piece brass band boarded the royal yacht and descended upon the reef, where they promptly removed the flag, destroyed the platform, and deposed, in absentia, the man who would be king. And Minerva returned to the ocean. ...

The story of Michael Oliver, his short-lived 1972 Republic of Minerva, and the response of the king of Tonga is not the stuff of fairy tales. Nor is it an uncommon story, an isolated event ripe for consumption as a chronicle of crazy rich Caucasians. ...
FULL STORY: https://slate.com/news-and-politics...a-history-libertarian-micronations-tonga.html
 

Micronation founder Eli Avivi:​

He led the micronation of Achzivland - with its population of two - for almost half a century.

Nestled in the north of Israel near the border with Lebanon, the Israeli 'Haight-Ashbury' attracted hippies and celebrities alike, including Sophia Loren and Paul Newman (who hung out there while filming the 1960 film Exodus).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31800580

Yours truly there in early 2000s.
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A number of fraudsters have been arrested in Italy for operating a scam offering citizenship, tax, and other benefits from the fictitious "Sovereign Antarctic State of San Giorgio."
700 people were scammed by the promise of citizenship of an invented country in Antarctica

Twelve individuals have been arrested and 30 are under investigation in Italy for having invented the “Antarctic Theocratic State of San Giorgio” with which they swindled about 700 people by promising nationality in order to be able to pay fewer taxes, have passports, land, and even receive noble titles.

The operation, called “The island that does not exist”, was launched by the Police of Catanzaro in the region of Calabria in April 2021 after a search of a property that had been indicated as the diplomatic headquarters of the fictitious state.

The criminal network made believe that this nation existed with autonomous sovereignty and privileges “by virtue of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959” and took care of the procedures for granting citizenship to whoever requested it, in exchange for between 200 and 1000 euros.

In about a year, the members of this network had swindled 700 people throughout Italy and collected about 400,000 euros.

... in addition to having created an Internet page on the State, they had also set up the publication of an Official State Gazette and the creation of various institutions (Head of State, Government, Court of Justice, Supreme Court, Territorial Delegations...).

In this way, they would have deceived people to whom they offered the most disparate advantages: from the possibility of receiving funding for their research projects, benefiting from a more agile bureaucracy for their companies or using state documents to move freely in Italy and abroad, to the possibility of allowing the entry into the national territory of foreign citizens or obtaining an exemption from vaccines for covid-19.

By joining the Antarctic State, the most attractive benefits would have been those related to tax reduction, and in at least two cases, there was the sale of land in Antarctica accompanied by the respective noble title. ...
FULL STORY: https://en.mercopress.com/2022/08/2...izenship-of-an-invented-country-in-antarctica
 
A bit more complicated than usual, this one came close to achieving legal status. could it be a Chinese Government plot?

A Chinese couple plotted to set up a mini-state on the Marshall Islands in the Pacific, bribing MPs and officials along the way, US prosecutors say.

The man and woman tried to persuade lawmakers to set up a "Semi-Autonomous Region" (SAR) on a remote atoll. Such a zone would have expanded foreign access to the Pacific nation, which was administered by the US until 1979.

The Marshall Islands government is yet to fully address the accusations, despite calls from opposition parties. But US authorities say the defendants - Cary Yan and Gina Zhou - undermined the island nation's sovereignty. Their efforts saw bills supporting the SAR's creation debated in the Marshall Islands' parliament in 2018 and 2020, US prosecutors say. Prosecutors allege several Marshall Island lawmakers, unidentified in the charge sheet, voted for the bills after receiving bribes ranging from US$7,000 to $22,000 (£6,100 to £19,000).

The pair were detained in Thailand in 2020 and extradited to the US last week.

"Yan and Zhou's bribes blatantly flouted the sovereignty of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and its legislature," said US Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York.

The Marshall Islands, a chain of islands located between Hawaii and Australia, gained independence in 1979 after being under US administration for four decades.

It remains a key strategic base for Washington in the Pacific, where the US has some security alliances in place but China is seeking to expand its influence. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62830548
 

The Republic of Molossia, Nevada, is home to a micronation of 38 people


The Republic of Molossia is the city of your adolescent, Candy Land dreams, where the currency is cookie dough and the nation’s leader officially outlawed spinach.

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President Kevin Baugh of Molossia inside the Presidential Office in August 2023. Nora Heston Tarte Special to SFGATE

How does a place like Molossia, located about 45 minutes from Reno, exist within the confines of the United States? The self-described independent nation, ruled by President Kevin Baugh and first lady Adrianne Baugh, is actually a micronation within the United States.

At last count, there were 67 micronations across the globe.

Molossia is enclosed within a small Nevada town called Dayton, on an 11-acre property with a total population of 38 souls. Three of the citizens are dogs.

Tours are held one day a month between April and October, usually, but not always, on a Saturday. During this time, anyone can visit Molossia. A passport isn’t strictly required, but if you bring one, you can get it stamped at the customs office.

It’s customary to bring cookie dough to exchange for the local currency, called Valora, which is Latin for “brave or courageous.”

It’s important to abide by the laws when moving about Molossia. That means no contraband like tobacco, incandescent lightbulbs, plastic bags, catfish, onions, walruses and, of course, spinach.

Other laws prohibit citizens from causing catastrophe; torpedoes may not be set off inside of the country, and percussion instruments are barred from every bathroom. It’s also illegal to detonate a nuclear device within the nation.

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/molossia-nv-micronation-san-francisco-inspiration-18341046.php

maximus otter
 

The Republic of Molossia, Nevada, is home to a micronation of 38 people


The Republic of Molossia is the city of your adolescent, Candy Land dreams, where the currency is cookie dough and the nation’s leader officially outlawed spinach.

ratio3x2_720.webp




It’s also illegal to detonate a nuclear device within the nation.



maximus otter
Bit harsh.
What sort of draconian place is this?
 
An article from Forbes (Uri Gellar's Lamb Island gets a mention):

How To Rule Your Own Country: Inside The Outrageous World Of Micronations​

With political turmoil worldwide, divided beliefs, and mandates facing ordinary citizens, the idea of creating your own country might seem like a dream. But with micronations launching around the world, this dream has become a reality despite not being recognized by governments.

According to legal experts, a micronation is a political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from states and rebel movements and are not considered autonomous or self-governing as they lack the legal basis in international law for their existence.

But that has not stopped countless micronations from creating coins, postage stamps, and passports. These micronations are usually motivated by experimentation, political protest, artistic expression, entertainment, and sometimes criminal activity.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdob...ageous-world-of-micronations/?sh=4490982e5f96
 
A Fake Federal Republic of East Africa Government.

To the casual observer, it seemed like the long-cherished dream of a new single currency for East Africa had come to fruition.

An account on X, called "Government of East Africa", complete with a grey tick suggesting it was the real deal, released an image of a specimen note worth five sheafras, featuring a coat of arms and a space for a signature from a central bank governor. The name sheafra was coined by combining shilling of East Africa and franc - currencies in use in the region.

The original posts from last Sunday were viewed more than a million times, going viral after being picked up by major blogs and at least one popular online media outlet in Kenya. It was reported as a launch. The truth was still putting its shoes on as the apparent news of the single currency spread. Some enthusiastically welcomed the idea, while others debated the name and the design.

Finally, the East African Community (EAC) - a bloc of eight countries - stepped in to say it was not true.

The man behind what turned out to be a fake single currency said he was surprised at how the news spread and the attention it received.
Ugandan Moses Haabwa told the BBC that he wanted to offer hope to people in the region. He is the self-styled overseer of what he calls the "Federal Republic of East Africa Government", which does not exist.

The man, in his late 30s, is a relatively mysterious figure who says he has worked in the intelligence field. He currently runs a company that, among other things, says it carries out private investigations. He also once said that he had been appointed the ambassador for an unknown European dukedom, which itself is shrouded in mystery and is probably a complete fiction.

For the past three months, the group that he leads has been releasing examples or "specimens" of different denominations of the sheafra on social media.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68499438
 
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