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 separately from de facto states and quasi-states; they are also not considered to be autonomous nor self-governing as they lack the legal basis in international law 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, artistic expression, personal entertainment and the conduct of criminal activity. The study of micronationalism is known as micropatriology or micropatrology.
The Principality of Sealand is an unrecognised micronation on HM Fort Roughs, an offshore platform in the North Sea approximately twelve kilometres off the coast of Suffolk. Roughs Tower is a Maunsell Sea Fort that was built by the British in international waters during World War II. Since 1967, the decommissioned Roughs Tower has been occupied and claimed as a sovereign state by the family and associates of Paddy Roy Bates. Bates seized Roughs Tower from a group of pirate radio broadcasters in 1967 with the intention of setting up his own station there. Sealand was invaded by mercenaries in 1978 but was able to repel the attack. Since 1987, when the United Kingdom extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, the platform has been in British territory.
The Principality of Hutt River, often referred to by its former name, the Hutt River Province, is a micronation in Australia. The principality claimed to be an independent sovereign state bordering the Commonwealth of Australia, founded on 21 April 1970. It was dissolved on 3 August 2020.
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".
The ducat coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around 3.5 grams of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide international acceptance over the centuries. Similarly named silver ducatons also existed. The gold ducat circulated along with the Florentine florin and preceded the modern British pound sterling and the United States dollar.
The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, they debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions.
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 real estate millionaire and political activist Michael Oliver, who went on to other similar attempts in the following decade. Lithuanian-born Oliver formed a syndicate, the Ocean Life Research Foundation, which had considerable finances for the project and had offices in New York and London. They anticipated a libertarian society with "no taxation, welfare, subsidies, or any form of economic interventionism." In addition to tourism and fishing, the economy of the new nation would include light industry and other commerce.
The Empire of Atlantium is a micronation and secular, pluralist progressive lobby group based in New South Wales, Australia.
Extraterrestrial real estate refers to claims of land ownership on other planets, natural satellites, or parts of space by certain organizations or individuals. Previous claims are not recognized by any authority, and have no legal standing. Nevertheless, some private individuals and organizations have claimed ownership of celestial bodies, such as the Moon, and are actively involved in "selling" parts of them through certificates of ownership termed "Lunar deeds", "Martian deeds" or similar.
The ruble or rouble is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the name of the currency of the Russian Empire and, later, of the Soviet Union.
Celestia is a free astronomy computer program.
The Principality of Sealand, a micronation founded on a former World War II fort in the North Sea, has issued a number of coins and stamps for collectors. These coins and stamps are denominated in "Sealand dollars" (SX$). Sealand coins can be considered souvenirs only or "rounds" since they do not circulate anywhere and are not accepted as currency by any nation.
In the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game, Bahamut is a powerful draconic deity, who has the same name as Bahamut from Arabic mythology.
Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations is an Australian gazetteer about micronations published by Lonely Planet. Written by John Ryan, George Dunford and Simon Sellars, the book's profile of micronations offers information on their flags, leaders, currencies, date of foundation, maps and other facts. It was published in September 2006, and later re-subtitled Guide to Self-Proclaimed Nations. The book is written in a light-hearted and humorous tone.
James T. Mangan (1896–1970) was an eccentric, public relations man and writer on self-help topics who publicly claimed ownership of outer space in 1948.
Travis McHenry is an American-born micronationalist and businessman, the founder and creator of two micronations, Westarctica and Calsahara, neither of which has been recognized by any world government.
Westarctica, officially the Grand Duchy of Westarctica and formerly the Protectorate of Westarctica, is a micronation in Antarctica, founded in 2001 by Travis McHenry, who styles himself as Grand Duke Travis. It claims a region of West Antarctica which has not been claimed by any nation state, comprising most of Marie Byrd Land. This wedge is located between the Ross Dependency claimed by New Zealand, and the Chilean Antarctic Territory, between 90 degrees and 150 degrees west longitude and south of the 60th parallel. The region includes 1,600,000 square kilometres (620,000 sq mi) of land, making it the largest territory not claimed by any recognized nation. Westarctica claims over 2,000 citizens, but none of them reside within the claimed territory, which has no permanent settlements or research stations.
New Atlantis was a micronation formed by Leicester Hemingway, the brother of Ernest Hemingway. The "island", a 240 sq ft (22 m2) bamboo raft off the coast of Jamaica, was established as a constitutional republic on July 4, 1964.
The Christopher Columbus Quincentenary commemorative coins are a series of commemorative coins which were issued by the United States Mint in 1992 for the Columbus Quincentenary.
