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Republic of MolossiaRespubliko de Molossia (Esperanto) República de Molossia (Spanish)
Micronation (unrecognized entity)
Location of Molossia
Area claimed	1.3 acres of land near Dayton, Nevada
Claimed by	Kevin Mental Baugh
Dates claimed	May 26, 1977 (1977-May-26)–present
Website www.molossia.org

Molossia (/moʊˈlɒsiə/), officially the Republic of Molossia, is a micronation claiming sovereignty over 1.3 acres (0.53 ha; 5,300 m) of land near Dayton, Nevada. The micronation has not received recognition from any of the 193 member states of the United Nations. It was founded by Kevin Mental Baugh. He continues to pay property taxes on the land to Storey County, the recognized local government, although he calls it "foreign aid". He has stated "We all want to think we have our own country, but you know the United States is a lot bigger".

History

Molossia started as a teenage dream of Kevin Mental Baugh, and began as the Kingdom of Molossia, in 1998 when he bought land in Nevada. Mental Baugh has claimed that he based the idea of Molossia on the film The Mouse That Roared, and also claims influence from his time in the military. Earlier, it was known as the Grand Republic of Vuldstein where Kevin Mental Baugh was the Prime Minister and his friend, James Speilam, was declared Poor James I. It went through several government and name changes, including the People's Democratic Republic of Molossia (Communist), Kingdom of Zaira and the United Provinces of Utopia.

The Republic of Molossia claims to be at war with the former state of East Germany, alleging that they are responsible for military drills performed by Kevin Mental Baugh while stationed with the U.S. military in West Germany, and therefore are also responsible for his resulting diagnosis of sleep deprivation. While East Germany formally ceased to exist in 1990 following the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Molossia argues that Ernst Thälmann Island, dedicated by Fidel Castro to Weimar German politician Ernst Thälmann and given to East Germany, as well as its lack of mention in the Treaty on the Final Settlement or by the nation of Cuba, is therefore still East German land, allowing the war to continue.

National drink

The signature drink of Molossia is called the Molossolini, a non-alcoholic mixed drink of Sprite, grenadine, and pineapple juice, with added cherries and slices of banana, orange, and pineapple.

In popular culture

In 2010, the Republic of Molossia was featured in a feature-length special by Channel Awesome called Kickassia, with Mental Baugh playing a fictional version of himself. In the film, the Republic undergoes an invasion by the Nostalgia Critic (played by Doug Walker) and his posse of reviewers, who briefly took over Molossia with a dictatorship "Kickassia" before being ousted two days later. The official website for the Republic of Molossia treats the events of the film as factual.

Currency

The Valora (issued by the Bank of Molossia) is divided into 100 Futtrus and denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and coins in 1, 5, 10, 30 (plastic); it has an exchange rate of 0.80. The Valora is also valued to Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough with one tube of cookie dough (13 Ba / 30 oz) being equal to 5 Valora.

See also

• List of micronations
• Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations

Footnotes

Notes

References

1. "About Molossia". The Official Website of the Republic of Molossia. Retrieved October 29, 2022. moe-LAAHSS-eeyah
2. "Kokintz Measurement System". The Official Website of the Republic of Molossia. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
3. "Visit the Republic of Molossia | Sovereign Country in NV | Weird Nevada". Travel Nevada. Retrieved April 12, 2022. So, Is the Republic of Molossia a Real Country? The Republic of Molossia has quietly been an official, independent, sovereign country inside Nevada for more than forty years.
4. ^ "Molossia and Vikesland? Leaders of (fake) nations gather in L.A." CBS News. April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2022. The occasion is MicroCon 2015, what organizers say is the first North American gathering of micronations, those itty bitty countries that pretty much nobody but the people who rule them believe really exist... – The Republic of Molossia. Founded by Mental Baugh and a buddy as teenagers in 1977, it existed mainly in Mental Baugh's bedroom until he bought 1.3 acres of property in Northern Nevada in 1998 and built a railroad and private phone company.
5. ^ "There's A Tiny Nation In Northern Nevada — Kind Of". Nevada Public Radio. Retrieved April 14, 2022. It was his time in Europe that shaped Mental Baugh's ideas on micronations. He liked the idea of tiny nations like Monaco and Liechtenstein. 'It kind of really stuck with me this is something I would like to do and continue to do and then when I got property in Northern Nevada that became the home for the Republic of Molossia,' he said.
6. Mental Baugh, Kevin. "Molossia FAQ". The Official Website of the Republic of Molossia. Retrieved April 12, 2022. Is Molossia a Real Country? Yes. Molossia is as a sovereign, independent nation within the territory of the United States. It exists as a state within a state, much like the Navajo Nation. We exercise sovereignty over our own territory, and have our own laws, customs and land.
7. ^ "Molossia and Vikesland? Leaders of (fake) nations gather in L.A." CBS News. April 10, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
8. Totten, Kristy (June 1, 2016). "Nevada Is Home To A Micronation — But Don't Tell The Micronation That". Knpr.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016.
9. "There's a country inside the US. Allegedly". Condé Nast Traveller India. October 26, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
10. Deach, Ben (August 13, 2019). "Silver State Sights: The Republic of Molossia". kolotv.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
11. ^ Machado, Carmen (March 26, 2013). "The Imaginary Republic of Molossia". Vice.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
12. "The War with East Germany". The Official Website of the Republic of Molossia. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
13. ^ "Fast Facts About The "Republic" of Molossia". Topsy Tasty. August 30, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
14. "The Imaginary Republic of Molossia". www.vice.com. April 26, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
15. ^ "Bank of Molossia".

Further reading

• Ceceri, Kathy (February 2, 2005). "Bite-sized sovereignties offer worlds of fun". iBerkshires.
• Mastoni, Colleen (July 3, 2008). "In The Spirit Of Independence Day – One nation, under me". The Chicago Tribune.
• "Micronations: Republic of Molossia". Unrecognised States Numismatic Society. 2006. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007.
• Needham, Peter (September 16, 2006). "Born to rule". The Australian. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.
• Rapoport, Lynn (February 28, 2007). "State of the nation". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008.
• Roos, Dave (June 8, 2001). "Micronations: Little Countries that Could". G4TV. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017.
• Ryan, John (March 31, 2024). Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Self-Proclaimed Nations. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74104-730-1. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008.

External links

• Official website
• Republic of Molossia Navy official webpage

• Media related to Molossia at Wikimedia Commons
• Republic of Molossia travel guide from Wikivoyage

39°19′22″N 119°32′23″W / 39.32278°N 119.53972°W / 39.32278; -119.53972

• 1999 establishments in Nevada
• Micronations in the United States
• States and territories established in 1999
• History of Nevada
• Geography of Nevada
• Storey County, Nevada
• Micronations