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Revision as of 00:48, 29 December 2002 by Vera Cruz (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The term micronation' (Fifth World Nation) has come to be used, in recent years, to describe entities which bear a resemblance to independent states. Characteristically, micronations have a defined (if very small) geographic territory which will usually not be recognized by the vast majority of the traditional nation-states.
Many micronations base their legitimacy on historical anomalies or eccentric interpretations of laws. Most have an ephemeral existence, but at least one, Seborga, traces its history back at least 1,000 years. The population, of such states, is often only a handful of individuals. Many have established a website to promote their legitimacy.
Less easy to dismiss as frivolous are micronations that maintain actual claims to territory, and some of these have been operating successfully for decades. Examples include Hutt River Province (a farm in Western Australia which claims to have seceded from Australia and to be an independent principality) with an alleged worldwide population measured in the tens of thousands, and Sealand (a WWII-era antiaircraft platform built in the English channel, beyond Britain's nautical limit and currently leased as a secure web-hosting facility). Others such as New Utopia have overtly libertarian political leanings and plans to construct artificial island territories, and yet others claim to be redefining existing paradigms through the application of such notions as "non-territorial sovereignty" and are motivated by a range progressive socio-political reform agendas.
It may sometimes be difficult to distinguish between micronations and imaginary countries.
The study of micronations is included in "micropatrology", a field defined in 1973 as "the study of small and little-known nations and territories". Micropatrologists have studied, informally, "anything below Luxembourg" that has a real territorial existence, including diplomatically recognized countries like San Marino, historical oddities like the Kingdom of Tavolara, Counani, the Rose Island, or Amb, as well as certain current micronations.
See also:
External links
Examples of claimed micronations whose existence in the "real" world can be independently verified include:
- Principality of Sealand http://www.fruitsofthesea.demon.co.uk/sealand/
- Hutt River Province Principality http://home.vicnet.net.au/~huttrivr/
Examples of fantasy/online micronations which exist primarily in the imagination of, or for the entertainment of their members include:
- Kingdom of Talossa http://www.talossa.net/