Micronations: For Those Who Are Tired of Existing Incompetent Governments and Are Longing for Something New and Refreshing

By Mohhammad Bahareth

What is a Micro Nation?

A micro nation can actually be referred to as new country project or a model country. The definition of a micro nation is thus rendered:

“An entity that resembles a nation or a state, but which for the most part exists only on paper, on the Internet, or in the mind of its creator.”

Also referred to as:

“Model countries and new country projects -- are entities that claim to be independent nations or states but which are unrecognized by world governments or major international organizations.”

Different reasons exist why micro nations are created some being extremely serious whereas others are as a result of a hobby. There are however very genuine micro nations which are made of an entire community or tribe. These small entities almost always exist as replicas of real nations as opposed to existing states. We can therefore say that these are small nations with a small geographical area as well as populations.

The term micro nation can also be used synonymously with the term Fifth nation which also refers to social identity groups. Compared to micronations are macronations which are significantly larger and enjoy some territorial recognition and these are referred to as Fourth world nations. You will find many secessionist or self determination groups counted among macronations.

It is also very easy to confuse micronations with those tiny nations that are recognized legitimately. These geographically small counties include countries such as Monaco, Fiji and San Marino. Micronations should not be confused with legitimately recognized, but geographically tiny nations such as Fiji, Monaco, and San Marino, for which the term microstate is more accurate and descriptive.

In this book you will read about:

* Overview and introduction * Categories of Micronations * List of Small Microstates * List of Physical Micronations * Top Ten Out of the Ordinary Micronations * The Most Famous Micronations * The Newest Kids on the Block * How You Can Start Your Own Micronation

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462069279

Mohhammad Bahareth

Mohammad Bahareth is a multi-award-winning Best-Selling Author, Dyslexia Advocate, Motivational Speaker, Startup Consultant, and Business Personality whose devotion and creativity have imparted him with the reputation as Saudi Arabia’s leading youth in innovation. As the author of over 50 books in two languages, his ultimate mission is to encourage, empower, and inspire people for generations to come. When it comes to his best-selling books, he ensures youth have a better future in Saudi Arabia. Dedicated to intellectual pursuits, he attended courses at HavardX, edx, LinkedIn learning, and Masterclass. He also offers his own courses on other platforms. Mohammad’s various achievements and initiatives immediately caught the eye of Forbes Middle East. So far, he is one of the top 100 influential Twitter icons in 2011 and the recipient of the Wagensberg Award in 2019 and the Jeddah Award in 2022. He is also known for his empowering YouTube shows, The Fifth Power and iTek, making him one of the first YouTubers region-wide. Beyond the Middle East, he gave a TedTalk at TEDxJeddah about his learning disability, which was sponsored by HRH Prince Mohammed Bin Salman foundation known as MISK. Dyslexia was the reason teachers and doctors didn’t believe in his abilities. In fact, a doctor once told him that he could never be a writer, and that if he wrote a book, it would be a miracle. However, he overcame their ableism and proved everyone wrong by becoming a world-renowned thought leader and prolific author. At the age of 11, he was armed with the unwavering determination to overcome his dyslexia. Exceeding the teacher's expectations, he started doing well in school, and his father took him to NASA as a reward. This relentless fortitude led to him writing hundreds of articles in local Arabic media and his blog. He also wrote dozens of books in both English and Arabic, some of which are registered in the Library of Congress. Moreover, he received a ranking by the Saudi Social Media Monitor (ELMAM), was awarded 6th place in Saudi Arabia in Writing & Blogging in 2013, and earned various other awards, including The Wagensberg Literary Award for his book Micronations. To this day, he has motivated thousands of people across the globe as a dynamic speaker. These endeavors led to being knighted by King Roman of Lithuania in 2019.  One of Mohammad’s most pivotal moments, however, was adapting the Sherlock Holmes Trilogy (the first book he ever read and the character that inspired him to overcome all the odds stacked up against him) into Arabic in a span of seven years. Not only did he pen the trilogy in its entirety, but he also obtained approval from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate to license the use of the character as the first Arab to receive this license.  Furthermore, Mohammad’s numerous bold initiatives have created a better future for Saudi Arabia and society as a whole. His Arabian Space Initiative promises to send the first Arabic text to the moon and Mars. His social initiatives like Allow Youth allows single men to attend shopping malls and restaurants on weekends, which was prohibited before. Environmentally conscious, he called for a ban on soda cans with a removable cover. He also serves as the President of Space Club and the Vice President of Inventors Club. Currently, Mohammad Bahareth’s central focus is his Dyslexia Awareness initiative (www.Dyslexia.sa). He is advocating for dyslexic people to register with government authorities through medical reports to ensure they obtain optimal disability benefits that enhance and add value to their lives.

Book preview

The World of Micronations

For those who are tired of existing incompetent governments and are

longing for something

new and refreshing

Mohammad Bahareth

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

MICRONATIONS

FOR THOSE WHO ARE TIRED OF EXISTING INCOMPETENT GOVERNMENTS AND ARE LONGING FOR SOMETHING

NEW AND REFRESHING

Micronations, First Edition

Part of the iSay Franshise

Copyright © 2011 by Mohammad Bahareth.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission from the author. No patient liability is assumed with respect of the information herein. Although publisher & author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Every effort has been made to make this book complete and accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an as is basis. The author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book. And by buying the book you are waving all claims against the author or the publishing company.

Author Website:

www.Bahareth.info

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6926-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6927-9 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011961464

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 12/21/2011

Contents

Overview and Introduction

Chapter One

Welcome to the World of

Micronations

Chapter Two

Categories of Micronations

Chapter Three

List of the Smallest Microstates

Chapter Four

List of Physical Micronations

Chapter Five

The Top Ten Out of the Ordinary

Micronations

Chapter Six

The Most Famous Micro Nations

Chapter Seven

The Newest Micro Nations

Chapter Eight

You can start Your Own

Micronation

Overview and Introduction

Ask any person whether they are interested in power and they are likely to deny it on your face. Many would like to use a politically correct term such as servant leadership or sharing their leadership qualities with other people. They will look at others and declare that they are power hungry; they themselves are men and women of noble motives.

There is something especially in men that seeks that top position and they will do anything to make sure they get it. You see it often in the animal kingdom where the stronger one of the any species assumes a leadership position. Talk about top—dogs or alpha males. This is what in our own political systems, where this love for power is often disguised as interest in the electorate’s health care, education as well as other numerous responsibilities. None of these leaders will ever say I do this because I love power.

Power is a real hot potato, and those who seek it will always get a fitting terminology which will hide any underlying motives. Power in itself is good and the right use of the same always has many positive outcomes. Men love power so much that they will do anything to get hold of it. You should also see how men reach when they lose power. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein record President Nixon’s reaction to his loss of power in the book, the Final Days: Between sobs, Nixon was plaintive… How had a simple burglary… done all this? . . . Nixon got down on his knees… [He] leaned over and struck his fist on the carpet, crying, ‘What have I done? What has happened?’

Turning Dreams to Reality

Many times leaders have emerged because a number of people were not satisfied with the status quo. When people are not satisfied with how power is being exercised, there are many things that they can do. Whereas plenty of people support the policies of various governments, there are those who do not and will do anything to see a change of guard. The truth of the matter is that it is virtually impossible to please just about every one in the way power is exercised.

It could be that some people are dissatisfied with certain taxes or laws and when it is election time, they come out looking for leadership positions promising to change the way things are done. It is this desire that has given some people an idea of tailoring a government that could run exactly the way they want things to go. Sometimes the wish to make sure that the justice system, economic structures, national security, education and etc runs just like we want them to. The ability to tailor government structures in a specific unique regime runs in the blood of many people only that they do not know what to do about it.

Some people intent on developing a paradise of sorts look forward to being able to have a strict control on immigration policies, imports and exports, foreign relations, currency, defense programs and just about everything else that will run a government. Suppose you are in a position to plan things in government and they flow just like you desire? Suppose you had your own small country where things are efficient? What if in this imaginary country you would only move in with your closest buddies and close family members—that sounds like a very imaginative mind.

The truth of the matter is that there are people who got dissatisfied with the status quo and decided to take action. Yes! They started their own countries. The entities that are created may not necessarily fit the bill of your ordinary country but all the same they exist. There are several miniature countries around the world which operate like sovereign states. These residents and leaders live as if they were independent and some of them have the faintest hope that order of things will one day be recognized internationally. There are many cases where they even issue stamps, coins, and passports, and have a national anthem.

Finding Space for Your New

Country

Of course the ordinary thinker will start contemplating where to find land to start a new political state because according to them all the land the world over has been occupied. Since all land appears to have been taken over any existing country will fight tooth and nail to keep their existing land. Not so for those who are intent on changing the nature of things—there many who have gone as far as declaring any little property they own and independent country.

You will of course have to deal with plenty of challenges on the way in order to make their dreams reality. People will declare private lands, apartments or even some tiny island a new country. You may have to also work hard to convince the jurisdiction from which you are operating that you just need to secede. Many people have created micro nations from artificial islands on any place on the planet or perhaps some floating ship anchored somewhere in international waters. Since such people are generally risk takers they will not worry that there entity may not be recognized by any other state.

How then will work in order to convince a few people you are not out of your mind so that they get to join you in the new country so that it becomes viable? Any republic will need a running government, security forces and not forgetting a system that will ensure the required provisions get to the population. Apart from cultivating the ability to produce enough to satisfy your regime’s need, you will need to have an import and expert system which means such a country will need citizen with some income generation activities.

A great deal of thinking will also have gone to creating social systems such as schools, hospitals and many other social amenities or else your people will have to travel abroad to look for the same. Other systems that will need to be in place include police and court systems, infrastructure to do with electricity distribution, water and sewage services, a transport system as well as telephone and other communication services. When people think about these major challenges they almost always give up on the idea of creating a new state.

Even with all those complications, a few people have gone right ahead and founded micro nations, some of which have survived for quite an amount of time. There are those that tried and survived briefly only to shut down by invading bigger neighbors yet others have gone on to survive. There are all reasons why micro nations come up and similarly why some do not get to survive.

Apparently, where there is no land, there are those micro nations that survive only on the internet, this could be as a result of having some comic or artistic reasons, looking for publicity or even a political protest of sorts. You must have heard about virtual real estate where people live in imaginary countries and they survive in a lot of role playing. Whether you are looking at a virtual or real micro nation, this craze satisfies the desire by many people to live a better life, or perhaps one where you live according to your deepest desires and dreams. It may appear that sooner rather than later we will actually be talking about Nanonations.

Academic attention

In the recent past there has been some significant interest in the micronation phenomenon over the years. Many academicians have mainly been concerned about studying the seemingly anomalous legal satiations that surround such established micronations such as the Hutt River Province and the Sealand. It is believed that any of these emerging micronations represent some ideas inherent in the community and they provide an opportunity for role playing. Some of the ideas represented by micronations have very deep political undertones that need to be communicated.

Even though these entities may not be recognized by the United Nations there are many publications that have tried to address the subject. The New York Times carried an article in May 2000 entitled Utopian Rulers, and Spoofs, Stake out Territory Online and it is here that for the first time many people became aware of the existence of micronations. Many other newspapers have carried out similar publications bringing to the fore these micronations.

Micronational Territories and cultures

The fact that majority of these micronations remain unrecognized by the world’s nation states and inter-government organizations has made it happen that they often operate as simulations. This is without any particular regard to the origin, themes and goals of any one of them. There are those that claim real territory somewhere on the planet and occasionally they will do so with intentions of seceding in order to authenticate their claims. However, many other micronations operate parallel with already existing nations though others will develop virtual worlds of their own.

More often than not these micronations interact with