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4 Micronations You Need to Visit

Did you ever think, “I sure wish I could be the dictator of a nation I made up, and do whatever I want, and make whatever laws I want”? Like, do you hate Robinson Crusoe and think all the weak-willed fools who love it should be imprisoned and fined? It turns out, you can totally do that (as is the case in Elleore)! There are hundreds of little boys and girls around the world who figured they couldn’t be President of the United States, so they just decided not to play anymore and make their own country.

  1. Republic of Molossia

First up is the Republic of Molossia, a micronation found in Nevada of the United States. The president’s name is Kevin Baugh, the dashing dictator in the above picture. The concept of Molossia started in his imagination when he was a kid, and he decided just to make his dreams happen. In the 1990’s he declared his house and surrounding property a sovereign nation. The entire nation is only 1.3 acres of land, but if you want to visit you must have your passport, go through customs, and exchange your useless dollars for valoras. For some reason, instead of having gold as their foundational currency, Molossia uses cookie dough which is stored in their local bank, making President Baugh the most brilliant dictator in history.

If you do go into Molossia, be careful, they have been at war with East Germany (which doesn’t exist anymore) since 1983 and may ask you to give some money to the cause.

  1. The Empire of Atlantium

Atlantium (located in Australia) prides itself in being a utopia for humanists, of which about three thousand have joined the empire’s ranks from over one hundred other nations. The nation has freedom of abortion and assisted suicide, which if it keeps developing is going to make it a test run for what many other people would like to see happen in our larger nations.

The Empire is makes up less than a square mile of land, but with all the smug looks in the pictures you would think they were part of the actual Empire. You know, the one from Star Wars. I assume they look that way because they are constantly looking over their shoulder, worried someone might decide to “assist” them in the suicide they aren’t planning on committing.

The great news is that if you are a coin collector, you can buy one of their coins worth 30 solidi off their website for $40! Show that off to your coin collecting friends to really get the conversations going.

FRENTE-MEDALHA

  1. The Holy Empire of Reunion

The government of Reunion (Brazil) hasn’t put much effort into making a great web site, so a lot of information is lacking, as well as decent pictures. However this is a pretty fascinating nation with a great sense of humor (including an execution threat for anyone who thinks the nation is a joke; adding a definition of the word “Impale” at the bottom of the webpage).

The Holy Empire of Reunion began when a bunch of Brazilian law students decided to simulate a government, and from there it grew into the glorious country it is today. The official language is Portuguese, but they do welcome English speakers who are willing to fill out the appropriate forms.

While they have been mentioned dozens of times in global media, even the New York Times, their biggest flaw is that they don’t really have a full on territory yet. You can become part of the nation and go to their conventions, but sadly there isn’t a land to visit. However, they have relationships with about 175 other micronations around the world, including Molossia, so you know they’ve got to be important.

  1. Principality of Sealand

Not far off the coast of Suffolk, England is an offshore platform called Roughs Tower. It was originally a World War II installation built to protect a nearby port. After the war the installation was abandoned until a man named Paddy Roy Bates and a friend decided to take it over and declare it their territory. It became a story of intrigue, especially when for some unknown reason the two had the most epic of fallings out, and then an insane battle with firearms and petrol bombs for control of the installations. When the British authorities tried to stop the mini-war, they realized they couldn’t because Roughs Tower is in international waters. Eventually Roy prevailed and became the ruler of the territory. That was until the Germans, of course the Germans, and some Dutch businessmen (why not) invaded the fort in an attempt to take it over. They came with helicopters and jet skis, and even held Roy’s son Michael (pictured above) hostage. Roy, being some kind modern equivalent to King Leonidas pushed them back and stayed in control (it was actually through some basic democracy and negotiation, but the King Leonidas thing sounds better). Today Roy’s son Michael is regent, and Roy died after a life of epic battles over a tiny piece of land at the age of 91 in 2012.

You can visit Sealand (bring your passport of course!), and unlike the other micronations we have looked at, if you have the cash (between £29.99 – £199.99), they will make you a Knight, Duke, Baron, Lord, Count, Countess, and so on. Totally worth it to make people kneel to you and kiss your ring.

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Alan

Alan Crookham is a culture and travel enthusiast. He has lived overseas since he was 17 and continues to delve into the heart of nations and their peoples. He currently lives in Panama and is married to his beautiful wife, Karmy, with whom he has two sons.

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