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Holy cow, this is the awesomest thing ever...

Triumph

Triumph

Lifer
So a coworker of mine was telling me about this independent country off of the coast of Great Britain called "Sealand." Apparently some guy in the 60's decided to take control of an abandoned WW2 naval post off of the coast. The British gov't caught wind of these doings, sent some sort of naval dispatchment out to investigate, the guy shoots at them (considering it a hostile act on the part of the British gov't), and the British navy turns around and leaves. The guy then declares himself King of Sealand! So I'm like, "Yeah whatever, this story is bullsh*t." On a whim, I decide to look up Sealand, and lo and behold:

http://www.sealandgov.com/

This is the greatest thing ever! It actually exists, a sovereign nation, recognized by Great Britain (and perhaps several other countries). The history of this country is so interesting:

On 2 September 1967, former English major Paddy Roy Bates formally occupied the island and settled there with his family. After intensive discussions with skillful English lawyers, Roy Bates proclaimed the island his own state. Claiming jus gentium, he bestowed upon himself the title of Prince and the title of Princess to his wife and subsequently made the state the Principality of Sealand. Roy Bates, henceforth Roy of Sealand, exerted state authority on the island and thus was an absolute sovereign. The royal family and other persons that have declared loyalty to Sealand have occupied Sealand ever since.
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The only thing I would've done different would be to declare myself King. I'd wear a Burger King Kid's Meal crown, hold a sceptre, and sit on some sort of throne all day. Another interesting tidbit:
In August of 1978, a number of Dutch men came to Sealand in the employ of a German businessman. They were there to discuss business dealings with Sealand. While Roy was away in Britain, these men kidnapped Prince Roy's son Michael, and took Sealand by force. Soon after, Roy recaptured the island with a group of his own men and held the attackers as prisoners of war.

During the time that he held the prisoners, the Governments of the Netherlands and Germany petitioned for their release. First they asked England to intervene in the matter, but the British government cited their earlier court decision as evidence that they made no claim to the territory of Sealand. Then, in an act of de facto recognition of Sealand's sovereignty, Germany sent a diplomat directly to Sealand to negotiate for the release of their citizen.
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Oh man.... What I wouldn't give to become a citizen of Sealand!
 
I think I remember reading about this Sealand waaay back in the 1980's. It was in "World" magazine for kids. I thought it was an abandoned oil rig platform, but my memory's fuzzy.
 
Yeah, sealand does exist and its an abandoned structure of some kind.

But I don't think anybody treats them as a real nation.
 
jeez, way to be interesting, guys. have any of you declared your own country and been relatively successful in doing so?
 
Originally posted by: Triumph
jeez, way to be interesting, guys. have any of you declared your own country and been relatively successful in doing so?
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Yes, but no one else recognizes my country Triumph 😱 😉 😀
 
This is kinda like the guy who was on Conan the other night who claimed ownership of the moon and all of the other planets.

Edit: The situations aren't really that similar, I guess...I don't know what I'm talking about 🙂
 
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