micronation

Also known as model country, new country project, micro-nation

thumb|The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on a seafort off the coast of the United Kingdom.

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A micronation is a small, self-declared state that claims sovereignty but lacks recognition from established countries and international organizations. While micronations like the Principality of Sealand exist as curiosities or political statements, they have little practical impact since they cannot participate in international affairs or enforce laws beyond their tiny territories.

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Commons category: Micronations

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~32 min read

Article

30 sections

Contents

Definition
History
Retrospective micronations
Libertarian micronations and seasteading projects: 1964–1972
Conceptualisation
Initial developments in Australia: 1970–1981
Micronational community in Japan: 1981–1991
Protest micronations: 1980s
Artistic micronations: 1990s
Effects of the Internet and media attention
2010s and popularization
The COVID-19 pandemic and aftermath
Territorial claims
Other claims
Functions as a sovereign state
Community
Diplomacy
Intermicronational summits
Websites and online communities
Legality
Arguments for sovereignty
Based on historical claims
See also
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
Further reading
Nonfiction
Fiction
External links

thumb|The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on a seafort off the coast of the United Kingdom.

A micronation is a political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from de facto states and quasi-states; they are also not considered to be autonomous or self-governing as they lack the legal basis in international law for their existence. The activities of micronations are almost always trivial enough to be ignored rather than disputed by the established nations whose territory they claim—referred to in micronationalism as macronations. Several micronations have issued coins, flags, postage stamps, passports, medals and other state-related items, some as a source of revenue. Motivations for the creation of micronations include theoretical experimentation, political protest, artistic expression, personal entertainment and the conduct of criminal activity. The study of micronationalism is known as micropatriology or micropatrology.