Can you just 'make' a new country?
The new owners of a tiny private island off the coast of Belize have angered authorities by proclaiming it a “micronation”. A group of 96 investors crowdfunded the purchase of Coffee Caye, off the coast of Belize City, for $180,000 (£140,000) in December 2019, with the first groups of ‘residents’ arriving this month.Crowdfunded private island sparks feud after owners claim it as ‘micronation’ | The Independent
With more here:
World’s first crowd-funded private island in Belize causes a storm over ‘colonial’ claim to be a micronationThe Principality of Islandia, a self-declared nation two thirds the size of a football pitch, has become a lesson in the challenges of trying to start your own tiny country
A group of investors who crowd-funded the purchase of a tropical island in Belize are facing controversy after declaring their slice of the Caribbean country a new micronation.
The dream of the first-ever crowdfunded private island, achieved in 2019 with the purchase of Coffee Caye off the coast of Belize City for $180,000 (£140,000), soon turned sour after the group renamed their 1.2-acre property the Principality of Islandia.
Declaring their sliver of mangroves, palm trees and sand to be the world’s newest micronation, the new owners quickly issued passports, crowned a co-founder as “prince” and designed their own flag, passport stamp and national anthem.
However, the reimagined Principality of Islandia, which is run as a business by two Britons and an American, has hit a nerve among many Belizians, underlining the challenges of trying to start your own tiny country.
As news of the self-declared nation spread around the former British colony in mid-March, Belize’s Prime Minister, John Briceño, condemned “stupid” investors who had already begun making day trips and camping overnight on the island.
Asked by a local reporter about the island, Mr Briceño replied: “We will never allow anybody to have their own country within this country… If you’re stupid enough to pay a lot of money to buy piece of land, good for you.”
The dream of the first-ever crowdfunded private island, achieved in 2019 with the purchase of Coffee Caye off the coast of Belize City for $180,000 (£140,000), soon turned sour after the group renamed their 1.2-acre property the Principality of Islandia.
Declaring their sliver of mangroves, palm trees and sand to be the world’s newest micronation, the new owners quickly issued passports, crowned a co-founder as “prince” and designed their own flag, passport stamp and national anthem.
However, the reimagined Principality of Islandia, which is run as a business by two Britons and an American, has hit a nerve among many Belizians, underlining the challenges of trying to start your own tiny country.
As news of the self-declared nation spread around the former British colony in mid-March, Belize’s Prime Minister, John Briceño, condemned “stupid” investors who had already begun making day trips and camping overnight on the island.
Asked by a local reporter about the island, Mr Briceño replied: “We will never allow anybody to have their own country within this country… If you’re stupid enough to pay a lot of money to buy piece of land, good for you.”
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For more, here's their website:
Our New Island: Coffee Caye - Let's Buy An Island
Here's a list:
List of micronations - Wikipedia
Here's another example:
Sealand: A peculiar ‘nation’ off England’s coast - BBC Travel
And finally, a comedy from the 1940s on how a part of London declared independence:
Passport to Pimlico - Wikipedia
Passport to Pimlico (1949) - IMDb
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