— I am President Kevin Baugh,
of the Republic of Molossia.
— I am King George II,
current ruler of Slabovia and one of the founding members.
— My name is Dr. Eric Lis.
I am the unquestioned tyrannical dictator of the Aerican Empire.
— If you don’t remember any of these countries from geography class,
you’re not alone.
They’re all micronations:
self-declared sovereign states not formally recognized by the countries in which they reside.
This summer,
representatives from 27 micronations gathered for a summit in Dunwoody, Georgia.
— Say, “Micronation.”
— Micronation!
— Our governing philosophy is absolute monarchy
based upon divine right theory.
And I have over 200 citizens who tend to agree with it.
I don’t think it makes us exactly a cult, but…
Jean-Pierre!
You’re the new lieutenant?
I love your outfit.
That one’s wonderful.
I can give the tour of the house,
if anybody wants it.
Ruritania is—
and all micronations, for that matter—
are more of a political statement than an ideology.
We don’t care for the way things are going in the countries we come from
and we think we could do a better job,
even if it’s just over a postage stamp-sized piece of property.
— Micronations came to prominence in the 1960s,
when two manmade islands declared their independence—
the Republic of Rose Island, off the coast of Italy,
and Sealand, off the coast of the U.K.
The Italian government did not take kindly to Rose Island
and, in 1968, they sent forces who demolished it with explosives.
Sealand fared better,
surviving a hostage situation and legal troubles
ranging from passport fraud to money laundering.
Other micronations were founded with a wide variety of goals,
including establishing a libertarian utopia,
creating a matriarchal BDSM state,
and circumventing drug laws.
Many of these had less than ideal outcomes,
however, the majority went unnoticed by society until the ‘90s,
when previously isolated micronationalists realized they weren’t alone.
— I wasn’t even aware that there were other micronations out there
until the advent of the internet.
You know, you get out there and start looking around, like,
“Whoa, that guy’s got his own country declared,”
“that guy’s got his own country.”
— Your majesties, your highnesses, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen…
— My country is an anti-state…
— We now consider ourselves to be a classical republic…
— Money.
What is it anyway?
— Ruritania has had a long tradition against the vile vermin of squirrels…
— Most of my citizens never even meet me.
They send in the application, I approve it.
We also get a lot of people trying desperately to leave third-world countries.
They think that we’re a country with enough land that they could move here.
We can give them a citizenship,
but it comes without residency.
— They are absolutely no potential benefits to being a member of the Aerican Empire.
It is purely something that someone can be happy about.
Naturally, we do sell bank notes, and coins, and printable passports, and citizenship certificates,
but really it’s not a question of tangible benefit,
it’s a question of just belonging.
And when you get right down to it,
that’s really one of the most powerful things in the world.
— Our land claim is actually only the size of a small rock.
It’s right here in this box,
and it weighs roughly about two pounds.
— Many micronationalists are not isolationist.
They also want to shape the world around them nd question what makes a state legitimate.
For them,
even small acts of rebellion help challenge bureaucracies
and give them control over their own lives.
— Some people describe it as role playing.
Micronations actually hate that.
This is more of a lifestyle.
— In special recognition of your services,
my special gift to you.
— I am honored.
My husband was an invalid for a number of years.
He came up with laws and rules that we still use.
When he passed away,
we got about 100 condolence letters from other micronations.
I spent 10 years being a caregiver.
Suddenly, I didn’t know what to do with myself.
This fills my time.
Thank you.
When I’m not being the queen,
I’m being what other people want me to be.
When I’m being the queen,
I’m who I want to be.