Sealand, the Greatest Country in the World
September 11th 2006 12:26
You may not be aware of it, but your Atlases and world maps are wrong. Look at them carefully and you will notice a distinct absence of Sealand – the world’s smallest country. Sealand has existed since 1967, a great deal longer than some other so-called nations (East Timor stand up, and please, sit the fuck back down again).
Sealand (formerly Roughs Tower) is in fact a pair of concrete silos situated six miles offshore from Britain, built by the British in WWII, and subsequently abandoned after the war ended. Major Paddy Roy Bates decided to occupy and claim it in ’67, and, following his refusal to pay taxes and the like, a British Supreme Court found him to be within his rights as the Tower had been lawfully abandoned and was outside of any country’s jurisdiction. And so, Paddy Roy Bates, or as he was now known – Prince Roy – returned to his new home with his family and dubbed it Sealand.
Sealand became a haven for dodgy businessmen and the like, many using it as a point for offshore banking and other financial loopholes, much to Prince Roy’s advantage. However, the distribution of official Sealand passports and their use in the aforementioned activities led to Sealand’s one (and so far, only) ‘war’.
In 1978, while Prince Roy was away on business, some Dutch mercenaries (in the employ of a German businessman) invaded Sealand and took Prince Michael (Roy’s son) hostage. Roy soon returned however (with some of his own men) and successfully captured the invaders. The Netherlands and Germany demanded the immediate release of their patriots, but Britain was powerless to intervene. Adhering to the Geneva Conventions, Prince Roy all too happily released the Dutch mercenaries, but held onto their leader, the German businessman. It seems that the German businessman had previously accepted a Sealand passport, and was therefore guilty of treason. Legally, Prince Roy was allowed to execute the treacherous businessman. He held onto his prisoner long enough to make his point and then, in an act of good will, let him go. (This German man apparently still counterfeits Sealand passports to this day).
In 1987 Sealand extended it’s borders by 12 nautical miles (in order to avoid being locked off by Britain, who also extended their borders in the same year). In 1990, Prince Roy fired warning shots at a British ship that had strayed too close to his home. The ship complained to British authorities, and Britain might like to pretend Sealand doesn’t exist, but their lack of retaliation to this shows their acceptance that they are powerless to exert any control whatsoever over Sealand or it’s inhabitants, the mighty Sealanders. So here’s to Sealand, and Prince Roy, may they both last a long time indeed.
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That was a really interesting read Luke.
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