Editing Micronation (section)

== History ==
{{see also|List of micronations}}

=== Retrospective micronations ===
Several historical [[political entities]] have been retroactively described as micronations in academic and journalistic works, including the [[Islands of Refreshment]] (existed 1811–16),{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|p=14}} Court in Exile of the [[Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia]] (since 1860),{{sfn|Ferguson|2009|p=1}} [[State of Scott]] (1861–1986),<ref>{{cite AV media|last=Lienhard|first=John H.|date=27 June 2022|url=https://uh.edu/engines/epi3277.htm|title=Small Countries |publisher=[[University of Houston]]|time=2:15–2:37|format=audio}}</ref> [[Republic of Parva Domus Magna Quies]] (since 1878),{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|p=105}} and the more contemporary [[Kingdom of Elleore]] (since 1944),{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|p=105}} [[Republic of Saugeais]] (since 1947),<ref>{{cite news|first=Lebby|last=Eyres|date=12 March 2020|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200311-a-tiny-country-between-france-and-switzerland|title=A Tiny Country between France and Switzerland|work=[[BBC Travel]]|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> [[Principality of Outer Baldonia]] (1949–1973)<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mackinnon|first=Lachlan|date=2014|url=https://www.shimajournal.org/issues/v8n2/i.-MacKinnon-Shima-v8n2-105-119.pdf|title="Give me fish, not federalism"|journal=Shima|publisher=Shima Publishing|volume=8|number=2|page=106}}</ref> and [[Sultanate of M'Simbati]] (1959–{{floruit|1964}}).{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|p=169}}

=== Libertarian micronations and seasteading projects: 1964–1972 ===
[[File:Isoladellerose.jpg|thumb|[[Republic of Rose Island]], before its destruction]]
[[File:MinervaReef3.jpg|thumb|The [[Republic of Minerva]] was a libertarian project that succeeded in building an [[artificial island]] in 1972 by importing sand]]

Several entities that can be considered micronations by contemporary standards were established throughout the 1960s and early 1970s and based on ideals of [[libertarianism]] and many of them created via [[seasteading]].

[[New Atlantis (micronation)|New Atlantis]] was founded in 1964 by writer [[Leicester Hemingway]], claiming a bamboo raft that he had constructed with steel, iron piping and rock. Hemingway had it towed {{convert|9.7|km}} off the coast of Jamaica and argued that it was technically an [[island]] and fully sovereign based on the [[Guano Islands Act of 1856]]. Although Hemingway had plans to expand the raft, it was destroyed within a few years by a cyclone, and the project was completely abandoned in 1973.<ref name="web3">{{cite web|url=https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/findingaid.cfm?eadid=00327|title=Leicester Hemingway: An Inventory of His New Atlantis Collection in the Manuscript Collection at the Harry Ransom Center|date=n.d.|work=[[Harry Ransom Center]]|publisher=[[University of Texas at Austin]]}}</ref>{{sfn|Strauss|1999|page=65–68}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/island-environments-in-a-changing-world/0DBFE3F1D0A2AA9ECF96DF86752E6A20|last1=Walker|first1=Lawrence R.|last2=Bellingham|first2=Peter|title=Island Environments in a Changing World|year=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-13950-026-5|page=34|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1967, [[Paddy Roy Bates]] squatted on [[HM Fort Roughs]], an offshore platform in the [[North Sea]] used during World War II approximately {{convert|12|km}} off the coast of the United Kingdom.<ref name="Mac"/> Bates had intended to broadcast a [[Pirate radio in the United Kingdom|pirate radio station]] from the platform, however ultimately never did so.{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=9}} He instead declared the independence of Fort Roughs and declared it the [[Principality of Sealand]].<ref name="Mac"/>{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=9}} Bates died in 2012, and [[Michael Bates (Sealand)|Michael Bates]] has since succeeded him as Prince of Sealand.<ref>{{cite news |date=10 October 2012 |title='Prince of Sealand' Roy Bates dies in Essex |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19901944 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331173525/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-19901944 |archive-date=March 31, 2014}}</ref>

[[Operation Atlantis]] was a project started in 1968 by Werner Stiefel, aiming to establish a new, libertarian nation in international waters via seasteading.{{sfn|Simpson|2016|p=I}} The operation launched a [[ferrocement]] boat on the [[Hudson River]] in December 1971, piloting it to an area near the Bahamas with the intent to permanently anchor it as their territory.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Baker|first=Chris|date=19 January 2009|url=https://www.wired.com/2009/01/mf-seasteading/?currentPage=all|title=Live Free or Drown: Floating Utopias on the Cheap|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref> Upon reaching its destination, however, it sank in a hurricane.{{sfn|Simpson|2016|p=28}} After a number of subsequent failed attempts to construct a habitable sea platform and achieve sovereign status, the project was abandoned in 1976.{{sfn|Strauss|1999|p=74}} The [[Republic of Rose Island]] was an artificial platform originally constructed as a [[tourist attraction]] in the [[Adriatic Sea]] in 1968. However, Italian architect Giorgio Rosa soon declared it sovereign.{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=14}} The micronation had its own currency, a post office and commercial establishments. In 1969, the [[Italian Navy]] used explosives to destroy the facility, claiming it was a ploy to raise money from tourists while avoiding national [[taxation]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Imarisio|first=Marco|date=28 August 2009|url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/09_agosto_28/isola_utopia_imarisio_64f311d6-9397-11de-8445-00144f02aabc.shtml|title=Riemerge l'isola dell'Utopia|trans-title=The island of Utopia re-emerges|language=Italian|work=[[Corriere della Sera]]}}</ref> The [[Republic of Minerva]] was a libertarian project that succeeded in building a small [[artificial island]] on the [[Minerva Reefs]] in 1972 by importing sand.{{sfn|Strauss|1999|p=115–116}} It was invaded by troops from Tonga that same year, who [[annexation|annexed]] it before destroying the island.{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=14}} During its brief existence, Minerva was a [[media sensation]].{{sfn|Strauss|1999|p=123}}

=== Conceptualisation ===
As of January 1973, the Office of the Geographer of the [[United States Department of State]] had a file cabinet for "countries which are only partially real", which included the [[Kingdom of Humanity]], Outer Baldonia, Minerva and the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]]—not a micronation{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|p=50, 52}}—among others. Writer [[w:Philip J. Hilts|Philip J. Hilts]] added, "We know the [[Eastern bloc]], the [[Western bloc]], and the [[Third World]] nations. But there is another universe of nations which exist apart from the familiar countries."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hilts|first=Philip J.|author-link=Philip J. Hilts|date=21 January 1973|title=Where Is This Place?: Strange shores, indeed|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|page=PC12|id={{ProQuest|148471481}}}}</ref> The [[International Micropatrological Society]] (IMS), an American [[learned society]] and [[research institute]], was founded in 1973 and dedicated to the study of micronations, a discipline it named ''micropatrology''.{{sfn|O'Driscoll|2000|p=100}}{{sfn|Moreau|2014|page=51}}{{sfn|Strauss|1999|p=162}} By 1976, it had documents pertaining to 128 micronations and similar political entities.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/28/archives/nations-off-the-beaten-track-a-world-of-tiny-nations.html|last=Bongartz|first=Roy|date=28 March 1976|title=Nations Off the Beaten Track|work=[[The New York Times]]|via=the New York Times Archives}}</ref> The earliest attested use of ''micronation'' in its current meaning appeared on 28 March 1976 in an article by ''[[the New York Times]]'' about the IMS.<ref name="NYT"/> The first use of ''micronation'' in a book was in an eponymous dedicated section of the 1978 ''[[The People's Almanac#2]]'' by [[David Wallechinsky]] and [[Irving Wallace]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wallechinsky|first1=David|last2=Irving|first2=Wallace|author1-link=David Wallechinsky|author2-link=Irving Wallace|year=1978|title=The People's Almanac #2|url=https://archive.org/details/peoplesalmanac200wall/page/330/mode/2up|publisher=[[William Morrow and Company]]|isbn=978-0-553-01137-1|pages=330–331}}</ref> In 1979, the first book about micronations, ''[[How to Start Your Own Country (book)|How to Start Your Own Country]]'', was published by [[Erwin S. Strauss]].{{sfn|Strauss|1999|loc="[[edition notice]]"}} The IMS contributed considerably to the work.{{sfn|Strauss|1999|page=II}} However, the word ''micronation'' is notably absent from the book. A second edition of the work was published in 1984 by [[Loompanics]], followed in 1999 by a third edition published by [[Paladin Press]].{{sfn|Strauss|1999|loc="[[edition notice]]"}} According to the [[Yearbook of International Organizations]], the IMS was disestablished in 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100018345|title=International Micropatrological Society (IMS)|date=n.d. |website=[[Union of International Associations]] (UIA)}}</ref>

=== Initial developments in Australia: 1970–1981 ===
[[file:HRP3.jpg|thumb|left|Entrance to the [[Principality of Hutt River]] (formerly Hutt River Province), a micronation founded in Australia]]

Australia has a disproportionate number of micronations compared to other countries.<ref name="Trigger"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/23/raising-the-drawbridge-why-are-so-many-australians-creating-their-own-countries|last1=Hobbs|first1=Harry|last2=Williams|first2=George|date=23 October 2022b|title=Raising the drawbridge: why are so many Australians creating their own countries?|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> The first micronation founded within Australia was the [[Principality of Hutt River]] in 1970. It was declared independent by farmer [[Leonard Casley]] over a dispute concerning wheat [[production quotas]].<ref name="Casley">{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/leonard-casley-obituary-tvn6h5l0g|date=5 March 2019|title=Leonard Casley obituary|work=[[The Times]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 2017, the [[Supreme Court of Western Australia]] ordered that Casley pay $2.7 million in unpaid tax, and that his son Arthur Casley pay $242,000 in unpaid tax.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Neuweiler|first1=Sebastian|last2=Menagh|first2=Joanna|date=16 June 2017|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-16/hutt-river-province-decision-on-ato-fight/8624450|title=Australia's oldest micro-nation founders ordered to pay $3m tax bill|work=ABC News}}</ref> Casley abdicated in 2017 in favour of his son [[Graeme Casley|Graeme]].<ref name="Casley"/> Leonard died in 2019, and Hutt River dissolved the following year amidst continued disputes with the [[Australian Taxation Office]] as well as the [[Financial market impact of the COVID-19 pandemic|financial impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="CNN">{{cite news|last=O'Connell|first=Ronan|date=10 August 2020|title=Australia's oldest micronation, Hutt River is no more thanks to Covid-19|work=[[CNN]]|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/australia-micronation-hutt-river-principality/index.html}}</ref> In 1976, the [[Province of Bumbunga]] was declared by Alec Brackstone in response to the [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis]]. Brackstone, an ardent British monarchist, became alarmed by what he saw as a drift away from the Australian system of [[constitutional monarchy]] toward outright [[republicanism]]. Thus, to ensure that at least one portion of Australia would remain loyal to the [[British Crown]], Bumbunga was declared.{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=144}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/bumbunga-governor-alec-brackstones-relentless-will-to-secede/news-story/d743e96aaf5cb71cfc28b26bf7a30a6d|last=Cook|first=Craig|date=30 June 2018|title=Bumbunga Governor Alec Brackstone's relentless will to secede|work=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]]}}</ref>

The [[Sovereign State of Aeterna Lucina]] was proclaimed in 1978 by German migrant Paul Neuman. Aeterna Lucina came to public attention in 1990 when Neuman faced fraud charges in the [[New South Wales]] court system relating to land sale offences; the case was abandoned in 1992.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Malcom|url=|title=Clouds cleared on baron's reign|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=24 June 1992|page=10|via=the SMH Archives}}</ref> In 1979, the [[Independent State of Rainbow Creek]] was declared by Thomas Barnes in protest of alleged incompetence by the [[Government of Victoria]] in regards to the flooding of his and others' properties.{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|p=97}} He was inspired by Hutt River.{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=145}} The [[Grand Duchy of Avram]] was established in [[Tasmania]] in the early 1980s by politician [[John Charlton Rudge]], and issues its own banknotes.<ref name="Trigger">{{cite news|last=Trigger|first=Rebecca|date=10 February 2017|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-10/meet-the-micro-nations-of-australia/8252020|title=Micro-nations: Meet the tiny states who've said 'see ya later' to the Commonwealth|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]}}</ref> In recognition of his status, Rudge legally changed his name to John the Duke of Avram.{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2022|p=24–25}} In 1981, the [[Empire of Atlantium]] was founded in [[Sydney]] as a non-territorial global government based on the ideals of [[secularism]], [[progressivism]] and [[liberalism]]. Among the causes Atlantium supports are the right to unrestricted international [[freedom of movement]], the right to [[abortion]], and the right to [[assisted suicide]].{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=74}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/micronations/3039654|last=Gilbert|first=Ewan|date=17 October 2015|title=Empire of Atlantium: Take a glimpse into Australia's smallest micronation|work=ABC News}}</ref>

=== Micronational community in Japan: 1981–1991 ===
{{Main|Mini-dokuritsukoku}}

In 1981, drawing on a news story about Hemingway's New Atlantis, novelist [[Hisashi Inoue]] wrote a 700-page work of [[magic realism]], ''[[Kirikirijin]]'', about a village that secedes from Japan and proclaims its bumpkinish, marginalized [[dialect]] its national language, and its subsequent [[war of independence]]. This single-handedly inspired a large number of real-world Japanese villages, mostly in the northern regions, to declare independence, generally as a move to raise awareness of their unique culture and crafts for urban Japanese who saw village life as backwards and uncultured. These micronations, known as [[Mini-dokuritsukoku|mini-independent countries]] ({{langx|ja|ミニ独立国|mini dokuritsu koku}}),<ref>{{cite book|last=Vlastos|first=Stephen|year=1998|title=Mirror of Modernity: Invented Traditions of Modern Japan|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|page=121|isbn=978-05-20206-373}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first1=Munetaka|last1=Kurahara|first2=Yuki|last2=Goto|first3=Toshiya|last3=Hikage|date=30 October 1996|url=https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/aija/61/488/61_KJ00004221789/_pdf/-char/ja|title=住民主体のまちづくりに向けての北海道ミニ独立国の活動に関する考察|trans-title=Consideration on the activities of the mini-independent country of Hokkaido for resident-centered town planning|language=Japanese|journal=Proceedings of the Architectural Institute of Japan|publisher=Architectural Institute of Japan|volume=61|issue=488|pages=165–175|doi=10.3130/aija.61.165_2|doi-access=free| issn = 1340-4210 }}</ref> held intermicronational [[summit (meeting)|summits]], and some of them formed confederations and intermicronational organisations. The Ginko Federation held an intermicronational [[Olympic games]] in 1986. However, the economic impact of the [[Japanese asset price bubble]] in 1991 ended the boom. Many of the villages were forced to merge with larger cities, and the micronations and confederations were generally dissolved.<ref>{{cite book|first=Shigeru|last=Inoue|title=日本まちづくり事典|trans-title=Nippon Matchidukuri Jiten|pages=407–409|year=2010|language=Japanese|publisher=Maruzen Publishing|isbn=978-4-621-08194-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.transformationsjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Trans35_08_Streich.pdf|last=Streich|first=Philip|date=2021|title=The Japanese Experience with Micronations|journal=Transformations|issue=35|pages=119–128}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://japandaily.jp/will-secede-japans-micro-nation-boom-2573/|last=Pasion|first=Adam|date=9 February 2016|title=The Will to Secede: Japan's Micro-nation Boom|work=Japan Daily}}</ref>

=== Protest micronations: 1980s ===
The 1980s saw the establishment of several micronational entities in protest.

The [[Free Republic of Wendland]] was a [[protest camp]] established in [[Gorleben]], [[West Germany]], in 1980 in order to protest against the establishment of a [[nuclear waste]] dump at the site. The residents created a [[border checkpoint]] and built a temporary village with more than 100 huts, ranging from elaborate round houses to tents. After 33 days, the local police moved in and evicted the camp.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ndr.de/kultur/3-Mai-1980-Atomkraftgegner-errichten-Republik-Freies-Wendland,freierepublikwendland100.html|last=Werner|first=Carina|date=3 May 2020|title="Freie Republik Wendland": Gelebte Utopie der Atomkraftgegner|trans-title="Free Republic of Wendland": Living utopia of nuclear power opponents|language=German|work=[[Norddeutscher Rundfunk]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/venceremos-tschuess-a-bad93b9f-0002-0001-0000-000014331635?context=issue|date=13 July 1980|title="Venceremos, tschüß"|trans-title=Venceremos, Goodbye|language=German|work=[[Der Spiegel]]}}</ref> Also in 1980, the [[Independent State of Aramoana]] was declared by residents of the [[Aramoana|eponymous settlement]] during the [[Save Aramoana Campaign]], which was opposed to the proposed construction of an [[aluminium smelter]] at Aramoana in New Zealand.{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2022|page=194}} This was because the project called for the destruction of the villages of Aramoana and Te Ngaru, and also threatened a local wildlife reserve. The project was ultimately abandoned in the early 1980s, and the micronation of Aramoana peacefully reintegrated into New Zealand.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/travel/aramoana-pathway-sea|last=Constantine|first=Ellie|date=13 December 2011|title=Aramoana: pathway to the sea|work=[[Otago Daily Times]]}}</ref>

The [[Conch Republic]] was founded by local residents of the [[Florida Keys]] in 1982 after the [[United States Border Patrol]] set up a roadblock and inspection point on one of the only two roads connecting the Florida Keys with the mainland. The [[Key West City Council]] complained repeatedly about the inconvenience, claiming that it hurt the Keys' tourism industry. Though the roadblock was soon removed, the claim to sovereignty of the Conch Republic has persisted as a [[tongue-in-cheek]] venture meant to bolster tourism.{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=131–133}}

In 1986, the [[Kingdom of North Dumpling]] was declared by inventor [[Dean Kamen]] after a denial from local officials to build his own wind turbine on North Dumpling Island in [[Long Island Sound]], which Kamen privately owns. Kamen wrote his own constitution and created a flag, currency and national anthem for the micronation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/22/nyregion/our-towns-from-li-sound-a-new-nation-asserts-itself.html|last=Ravo|first=Nick|date=22 April 1988|title=Our Towns; From L.I. Sound, A New Nation Asserts Itself|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1992, despite still being recognised as part of [[New York State]] in the United States, Kamen was able to leverage his personal relationship with then-president [[George H. W. Bush]] to sign an unofficial [[non-aggression pact]].{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|page=150}}

=== Artistic micronations: 1990s ===
Several [[conceptual art]] projects with micronational claims arose in the 1990s, usually as a means to challenge the idea of [[statehood]].{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|p=110}}

In 1991, [[Neue Slowenische Kunst]] (NSK), a Slovenian [[political]] [[art collective]], declared independence. NSK describes itself as a "State in Time", claiming no territory in order to be a "stateless state".{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2021b|p=110}} [[Elgaland-Vargaland]] is a conceptual art project founded in 1992 by Swedish artists [[Carl Michael von Hausswolff]] and [[Leif Elggren]]. According to them, everyone who dies is automatically granted citizenship. Among Elgaland-Vargaland's territorial claims include [[graveyards]], people's [[mental state]]s and "the distance between [[high tide]] and [[low tide]]" of France.{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2022|p=113}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/arts/design/09bien.html|title=At Venice Biennale, Artists Plant Flag for Their State (of Mind)|work=The New York Times|last=Kennedy|first=Randy|date=9 June 2007|url-access=subscription}}</ref> They also claim to operate [[embassies]] around the world.<ref>{{cite news|last=Daniel|first=Sabine|date=26 March 2019|url=https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/normandie/culture-ambassade-elgaland-vargaland-hebergee-au-frac-caen-1645106.html|title=Culture: L'Ambassade d'Elgaland-Vargaland hébergée au FRAC de Caen|trans-title=Culture: The Embassy of Elgaland-Vargaland hosted at the FRAC in Caen|language=French|work=[[France Info (TV channel)|France Info]]}}</ref> In 1996, Swedish artist [[Lars Vilks]] proclaimed the [[Royal Republic of Ladonia]] as a result of a court battle between local authorities over Vilks's [[illegal construction]] of two sculptures in the natural reserve of [[Kullaberg]] in southern Sweden. Ladonia's claim of independence has since persisted following Vilks's death in 2021, with [[Carolyn Shelby]] serving as Queen since 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.se/kultur/drottningen-av-ladonien-var-plikt-att-rora-oss-framat/|date=11 October 2021|title=Drottningen av Ladonien: "Vår plikt att röra oss framåt"|trans-title=The Queen of Ladonia: "Our duty is to move forward"|language=Swedish|work=[[Dagens Nyheter]]}}</ref> In 1997, the neighbourhood of [[Užupis]] in [[Vilnius]], Lithuania declared tongue-in-cheek independence as a republic consisting of laidback artists.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20181014-uupis-a-tiny-republic-of-free-spirits|last=Rhone|first=Erin|date=15 October 2018|title=Užupis: A tiny republic of free spirits|work=BBC News}}</ref>

=== Effects of the Internet and media attention ===
In the mid-1990s, the emerging popularity of the [[World Wide Web]] made it possible for anyone to create their own virtual state-like entity with relative ease,<ref name="web2"/>{{sfn|Lasserre|2000|p=10}} and many micronations launched their own [[website]]s.<ref name="web1"/> As a result, micronationalism lost much of its traditionally eccentric anti-establishment sentiment in favour of more hobbyist perspectives, and the number of exclusively online or merely simulation-based micronations expanded dramatically.{{sfn|Lasserre|2000|p=1–3, 8}} Several intermicronational [[international organisation|organisations]] were also established,<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.unipo.sk/public/media/21000/3_Ištok_FG_2014_volume56_no1_.pdf|last1=Ištok|first1=Robert|last2=Nováková|first2=Štefánia|date=2014|title=Micronationalism as a Phenomenon of the Present|journal=Folia Geographica|publisher=[[University of Prešov]]|volume=56|number=1|page=52}}</ref> with the [[League of Secessionist States]], originally founded in 1980 by the [[Kingdom of Talossa]],{{sfn|O'Driscoll|2000|p=258}} and the United Micronations being at the forefront.<ref name="web2"/> The [[French Institute of Micropatrology]] ({{langx|fr|l'Institut français de micropatrologie}}) was founded in 1996 by Swiss academic Fabrice O'Driscoll to study this phenomenon.<ref name="web1"/><ref>{{cite journal|first1=Valérie|last1=Foucher-Dufoix|first2=Stéphane|last2=Dufoix|url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-pardes-2012-2-page-57.htm|title=La patrie peut-elle être virtuelle ?|trans-title=Can the homeland be virtual?|language=French|date=February 2012|journal=Pardés|publisher=In Press|volume=52|pages=57–75|via=[[Cairn.info]]}}</ref> Other online micronational services during the 1990s included MicroWorld, a monthly micronational magazine,<ref name="web1"/> and alt.politics.micronations, a [[Usenet]] [[newsgroup]] dedicated to discussions regarding micronationalism.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/diy-sovereignty-and-the-popular-right-in-australia|title=DIY sovereignty and the popular right in Australia|last=Lattas|first=Judy|journal=Mobile Boundaries/Rigid Worlds |year=2005|editor1-first=Michael|editor1-last=Fine|editor2-first=Nicholas|editor2-last=Smith|editor3-first=Amanda|editor3-last=Wise|publisher=[[Macquarie University]]|page=14}}</ref> In 2000, O'Driscoll authored ''[[Ils ne siègent pas à l'ONU: revue de quelques micro-Etats, micro-nations et autres entités éphémères]]'' (They do not sit at the UN: a review of some micro-states, micro-nations and other ephemeral entities), which details over 600 micronations.<ref name="Vieira">{{cite book|last=Vieira|first=Fátima|editor1-last=Marks|editor1-first=Peter|editor2-last=Wagner-Lawlor|editor2-first=Jennifer A.|editor3-last=Vieira|editor3-first=Fátima|year=2022|title=The Palgrave Handbook of Utopian and Dystopian Literatures|chapter=Micronations and Hyperutopias|publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]]|page=282|doi= 10.1007/978-3-030-88654-7_22|isbn=978-3-030-88654-7}}</ref>

[[File:Molossia - Border with United States.jpg|thumb|A marker along the [[Republic of Molossia]]'s claimed border with Nevada]]

In 2000, the [[Republic of Molossia]] and the erstwhile [[Kingdom of TorHavn]] hosted an Intermicronational [[Olympic Games]] online to coincide with the [[2000 Summer Olympics]].{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2022|p=220}} Six micronations competed and were asked to record their performances then report it to a Molossian [[message board]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hay|first=Mark|date=14 October 2016|url=https://www.good.is/sports/micronations-play-sports-too|title=The Absurd History Of The Intermicronational Olympic Games|work=[[GOOD Magazine]]}}</ref> In 2003, the ''First Summit of Micronations'' summit commenced in [[Helsinki]], Finland, coinciding with a [[performance art]] festival called Amorph!03. Six micronations were represented.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kochta-Kalleinen|first=Oliver|year=2005|orig-date=2003|url=http://www.studiokalleinen.net/downloads/amorph03_protocols.pdf|title=Amorph!03 Summit Of Micronations: Protocols|translator1-last=Monni|translator1-first=Sari|translator2-last=Kallio|translator2-first=Mikko|publisher=Artists' Association MUU|isbn=978-9-519-65536-9}}</ref> An art exhibition exhibiting various micronational miscellanea, ''We Could Have Invited Everyone'', occurred in 2004 and 2005 at the Reg Vardy Gallery, [[University of Sunderland]], England and Andrew Kreps Gallery, [[New York City]], United States respectively.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/6973488.hidden-nations-revealed/|date=29 October 2004|title=Hidden nations revealed|work=[[The Northern Echo]]}}</ref><ref name="NYT1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/arts/art-in-review-we-could-have-invited-everyone.html|last=Smith|first=Roberta|date=15 July 2005|title=Art in Review; We Could Have Invited Everyone|work=The New York Times}}</ref> The items were featured alongside artwork by artists including [[Yoko Ono]] and [[Nina Katchadourian]].<ref name="NYT1"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://brooklynrail.org/2005/09/artseen/i-we-could-have-invited-everyone-i|last=Raven|first=Francis|date=September 2005|title=We Could Have Invited Everyone|magazine=[[The Brooklyn Rail]]}}</ref> Both exhibitions coincided with an intermicronational summit.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://kunstaspekte.art/event/we-could-have-invited-everyone-2005-06?hl=en|title=We Could Have Invited Everyone (24. Jun 2005 → 29. Jul 2005)|work=Andrew Kreps Gallery|publisher=Kunstaspekte}}</ref> In 2005, the six-part [[BBC]] comedy-[[documentary]] series ''[[How to Start Your Own Country]]'' aired on [[BBC Two]], in which comedian [[Danny Wallace (humorist)|Danny Wallace]] attempts to create his own country in his apartment in [[Bow, London]]. The micronation he created was eventually named the [[Kingdom of Lovely]].{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|p=28}} The following year, the [[travel guide]] company [[Lonely Planet]] published a light-hearted guide to numerous micronations titled ''[[Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chadwick|first=Alex|title='Lonely Planet' Explores Micronations|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6416479|work=[[NPR]]|date=1 November 2006}}</ref>{{sfn|Ryan|Dunford|Sellars|2006|loc="[[edition notice]]"}}

In 2007, two self-proclaimed princesses of the [[Sunda Democratic Empire]], sisters Puteri Lamia Roro Wiranata and Puteri Fathia Reza, were detained by Malaysian immigration authorities for attempting to enter from Brunei using diplomatic passports from the Sunda Empire. They claimed to be the princesses of the historical [[Sunda Kingdom]] and that their parents were in [[exile]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2007/07/24/two-princesses-detained-in-sarawak_1|last=Then|first=Stephen|date=24 July 2007|title=Two 'princesses' detained in Sarawak|work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/520063|agency=Associated Press|date=12 September 2007|title=Self-professed 'princesses' from ancient Indonesian monarchy face Malaysia court|work=[[Taiwan News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510111849/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/520063|archive-date=10 May 2022}}</ref> In early 2008, they were freed by the Sessions Court, but maintained their claim of Sundan citizenship, thus making them ineligible for [[deportation]] to Indonesia. The Malaysian authorities subsequently deemed them [[stateless individuals]], and they were interned at an immigration depot under supervision of the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://jakarta.tribunnews.com/2020/06/20/tak-akui-indonesia-ini-kewarganegaraan-dua-putri-mahkota-sunda-empire-di-paspor-diplomatiknya|last=Gustaman|first=Y|date=20 June 2020|title=Tak Akui Indonesia, Ini Kewarganegaraan Dua Putri Mahkota Sunda Empire di Paspor Diplomatiknya|trans-title=Not Recognizing Indonesia, These are the Citizenship of the Two Crown Princesses of the Sunda Empire in their Diplomatic Passport|language=Indonesian|work=[[:id:Tribun Jakarta|Tribun Jakarta]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://intisari.grid.id/read/032206487/13-tahun-2-putri-sunda-empire-mendekam-di-sel-mau-dibebaskan-pemerintah-malaysia-bingung-karena-keduanya-tidak-mengaku-sebagai-wni-kekeh-mengaku-dari-sunda-empi|last=Ariyani|first=Tatik|date=21 June 2020|title=13 Tahun 2 Putri Sunda Empire Mendekam di Sel, Mau Dibebaskan Pemerintah Malaysia Bingung Karena Keduanya Tidak Mengaku Sebagai WNI, Kekeh Mengaku dari Sunda Empire|trans-title=13-year-old daughters of Sunda Empire languish in cell, want to be released but Malaysian government confused because neither of them claim to be Indonesian citizens; Kekeh claims to be from the Sunda Empire|language=Indonesian|work=[[Intisari]]}}</ref>

=== 2010s ===
In 2010, the documentary film ''[[How to Start Your Own Country (film)|How to Start Your Own Country]]'', directed by Jody Shapiro, was screened as part of the [[2010 Toronto International Film Festival|35th Toronto International Film Festival]].<ref name="Variety">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/how-to-start-your-own-country-1117943530/|last=Anderson|first=John|date=12 September 2010|title=How to Start Your Own Country|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> The documentary explored various micronations around the world and included an analysis of the concept of statehood, seasteading and [[citizenship]].<ref name="Variety"/><ref name="Seasteading">{{cite news|url=https://www.seasteading.org/review-micronation-film-highlights-seasteading-vision/|author=[[The Seasteading Institute]]|date=20 October 2010|title=Review of Micronation Film Highlights Seasteading Vision|work=The Seasteading Institute}}</ref> The film was inspired by Erwin Strauss' eponymous book.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/movies/documentary-explores-the-meaning-of-country-ng-ya-148275|last=Harvey|first=Shannon|date=5 October 2011|title=Documentary explores the meaning of country|work=[[The West Australian]]}}</ref> Also that same year, an intermicronational summit, [[PoliNation 2010]], was held at [[Dangar Island]] in [[Sydney]], Australia. It was organised by Judy Lattas of [[Macquarie University]], Princess Paula of the [[Principality of Snake Hill]] and George Cruickshank of the Empire of Atlantium.<ref name="Squires"/><ref name="PoliNation"/> Between 2013 and 2014, two [[Aboriginal Australian]] [[nation]]s declared independence from Australia as part of the concept of [[Australian Aboriginal sovereignty]]—first the [[Murrawarri Republic]], comprising the [[Muruwari]], in 2013, and the [[Sovereign Yidindji Government]], comprising the [[Yidiny people|Yidindji]], in 2014.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://world.time.com/2013/05/30/australias-aborigines-launch-a-bold-legal-push-for-independence/|last=Neubauer|first=Ian Lloyd|date=30 May 2013|title=Australia's Aborigines Launch a Bold Legal Push for Independence|magazine=Time}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/aboriginal-tribe-forms-micronation-and-offers-australia-treaty|last=Waby|first=Tasmin|date=3 November 2015|title=Aboriginal tribe cuts ties with Australia|work=Lonely Planet}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/17/nigel-scullion-acknowledges-yidindji-cabinet-as-murrumu-pushes-for-treaty|last=Robertson|first=Joshua|date=17 February 2016|title=Self-declared sovereign Indigenous nation recognised by Australian minister|work=The Guardian}}</ref> In both cases, the declarations of independence went wholly unrecognised by the [[Government of Australia]].{{sfn|Hobbs|Williams|2022|page=192}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/murrumu-walubara-yidindji-renounces-citizenship-to-reclaim-australia-20151102-gkok6g.html|last=Howden|first=Saffron|date=2 November 2015|title=Murrumu Walubara Yidindji renounces citizenship to reclaim Australia|work=[[The Age]]}}</ref>

In 2015, the first convention of the biannual [[MicroCon]] was held in [[Anaheim, California]], United States. Hosted by the Republic of Molossia, several presentations were held by micronationalists regarding various topics in micronationalism.<ref name="QZ"/><ref name="NPR"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/microcon-2015-dictators-of-the-world-unite-at-world-summit-of-micronations--countries-too-small-to-count-10174346.html|last=Usborne|first=Simon|date=13 April 2015|title=MicroCon 2015: Dictators of the world unite at world summit of micronations - countries too small to count|work=[[The Independent]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The ''[[Organisation de la microfrancophonie]]'', a French intermicronational organisation, was founded in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/series-d-ete/article/2021/08/20/flandrensis-le-grand-duche-qui-veut-sauver-la-planete_6091884_3451060.html|url-access=subscription|last=Baudet|first=Marie-Béatrice|date=20 August 2021|title=Flandrensis, le Grand-Duché qui veut sauver la planète|trans-title=Flandrensis, the Grand Duchy that wants to save the planet|language=French|work=[[Le Monde]]}}</ref> The organisation organised its first summit in 2016, hosted by the [[Principality of Aigues-Mortes]].<ref name="20min"/> In 2018, the [[Principality of Islandia]] was established by two individuals aiming to build a [[crowdfunded]] micronation.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Collett|first1=Richard|date=10 March 2022|title=They bought a Caribbean island to start their own country |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/islandia-lets-buy-an-island-micronation/index.html|work=CNN}}</ref> Successfully purchasing the uninhabited [[Coffee Caye]] in the [[Caribbean Sea]] off the coast of Belize in 2019, Prime Minister of Belize [[John Briceño]] dismissed the project in 2022, calling them "stupid" and stating "We will never allow anybody to have their own country within this country [Belize] - what a stupid thing. If you stupid enough to pay a lot of money to buy [a] piece of land, good for you."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/belize-coffee-caye-buy-island-micronation-b2048047.html|last=Thackray|first=Lucy|date=31 March 2022|title=Crowdfunded private island sparks feud after owners claim it as 'micronation'|work=The Independent|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

=== 2020s ===
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] that began in 2020, several micronations imposed their own restrictions, mimicking countries.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/how-micronations-are-responding-to-the-coronavirus|last=Haines|first=Gavin|date=25 March 2020|title=How micronations are responding to the coronavirus|work=Lonely Planet}}</ref> Some inactive Internet-based micronations also returned to activity as people were commanded to stay home and quarantine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/fake-countries-had-a-hard-time-dealing-with-the-pandemic-too-11592766597|last=Hookway|first=James|date=21 June 2020|title=Fake Countries Have a Hard Time Dealing with the Pandemic, Too|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref> In 2020, [[Netflix]] released the film ''[[Rose Island (film)|Rose Island]]'', based on the story of engineer Giorgio Rosa and the Republic of Rose Island.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55092341|title=Rose Island: Netflix adapts the story of 'prince of anarchists' Giorgio Rosa|date=7 December 2020|work=BBC News}}</ref> In 2021, academics Harry Hobbs and George Williams published ''Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty'', a book exploring various aspects of micronationalism.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/94147|last=Corbett|first=Jack|date=May 2022|title=Book review: Micronations and the search for sovereignty|journal=Small States & Territories |volume=5|issue=1|pages=229–230}}</ref> It was published by [[Cambridge University Press]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/micronations-and-the-search-for-sovereignty/micronations-and-the-search-for-sovereignty/37C4A87BB351D4275285EC20CCCEBD50|title=Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty|series=Cambridge Studies in Constitutional Law |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|date=n.d.|isbn=978-1-009-15012-5 }}</ref> A follow-up book on micronations by Hobbs and Williams, entitled ''[[How to Rule Your Own Country: The Weird and Wonderful World of Micronations]]'', was published in 2022 by the [[University of New South Wales Press]].<ref>{{cite news|date=28 October 2022|title=Forget a castle — your home can be your very own nation|work=[[The Australian]]}}</ref> Also in 2022, illusionist [[Uri Geller]] purchased [[Lamb (island)|Lamb]], an uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland and declared it independent as the Republic of Lamb. Geller offers citizenship, with proceeds going to [[Save a Child's Heart]], an Israeli charity.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-62150163|last=Berg|first=Raffi|date=7 August 2022|title=The mysteries that gave birth to the world's newest micronation|work=BBC News}}</ref>