Secessionary Movements and their Ilk

Micronations ("ephemeral states, imaginary states, model nations, counter-countries and unrecognized states")

There are dozens and dozens of micronations in the world, of *widely* varying degress of relevance to the publicly-known world. Some are ephemeral in the sense that they are not officially recognized, yet they have broad cultural significance for their citizens. Others are imaginary inventions that seem to exist as gameboards for their participants. Micronations are distinct from political secession movements that seek to overthrow and restructure the official political order. To see a complete index of these micronations, visit Micronation and Sovereignty Website Index.

The sites listed here represent my personal abbreviated, curated list of micronation states. This is *not* an attempt at a complete catalogue. These are the sites that I believe represent a unique approach to reinterpreting geography and landscape, and deserve critical attention.


The State of Jefferson. "The State of Jefferson is a natural division geographically, topographically, and emotionally. In many ways, a world unto itself: self-sufficient with enough water, fish, wildlife, farm, orchard land, mineral resources, and gumption to exist on its own." --Governor John L. Childs, inaugural speech, Dec. 4, 1941. "The State of Jefferson may be a state of mind, but underlying issues cannot be denied." --State of Jefferson website. You will not find Jefferson on a map. You may meet people who live in it who do not know it exists. It is invisible to eyes looking at road signs along major highways. Among the many documents relating to its existence, none agree on or clearly define its boundaries. The local historical society's book about it is titled The Mythical State of Jefferson. Yet it is a very real place with a sense of regional identity so strong that for many of its citizens it has supplanted the officially recognized states and counties of its area. Read the rest of the article I wrote about the fabulous State of Jefferson!


The NSK State. "A state in time, a state without territory and national borders, a sort of 'spiritual, virtual state'."


The Arcadian Commonwealth. "Arcadia is a self-declared Commonwealth -- a so-called Micronation. The Commonwealth is an emergent nation consisting of Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Washington, and Yukon, and is dedicated to the ideals of cultural and political revolutionary reform through succession rather than secession, through nobility, imagination, and artistic expression rather than violence."


The Kingdom of Elgaland - Vargaland. A kingdom that claims as its realm: "All border territories between all countries on earth, and all areas (up to a width of 10 nautical miles) outside all countries¹ territorial waters. ... These territories, usually called No Mans Land or Border Crossings, are in constant flux....."


League of Secessionist States. "Micronations, also known as ephemeral states, imaginary states, model nations, counter-countries and unrecognized states, are a growing phenomenon. They range from the inventions of single individuals to (virtually) functioning societies with populations in the thousands, often spread across 'national' boundaries. What they have in common is the voluntary nature of citizenship, which is unrecognized by the established (Macro-)nations. They have often been described as the future of nationhood; communities of like minded individuals who do not rely on an accident of birth or geography to define themselves as compatriots."


Micronation and Sovereignty Website Index. A much more complete index of sites than is attempted here.


Webring of Imaginary Countries.


Dutch Geo Fiction Association. Geo fiction is fictional geography: devising, designing and developing a geo, a fictional geographic entity.