Start Your Own Utopia

Smithsonian explores micronations, tiny utopian city-states that strike out on their own - whether or not their current government recognizes their independence.

1 minute read

August 26, 2009, 9:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

The Principality of Sealand, built on an abandoned platform in the North Sea, is one of the more famous micronations. This article looks primarily at a the Maritime Republic of Eastport, a mostly tongue-in-cheek micronation near Annapolis, MD.

""When the state closed down the bridge over Spa Creek for repairs for a whole month in 1998, it was fairly devastating," said Cindy Fletcher Holden, formerly the MRE's prime mistress. "It could have taken people about an hour to get to Eastport. So we raised a whole hoo-ha and formed our own country. It worked. People actually came around, and business on this side of the creek actually did better than normal.""

FULL STORY: Micronations of the World

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 in Smithsonian

Government / Politics Maryland Micronations

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