Sealand population. Unrecognized states – Sealand

Story:

The physical territory of Sealand emerged during the Second World War. In 1942, the British Navy built a series of platforms on the approaches to the coast. One of them was Roughs Tower. During the war, the platforms housed anti-aircraft guns and were garrisoned by 200 people. After the end of hostilities, most of the towers were destroyed, but the Rafs Tower, being outside British territorial waters, remained untouched.

In 1966, retired major british army Paddy Roy Bates and his friend Ronan O'Reilly chose the Roughs Tower platform, by then long abandoned, to build an amusement park. However, after some time they quarreled, and Bates became the sole owner of the island. In 1967, O'Reilly tried to take over the island and used force to do so, but Bates defended himself with rifles, shotguns, Molotov cocktails and flamethrowers, and O'Reilly's attack was repulsed.

Roy did not build an amusement park, but chose the platform to base his pirate radio station, Britain's Better Music Station, but the radio station never broadcast from the platform. On September 2, 1967, he announced the creation of a sovereign state and proclaimed himself Prince Roy I. This day is celebrated as the main public holiday.

In 1968, British authorities tried to take over the platform. Patrol boats approached her, and the Bateses responded by firing warning shots into the air. The matter did not come to bloodshed, but an attack was launched against Major Bates as a British subject. trial. On September 2, 1968, an Essex judge made a ruling that supporters of Sealand's independence attribute historical meaning: he admitted that the case was outside British jurisdiction

On September 30, 1987, Great Britain announced the expansion of its territorial waters from 3 to 12 nautical miles. The next day, Sealand made a similar statement. There was no reaction from the British government to the expansion of Sealand's territorial waters. From the point of view of international law, this means that the maritime zone between the two countries should be divided equally. This fact is considered by supporters of Sealand's independence as a fact of its recognition. Although the lack of a bilateral agreement regulating this issue has caused dangerous incidents. Thus, in 1990, Sealand fired warning salvoes at a British ship that had unauthorizedly approached its border.

Sealand's position compares favorably with that of other virtual states. The Principality has physical territory and has some legal grounds for international recognition. The requirement for independence is based on three arguments. The most fundamental of these is the fact that Sealand was founded in international waters before the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force, prohibiting the construction of artificial structures on the high seas, and before the expansion of the UK's sovereign maritime zone from 3 to 12 nautical miles in 1987 year. Due to the fact that the Rafs Tower platform on which Sealand is located was abandoned and struck off the British Admiralty lists, its occupation is considered as colonization. The settlers who settled on it believe that they had every right to establish a state and establish a form of government at their discretion. According to international standards, the size of a state cannot be an obstacle to recognition. For example, the recognized British possession of Pitcairn Island has only about 60 people.

The second important argument is the 1968 British court decision that the UK had no jurisdiction over Sealand. No other country has claimed rights to Sealand either.

Thirdly, there are several facts of de facto recognition of Sealand. The Montevideo Convention states that states have the right to existence and self-defense regardless of official recognition. In modern international practice, tacit (non-diplomatic) recognition is a fairly common phenomenon. It arises when a regime does not have sufficient legitimacy, but exercises actual power on its territory. For example, many states do not recognize Republic of China diplomatically, but de facto they view it as a sovereign country. There are four similar pieces of evidence regarding Sealand:

Great Britain did not pay Prince Roy a pension during the period when he was in Sealand.
UK courts refused to hear the 1968 and 1990 claims against Sealand.
The Foreign Ministries of the Netherlands and Germany entered into negotiations with the Sealand government.
The Belgian Post accepted Sealand stamps for some time.

Theoretically, Sealand's position is very convincing. If recognized, the principality would become the smallest country in the world and the 51st state in Europe. However, according to the constituent theory, more common in modern international law, a state can exist only insofar as it is recognized by other states. Therefore, Sealand cannot be accepted into any international organization, cannot create his own mailing address, Domain name. None of the countries established diplomatic relations with him.

Sealand is trying to achieve recognition of independence somehow large state, but did not try to achieve independence through the UN.

Recognizing countries:

Flag:

Map:

Territory:

Demography:

Religion:

The Sealand Anglican Church, founded on August 15, 2006, operates in Sealand. On the territory of Sealand there is a chapel in the name of St. Brendan, cared for by the Metropolitan.

Languages:

I want to talk about amazing country called Sealand
The physical territory of Sealand emerged during the Second World War. In 1942, the British Navy built a series of platforms on the approaches to the coast. One of them was Roughs Tower. During the war, anti-aircraft guns were stationed there and a garrison of 200 people was located there. After the end of hostilities, most of the towers were destroyed, but the Rafs Tower, being outside British territorial waters, remained untouched.

In 1966, retired British Army Major Paddy Roy Bates and his friend Ronan O'Reilly chose the Roughs Tower platform, by then long abandoned, to build an amusement park. However, after some time they quarreled, and Bates became the sole owner of the island. In 1967, O'Reilly tried to take over the island and used force to do so, but Bates defended himself with rifles, shotguns, Molotov cocktails and flamethrowers, and O'Reilly's attack was repulsed.

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Rafs Tower platform English. Roughs Tower on which Sealand is located

Roy did not build an amusement park, but chose the platform to base his pirate radio station, Britain's Better Music Station. On September 2, 1967, he announced the creation of a sovereign state and proclaimed himself Prince Roy I. This day is celebrated as the main public holiday.

In 1968, British authorities tried to take over the platform. Patrol boats approached her, and the princely family responded by firing warning shots into the air. The matter did not come to bloodshed, but a trial was launched against Prince Roy as a British citizen. On September 2, 1968, an Essex judge made a historic ruling: he found that the case was outside British jurisdiction.

In 1972, Sealand began minting coins. In 1975, Sealand's first constitution came into force.

A flag and coat of arms appeared.

Sealand - a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is Prince Roy I Bates and Princess Joanna I Bates. Since 1999, direct power has been exercised by Crown Prince Regent Michael I. There is a constitution in force, created in 1995, consisting of a preamble and 7 articles. The sovereign's orders are issued in the form of decrees. In structure executive power three ministries: Interior, Foreign Affairs and Telecommunications and Technology. The legal system is based on British common law.

In August 1978, a putsch took place in the country. It was preceded by tension between the prince and his closest ally, the country's prime minister, Count Alexander Gottfried Achenbach. The parties differed in their views on attracting investment to the country and accused each other of unconstitutional intentions. Taking advantage of the absence of the prince, who was negotiating with investors in Austria, Achenbach and a group of Dutch citizens landed on the island. The invaders locked young Prince Michael in a basement and then took him to the Netherlands. But Michael escaped from captivity and met his father. With the support of the country's loyal citizens, the deposed monarchs managed to defeat the usurpers and return to power.

The government acted in strict accordance with international law. The captured foreign mercenaries were soon released, as the Geneva Convention on the Rights of Prisoners of War requires the release of prisoners after the end of hostilities. The organizer of the coup was removed from all posts and convicted of high treason in accordance with Sealand laws, but he had a second - German - citizenship, so the German authorities became interested in his fate. The British Foreign Office refused to intervene in this matter, and German diplomats had to negotiate directly with Sealand. The senior legal adviser of the German embassy arrived on the island in London Dr Niemuller, which became the pinnacle of the actual recognition of Sealand by real states. Prince Roy demanded diplomatic recognition Sealenda, but in the end, given the bloodless nature of the failed putsch, agreed to verbal assurances and generously released Achenbach.

The losers continued to insist on their rights. They formed the government of Sealand in exile (FRG). Achenbach claimed to be the chairman of the Sealand Privy Council. In January 1989, he was arrested by the German authorities (who, of course, did not recognize his diplomatic status) and handed over his post to Minister for Economic Cooperation Johannes W. F. Seiger, who soon became prime minister. Re-elected in 1994 and 1999.

Territory of Sealand with territorial waters

On September 30, 1987, Sealand announced the expansion of its territorial waters from 3 to 12 nautical miles. The next day, the UK made a similar statement. There was no reaction from the British government to the expansion of Sealand's territorial waters. From the point of view of international law, this means that the maritime zone between the two countries should be divided equally. This fact is considered by supporters of Sealand's independence as a fact of its recognition. Although the lack of a bilateral agreement regulating this issue has caused dangerous incidents. So in 1990, Sealand fired warning salvoes at a British ship that had unauthorizedly approached its border.

Unbeknownst to the government, Sealand's name was embroiled in a massive criminal scam. In 1997, Interpol came to the attention of an extensive international syndicate that had established trade in fake Sealand passports (Sealand itself never traded passports and did not provide political asylum). Over 150 thousand false passports (including diplomatic ones), as well as driver's licenses, university diplomas and other counterfeit documents were sold to citizens of Hong Kong (during its transfer to Chinese control) and of Eastern Europe. In several European countries attempts were recorded to open bank accounts and even purchase weapons using Sealand passports. The attackers' headquarters were in Germany, and their area of activity covered Spain, Great Britain, France, Slovenia, Romania and Russia. Silenda appeared in the case as Minister of Foreign Affairs Russian citizen Igor Popov. In the United States, a connection was discovered between this case and the murder of Gianni Versace (the killer committed suicide on a yacht whose owner had a fake Sealand diplomatic passport). The Government of Sealand provided full cooperation to the investigation and thereafter unpleasant incident canceled passports.

In 2000, the HavenCo company hosted its hosting in Sealand, in return the government pledged to guarantee the inviolability of freedom of information legislation (everything is allowed on the Internet in Sealand, except spam, hacking attacks and child pornography). HavenCo hoped that being located on sovereign territory would save it from the restrictions of British internet law. HavenCo ceased to exist in 2008.

In January 2007, the owners of the country decided to sell it. Immediately after this, the torrent site The Pirate Bay began collecting funds for the purchase of Sealand.

In January 2009, the Spanish real estate agency Inmo-Naranja announced its intention to list
Sealand for sale for 750 million euros.

Sealand's position compares favorably with that of other virtual states. The Principality has a physical territory and has some legal grounds for international recognition. The requirement for independence is based on three arguments. The most fundamental of these is the fact that Sealand was founded in international waters before the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force, prohibiting the construction of artificial structures on the high seas, and before the expansion of the UK's sovereign maritime zone from 3 to 12 nautical miles in 1987 year. Due to the fact that the Rafs Tower platform on which Sealand is located was abandoned and struck off the British Admiralty lists, its occupation is considered as colonization. The settlers who settled on it believe that they had every right to establish a state and establish a form of government at their discretion. Sealand meets all the criteria for statehood specified in the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States. According to international standards, the size of a state cannot be an obstacle to recognition. For example, the recognized British possession of Pitcairn Island has only about 60 people.

The second important argument is the 1968 British court decision that the UK had no jurisdiction over Sealand. No other country has claimed rights to Sealand either.

Thirdly, there are several facts of de facto recognition of Sealand. The Montevideo Convention states that states have the right to existence and self-defense regardless of official recognition. In modern international practice, tacit (non-diplomatic) recognition is a fairly common phenomenon. It arises when a regime does not have sufficient legitimacy, but exercises actual power on its territory. For example, many states do not recognize Taiwan diplomatically, but de facto view it as a sovereign country. There are four similar pieces of evidence regarding Sealand:

1. Great Britain does not pay Prince Roy a pension for the period when he was in Sealand.
2. The UK courts refused to hear the 1968 and 1990 claims against Sealand.
3. The Foreign Ministries of the Netherlands and Germany entered into negotiations with the government of Sealand.
4. The Belgian Post accepted Sealand stamps for some time.

Theoretically, Sealand's position is very convincing. If recognized, the principality would become the smallest country in the world and the 49th state in Europe. However, according to the constituent theory, more common in modern international law, a state can only exist insofar as it is recognized by other states. Therefore, Sealand cannot be accepted into any international organization and cannot have its own postal address or domain name. None of the countries established diplomatic relations with him.

Sealand is trying to get independence recognized by some major state, but has not tried to achieve independence through the UN.

The first Sealand stamps with portraits of great seafarers were issued in 1968. Roy I intended to join the Universal Postal Union. To do this, in October 1969, he sent an emissary to Brussels with a postal cargo of 980 letters. This is exactly how many letters a new state needs to demand admission to this organization. The letters were accompanied by the first Sealand stamps. However, the prince’s intention remained only an intention.

The Sealand Anglican Church, founded on October 12, 2006, operates in Sealand.
On the territory of Sealand there is a chapel in the name of St. Brendan, cared for by the Metropolitan.
In Sealand there are people engaged in various types sports, such as mini golf. Sealand also registered its national football team among the unrecognized national teams.

If you think that the times when people seized territories, proclaimed them states, and themselves rulers, are in the distant past, then you are deeply mistaken. Bright to that confirmation - the Principality of Sealand - a state that essentially does not exist, but still it exists...

Platform at sea

The story begins with the Second World War. Then, in the sea around Great Britain, platforms were built on which special equipment and weapons were installed. The soldiers who served there were supposed to monitor the actions of the Nazis and, in the event of an attack, be the first to repel them.

One of these platforms was called "Fort Rafs". During World War II, about 200 people served on it, but then all the equipment and weapons were taken away from it, and the structure itself, unlike other similar ones, was not demolished. Perhaps because it was located 6 miles from the coast, and the country’s territorial waters at that time extended only 3.

So the object became no one’s, and until the 60s no one was particularly interested in it. But, as they say, everything that is bad can be used...

Principality of Sealand

Two friends retired major Paddy Roy Bates And Ronan O'Reilly landed on the platform in 1966. At that time, radio piracy was popular in Great Britain and beyond, and the guys decided that it was quite possible to organize an underground radio station on a platform in international waters. According to another version, they wanted to make an amusement park here.

As a result, the opinions of friends regarding the further use of the platform became the cause of their quarrel, after which the fort went to Bates, who proclaimed this territory on September 2, 1967 independent state under the name Sealand, and himself as Prince Roy I.

Confrontations with invaders

Also in 1967, Bates’s former associate O’Reilly tried to win back the platform. But, having military experience, Roy was able to organize the defense of the fort well. Using shotguns, flamethrowers and Molotov cocktails, the prince and his subjects defended the territory of the state.

A year later, the British authorities began to lay claim to the platform. When patrol boats approached Sealand, they were met with warning shots fired into the air. The military decided not to shed blood, but to clarify the conflict in court.

Imagine the surprise of the authorities when the judge recognized the UK's claims to the platform as groundless, since it is located in neutral waters.

Symbols

In general, we can safely say that Roy I emerged victorious from the first conflicts. Of course, no one recognized Sealand as an independent state, but they were not going to touch the prince, waiting for him to give a reason for tough measures.

Meanwhile, Roy began to acquire various state symbols. Sealand now has a flag, coat of arms, anthem and Constitution. The Principality began to produce own brands and mint coins. Exotic lovers from all over the world bought various souvenirs related to unrecognized country, and some even titles.

Coup d'etat

In 1978, Roy I and one of his associates, Prime Minister of Sealand Alexander Gottfried Achenbach did not see eye to eye on attracting investment to the country. While the prince was in negotiations with investors in Austria, Achenbach landed on the platform with several Dutch citizens.

The invaders locked up Crown Prince Michael, and then took him to the Netherlands. But the young man was able to escape and meet his father. With the support of citizens loyal to the monarchs, Roy I and his son managed to return to power.

The prince's further actions were strictly consistent with international law. Captured foreign mercenaries were released under the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The coup organizer was removed from all his positions and convicted according to the laws of Sealand.

But Achenbach also had German citizenship, so the German authorities became interested in his fate. Britain refused to intervene in the conflict, so the legal adviser of the German embassy in London landed directly on Sealand. Since the failed putsch was bloodless, the ruler of Sealand decided to release Achenbach.

But the story didn’t end there either. The losers formed the government of Sealand in exile, and Achenbach called himself chairman of the Sealand Privy Council. In January 1989, the man was arrested by the German authorities, after which he transferred his powers to Johannes Seiger.

Seiger became prime minister and was later re-elected to this position twice. The man still claims on his website that he is the only legitimate ruler of Sealand.

Fans of the country's independence

There are quite a lot of people in the world who jokingly and seriously consider Sealand to be an independent state. For example, in 1987, the UK expanded its territorial waters to 12 miles. Thus, Sealand again fell within its borders.

Roy I did exactly the same, and the British authorities did not react to this. Many began to see this as recognition of Sealand's independence by the British government. Moreover, Sealand, according to supporters of the state, is allegedly recognized by Germany, because the consul of this country negotiated with Roy I.

Fire

In the summer of 2006, there was a fire in Sealand that destroyed almost all the buildings. True, they were restored quite quickly. Around the same time, Roy I moved to the mainland because living at sea had become too difficult at his age.

Selling a country

Michael I, the same crown prince, began to conduct the affairs of the principality. He came to the conclusion that his father’s idea had exhausted itself and in 2007 put the state up for auction. But there were no people willing to buy Sealand for a tidy sum.

New ruler

In October 2012, Paddy Roy Bates, aka Prince Sealand Roy I, died in one of Essex's nursing homes. His son officially became the new ruler of the country, who received the title Admiral General of Sealand Prince Michael I Bates.

Today, on the official website of Sealand you can purchase various souvenirs associated with the country, as well as titles. For example, if you want to become a baron, you just need to pay everything 45 $ , the title of count will cost 295 $ , and the Duke - 735 $ .

It is worth recognizing that the self-proclaimed principality on a platform in the sea was a fun idea, which, and this is the main thing, did not lead to bloody conflicts. There are many more in the world funny stories, for example, we wrote about the most densely populated island.

If you found the article entertaining, share it with your friends and acquaintances!

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Author of the article

Ruslan Golovatyuk

The most attentive and observant editor of the team, an intelligent person. He can effectively carry out several tasks at the same time, remembers everything down to the smallest detail, and not a single detail can escape his keen eye. Everything in his articles is clear, concise and to the point. Ruslan also understands sports no worse than professionals, so articles in the corresponding section are his everything.

ru_antiviza wrote in May 23, 2015

The Principality of Sealand (literally “sea land” in English; also Sealand) is a virtual state proclaimed in 1967 by retired British Major Paddy Roy Bates. Sometimes considered as an unrecognized state. Claims sovereignty over territory offshore platform in the North Sea 10 kilometers off the coast of Great Britain. Bates proclaimed himself monarch (prince) of Sealand, and his family ruling dynasty; they and persons who consider themselves subjects of Sealand are working to create and develop the attributes of this principality, similar to the attributes of the states of the world (flag, coat of arms and anthem, constitution, government positions, diplomacy, collectibles are available stamps, coins, etc.). Sealand's first constitution came into force in 1975. A flag and coat of arms appeared.

Political system

Sealand is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is Prince Michael I Bates. The constitution in force was adopted on September 25, 1975, consisting of a preamble and 7 articles. The sovereign's orders are issued in the form of decrees. The executive branch has three ministries: Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Telecommunications and Technology. The legal system is based on British common law.

Story

Background of Sealand

Roughs Tower platform, over which the Principality of Sealand claims sovereignty

Capturing the platform and establishing Sealand

Sealand from the shore

Conflict with Great Britain

In 1968, British authorities tried to take over the platform. Patrol boats approached her, and the Bateses responded by firing warning shots into the air. The matter did not come to bloodshed, but a trial was launched against Major Bates as a British subject. On September 2, 1968, an Essex judge made a ruling that supporters of Sealand's independence attach to historic significance: he found the case outside British jurisdiction.

Coat of arms of Sealand

Coup attempt

The government acted in strict accordance with international law. The captured foreign mercenaries were soon released, as the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War requires the release of prisoners after the end of hostilities. The organizer of the coup was removed from all posts and convicted of high treason in accordance with Sealand laws, but he had a second - German - citizenship, so the German authorities became interested in his fate. The British Foreign Office refused to intervene in this matter, and German diplomats had to negotiate directly with Sealand. The senior legal adviser of the German embassy in London, Dr. Niemuller, arrived on the island, which became the pinnacle of the actual recognition of Sealand by real states. Prince Roy demanded diplomatic recognition of Sealand, but in the end, given the bloodless nature of the failed putsch, he agreed to verbal assurances and generously released Achenbach.

Territorial waters claimed by Sealand

Expansion of territorial waters

Unbeknownst to the government, Sealand's name was embroiled in a massive criminal scam. In 1997, Interpol came to the attention of an extensive international syndicate that had established trade in fake Sealand passports (Sealand itself never traded passports and did not provide political asylum). Over 150 thousand fake passports (including diplomatic ones), as well as driver's licenses, university diplomas and other fake documents were sold to citizens of Hong Kong (during its transfer to Chinese control) and Eastern Europe. In several European countries, attempts were recorded to open bank accounts and even purchase weapons using Sealand passports. The attackers' headquarters were in Germany, and their area of activity covered Spain, Great Britain, France, Slovenia, Romania and Russia. Russian citizen Igor Popov appeared in the case as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sealand. The Sealand government canceled the passports after this unfortunate incident.

Sealand ID card

Cooperation between Sealand and HavenCo

Fire on Sealand

On June 23, 2006, the state of Sealand suffered its largest disaster throughout its history. A fire broke out on the platform, the cause of which was said to be a short circuit. The fire destroyed almost all buildings. As a result of the fire, one victim was taken by a British BBC rescue helicopter to a UK hospital. The state was restored quite quickly: by November of the same year.

Selling Sealand

In January 2007, the country's owners announced their intention to sell it. Immediately after this, the torrent site The Pirate Bay began collecting funds for the purchase of Sealand.

In January 2009, Spanish real estate agency Inmo-Naranja announced its intention to put Sealand up for sale for €750 million.

Sealand coins, from left to right: ½ dollar, silver dollar and ¼ dollar

Tourism in Sealand

The government of Sealand on its official website announced the start of tourist trips from the summer of 2012. As of July 19, a government spokesman said in private correspondence that “the tourism program is in the final stages of preparation.”

Michael (Michael) I Bates

Since 1999, Michael I Bates (son of Paddy Roy Bates; born 1952) has become Prince Regent of Sealand. political figure, living in the UK. Since 2012, he inherited the title: "Admiral General of Sealand Prince Michael I Bates."

Legal status

Sealand's position compares favorably with that of other virtual states. The Principality has a physical territory and has some legal grounds for international recognition. The requirement for independence is based on three arguments. The most fundamental of these is the fact that Sealand was founded in international waters before the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force, prohibiting the construction of artificial structures on the high seas, and before the expansion of the UK's sovereign maritime zone from 3 to 12 nautical miles in 1987 year. Due to the fact that the Rafs Tower platform on which Sealand is located was abandoned and struck off the British Admiralty lists, its occupation is considered as colonization. The settlers who settled on it believe that they had every right to establish a state and establish a form of government at their discretion. According to international standards, the size of a state cannot be an obstacle to recognition. For example, the recognized British possession of Pitcairn Island has only about 60 people.

The second important argument is the 1968 British court decision that the UK had no jurisdiction over Sealand. No other country has claimed rights to Sealand either.

Thirdly, there are several facts of de facto recognition of Sealand. The Montevideo Convention states that states have the right to existence and self-defense regardless of official recognition. In modern international practice, tacit (non-diplomatic) recognition is a fairly common phenomenon. It arises when a regime does not have sufficient legitimacy, but exercises actual power on its territory. For example, many states do not recognize the Republic of China diplomatically, but de facto view it as a sovereign country. There are four similar pieces of evidence regarding Sealand:

Great Britain did not pay Prince Roy a pension during the period when he was in Sealand.
UK courts refused to hear the 1968 and 1990 claims against Sealand.
The Foreign Ministries of the Netherlands and Germany entered into negotiations with the Sealand government.
The Belgian Post accepted Sealand stamps for some time.

Theoretically, Sealand's position is very convincing. If recognized, the principality would become the smallest country in the world and the 51st state in Europe. However, according to the constitutive theory, more common in modern international law, a state can only exist insofar as it is recognized by other states. Therefore, Sealand cannot be accepted into any international organization and cannot have its own postal address or domain name. None of the countries established diplomatic relations with him.

Sealand is trying to get independence recognized by some major state, but has not tried to achieve independence through the UN.

Economy

Sealand has been involved in several commercial operations, including issuing coins, stamps, and hosting HavenCo servers. Also, for some time, Sealand camouflage passports were issued by a certain Spanish group. Is it true, official government Sealenda had nothing to do with them.

The Sealand Anglican Church, founded on August 15, 2006, operates in Sealand. On the territory of Sealand there is a chapel in the name of St. Brendan, cared for by the Metropolitan.

In Sealand there are people involved in various sports, such as mini golf. Sealand also registered its national football team among the unrecognized national teams. Also, Sealand is represented by participants in “non-traditional” sports. So, in 2008, the Sealand team won the world championship in egg throwing.

The self-proclaimed state of Sealand is located in the North Sea and is a platform from the Second World War, each support of which has 8 rooms.
Sealand can only be reached by helicopter or boat.
The platform was built for air defense and remained abandoned after World War 2. Since the platform was located outside the three-mile coastal zone and was deserted, it could well be considered a disputed territory, and Roy Bates hastened to officially occupy it. Having taken ownership of a rectangle 30 meters long and less than 10 meters wide, Roy Bates declared it a monarchy, himself a prince and, accordingly, his wife a princess. The Royal Family and all loyal subjects of the newly formed principality declared absolute sovereignty. The new state was named the Principality of Sealand.
In 1975, His Majesty Prince Roy declared the constitution. Later, the flag, anthem, postage stamps, silver and gold coins - Sealand dollars - were legalized. And finally, Sealand’s state and international passports were accepted.
The physical territory of Sealand emerged during the Second World War. In 1942, the British Navy built a series of platforms on the approaches to the coast. One of them was the Roughs Tower (literally “hooligan tower”). During the war, anti-aircraft guns were stationed there and a garrison of 200 people was located there. After the end of hostilities, most of the towers were destroyed, but the Rafs Tower, being outside British territorial waters, remained untouched. In 1966, retired British Army Major Paddy Roy Bates chose the site to base his pirate radio station, Britain's Better Music Station. To avoid prosecution by the British authorities, Bates declared the platform a sovereign state and proclaimed himself Prince Roy I. The proclamation of Sealand took place on September 2, 1967. This day is celebrated as the main public holiday.
In August 1978, a putsch occurred in the country. It was preceded by tension between the prince and his closest ally, the country's prime minister, Count Alexander Gottfried Achenbach. The parties differed in their views on attracting foreign investment to the country and accused each other of unconstitutional intentions. Taking advantage of the absence of the prince, who was negotiating with investors in Austria, Achenbach and a group of Dutch citizens landed on the island. The invaders locked young Prince Michael in a basement and then took him to the Netherlands. But Michael escaped from captivity and met his father. With the support of the country's loyal citizens, the overthrown monarchs managed to defeat the usurpers' troops and return to power.
Sealand territory with territorial waters The losers continued to insist on their rights. They formed the illegal government of Sealand in exile (FRG). Achenbach claimed to be the chairman of the Privy Council. In January 1989, he was arrested by the German authorities (who, of course, did not recognize his diplomatic status) and handed over his post to Minister for Economic Cooperation Johannes W. F. Seiger, who soon became prime minister. Re-elected in 1994 and 1999

September 2, 1967, one Paddy Roy Bates is a retired British Army colonel who chose Fort Rough Sands (or HM Fort Roughs, literally “hooligan tower”) in 1966 to base his pirate radio station “Britain's Better Music Station” ", announced the creation of a sea fortress on the territory sovereign principality Sealand (Principality of Sealand) and proclaimed himself Prince Roy I.
In 1968, the British authorities tried to occupy the young state. Patrol boats approached the platform of the sea fortress, and the princely family responded by firing warning shots into the air. The matter did not come to bloodshed, but a trial was launched against Prince Roy as a British citizen. September 2, 1968 Judge English county Essex made a historic ruling: he recognized that the matter was outside British jurisdiction - that is, he de facto recognized the sovereignty of the Principality of Sealand.

Sealand was established in international waters before the entry into force of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which prohibits the construction of artificial structures on the high seas, and before the extension of the UK's sovereign maritime zone from 3 to 12 miles in 1987. Based on the fact that the Rafs Tower platform , on which Sealand is located, was abandoned and deleted from the lists of the British Admiralty, its occupation is considered as colonization. The settlers who settled on it believe that they had every right to establish a state and establish a form of government at their discretion.
The Principality of Sealand has only five people, but it meets all the criteria for statehood specified in the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States. Sealand is a constitutional monarchy, the head of which is Prince Roy I Bates and Princess Joanna I Bates, although since 1999, direct power in the principality has been exercised by Crown Prince Michael I. The principality has its own constitution, flag and coat of arms, and Sealand mints its own coin - the Sealand dollar and issue stamps. At the very small state the world even has its own football team.

The Principality of Sealand went down in history as the first state in the world to burn to the ground - on June 23, 2006, due to a short circuit in a generator, a serious fire started, which was extinguished thanks to the help provided by Great Britain. Restoring the artificial island requires big money and the Silendian monarch, who had been connected with the island for 40 years of his life, decided that the time had come to part with it. The state is up for sale - starting price is £65 million.

In an attempt to circumvent international copyright laws, the world's largest BitTorrent tracker, The Pirate Bay, which has more than three million registered users downloading pirated torrents for free software, music, films and other copyrighted materials, recently launched a campaign to raise funds to purchase the state of Sealand. “Help us and you will become a citizen of Sealand!” - say the pirates.

The “royal family” is already too old - Roy and Joanna Bates are already over eighty (and he died), their heir is over fifty. A couple of years ago they moved to Spain - it’s not so easy for older people to live on the open sea, on a windswept couple of hundred meters of concrete and iron.

Sealand has long been a legend, and legends never die.