header print

Would You Like to Buy the World`s Smallest Nation?

This has got to be one of the craziest stories I have ever come across!
It's the story of a man called Roy Bates, or as he is formally known: Prince Paddy Roy Bates of the Principality of Sealand. In 1967 this British pirate radio broadcaster and former army major, sailed to an old sea fort off the coast of England called the HM Fort Roughs, claimed it as his own, and renamed it "Sealand".

While it has been described as the world's smallest country, Sealand is not recognized by any established sovereign state. That fact didn’t matter to Roy's family and associates, who created a flag for their new beloved "country", and even composed an anthem. Here is the story of this incredible place:

 

Bates died in October 2012 at the age of 91 but his legacy live on. Sealand issued (and revoked) an estimated number of at 150,000 Sealand passports, create its own coins and postage stamps (which aren't really worth anything) and even sells titles of individual nobility including Lord, Baron, and Count of Sealand.

Would You Like to Buy the World`s Smallest Nation?
 
Would You Like to Buy the World`s Smallest Nation?
 

After a fire in 2006, both towers were gutted and the platform has been completely rebuilt. The building has been completely remodeled and expanded with a new roof/helicopter pad with new directing lights. The inside of Sealand has two main parts: a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, kitchen and living room area called "The Royal Palace", and a one-bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room called "The Employees' Suite". The building also has a one-room chapel, public bathroom, security office, Parliament office/rec room, a small store, and the office of the Bureau of Domestic and International Affairs (finished late 2007 due to leaky pipes).

Would You Like to Buy the World`s Smallest Nation?
 
Would You Like to Buy the World`s Smallest Nation?
 
Would You Like to Buy the World`s Smallest Nation?
 

If all of this sounds just too impossible for you and you feel it's one big lie then I can assure you I felt the same. But then I went and had a look at the official Sealand "government site" and came to realize that the truth can sometimes be that much stranger than fiction, and that a hilarious place like Sealand is too crazy to be made up. So... When are you moving in?

Next Post
Sign Up for Free Daily Posts!
Did you mean:
Continue With: Facebook Google
By continuing, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Related Topics: amazing, funny, video, photo, sealand
Sign Up for Free Daily Posts!
Did you mean:
Continue With: Facebook Google
By continuing, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy