World's Smallest Country Up For Sale

[minus5]

World's smallest country up for sale By Paul Majendie
Mon Jan 8, 1:58 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - For sale: the world's smallest country with its own flag, stamps, currency and passports.


Apply to Prince Michael of Sealand if you want to run your own storm-tossed nation -- even if it is just a wartime fort perched on two concrete towers in the North Sea.

Built in World War Two as an anti-aircraft base against German bombers, the derelict platform was taken over 40 years ago by retired army major Paddy Roy Bates who went to live there with his family.

He declared the platform, perched seven miles off the east coast of England just outside Britain's territorial waters, to be the principality of Sealand.

The self-styled Prince Roy adopted a flag, chose a national anthem and minted silver and gold coins as its currency.

The family saw off an attempt by the Royal Navy to evict them and also an attempt in 1978 by a group of German and Dutch businessmen to seize Sealand by force.

"I was held prisoner out there for three or four days and then managed to get back to England," Roy's son Michael told BBC Radio on Monday.

"I slid down a rope out of a helicopter with my father and a couple of comrades and took the place back against armed opposition. It was quite a high point in my life," he said.

Prince Michael, whose 85-year-old father now lives in Spain, said his family had been approached by estate agents with clients "who wanted a bit more than a bit of real estate, they wanted autonomy."

Asked what were the delights of living on Sealand, the 54-year-old prince said "The neighbours are very quiet. There is a good sea view."

"There is no jurisdiction by any other country in the world," he said, suggesting it could be a base for online gambling or offshore banking.

Calling it a cross between a house and a ship, the prince acknowledged it was not the world's most picturesque country, boasting as it does two large concrete towers with eight rooms in each tower.

"It is fairly bleak," he conceded. ""But it is quite pleasant sitting inside in the warm and watching the horrendous weather roaring past the double-glazed windows."

So what did he expect to get for Sealand?

"We shall see," Prince Michael said. "I will listen to anybody who wants to talk
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070108/...ukoe_uk_island

Here is a picture of the Prince:

[Johnny Footstool]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealand

550 square meters of concrete bliss.

[Roy Tucker]

Careful, they might have the Q-bomb...

[vaticanplum]

I always thought the Vatican was the smallest country. Better memorize this for Trivial Pursuit...that wikipedia article says it's not wholly recognized, but you can never be too careful with Trivial Pursuit.

[Dom Heffner]

If only Marlon Brando were alive.

[MrCinatit]

Awww. how cute. I want one.
Does it come in beige libertarian liberal?

[registerthis]

I always thought the Vatican was the smallest country. Better memorize this for Trivial Pursuit...that wikipedia article says it's not wholly recognized, but you can never be too careful with Trivial Pursuit.

It's still the Vatican. "Sealand" is internationally recognized as a part of the U.K. 10 guys living on a concrete platform does not a country make.

[max venable]

Who in the world would want to live there?

Here are some more interesting photos.

[MrCinatit]

You would think an entire nation could afford more than one toilet.

[registerthis]

You would think an entire nation could afford more than one toilet.

...or a potted plant.

[Chip R]

The family saw off an attempt by the Royal Navy to evict them and also an attempt in 1978 by a group of German and Dutch businessmen to seize Sealand by force.

"I was held prisoner out there for three or four days and then managed to get back to England," Roy's son Michael told BBC Radio on Monday.

"I slid down a rope out of a helicopter with my father and a couple of comrades and took the place back against armed opposition. It was quite a high point in my life," he said.

You gotta admit, that's pretty scrappy.

[BoydsOfSummer]

If only Marlon Brando were alive.

That baby aint big enough for Brando. He could get stuck in one of those silo's.

[Heath]

You gotta admit, that's pretty scrappy.

They sure Know How To Gain Independence The Right Way.

[jmcclain19]

Thought this was an interesting twist to the Sealand for Sale story. Apparently a huge file sharing site is trying to raise money to buy the site, and move there to be free of copyright restrictions.

http://www.thelocal.se/6076/20070112/

The Pirate Bay plans to buy island

Published: 12th January 2007 12:37 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/6076/

Swedish file-sharing website The Pirate Bay is planning to buy its own nation in an attempt to circumvent international copyright laws.

The group has set up a campaign to raise money to buy Sealand, a former British naval platform in the North Sea that has been designated a 'micronation', and claims to be outside the jurisdiction of the UK or any other country.
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The Pirate Bay says it is the world's largest 'bit torrent tracker', and is a popular way of sharing music, films, software and other copyrighted material online. It has been under the scrutiny of authorities in Sweden and around the world for some time.

The site was briefly closed down after raids by the Swedish police last May. After initially moving to the Netherlands, the site returned to Sweden in June. Swedish authorities have been put under pressure to do more to stop the site. The Motion Picture Association of America, the Swedish Anti-Piracy Bureau and the US government have all lobbied for The Pirate Bay's closure.

According to a website set up to secure the purchase of Sealand, The Pirate Bay plans to give citizenship of the micronation to anyone willing to put money towards the purchase.

"It should be a great place for everybody, with high-speed Internet access, no copyright laws and VIP accounts to The Pirate Bay," the organisation claims on its website www.buysealand.com.

The "island" of Sealand, seven miles off the coast of southern England, was settled in 1967 by an English major, Paddy Roy Bates. Bates proclaimed Sealand a state, issuing passports and gold and silver Sealand dollars and declaring himself Prince Roy.

When the British Royal Navy tried to evict Prince Roy in 1968, a judge ruled that the platform was outside British territorial waters and therefore beyond government control.

The British government subsequently extended its territorial waters from three to twelve nautical miles from the coast, which would include Sealand, but Prince Roy simultaneously extended Sealand's waters, claimed that this guaranteed Sealand's sovereignty.

The island is now being put up for sale by Prince Roy's son, Prince Michael, who styles himself head of state. A firm of Spanish estate agents has valued the island at £504 million (about 7 billion kronor), although Prince Michael told The Times of London that it is hard to gauge how much it will fetch in reality.

The Pirate Bay says it is looking at alternatives to buying the former naval platform.

"If we do not get enough money required to buy the micronation of Sealand, we will try to buy another small island somwhere and claim it as our own country," the organization says on its website.

[BoydsOfSummer]

They have already changed the logo on their site to look like that sea barge. I visit there daily.

http://thepiratebay.org/