Calling all future seasteaders. A wonderful article in the Independent by the first journalist to stay overnight on the Independent Principality of Sealand – a Second World War anti-aircraft fortress off the UK coast that’s been an unofficial micro-nation since the 1960s.
Seven miles off the coast of Suffolk, there is a country. It isn’t a very big country. In fact, its surface area extends to no more than 6,000 square feet, which is about twice the size of a tennis court. You won’t find it on Google Maps and it isn’t a member of Nato or, indeed, the EU. But it exists. And I know, because I’ve been there…
The feature was published in 2013, but it was a joy to discover – even two years after publication. What’s really cool is that Sealand has its own passport, coinage and the Bates family have occasionally got into gun battles defending the place. The micro-state has even embarked on international diplomacy – they kidnapped a lawyer in 1978, and the German government had to sue for his release. Brilliant stuff and a fascinating read for future seasteaders.