Map of Sealand
Last weekend I wrote about Andorra, a tiny nation located in the mountains between France and Spain. I said then that Andorra wasn't the smallest country in the world; in fact, compared to Sealand, a tiny micronation off the coast of Britain, it's a veritable superpower.
Sealand is about the size of a football pitch and has a permanent population of around five. Like Andorra, Sealand is a tax haven but unlike sheep-dotted Andorra, it's also a dot com center of high tech (if shady) internet commerce. (But if you think your spam is coming from Sealand, think again; they maintain strict controls on the types of internet activity allowed to emanate from Sealand. No kiddie porn, and no spam.) Not only are there no sheep in Sealand; there's no grass there either. (I don't mean THAT kind of grass.) It's basically a rusty steel deck suspended over concrete piers, with sleeping facilities and, I'm betting, a latte machine.
Sealand was established when the current Prince Paddy Roy Bates settled on the deserted WWII sea fort Roughs Tower with his family. He survived several coup attempts including the efforts of the British government to claim sovereignty of the fortress. One of the nastier coups involved the kidnapping of Prince Michael, who was 15 and alone on the island at the time. Prince Roy, with the help of a helicopter stunt pilot, reclaimed the island from the Dutch and German duo who'd captured it, later negotiating their release with their respective governments. (Incidentally, Sealand abides by the rules of the Geneva Convention, unlike other principalities I could name.)
You may have heard of Sealand, or seen one of its fake passports. Do not be fooled: Sealand only issues passports to legitimate friends of the government, and would never sell them over the internet. It has a national anthem, "E Mare Libertas", which is really quite a catchy tune.
The U.S. refuses to recognize Sealand (or maybe no one in the State Department's heard of it yet—they've been too busy invading other assorted nation states) but then they don't recognize Taiwan either. No biggie.
After looking at these photos of Sealand, you may be wondering how one actually arrives on this sea fortress. (Physically, I mean. It's next to impossible to get a visa.) There's a helo-pad, but I've learned it is impossible to land there without permission, due to the defences erected by the principality: namely a large pole in the middle. It's simple, really: you are hoisted up up via a large swing, which is likely to be the most excitement you'll have during your stay in Sealand.
Despite the inhospitable environs, Sealand, I must admit, inspires my sense of whimsy, just as Andorra did many years ago. It would be a great setting for a novel, I think. Just imagine a cartoon cover with a Bridget Jones-like character, arriving on Sealand for a fun filled weekend with Prince Michael and some computers. I could see Clive Owen as the lead...