- Contested territories
- Annexed by Russia (18 March 2014)
- Independence declared 16 March 2014
- Area 27,000 km²
- Population 2,416,856
Crimea is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. Internationally, it is recognized as being part of Ukraine, but it is ruled by Russia since its annexation in 2014. Following the Ukrainian revolution that ousted the Ukrainian pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, the Crimean parliament and the Sevastopol City Council announced a referendum on the issue of joining Russia—a referendum that was called ‘a sham’ by the international community. In the meantime, the peninsula was taken over by Russian armed forces without insignias and pro-Russian separatists. Since then, the area is under Russia’s effective control.
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Abkhazia
Abkhazia lies on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, flanked by Russia to the North and Georgia to the South. In 1990, just before the dissolution of the USSR, Abkhazia declared its sovereignty. This was not accepted by neighbor state Georgia nor the government in Moscow and led to an armed conflict in 1992 which lasted for 14 months. The Georgian troops were forced to leave Abkhazia and in 1994 a new constitution was drawn. It was adopted by popular referendum in 1999 after which Abkhazia once again declared its State Sovereignty. However, it was only after Abkhazian forces fought against Georgian forces during the Russo-Georgian War in 2008 that Abkhazia was formally recognized by Russia. It is also recognized as an independent state by Venezuela, Nicaragua, Syria, Nauru, South Ossetia, Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh. The Parliament of Georgia still considers Abkhazia as an autonomous republic within its territory.
Antarctica
Antarctica is the most southern continent on Earth. Although there was speculation dating back to antiquity about a large piece of land in the South territory (Terra Australis), Antarctica was discovered as late as 1820 by a Russian expedition. As a result of the barren conditions it was left untouched until a Norwegian expedition led by Roald Amundsen landed on the continent in 1895, beating the British Robert Scott whose team died in the attempt. Antarctica is a condominium, governed by parties who signed the Antarctic Treaty drawn up in 1959. Fifty countries have signed up so far. Since Antarctica is relatively untouched it is an important place for scientific research on climate change.
Sabotage
State of Sabotage (SoS) was founded as a sovereign state in 2003 on the unpopulated island Harakka in Finland. It was initiated by the Austrian artist Robert Jelinek during the Amorph Summit of Micronations in Helsinki, Finland. The patron saint of Sabotage is H.R. Giger, the Swiss artist famous for his sombre and grotesque imagery. According to their own statement ‘Sabotage knows neither officials nor functionaries—it knows only self-determined artists and active associates.’ The State has its own art collection with contributions by Roman Signer, Joseph Beuys, Arman Linke, among others. Sabotage has a non defined territory and may emerge anywhere geographically.