Glacier Republic

  • Micronations
  • Founded 5 March 2014
  • Area 23,000 km²
  • Citizens 165,000 (non resident)
  • President Matías Asún

The Glacier Republic is a micronation proclaimed in 2014 by Greenpeace Chile, with the aim of gathering signatures to achieve the enactment of a law that especially protects glaciers. It claims all the glaciers of the Republic of Chile. They have issued passports and citizenship certificates, and have also established a Glacier Republic soccer team, although they have not played any matches. They have also celebrated marriages in some mountain glaciers. Its de facto president is the director of the Greenpeace organization in Chile. Greenpeace stated that once Chile passes legislation that will protect its glaciers, the republic will cease to exist.

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Taiwan

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is a de facto island state in the East Chinese Sea. The People’s Republic of China has consistently claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and refuses diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes this republic. Taiwan is the 22nd-largest economy in the world, and its high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy, it is unrecognized by most member states of the United Nations. Still, many countries maintain unofficial ties with Taiwan through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates.

Conejo Island

Isla Conejo (rabbit island), lies in the Gulf of Fonseca and is disputed between El Salvador and Honduras. The bay was discovered in 1522 by Gil González de Ávila and named after his patron, Archbishop Juan Fonseca. The three countries that share the coastline—Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua—were involved in a longstanding dispute over the rights of the Gulf and its islands until 1992, when the International Court of Justice determined that they were to share control of the Gulf of Fonseca and the rights over the islands were distributed among the three. Conejo Island was however left unmentioned and thus remained a subject of discussion between Honduras and El Salvador.

Moresnet

Moresnet was a neutral territory between the Kingdom of the Netherlands (from 1830: Belgium) and the Kingdom of Prussia, which existed from 1816-1920. After the demise of Napoleon’s Empire, the kingdoms redrew the borders, but could not agree on this small piece of land because of a rich zinc mine. For the people who lived in this area, the neutral status was disruptive as they didn’t know which nationality they had, and whom to pay taxes to. The dead-straight borders were drawn right through houses and gardens. Moresnet became well-known in the early 20th century because of the initiatives to found an Esperanto-speaking state on this territory, named Amikeyo (Place of Friendship). Ultimately, in 1920, the area was annexed by Belgium.