Empire of Atlantium
Encyclopedia
The Empire of Atlantium is a micronation
and secular,
pluralist progressive lobby group based in New South Wales
, Australia
.
Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations describes Atlantium as "a refreshing antidote to the reactionary self-aggrandisement of so many micronations", and "an extremely sophisticated nation-state experiment, as well as an entirely serious claimant to legitimate statehood". The book's entry on Atlantium notes its espousal of "progressive, liberal policies" and characterizes it as a "secular humanist utopia".
Among the causes Atlantium supports are the right to unrestricted international freedom of movement
, the right to abortion
, the right to assisted suicide
and decimal calendar
reform.
as Atlantium's first capital, and declared Cruickshank to be Sovereign Head of State, with the title "Emperor George II". Geoffrey Duggan (1982–1986) was elected as prime minister. Damian Scott (1986–1988), and Kevin Fanucchi (1988–1990) also served as prime ministers, but by 1990, when the original group members had graduated from university and moved to different locations, the group ceased to be active.
In 1999 Cruickshank purchased an apartment in the inner Sydney suburb of Potts Point
, and soon after revived Atlantium, launching a website
, which was instrumental in attracting new members. The 61 square metres (656.6 sq ft) apartment, known as the Imperium Proper, became the second capital of Atlantium. Concordia became the third capital of Atlantium on 12 January 2008, when the rural 0.76 square kilometre (0.293437640530327 sq mi) Province of Aurora, approximately 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) southwest of Sydney, was created. The Atlantium website describes Aurora as Atlantium's "global administrative capital, ceremonial focal point and spiritual homeland".
Concordia is the intended location of facilities to house Atlantium's legislature, government offices, museum, throne hall and commemorative monuments. Currently it is the location of a single-storey residential and administrative building, several service structures, and two small man-made lakes. Aurora is also the site of an historic gold processing facility built and operated in the 1860s by Chinese
immigrant miners.
" and "global sovereign state". In line with its claim to be a "primarily non-territorial" state Atlantium does not maintain any formal territorial claims; however, it does promote the idea that Cruickshank's apartment, and the Province of Aurora, have extraterritorial status; in practice these properties remain under Australian jurisdiction
.
No established nation has recognised Atlantium's sovereignty claims, and it has no reciprocal diplomatic relations. Atlantium has appointed "unaccredited diplomatic representatives" called "Imperial Legates" in the United States
, Pakistan
, Poland
, Brazil
, India
, Italy
, Iran
, Singapore
, Serbia
and Switzerland
. The group has awarded "Imperial Honours" to various recipients, generally in recognition of political activism or for service to local communities.
, director, magister and imperial legate. Atlantium says its citizenship
does not supersede previously existing citizenships. Atlantians contend that they are all dual-citizens, and that Atlantium actively encourages its members to participate in the political processes of their resident countries. While the group uses the words "citizenship" and "diplomatic
" idiosyncratically
, supporters note that Atlantium has made no secret of its attempts at redefining existing paradigms, and claim that doing so is a fundamental motivation for the group's existence.
Micronation
Micronations, sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects, are entities that claim to be independent nations or states but which are not recognized by world governments or major international organizations...
and secular,
pluralist progressive lobby group based in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations describes Atlantium as "a refreshing antidote to the reactionary self-aggrandisement of so many micronations", and "an extremely sophisticated nation-state experiment, as well as an entirely serious claimant to legitimate statehood". The book's entry on Atlantium notes its espousal of "progressive, liberal policies" and characterizes it as a "secular humanist utopia".
Among the causes Atlantium supports are the right to unrestricted international freedom of movement
Freedom of movement
Freedom of movement, mobility rights or the right to travel is a human right concept that the constitutions of numerous states respect...
, the right to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, the right to assisted suicide
Consensual homicide
Consensual homicide refers to a case when one person kills another, with the consent of the victim.-Euthanasia:The more common form is assisted suicide, in which terminally ill people seek assistance from their doctors to alleviate their suffering by ending their lives...
and decimal calendar
Decimal calendar
A decimal calendar contains either ten days per week, a multiple of ten days in a month, or ten months per year. Examples that have been adopted are the calendar of Romulus, the Egyptian calendar, the Alexandrian calendar, the Coptic calendar, the Ethiopian calendar, and the French Republican...
reform.
History
Atlantium was established in 1981 by three Sydney teenagers – George Francis Cruickshank, Geoffrey John Duggan and Claire Marie Coulter (née Duggan). The three claimed a 10 square metres (107.6 sq ft) Provisional Territory in the southern suburb of NarweeNarwee, New South Wales
Narwee is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Narwee is located 18 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Narwee lies across the local government areas of the City of Hurstville and the City of Canterbury...
as Atlantium's first capital, and declared Cruickshank to be Sovereign Head of State, with the title "Emperor George II". Geoffrey Duggan (1982–1986) was elected as prime minister. Damian Scott (1986–1988), and Kevin Fanucchi (1988–1990) also served as prime ministers, but by 1990, when the original group members had graduated from university and moved to different locations, the group ceased to be active.
In 1999 Cruickshank purchased an apartment in the inner Sydney suburb of Potts Point
Potts Point, New South Wales
Potts Point is a small, densely-populated suburb of inner-city Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney....
, and soon after revived Atlantium, launching a website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, which was instrumental in attracting new members. The 61 square metres (656.6 sq ft) apartment, known as the Imperium Proper, became the second capital of Atlantium. Concordia became the third capital of Atlantium on 12 January 2008, when the rural 0.76 square kilometre (0.293437640530327 sq mi) Province of Aurora, approximately 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) southwest of Sydney, was created. The Atlantium website describes Aurora as Atlantium's "global administrative capital, ceremonial focal point and spiritual homeland".
Aurora
The Province of Aurora covers 0.76 square kilometre (0.293437640530327 sq mi) and has a fenced 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) long perimeter. It is divided into four "administrative divisions", known as the District of Hickey (which occupies approximately half of Aurora's total area), the District of Duggan (which occupies the southern third of the province), Concordia Capital District (the only administrative division in which permanent human occupancy and development is permitted) and the Prefecture of Idalia (the re-named former Imperium Proper). The latter is the current permanent residence of Emperor George II.Concordia is the intended location of facilities to house Atlantium's legislature, government offices, museum, throne hall and commemorative monuments. Currently it is the location of a single-storey residential and administrative building, several service structures, and two small man-made lakes. Aurora is also the site of an historic gold processing facility built and operated in the 1860s by Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
immigrant miners.
Status and operations
The Atlantium website uses several different self-descriptions, including "self-declared state", "aspirant microstateMicrostate
A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area, but usually both. Some examples include Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Nauru, Singapore, and Vatican City....
" and "global sovereign state". In line with its claim to be a "primarily non-territorial" state Atlantium does not maintain any formal territorial claims; however, it does promote the idea that Cruickshank's apartment, and the Province of Aurora, have extraterritorial status; in practice these properties remain under Australian jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
.
No established nation has recognised Atlantium's sovereignty claims, and it has no reciprocal diplomatic relations. Atlantium has appointed "unaccredited diplomatic representatives" called "Imperial Legates" in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The group has awarded "Imperial Honours" to various recipients, generally in recognition of political activism or for service to local communities.
Stamps, coins and banknotes
Stamps, coins and banknotes are sold by Atlantium, which utilises a decimal currency system of 100 Imperial Centi to the Imperial Solidus. Atlantium's website claims that the profits from those sales are used for "the Empire's ongoing operations" as well as charitable causes.Stamps
The earliest documented media report referring to Atlantium is a 1984 philatelic magazine article about its cinderella stamp releases. There are currently 12 issues of Atlantian stamps, and a monthly postal service between Concordia and Idalia will commence in the second half of 2008.| Issue | Year | Denomination | Stamp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 2006 | IS 0.50 | ---- Flag of Atlantium |
| 12 | 2006 | IS 0.50 | ---- Emperor George II |
| 12 | 2006 | IS 2.50 | ---- Emperor George II |
Coins
Atlantium mints coins, though the levels of Atlantian economic activity remain low. Only the 20th anniversary 10 Solidi coin has been minted in the past, which has a likeness of George Cruickshank as the obverse and the Imperial Eagle as the reverse.| 20th anniversary 10 Solidi coin |
|---|
|
Banknotes
Banknotes of Atlantium are denominated in Imperial Solidi and are currently divided into a 2006 series and a 2007 series.| Series | Denomination |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 10 Imperial Solidi |
| 2006 | 25 Imperial Solidi |
| 2006 | 50 Imperial Solidi |
| 2007 | 100 Imperial Solidi |
Membership
As of 2006, the group reportedly had 903 "citizens" in over 90 countries. The website names just over 20 individuals holding such functions as ministerMinister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
, director, magister and imperial legate. Atlantium says its citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
does not supersede previously existing citizenships. Atlantians contend that they are all dual-citizens, and that Atlantium actively encourages its members to participate in the political processes of their resident countries. While the group uses the words "citizenship" and "diplomatic
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
" idiosyncratically
Idiosyncrasy
An idiosyncrasy is an unusual feature of a person . The term is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity. A synonym may be .-Etymology:...
, supporters note that Atlantium has made no secret of its attempts at redefining existing paradigms, and claim that doing so is a fundamental motivation for the group's existence.