Wirtland (micronation) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Wirtland is an internet-based micronation

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...

founded in 2008.

History and government

Wirtland was founded on August 14, 2008, as a public initiative and is principally represented through its official website. Wirtland purports to be an experiment into legitimacy and self-sustainability of a country without its own soil, which transcends national borders without breaching or lessening the sovereignty of any involved. Wirtland is currently governed by a chancellor

Chancellor

Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...

, and aims to become a parliamentary democracy.

In January 2010 Wirtland proposed to acquire land by consent from Nauru

Nauru

Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...

. If successful, it would be the first case of a peaceful formation of a new country 'from scratch', making Wirtland potentially eligible for international diplomatic recognition according to Article 1 of Montevideo Convention

Montevideo Convention

The Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States was a treaty signed at Montevideo, Uruguay, on December 26, 1933, during the Seventh International Conference of American States. The Convention codified the declarative theory of statehood as accepted as part of customary international...

on the Rights and Duties of States, provided that it can also meet the requirements of a "permanent population" under the control of a government.

Population

The population of Wirtland consists of citizens, known as Witizens, and tourists. Citizenship is open to anyone, as prospective citizens need only write a letter of interest to the government to become a citizen and receive a "residence permit" or personal ID card. Wirtland offers equal democratic rights and does not discriminate on the basis of national origin, religion, race, or sex. The citizenship application form is available in English, Spanish, Bulgarian, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, Korean, Thai, Italian, and Polish languages.

Media reaction

Fox News and Bulgarian national bTV were the first TV channels to report on Wirtland. bTV organized an online interview with three witizens of Bulgarian origin on February 11, 2009 whilst Fox 45 Morning News

WBFF

WBFF, channel 45, is a Fox-affiliated television station located in Baltimore, Maryland. WBFF is the flagship station of the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which also operates Baltimore's CW affiliate, WNUV-TV , through a local marketing agreement...

of Baltimore, Maryland featured an interview about Wirtland with reporter Larry Fiorino on January 20, 2009. On November 4, 2011, Wirtland appeared on Slovenian TV channel Sponka.tv

Sponka.tv

Sponka.tv is a Slovenian regional television station. It broadcasts in the regions of Koper, Sežana and Nova Gorica.Sponka.tv was born as Cable TV channel, and has only been broadcasting on terrestrial TV since 2003.-Frequency Controversy:...

. Wirtland has also been covered by CNN Türk

CNN Turk

CNN Türk is the Turkish version of the popular cable news channel CNN. CNN Türk is a nationwide channel broadcasting exclusively in Turkey, owned by Time Warner and Doğan Medya Grubu, broadcasting since October 11, 1999. It has its headquarters in Istanbul....

, Voice of Russia

Voice of Russia

Voice of Russia is the Russian government's international radio broadcasting service owned by the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company. Its predecessor Radio Moscow was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.-Early years:Radio Moscow...

, Daily Record

Daily Record (Maryland)

The Daily Record, published in Baltimore, Maryland, is a statewide business and legal newspaper. The paper publishes 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, except for certain holidays.-Corporate history:...

, PC World

PC World (magazine)

PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...

, Computerworld

Computerworld

Computerworld is an IT magazine that provides information for senior IT leaders. It is published in many countries around the world under the same or similar names. Its publisher is International Data Group. Computerworld serves the needs of IT management via print and online...

, Milliyet

Milliyet

Milliyet is a major Turkish daily newspaper founded in 1950.-History:Milliyet came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 May 1950...

, Sabah

Sabah (newspaper)

Sabah is a popular Turkish daily newspaper, with a circulation of around 330,000 as of 2011. Its name means "morning" in the Turkish language originating from Arabic...

, Dneven Trud

Dneven Trud

Dneven Trud , commonly known as Trud , is the largest-circulation Bulgarian daily newspaper. The newspaper's first issue came out on 1 March 1936, making it one of the oldest Bulgarian newspapers still in existence. The newspaper was a syndicate organ until 1992, when it became a private-owned...

Wirtland's coins and cinderella stamps

In 2009 Wirtland released its first gold coin, known as the "Wirtland Crane" (10 International Currency Units, ICU) and its first silver coin "Silver Crane" (2 ICU). Wirtland will issue uniquely hand-painted cinderella stamp

Cinderella stamp

In philately, a cinderella stamp has been defined as "Virtually anything resembling a postage stamp, but not issued for postal purposes by a government postal administration..." The term also excludes imprinted stamps on postal stationery.- Types :...

National identity card

Wirtland issues personal plastic ID cards. Every citizen is eligible for receiving the personal ID card. New applications for ID card are accepted from everyone over age 18, who wants to become a citizen of Wirtland.

External links