For sale: World's smallest country with sea view

[n3uka]

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters Life!) - For sale: the world's smallest country with its own flag, stamps, currency and passports.

Apply to Prince Michael of Sealand if you want to run your own nation, even if it is just a wartime fort perched on two concrete towers in the North Sea.

Built in World War Two as an anti-aircraft base to repel German bombers, the derelict platform was taken over 40 years ago by retired army major Paddy Roy Bates who went to live there with his family.

He declared the platform, perched seven miles off the east coast of England and just outside Britain's territorial waters, to be the principality of Sealand.

The self-styled Prince Roy adopted a flag, chose a national anthem and minted silver and gold coins.

The family saw off an attempt by Britain's Royal Navy to evict them and also an attempt in 1978 by a group of German and Dutch businessmen to seize Sealand by force.

Roy, 85, now lives in Spain and his son Michael told BBC Radio on Monday his family had been approached by estate agents with clients "who wanted a bit more than a bit of real estate, they wanted autonomy."

He suggested Sealand, which has eight rooms in each tower, could be a base for online gambling or offshore banking.

Asked to describe the delights of living on what he described as a cross between a house and a ship, the 54-year-old said: "The neighbors are very quiet. There is a good sea view."

[Demented]

If I had that kind of money...

[jinny]

Sounds like a "Micronation"... which aren't usually autonomous "real" countries and cannot be considered sovreign states.

although "the Lonely Planet Guide" company recently published a guide to mircronations... http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/product...productID=2943

if you really want your own micronation, you can just start one in your own backyard... I think the very general rule is based on some old rule for nations that boils down to having some property/realestate/land/etc. and being able to enter into agreements with other nations. easy.

[Rploaded]

There are alot for sale in the Caribbean too.......

[Commander Quan]

If you owned your own country you could make sure there was never a smoking ban!

[TMoneYNYY]

I saw this on FoxNews yesterday... it makes the main base in Waterworld look like the Four Seasons!!!!!

[n3uka]

Originally Posted by Rploaded

There are alot for sale in the Caribbean too.......

Which one are you buying?

[monsoon]

Originally Posted by jinny

if you really want your own micronation, you can just start one in your own backyard...

.... and open my own LCDH in the middle of Kansas ? ... I like it.

[par]

Originally Posted by Commander Quan

If you owned your own country you could make sure there was never a smoking ban!

and if you are a diplomat of your nation you can never be arrested for smoking where smoking is illegal! yiihaaw!