Principality of Hutt River
The Principality of Hutt River, often referred to by its former name, the Hutt River Province, was an unrecognized micronation in Australia, proclaimed on 21 April 1970 when farmer Leonard Casley declared his farm to be a sovereign state, the "Hutt River Province". He claimed to have seceded from Australia, which occurred during his dispute with the authorities concerning wheat production quotas. A few years later, Casley began styling himself as "Prince Leonard" and granting family members royal titles, although he did not include the word "principality" in the official name until 2006. In 2017, Casley's claim to rulership was taken over by his son Graeme, who dropped the claim to sovereignty on 3 August 2020.
Leonard Casley bust
Border gate of Hutt River
Obverse of a 50-cent coin depicting Casley
1986 100-dollar Hutt River Province coin commemorating the centennial of the Statue of Liberty (front and back) manufactured by Johnson Matthey Refining, Rochester, New York
A micronation is a political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from de facto states and quasi-states; they are also not considered to be autonomous or self-governing as they lack the legal basis in international law for their existence. The activities of micronations are almost always trivial enough to be ignored rather than disputed by the established nations whose territory they claim—referred to in micronationalism as macronations. Several micronations have issued coins, flags, postage stamps, passports, medals and other state-related items, some as a source of revenue. Motivations for the creation of micronations include theoretical experimentation, political protest, artistic expression, personal entertainment and the conduct of criminal activity. The study of micronationalism is known as micropatriology or micropatrology.
The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on a seafort off the coast of the United Kingdom.
Republic of Rose Island, before its destruction
The Republic of Minerva was a libertarian project that succeeded in building an artificial island in 1972 by importing sand
Entrance to the Principality of Hutt River (formerly Hutt River Province), a micronation founded in Australia