This came off of their website, at www.sealandgov.org:
“Sealand was founded as a sovereign Principality in 1967 in international waters, six miles off the eastern shores of Britain. The island fortress is conveniently situated from 65 to 100 miles from the coasts of France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. The official language of Sealand is English and the Sealand Dollar has a fixed exchange rate of one U.S. dollar. Passports and stamps have been in circulation since 1969, however, contrary to many misleading websites and news articles, Sealand passports are not for sale, and anyone offering such are selling forgeries. Within a radius of 500 miles of Sealand live more than 200 million people who enjoy some of the highest standards of living in the world. This area also encompasses the financial, industrial and cultural heart of Europe.
The history of Sealand is a story of a struggle for liberty. Sealand was founded on the principle that any group of people dissatisfied with the oppressive laws and restrictions of existing nation states may declare independence in any place not claimed to be under the jurisdiction of another sovereign entity. The location chosen was Roughs Tower, an island fortress created in World War II by Britain and subsequently abandoned to the jurisdiction of the High Seas. The independence of Sealand was upheld in a 1968 British court decision where the judge held that Roughs Tower stood in international waters and did not fall under the legal jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. This gave birth to Sealand’s national motto of E Mare Libertas, or “From the Sea, Freedom”.
Prince Roy’s heir apparent, Michael of Sealand, wrote the following statement in relation to a recent incident involving a fake Sealand passport. It can be extended to other situations where basic facts regarding Sealand have been misrepresented. This website is the only official website of the Government of Sealand. The website that was originally constructed for Sealand is located at http://www.fruitsofthesea.demon.co.uk/sealand/, and is maintained there for historical purposes.
“We would like to make it clear that after 32 years of pioneering work, and the blood sweat and tears that have been part of the rich adventure in the formation and establishment of the Principality of Sealand, our web site is the only official web site of the Principality of Sealand. It has come to our attention that others are claiming to represent us on the Internet and in the press, even showing photographs of my family and offering membership of business foundations, fake Sealand passports, and other services. Some of these people, it seems, were involved in the terrorist attack on Sealand in the 1970s that nearly resulted in loss of life, and did involve an international incident with the British, Dutch and German governments.” ~ Michael of Sealand”
Going back to what I was saying before, before World War II, nobody just decided that they wanted to found a new country. What does this say? It says that our world is splintering. Before World War I, everyone was experiencing patriotism in their countries. Military parades were held very often. Now, there are hundreds of breakaway groups seeking to form their own nation. The word Country has taken on a new meaning.
Here is an excellent index to some of these groups:
www.microfreedom.com/
