Country with 17,752 citizens and no inhabitants

PanARMENIAN.Net - Dr. Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist, has taught himself how to paint and sculpt. In a grand artistic maneuver in 1980, he sculpted a giant, tower-like sculpture made of 75 tons of driftwood, which he called Nimis (Latin for “too much”). As a companion, about a decade later he also built Arx (Latin for “fortress), a sculpture made of stone. Nimis stayed in peace for two full years due to the inaccessible nature of the reserve, where it was built. When local authorities finally found it, they ordered it to be removed, as it imposed upon the nature reserve. Once Arx was constructed, it received the same order of removal. After a lengthy court battle, Vilks declared independence from Sweden in 1996, calling the square kilometer that surrounds the sculptures the Royal Republic of Ladonia, or just Ladonia.

Sweden has not recognized Ladonia’s independence, nor has any other country in the world, although this micronation has a president and claims to be a legitimate, independently functioning state.

In 1997, when the number of citizens had grown to more than 1,000, elections were held. Ladonia became a Republican Monarchy with a president, Fernando Rodrigues (1997–2004) living in Brazil and a queen, Ywonne I (1997–2011) living in Sweden.

Since its creation, Ladonia has gained over 17,000 citizens from over 100 countries, mainly due to its popularity on the internet. No one actually lives in Ladonia, of course, considering its size. Instead, all of its citizens are nomads, coming and going as they please (or maybe even not at all). Anyone who applies can become a citizen, but immigrants will find that it’s basically impossible to actually move there. Unfortunately, this was not entirely clear in the online application form, and some 3000 Pakistanis, confused by the micro-nation's website, applied for immigrant status.

The National Anthem of Ladonia is the sound of throwing a stone into water.

The official language is Ladonian, consisting of two words. One word, which covers all other words in all other languages is “waaaaaaaaaaaaaallll” (which can be spelt in different ways but always with more “a” than “l”. Another word is “ÿp” used when speaking solemnly. This word is mostly used in the cabinet concerning more serious matters and not a word to be used for everyday matters.

The official currency is the Oertug. The equivalent value of an Oertug is roughly about the same as 1 U.S. Dollar or about 10 Swedish Crowns (SEK).

Ladonia has its own timezone (LST – Ladonia Standard Time) which is UTC/GMT +0:57(3 minutes slower than neighboring Sweden).

The Queen, the State Secretary and the President have the legislative power by approval of Royal Decrees, Secretarial Decrees and Presidential Decrees with a simple majority in the Cabinet. Any differences between decrees are resolved by rock throwing contests or fist fighting (if the Queen approves). The Presidential Office is held by individuals elected by the people. Each Citizen has the right of one vote, which may be cast in any way desired. If a Citizen fails to vote, nobody really cares. Political parties are registered automatically on anyone’s suggestion and should, but is not required to, be published in a major paper - The Ladonia Herald.

Three Wise Persons (Men or women) can be appointed to represent the wisdom of Ladonia, and act as a source of “elders” and/or inspiration. They will be appointed by the cabinet, but only if the cabinet is capable of finding individuals worthy enough for the title.

The current President is Christopher Matheoss, living in France. The monarch is HM The Queen Carolyn, living in the U.S.