On 12/8/03 7:06 AM, "sannse" sannse@delphiforums.com wrote:
Jake wrote:
I find people's use of "Micronation", especially as in the [[Micronation]] article, terribly inconsistent- the only way I've ever seen it used
outside
of Wikipedia (Note the "I've seen", don't list Google results of other
uses,
I'm sure they exist) is to refer to very small nations that actually exist and have some degree of legal recognition (even if it's just that they're islands outside any other nation's territory): [[Sealand]], North Dumpling (Dean Kamen's island, near Long Island- has a non-aggression pact with the US signed by then-President George H.W. Bush), and several dozen others. However, many people seem to use the term to describe entirely fictional entities with no territory. I would simply call these "Fantasy nations", "Imaginary nations", or something like that, as the prefix micro- makes no sense in that context.
-- Jake
The [[micronations]] article makes a distinction between "micronations" and "microstates", but I've no idea if this is a common way of using the words. I've never come across the concept before this, so am probably using it wrong.
The main promoter in print of the term "micronation" to refer to small nation-like groups without official recognition is this Wired Magazine article from March 2000:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.03/kingdoms.html
Until a more precise term comes along, one might as well call Talossa a micronation. Micronations, also known as counternations and ephemeral states, consist of one or more people united by the desire to form and/or inhabit an independent country of their own making. All micronations have governments, laws, and customs; the main distinguishing factor is whether their citizens want to establish a physical home country and seek international recognition, or whether, as is the case with Talossa, they're happy just to pretend.