Micro-Nations
They’re the smallest countries in the world – and they’re proud of it.
A micronation is a piece of land that claims to be an independent or sovereign nation, but is not officially recognized by the governments of the world.
In 2012, fascinated photographer Leó Delafontaine began documenting them, visiting six countries and three continents to capture life inside the unique mini-states. The people he met were eccentrics determined to carve out their own place in the world – and so they did exactly that.
There are many reasons for the founding of the micronations, ranging from symbols of defiance, to boost tourism or solely for fun. Current reports put the number of micronations scattered around the world at approximately 400, with more being created every year.
Delafontaine hoped the pictures would not only shed a light on the little-known phenomenon, but also provoke ‘the need to think about the geopolitical, national, and cultural questions that micronations generate’.
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THE KINGDOM OF ELLEORE
WHERE: The island of Elleore is located off the Roskilde Fjord on the north coast of Denmark
SIZE: 0.6 square miles
POPULATION: 370
HISTORY: The Kingdom Of Elleore was founded in 1944, by schoolteachers who brought their pupils there for a summer camp. Now it comes alive for one week every August, when 370 Danes arrive for their annual week-long camp where they throw parties and play games. It even has its own national sport, called ‘cracket’.
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