Flag Coat of Arms Ethnic groups All | Demonym Wirtlander; Witizen | |
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Membership 5,140 (as of December 01, 2014) Purported currency ICU (international currency unit) Official languages Any language which can be translated online Status internet-based micronation | ||
Wirtland (French: Terre du Wirt or French: Virtlande; (Turkish: Hayalistan; Bulgarian: Виртландия; Russian: Виртландия; Armenian: Վիրտլանդիա; Italian: Virtlandia; Spanish: Virtlandia; Slovene: Virtlandija; Esperanto: Virlando;) is an internet-based micronation founded in 2008.
Contents
- History and government
- Population
- Media reaction
- Wirtlands coins and cinderella stamps
- National identity card
- References
History and government
Wirtland was founded on August 14, 2008, as a public initiative and is principally represented through its official website. Wirtland purports to be an experiment into legitimacy and self-sustainability of a country without its own soil, which transcends national borders without breaching or lessening the sovereignty of any involved. Wirtland is currently governed by a chancellor, and aims to become a parliamentary democracy.
In January 2010 Wirtland proposed to acquire land by consent from Nauru. If successful, it would be the first case of a peaceful formation of a new country 'from scratch', making Wirtland potentially eligible for international diplomatic recognition according to Article 1 of Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, provided that it can also meet the requirements of a "permanent population" under the control of a government.
Population
The population of Wirtland consists of citizens, known as Witizens, and tourists. Citizenship is open to anyone, as prospective citizens need only write a letter of interest to the government to become a citizen and receive a "residence permit" or personal ID card. Wirtland offers equal democratic rights and does not discriminate on the basis of national origin, religion, race, or sex. The citizenship application form is available in English, Spanish, Bulgarian, Portuguese, Turkish, Thai, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Finnish, Ukrainian, German, Hebrew, French, and Norwegian languages, as these languages can be translated online.
Media reaction
Fox News and Bulgarian national bTV were the first TV channels to report on Wirtland. bTV organized an online interview with three witizens of Bulgarian origin on February 11, 2009 whilst Fox 45 Morning News of Baltimore, Maryland featured an interview about Wirtland with reporter Larry Fiorino on January 20, 2009. On November 4, 2011, Wirtland appeared on Slovenian TV channel Sponka.tv. In February 2015 Spain's premier radio Cadena SER published interview with Wirtland's representative. On July 29, 2015, Wirtland was covered on main Bolivian TV channel Red ATB. Wirtland has also been covered by CNN Türk, Voice of Russia, Daily Record, PC World, Computerworld, Milliyet, Sabah, Dneven Trud.
Wirtland's coins and cinderella stamps
In 2009 Wirtland released its first gold coin, known as the "Wirtland Crane" (10 International Currency Units, ICU). Wirtland Crane – a 1/10 oz. coin minted in 24 carat gold - became the world’s first gold coin produced by an internet-based (virtual) country. The gold "Crane" was soon followed by the first silver coin "Silver Crane" (2 ICU). Wirtland will issue uniquely hand-painted cinderella stamps.
National identity card
Wirtland issues personal plastic ID cards. Every citizen is eligible for receiving the personal ID card. New applications for ID card are accepted from everyone over age 18, who wants to become a citizen of Wirtland.