Yeah, I know it’s Tuesday… Sorry, okay?! Time was faster than me yesterday. But today, I almost have it again. So, there. You’ll get your dose of the Unusual today. :)

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Don’t we all dream about that perfect place, where all the rules make sense, because they’re your own and all the things are wonderful and damn it, it’s just a Utopia? Well, some people go ahead and create their safe places.

Like the Aerican Empire. Their total territory is 8 km², unfortunately a little divided, but for the about 250 Aericans pretty sufficient. They claim:

Chompsville: A square kilometer of territory in Australia near the region of Springvale, Victoria

Earth: A house-sized area in Montreal, Canada containing the Imperial capital and the site of the Aerican Embassy to Everything Else

Mars Colony: Approximately 720 acres (2.9 km²) of the surface of the planet Mars at coordinates 10-11 degrees South by 220-221 degrees East ^[4]

Northern Plutopia: The northern half of the dwarf planet Pluto

Parrwater: A water reservoir near Castor, Alberta

Psyche: Adjacent to Chompsville and covering the city of Dandenong^[5]

Retsaot Island: An island in the region of Ashburton, New Zealand

The Pasture: An ill-defined cow pasture located somewhere in the American midwest

Verden: The only wholly-invented claim, a non-existent planet (“Verden” is danish for “The World”)

Sounds nice, right? You can go pretty far without leaving the country, although the news that Pluto wasn’t a planet after all must have hit them pretty hard.

As usual, when establishing a new country, in the beginning, there was war. After ten years, though, it was abatted and decided that war was the last resort. Since then, the empire evolved from a mostly fictional hobby to a rather serious political project.

The Emperor calls the Empire a gateway to a better society, and hopes that the nation will one day influence the world for the better. “The realistic goal is to just try and make a difference in the world. Get out there and make some noise. Be noticed. Maybe someday—who knows—even persuade a couple of nations to recognize us as a nation. Stranger things have happened,” he told the Montreal Mirror.

Cool, huh? But what’s probably coolest is their list of niftydays (not holidays because of their religious conotations).

2 January Procrastinator’s Day, 27 February *Oops* Day, 19 March What the Heck is That Day, 14 April Tempting Fate Day, 25 May Towel Day, 28 August Significant Historical Events Day, and 26 October Topin Wagglegammon, The Niftiest Day of the Year.

Hah! the 26th of October is the Austrian National Holiday. Now I will have to reasons to celebrate. :) Their flag was also probably designed by an Austrian. Or a Peruvian.

All in all, the their culture sounds really nice. I think they have gained a new fan.

The culture of the Aerican Empire has grown from the starting principle that it attracted individuals with strong senses of humour and a love of science fiction, fantasy, and games. As a result, modern Imperial culture is filled with references to Star Wars and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and other such institutions. Annually, the Empire holds story-writing contests, role-playing and wargaming days, and such events as the Dog-Biscuit Appreciation Day Scavenger Hunt.

Or maybe I’ll just make up my own Micronation. Wanna join me?