10 Surprising Facts About Sealand, the Smallest Country in the World
Sealand is on a tower called HM Fort Roughs. The tower was built during World War II by the British to watch out for Germans laying mines near England. It’s about six nautical miles away from Suffolk’s coast. The tower was used by the Navy for a while after the war. But they left it in 1956. For 11 years, nobody looked after it. Then, in 1965, Jack Moore and his daughter Jane went there. They wanted to use it for their pirate radio station called “Radio Caroline.” But in 1967, Major Paddy Roy Bates came and took over the tower. He kicked out the pirate broadcasters with the law’s help. That’s when the Sealand story really began. Let’s start this wonderful journey with content expert Rahul Writer to know interesting facts about Sealand.
#1. From Defense Platform to Residence: Sealand’s History of Military Use
Sealand used to be a big platform with guns on it. It was made by the British to protect England from German planes in World War II. It’s 120 feet long and 50 feet wide, standing on two big concrete legs. Over 300 Royal Navy people lived there.
#2. Roughs Tower: Home to Radio Caroline
Pirate radio broadcasters first used the Roughs Tower in 1965. It was a great spot for them because they could play popular music without any rules. People liked these stations, and companies wanted to advertise on them, so they made money. That’s why Radio Caroline moved in. But their time there didn’t last long. Bates took control of the tower and kicked Radio Caroline out.
#3. Turning a Tower into a Country
At first, Bates wanted to make a radio station on the Tower, but new rules in the UK made it not worth it. So, Bates decided to change Fort Roughs into his own country. He called himself “Prince of Roy” and made a constitution, flag, money, anthem, and passports. The UK government tried to say Bates couldn’t do this, but the Tower was in international waters and was left by the UK long ago, so anyone could take it legally. Bates was right to say the Fort was a separate country, and he named it Sealand.
#4. Radio Caroline’s Attempt to Reclaim Fort Roughs:
In 1967, Radio Caroline tried to get back Fort Roughs from Bates. But Bates and his team fought off the attackers by shooting warnings and throwing fiery bottles. When the Radio Caroline group left, one person was stuck on a ladder for two hours. After talking, they allowed a small boat to save him.
#5. Bates’ Partner Tries to Take Over Sealand:
Sealand was making a lot of money, so many people wanted it. In 1978, a man named Alexander Achenbach, who helped write Sealand’s rules, wanted to control it.
Bates didn’t like Achenbach’s idea to change Sealand into a fancy hotel. So, Achenbach sent some armed men and a lawyer who had a Sealand passport to Fort Roughs, where Sealand is.
When Bates wasn’t there, the men took Bates’ son, Michael, to try to take over the fort.
Michael was let go after three days and went back to his family. Bates got five armed men and went back to Fort Roughs to fight back.
It almost became a big fight, but when Michael accidentally fired a shot, Achenbach’s men gave up right away.
#6. Setting Up a Data Center to Access Restricted Content:
HavenCo, a small company, built a place for storing computer information in Sealand in 2000. They didn’t like how governments controlled the internet, so they wanted to give people a safe spot to keep things that were banned elsewhere. But not many folks wanted to use their service, except for some gambling websites. In 2008, Sealand closed down HavenCo’s website because they thought it was making Sealand look bad.
#7. Sealand: A Tiny Country for Sale!
Sealand was up for sale from 2007 to 2010. It was being sold for more than $900 million. A company in Spain called InmoNaranja tried to sell it. But you can’t really sell a tiny country like Sealand. So, instead of selling it, the owners offered to let someone take care of it. One big company that wanted to buy Sealand was Pirate Bay. But they couldn’t get enough money from donations to buy it.
#9. Sealand: Not Officially Recognized
Sealand is very tiny. It’s not a real country, because no big country or the United Nations officially says it is. Even though Sealand’s leaders say the UK and Germany kinda recognize it, it’s not official. The United Nations has rules saying man-made islands like Sealand don’t count as real islands. They don’t get their own sea area, and they don’t change where countries’ sea areas start or end.
#10. Sealand’s Athletes Around the World
Guess what? Sealand has its own athletes, but they’ve never been to Sealand! These athletes play sports like mini-golf, football, and running, but they compete in other countries. Sealand says its first athlete is Darren Blackburn from Canada. He’s competed for Sealand in local sports events. In 2007, Michael Martelle competed for Sealand in the KungFu World Cup and won two silver medals. That made him Sealand’s first athlete to do well in a big competition. In 2008, Sealand even hosted a RedBull skateboarding event.
Finally, we can say that Sealand has a great history, and it can be seen how the Rahul writer has explained the various points in a great way.
Read more articles by Rahul Writer: World Smallest Country of 27 People
