33. The “Country” of Sealand is formed
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Paddy Roy Bates is entirely responsible for the extraordinary moment in history when he claimed a decommissioned war tower as an independent sovereign state. Claiming that the platform is a free standing structure and therefore it’s own island, Bates attempted to establish Sealand as a nation state in 1975. Having it’s own constitution, including 7 articles, Bates considered his sort-of-island the world’s smallest country. While it has not been recognized as a sovereign state, it’s government claims it has been de facto recognized by the UK and Germany.
