The Principality of Sealand is an independent nation. It lies seven miles off the coast of
England, east of the port of Felixstowe.
It started life as a military installation in the North Sea, operated by Britain's Royal Navy, and termed "HM Fort Roughs". In 1967, Major 'Paddy'
Roy Bates moved onto the abandoned installation and declared its independence as the Principality of Sealand, himself becoming Prince
Roy of Sealand.
In 1968, a British court ruled that Sealand was not part of the UK - Britain had no jurisdiction there.
A team of German and Dutch mercenaries stormed Sealand in 1978, but Prince
Roy was able to retake the fort.
Prince
Roy passed away in 2012, having previously designated his son
Michael as his successor. He became Prince
Michael of Sealand on 9 November 2012.
Sealand has recently formed a national football team which competes at international level (the highlight being two 2-1 wins over Alderney), and hosts a fledgling data haven company called HavenCo.
A lot of people got to know Sealand through
Hetalia, but it's a fascinating nation even without the
Hetalia connection.
Don't expect to
see Sealand in the World Cup any time soon - their national football team's not allowed in FIFA.
