The World's Weirdest Micronations (PHOTOS)

Micronations are a lot of things, but actual nations they are not.

Essentially a state that is formally declared yet not internationally recognized, Wikipedia notes that, "Micronations differ from secession and self-determination movements in that they are largely viewed as being eccentric and ephemeral in nature, and are often created and maintained by a single person or family group." Wikipedia maintains a list of them here.

Writing in Smithsonian magazine last year, Robin Reid explains that:

The difference between the two is recognition; according to The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations, "...a nation is only recognized as a nation if other nations that have been recognized by other nations recognize it." And micronations are never seen as such by anyone other than their founders and residents (who usually are the founders).

As such, micronations tend to be diverse, obscure, and often quite eccentric. From the pirate radio origins of Sealand to the genuinely feudal history of Lundy, both the form and origins of these places are amusingly bizarre.

Here are 13 of our favorites.