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Comment by there_the_and | Hacker News Reader

To be like hacker news it would have to be filled with actual insurgents, including some who managed to make their own countries.

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There is a pie-slice of Antarctica that is unclaimed under the Antarctic Treaty System. Some guy in LA has claimed it as Westarctica[1], which is a pretty good name. You could probably go down there with a pistol and claim it yourself. Dress warmly. Would rank in the top 20 countries in square km (1.6M square km)

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westarctica

Under the Anartic treaty, most countries won't recognize new claims and new activity won't effect claims: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System

This is a gross misrepresentation of the Antarctic treaty. The treaty effectively removed the relevance of any claim from any entity.

I was obviously kidding about claiming it with a pistol

I was rather referring to the part about "unclaimed pie-slice". That's not part of the Antarctic Treaty; it predates it and is made irrelevant by it.

Nobody recognizes even the claimed pie slices (except the 7 claiming countries), just as none of the parties would recognize any claim on Marie Byrd Land (aka Westarctica).

It still remains a fact that no country claims that territory. And that's interesting in some abstract way to people with the fantasy of forming a country. Which is exactly what the parent comment was referring to.

The whole thing is just meant in fun. Aside from the fact that the treaty binds only the signatories.

I think that would be one of the most interesting forums on the internet.

Indeed. The closest you’ll get to this would be the Café Central in Vienna, circa 1913. A recreation of this on the internet would be fascinating.

The café was opened in 1876, and in the late 19th century it became a key meeting place of the Viennese intellectual scene. Key regulars included: Peter Altenberg, Theodor Herzl, Alfred Adler,[2] Egon Friedell, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Anton Kuh, Adolf Loos, Leo Perutz, Robert Musil, Stefan Zweig, Alfred Polgar, Adolf Hitler, and Leon Trotsky. In January 1913 alone, Josip Broz Tito, Sigmund Freud, and Trotsky (the latter being regular) were patrons of the establishment.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Café_Central

Reminded me of the Polish "Scottish Cafe" I learned about just recently (mathematicians-only, though!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Caf%C3%A9

Hitler, Tito, Trotsky, Freud, Musil... Quite a mix they had there.

Theodor Herzl and Hitler in the same cafe? That is almost too much of a coincidence.

Hitler was a fifteen yearold in Linz when Herzl died.

I definetly want to make my own country where do I signup?

I guess people would ask YOU where to sign up.

apply.ycombinator.com

Maybe where they are selling old oil rigs outside of territorial waters..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand

If you have to ask, you don't have what it takes

Couldn't it just be filled with voters?

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