Many celebrities and billionaires have their own island. They are willing spend tons of money to get a piece of land that will be all theirs. While owning an island is quite impressive, owning a country is definitely more impressive. And now it is even possible! Sealand, the world’s smallest country is reportedly on sale at the moment.
Even if you have never heard of Sealand, it does exists and recently enjoyed some recent media popularity. The nation is apparently looking for a new owner. If you want to be that person, however, you will need to prepare the generous sum of $906 million. Don’t worry if you are not able to afford it, because there are some additional offers. For example, you can own a piece of territory for just $34 (don’t have high expectations). Also, for another $340 you can become count or countess of Sealand. Titles like baron and lord are also on the catalogue and it is also possible to be a knight of Sealand.
Those, who decide to pay up the full sum of $906 million, will get a nice bundle of a country in return. Although some governments do not recognize Sealand as a country, it has the blessing of Germany and Great Britain. In addition to that, the nation has it own currency called the Sealand dollar, postal stamps, national symbols, national anthem and a Royal Family. It even has a football team although its population amounts to just 22.
Sealand is located only 10 km from the shores of southeast England. However, it looks more like an oil rig than an island. That is probably due to the fact that it was initially constructed as a fort during World War II. As a result, it practically consists of two towers and an iron platform. Even though it does not look particularly glamorous, it does attract quite many tourists that are also main contributors to its $600,000 total GDP.
As you can imagine, the historical background of Sealand is very modest. The facility on which the nation lives was constructed in the 1940 by the United Kingdom. It was used in WWII but in the 1950s all of its personnel abandoned it. Later in 1965, it was occupied by a guy named Paddy Toy Bates who basically claimed it as it own and established a country on it. End of story!
So, if you want to be the proud owner of an entire country, just dig deep into your pockets for $906 million.
