Republic of Minerva

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**Republic of Minerva**
Flag
Motto: Land of the Rising Atoll Musical Anthem: tba
Type of entity:	Micronation
Location:	Minerva Reefs, south of Fiji 23°23′S 178°58′W
Area claimed:	Minerva Reefs
Membership:
Date of foundation:	January 19, 1972
Leadership:	President Morris C Davis, 1972-1973, 1982
Purported organisational structure:	Republic
Language:	English
Purported currency:	Minerva Dollar

The Republic of Minerva was one of the few modern attempts at creating a sovereign micronation on the reclaimed land of an artificial island. The architect was Las Vegas real estate millionaire and political activist Michael Oliver, who went on to be involved in other similar attempts in the following decade. Oliver formed a syndicate, the Ocean Life Research Foundation, which allegedly had some hundred million dollars for the project and had offices in New York and London. They anticipated a libertarian utopia of light industry, commercial activities and fishing as part of the economy of the new nation.

The Minerva Reefs at 23°23′S 178°58′W in the Pacific Ocean was the site chosen for the Republic. In 1971, barges loaded with sand arrived from Australia, bringing the reef level above the water and allowing construction of a small tower and flag. The Republic of Minerva issued a declaration of independence in letters to neighboring countries and even created their own currency. In February 1972, Morris C. Davis was elected as Provisional President of the Republic of Minerva.

The declaration of independence in January 1972 was greeted with great suspicion by other countries in the area. A conference of the neighbouring states (Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Nauru, Western Samoa, Cook Islands) met on 24 February 1972 at which Tonga made a claim over the Minerva Reefs.

On June 15, 1972 the following Tongan government gazette was published:

PROCLAMATION

His Majesty King Taufaʻahau Tupou IV in Council DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM:-

WHEREAS the Reefs known as North Minerva Reef and South Minerva Reef have long served as fishing grounds for the Tongan people and have long been regarded as belonging to the Kingdom of Tonga has now created on these Reefs islands known as Teleki Tokelau and Teleki Tonga; AND WHEREAS it is expedient that we should now confirm the rights of the Kingdom of Tonga to these islands; THEREFORE we do hereby AFFIRM and PROCLAIM that the islands, rocks, reefs, foreshores and waters lying within a radius of twelve miles thereof are part of our Kingdom of Tonga.

An expedition was sent to claim the land. The Minervan flag was lowered down, and the atoll was later annexed by Tonga. Tonga’s claim was recognized by the South Pacific Forum in September 1972. Meanwhile, Provisional President Davis was fired by founder Michael Oliver and the project collapsed in confusion. Nevertheless, Minerva was referred to in O.T. Nelson's post-apocalyptic children's novel The Girl Who Owned a City, published in 1975, as an example of an invented utopia that the book's protagonists could try to emulate.

In 1982, a group of Americans led again by Morris C. “Bud” Davis tried to occupy the reefs, but were forced off by Tongan troops after three weeks.

In recent years several groups have allegedly sought to re-establish Minerva. One, founded in October 2003, by a Charleston, South Carolina based individual identified on the group’s website only as “Prince Calvin” promotes itself as a “principality,” while others claim to represent a continuation of the early “republic.” No claimant group has to date made any attempt to take possession of the Minerva Reefs territory.

In November of 2005, Fiji lodged a complaint with the International Seabed Authority concerning territorial claim over Minerva. Tonga has lodged a counter claim. The Minerva "principality" group also claims to have lodged a counter claim.

Geography Area: North Reef diameter of about 3.5 miles, South Reef diameter of about 3 miles Cities: Capital—Port Victoria. Terrain: 2 island atolls mainly raised coral complexes on dormant volcanic islands. Location: 23S38, 178W55

Both Minerva Reefs are located about 270 miles southwest of the Tongatapu Group. The atolls are located on a common submarine platform from 549 to 1097 meters below the surface of the sea. Cardea is circular in shape and has a diameter of about 3.5 miles. There is a small island around the atoll, with a small entrance into the flat lagoon with a semi-deep harbor. Aurora is parted into The East Reef and the West Reef, both circular with a diameter of about 3 miles. Around both atolls are two small sandy cays, vegetated by low scrub and some trees. Several iron towers and platforms are reported to stand near the atolls, along with a disused light tower stand on Aurora, erected by the Americans during World War II. Geologically the Minervan islands are of a limestone base formed from uplifted coral formations elevated by now dormant volcanic activity.

[edit] References

Strauss, Erwin S. How to Start Your Own Country, 2nd ed. Port Townsend, WA: Breakout Productions, 1984. ISBN 1-893626-15-6
Olaf Ruhen, Minerva Reef (Halstead Press, Sydney, 1963)
Samuel Pyeatt Menefee, "Republics of the Reefs": Nation-Building on the Continental Shelf and in the World's Oceans,California Western International Law Journal, vol. 25, no. 1, Fall 1994
South Seas: The Minerva Ploy, Newsweek, 23 October 1972
South Sea Reef Proclaimed a Republic by 3 Americans, New York Times, 30 January 1972
Micronations: Principality of Minerva, FHM Estonia, January 2005
Principality of Minerva, Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard, by David Henley, December 2004