Westarctica

Grand Duchy of Westarctica
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto Fortune Favors the Bold.
350px Claimed area of Westarctica.
Capital city	Peter I Island
Largest city	Russkaya Station
Official language(s)	English, German
Demonym	Westarctican
National Anthem	Westarctica, Land of the Brave
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State	Grand Duke Travis
Head of Government	Position Vacant
Legislature	None
Formation	02 November 2001
Area Claimed	1.6 million km2
Population	2,150 (2018 estimate)
Currency	Westarctican Dollar (metal coin and limited paper notes), WestarcticaCoin (cryptocurrency), and ice mark (paper banknotes only)
Official website

Westarctica, also known as the Grand Duchy of Westarctica, and previously known as the Protectorate of Westarctica and the Achaean Territory of Antarctica, is an area of desolate land in Western Antarctica that was unclaimed until Travis McHenry claimed the territory by filing a claimant letter with nine world governments, a declaration of status not recognized by most established countries, in 2001.

The territory consists of the entirety of Marie Byrd Land with a few additional non-contiguous claims and has no year round residents, although seasonal research stations are located in the region. Westarctica was founded though a loophole in the Antarctic Treaty.

History

The Achaean Territory (2001 - 2004)

Main article: Achaean Territory of Antarctica

It was in the pages of the CIA World Factbook that Travis McHenry first discovered the unique international political situation in Antarctica. Under the section titled “Disputes – International” one line of text made his breath catch in his throat and set him on a course that would forever change his life: "no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west". At first, the future Grand Duke Travis decided to name his claimed lands as The Achaean Territory of Antarctica, having been inspired by Greek imagery of The Illiad, which he was reading at the time.

The proposed capital city was to be named "Achilles" and would be located at the site of the seasonally abandoned Byrd Station.

Over time, like-minded individuals occasionally reached out with a desire to join his cause for statehood in the coldest place on earth. What drove them to his door remains a mystery, but it appears that each person had their own reasons for wanting to abscond to a desolate realm on the far side of the world. Despite the Achaean Territory's growing citizenship roster, they made absolutely no progress toward actual colonization of Antarctica. Scientists wouldn't return e-mails, and few people took the upstart group seriously. Even the simple goal of convincing someone to plant the Achaean flag in the ice of Marie Byrd Land seemed well out of reach.

Westarctica is Born (2004 - 2006)

It was during this time that Travis had a religious experience that caused him to briefly convert to Christianity. As a result of this conversion, he decided to reboot the project and declare it a fully functional sovereign nation. The new country was called The Grand Duchy of Westarctica. The name "Westarctica" was carefully chosen to evoke images of Western Antarctica, and also, as an homage to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Westphalia. Plus, the name rolls off the tongue far better than West-ANT-arctica.

The years from 2004 – 2006 were the high times of Westarctica's prestige. Travis married his girlfriend, Cathryn, who wore a tiara during the wedding ceremony and proudly joined the ranks of the Peerage of Westarctica. When she gave birth to Prince Daniel Nicholas in November of 2005, it was a time of excitement for everyone in the nation. With a little help from the international media, public interest in Westarctica increased, and citizenship requests began arriving on a daily basis. The general public was fascinated by Westarctica and by the concept of claiming previously unclaimed land.

The Associated Press had run a story on new country projects that made mention of Grand Duke Travis and Westarctica. Unfortunately, his supervisors at his day job in the United States Navy didn't find the concept of Westarctica as fascinating as their civilian contemporaries. He was given a choice: either end his association with Westarctica, or lose his security clearance and thus his job. So in January 2006, Travis contacted his closest friend in the Westarctican government, Philip Karns, the Duke of Ravencroft, and Minister of Information, to ask if he would be willing to take over the reins of government. Philip accepted, and on 14 January 2006, the founder of Westarctica abdicated the throne.

Grand Duke Travis was photographed by Gabriela Alvarez for the Associated Press, April 2015.

The Reign of Two Grand Dukes​ (2006 - 2010)

Grand Duke Philip

Grand Duke Philip ascended to the throne at a time when Westarctica was internally strong and prosperous. His first 100 days in office were marked by progress and creativity. He published an eight-page newsletter called Westarctica Quarterly, which, most significantly, had lengthy articles written by every member of the Westarctican government. Things were progressing nicely until Westarctica's Chief Herald, the Duke of Moulton-Berlin, began to feel as though he was being attacked in Westarctica's online forums. Although the exact nature of the dispute is unimportant, the internal squabbling led to the departure of most members of Westarctica's leadership team.

After spending a mere 10 months on the throne, Grand Duke Philip's health began to deteriorate and he slowly withdrew from public life. To the outside world, it appeared that Westarctica had become stagnant. The forums were devoid of activity, the nobles had disappeared, and the new Grand Duke was silent. Many people wondered if the country was finished. The final blow to Westarctica's prestige came when Grand Duke Philip allowed the official website for the nation to go defunct. Even a neglected website can provide some information to visitors and interested parties; however, the Grand Duke failed to re-register the westarctica.com domain name and the web address fell into the hands of a domain parking service. ​ On 23 June 2008, Travis received an impassioned e-mail from the Duke of Moulton-Berlin, Jon-Lawrence Langer, a fellow Pennsylvania native and longtime citizen of Westarctica. In the e-mail, he asked some very important questions, and made some profound statements about how the intrepid vision behind Westarctica had changed his life. After a chain of e-mails and phone calls back and forth, Travis and Jon-Lawrence were able to convince Grand Duke Philip to step down from the throne. His final words before abdication were tired, but honest: "If they want it, the crown is theirs."

Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence

Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence.

Jon-Lawrence eagerly replied, "I invite the challenge." And without further delay, the throne, crown, and full dictatorial power of Westarctica was peacefully passed from one citizen to another. In response, the new Grand Duke launched westarctica.org, and proudly proclaimed the restoration of Westarctica's government after his ascension to the throne. After the new website was launched, the world was once again interested in the goings-on in Westarctica. Within the first six months of his ascension to the throne, Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence was faced with multiple attacks on Westarctica's sovereignty. All the individuals who had made claims to Marie Byrd Land while Philip was incommunicado suddenly rose to the surface and started questioning the status of Travis McHenry's claim. The new Grand Duke took a heavy-handed approach in dealing with the challengers, issuing ultimatums that left no wiggle room for negotiation.

At the Grand Duke's behest, Wolf Tulier, the Count of Waesche, had been communicating with many of the challengers, and was making steady progress with friendly discussions. Jon-Lawrence couldn't see their side of the argument, however, and promptly ordered Wolf to cease communication with the usurpers. A series of legal threats and firm refusals to negotiate followed, culminating the the Siple War. By late 2009, Westarctica was right back where it had started: isolated and internally fractured. Things went downhill rapidly, and on 24 November 2009, Jon-Lawrence sent Travis an e-mail expressing his weariness at running the nation.

The Founder Returns​ (2010 - 2014)

Main article: The Great Return

Throughout the month of May in the year 2010, Wolf was in constant contact with Travis in regard to Westarctican affairs. There was great concern that the nation had once again fallen into a spate of non-activity and was again relegated to the dustbin of world history. Wolf enthusiastically encouraged Travis to return to a position of leadership, and offered to be of service in any way necessary. He desperately wanted to fulfill the resolution to the conflicting claims that he had negotiated in previous years. Many of the claimants had become respected new country leaders in their own right, with the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis garnering even more press coverage than Westarctica.

Travis attempted e-mailing and calling Jon-Lawrence on numerous occasions, but the missing monarch never returned any of the e-mails or calls. Wolf pressed for a course of action, insisting that the best choice would be for Travis to return to Westarctica and take his place as leader of the nation. The primary reason for Travis' return to Westarctica was to restore the good name and dignity of the project he had created and to raise our country's prestige once again in the eyes of the world. He sent one final plea for cooperation to Jon-Lawrence before seizing control of the country on 26 May 2010.

By the end of the following week, he had purchased a new domain name, Westarctica.info and established a new website promoting a Transitional Government that was now firmly in power. Jon-Lawrence had been overthrown by Travis' own hand, and Wolf was elevated to the role of Prime Minister. Despite his reluctance to assume the throne, Travis was declared Grand Duke again on 4 June 2010 during his 30th birthday while celebrating in a suite at the Grand Californian Hotel. The Viscount of Whitmore was in attendance and grunted his approval. Count Waesche ascended to the dignity of Duke and assumed full responsibility for the foreign and domestic affairs of the nation. Wolf immediately negotiated a peace with all of the rival claimants, and Westarctica successfully reclaimed her dignity.

Westarctica, Inc. (2014 - Present)

Westarctica's corporate logo

On the eve of Westarctica's 13th Anniversary, the Grand Duke realized that he could be more effective as an advocate for Marie Byrd Land if he took the bold step to turn his new country project into a nonprofit corporation whose stated purpose aligned perfectly with the original goals envisioned when our territory was first claimed. The text of the Claimant Letter emphasized protection of environmental and animal resources in Antarctica, and becoming a tax-exempt organization with legal standing as a corporation would allow Westarctica to transition from an obscure novelty into an international charity capable fighting climate change on a global scale.

On 21 November 2014, Travis filed an application with the state of California to make Westarctica Incorporated a legally recognized nonprofit public benefit corporation. His request was approved and officially registered on 5 December. As a nonprofit entity, Westarctica Incorporated would achieve more than ever before, becoming a beacon for increased awareness of the perpetually neglected western side of Antarctica. Westarctica's first major accomplishment as a nonprofit corporation was being granted non-consultative status as a non-governmental organization by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs on 20 January 2015.

Tax-exempt status

On 10 October 2018, Westarctica was granted tax-exempt status (back-dated to 26 July 2018 and received on 19 October 2018) by the Internal Revenue Service of the United States of America. This status gives all donors to Westarctica the ability to receive a tax-deduction on their end of year tax filing. It also makes Westarctica the first micronation in the world to be legally exempt from paying taxes to any world government.

Territory

See also: Index of geographic features in Westarctica

The bulk of Westarctican territory consists of Marie Byrd Land, but is more specifically defined as all land south of 60° S and between 90° W and 150° W to include all seas and ice shelves. This wedge lies between the territorial claims of Chile and New Zealand. Later, the Balleny Islands, Peter I Island, and Calsahara were annexed.

After the reformation of the Grand Duchy into a protectorate (October 2010) Grand Duke Travis reduced the Westarctican claim in order to join the Antarctic Micronational Union and recognize other micronational claims in Western Antarctica. This decision was made official after the signing of the West-Antarctic Treaty.

Government

Main article: Royal Council

The government of Westarctica is headed by the Grand Duke of Westarctica, and administered with the assistance of the Royal Council. A Prime Minister may be appointed to assist in the creation of laws for the nation, but the post has been vacant since May 2017.

There is no official legislative body, however the collected nobles of the Peerage of Westarctica are frequently consulted on major issues and serve as a sounding board for ideas in the government.

Military

Main article: Westarctican Royal Guards

The Westarctican Royal Guards are Westarctica's military force. A small unit of only six soldiers, the Royal Guards primarily serve in a ceremonial capacity, although they are capable of combat actions as evidenced by the 2017 liberation of Calsahara, when the Guards successfully conquered a rival micronation on the Carrizo Plain of central California.

Many members of Westarctica's government, noble Peers, and citizenry are veterans of various world militaries, especially the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and U.S Air Force.

National symbols

Main article: National Symbols of Westarctica

• 

  National Flag

• Westarctica Arms.jpg

  Greater Coat of Arms

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  Lesser Coat of Arms

• 

  Corporate Logo

External links

• Official website
• Official Facebook page
• Grand Duchy of Westarctica on Unrecognised States Numismatic Society official website