Mapocalypse Now!

They said it would never happen. They said it couldn't be done. But today saw the launch of a new mapping service, and a consequential en-masse resignation of nine nations (so far) from an long-established micronational mapmaker.

The Geographical Standards Organisation is the new map on the block, and nine nations have already resigned from the venerable Micronational Cartography Society to join it, citing various reasons to do so, including dissatisfaction with the MCS, and the GSO having a better map.

The catalyst for the split occurred in April, after the MCS started to put its map on an "Atkins diet", belatedly held a vote about it, and controversially started backtracking on the previously non-negotiable reductions. The MCS had also previously ignored the 2005 mapping conference COMSAV, which had examined ways of improving the MCS Micras system. While the results of the Atkins Vote looked good for the MCS, some of the voters obviously hadn't been that truthful, as several disaffected nations met soon afterwards in secret to find a permanent solution to their problems, which they did not believe could be found within the MCS. The result, four months later, is the GSO, with most of the creative work having being by John Darcy of Anthelia and Lachlan Powers of the Grand Commonwealth.

The aim of the GSO is to operate a more realistic simulation of planetary mapping than its rival. To begin with, a physical map of a new planet named 'Giess' has been developed, with a detailed geographical backstory for its appearance. Two continents have been left 'unexplored' to assist with the simulated aspects of mapping and exploration.

The nations on Giess will also have more control over their depicted territories with regards to the "development of territories, negotiation of borders, exploitation of resources" and their eventual "decline and disappearance", within an overall framework of rules and guidelines managed by the GSO. They can also produce their own national maps from the GSO maps, at a level for detail that the GSO would not publish itself.

Nations on Giess will also be equal partners in the ownership of the GSO, which has its own elected board of directors and separate committees for managing admissions and designing maps.

The founding members of the GSO are Alexandria, Anthelia, Gotzborg, The Grand Commonwealth, Lemuria, New Brittania, Oscland, Paulovia, Stormark and Treithar, and the current board of directors comprises Lachlan Powers of the Grand Commonwealth, John Darcy of Anthelia, and Ben Gray of Treithar, who is also the President, and was unfortunately unavailable for comment.

Commonwealth celebrates one year

Tara, CCT, Grand Commonwealth- Celebrations have been kicked off in the Commonwealth Capital Territory, with the Shahan-Ri of the Grand Commonwealth delivering the birthday address celebrating the Commonwealth?s first anniversary.

With the forums adorned in their new birthday banner, citizens from the many nations have begun festivities both in the capital and in cities around the nations, heralding in the second year of existence. The closure of the fourth session of the Majlis-i-Dharma is also imminent, with the voting on two final bills set to close in hours.

The past year has not been without troubles for the Commonwealth, who startled the microworld with its launch on April 29th last year. Nations were shocked that the planning for the merger could have gone on in secret without being leaked or uncovered by anyone. This caused many nations to see the Commonwealth as a threat, a perception that some still hold to this day.

The Commonwealth welcomed two new members into the fold over the past year; firstly the Republic of Karnali in the middle of 2005 and the Imperial Kingdom of Interland at the start of 2006. Interland?s joining occurred at the same time as one of the founding nations, the Empire of Lemuria, left to be refounded as the Confederated Rianites of Lemuria.

Having now been in existence for a year, the Commonwealth has proven to the microworld that large mergers are a possibility between nations, and that it is possible for nations with even the most distinctly different cultures to unite. Having surpassed the tenure of Tymaria now by 39 days, the prospects are only looking up for the burgeoning Commonwealth.

NEWS FLASH: Lemurian Ramu Assassinated!

Nista Ramure, Lemuria- The second Ramu of the Empire of Lemuria, Ramu Taiçardainre I, was found dead in his palace this morning, when attendants failed to rouse him from a strong night of celebrations last evening.

The Mu was rushed by ambulance motorcade to the Ramure Central Hospital at around 6:30am this morning, after failing to rise for a meeting with the new Government of the Empire. After spending an hour trying to revive the beloved leader, the Ramu was declared dead at 7:47am.

It was soon announced to the media by Meran Aauberman, who was to be sworn in today as the Officer for State Affairs, that the Ramu had died silently in his sleep from what appeared to be a poison inserted into his food or drink sometime during the previous night. The slow acting agent did not affect the Mu until well after he had returned to the palace last night. He had not complained of any pain or injury before retiring for the night, so it can only be assumed that he died peacefully once asleep.

Rumours are already circulating that the assassination may have been the work of a small splinter group who were unhappy with the nations withdrawal yesterday from the Grand Commonwealth. Police have not yet released a statement to the media, but an unusual amount of activity at police headquarters today show that they may have a number of leads on the case.

The Council of Elders has been called into emergency session this afternoon for the arduous task of appointing a new Ramu to the Lemurian throne. There is currently no clear contender amongst the Lemurian families to take the role, who were all very fond of the now deceased leader. Being the youngest Ramu to date, at just 28, there has been little previous discussion about a possible successor for Taiçardainre. A spokesman for the Aféñ family said that ?Mu Taiçardainre has been a uniting force for the Empire, just as Ségirdair was before him. It is hard to believe that we have lost two great leaders in as many years.?

A memorial service for Taiçardainre I will be held next Monday in the national capital. It has been declared that all flags will fly at half mast till this date.

Apollo Inquisitor will keep you up to date on the latest in this breaking story as it comes to hand.

Lemuria Leaves; Interland Joins

Meredosa, Lemuria- The Majlis-i-Dharma today voted 6-2 to allow the Empire of Lemuria to leave the Grand Commonwealth.

In one of the quickest votes to date by the council of Commonwealth states, the vote was proposed by Lemuria?s Ramu Taiçardainre I. All members of the Majlis voted in favour of the vote except for Babkhan delegate Osman Shahanshan, who was interested in seeing the Commonwealth stay preserved with its original membership.

On the home front, Lemurian?s began rejoicing in the streets when news of the vote reached the national capital. A vox pop on the streets of some citizens found, however, that there was a small minority of the population not happy with the outcome of the vote.

The passage of the vote marks the end of a remarkable third session of the Majlis, where it has admitted just its second new member state, the Imperial Kingdom of Interland, after the fall of the Atteran Empire. It also saw the introduction of numerous key pieces of legislation, such as the recently passed Banking Act, which has seen the introduction of a Commonwealth currency.

The third session of the Majlis has now retired, awaiting the swearing in of members of the fourth session, and the election of a new Taoiseach.

Interland Joins, Lemuria Leaves

CCT, GC- The Grand Commonwealth looks set to change its face, with the Imperial Kingdom of Interland applying for membership of the Commonwealth, and the Empire of Lemuria seeking to secede from the union.

Interland, which recently left the Atteran Commonwealth, immediately took up protectorate status within the Grand Commonwealth upon its withdrawal from Attera. Kaiser Daniel von Dreebach has been quick to move, applying for full membership within the Grand Commonwealth almost immediatley. Full membership will give Interland voting status in the Majlis-i-Dharma; an equal say with any of the other member nations.

On the other side of the post, the Empire of Lemuria, has presented a motion to the Majlis-i-Dharma to allow its secession from the Commonwealth. The Ramu of Lemuria, ejen ranti taicardainre, has presented a motion amending the Charter to remove the nation from the Commonwealth. What the plans are for the nation are yet unknown, and being the first nation to apply to leave the Commonwealth it is unsure how delegates will vote. The motion requires two-thirds support to pass.

Depending on how delegates cast their votes in the Majlis, the Commonwealth could have a very different face by the end of the week.

Beginnings of the Grand Commonwealth (Part I)

It has been suggested by a number of micronationalists that the Grand Commonwealth was designed from the outset to be a counterweight to Shirerothian supremacy in the microworld. Others have also resorted to referring to the Commonwealth as Greater Babkha, unaware of the true history that lies behind the formation of the grand nation. The first thoughts of a Commonwealth started a little under a year ago, when Lachlan Powers (Aerlig) and Sir Iain de Vembria met during an online conversation to discuss the direction of their two nations.

Powers and de Vembria had often discussed the plights of their two nations, which had suffered greatly from inactivity over the preceding months. It was time that some action should be taken. All of micronationalism was in a lul, and something was needed to create some activity and draw new blood into the hobby, but what? October 9th, 2004 was the birth of discussions for a new nation. While it took nearly six months from this date for the dream to become a reality, the wheels were put in motion that night for an idea that would grow much beyond the original dreams.

The removal of Apollo Foundation lands from the Micronational Cartographic Society Map was an action that was loudly criticized by micronationalists around Micras, from Shireroth to Treesia. One must often wonder how Ryan Caruso can continue his job at the top after all the hard decisions and criticism he has had to make. The decision had been made, however, and Treesia’s long lives existence on the map was being threatened. So on the 9th October, the Round Table was presented with two options- threaten the MCS or leave the Foundation and resume sovereignty over the traditional lands. Treesia had once covered lands ranging as far as Shireroth of the day, and the prospect of the nation being wiped off the map altogether was one that de Vembria couldn’t bare contemplate.

Powers, a member of the Round Table, came up with the initial laughable suggestion of Treesia becoming and Aerlish state. The suggestion though, however ridiculous it may have seemed at the time, was to give rise to what is arguably the largest, most powerful nation Micras has ever seen.

Not long after the suggestion of the Treesian state, de Vembria first floated the idea of a loose union between Treesia, Aerlig and Lemuria- A “New Apolloian [sic] Empire�. United for economics, foreign affairs and security in the first place. The laughable idea of admitting Antica was floated (which we shall see later was not so laughable), along with flooding Micras in the violent lime green colour which Aerlig possessed. Apollo fever took over, and notions were raised of contacting Harvey about the Flying Islands, Trevon about Istavanistan and considering how many different acronyms could be formed including the word Apollo.

By the 10th, Powers had spoken with Delphi Augustus of Antica, who was willing to join in discussions about the formation of a new Empire. For the next day, things stood idle, probably as life interceded, as it does. Something was clearly brewing though. With Aerlig, Treesia, Lemuria and Antica having expressed interest, there was a possibility of something big occurring. Note though that Babkha was not mentioned, nor was it even considered. As we will see, it was many months before Babkha was even associated with the project. Other nations will come and go before then, and yet the whole project will remain under wraps from Micras’s supposed top security agencies.

It was on the 9th of October that, what was so eloquently referred to at the time as the "Imperial Whatever of Thingummy" came into life as an idea.

To be continued...

Nations Unite!

SKERRY ISLES, TREESIA In what could go down as one of the most historic announcements of all time, the Chairman of the Sovereign Order of Treesia, Sir Iain de Vembria, and His Excllency the Emir of Raspur, Ardashir Osmani, today announced the formation of the Grand Commonwealth.

The announcement of the union between five nations has stunned the micronational community, with the new nation being released with a full website and forums, the result of many months of planning.

The Republic of Aerlig, Kingdom of Alteria, Kingdom of Babkha, Empire of Lemuria and Sovereign Order of Treesia have all passed the appropriate Acts and referenda through their legislatures in private over the past month, unbeknownst to the rest of the micronational community.

Lachlan Powers, Protector of Aerlig, said "The five nations have realized that there is more to gain in pooling common resources than to remain as separate entities. Together, we can, with our combined might grow into a great micronational force."

The new capital city of the country is currently a buzz with activity with Acting Shahan-Ri His Excellency the Emir of Raspur conducting the elections for the first Taoiseach of the Commonwealth. This is combed with the general sense of jubilation following the official announcement of the new nation.

Quick Facts-
New Union's Name: The Grand Commonwealth
Member Nations: Aerlig, Alteria, Babkha, Lemuria and Treesia
National Capital: šâhanšâhi-Tara, Commonwealth Capital Territory
Head of State: Shahan-Ri Tahmaseb Shah Abakhtari (Babkha)
Head of Government: The Taoiseach, to be elected today.
Parliament: Majlis-i-Shahan-Ri
Website: http://www.grand-commonwealth.com
Forums: http://www.grand-commonwealth.com/forum

News Shorts- 6th March 2005

Adelwin, Aerlig- The Protector of the Republic Lachlan Powers has assumed the role of the Prime Minister of the Republic due to the recent inactivity of the former Prime Minister, Mr Zachary Klass. Mr Powers will remain in the role until such a time as a replacement is installed.

Treynor Proper, Treynor- The newly installed Protector of the Independent Colony of Treynor, the Protector of Aerlig Lachlan Powers, has successfully completed his first week of protection of the nation by accidentally deleting the nation’s forums. The red-faced Protector was unavailable to comment at the time of print.

Lemuria- Citizen of less than three weeks Carson Smith has resigned his citizenship in the Empire of Lemuria. Mr Smith stated that he was not compatible with Lemuria’s laid back approach to activity, and would be better suited to a more active nation.

Kamalshahr, Babkha- The 2004-05 EIFA World Cup is now into Preliminary Final mode, with 16 nations battling it out for the eight spots in the Quarter Finals. For the latest news and information about the EIFA World Cup check out our sister publication Football Fever.

Babkha- Babkha is currently at the polls until the 10^th of March. As usual, voters have a wide variety of choice in their candidates, with candidates promising rewards such as severed and bonus legs.

San Martin- There has been a revolution in San Martin, and a new monarchy has been installed. So far there appears to be little resistance to the new government.

Lose Some, Win More...

Micronations.Net has received four new personal warrants from heads of state for the provision of its news services.

The new warrants, which may be seen on the homepage of its website, were received following the withdrawal of the warrant from the Atteran Emperor, a politically-manipulated protest following the failure of Atteran Chronicle World to qualify for the recently-introduced MNN Accredited Sources scheme.

The warrants were granted by the Emperors of Minorca and Lemuria, the Kaiser of Shireroth and the Protector of Aerlig, with the Minorcan one replacing that provided by its predecessor Baracão.

MicroXchange2 Set to Trade Soon

Lemuria- Legislatures and financial experts around the world are bracing themselves for the impending launch of MicroXchange2, which could revolutionise the micronational econo-sphere.

When the original PHP MicroXchange was launched to great acclaim last year, a large number of nations flocked to the system, which enabled them to transfer currency between nations at the click of a button. The system automatically calculated exchange rates and was hailed as the next sliced bread. However, it wasn't long before it came crashing to the ground, causing wide spread economic chaos (read: inactivity).

The production team of MicroXchange2, led by programming guru Sander Dieleman, has almost completed the new system. With an expanded array of features including private messaging, calculators and a snazzy control panel (as opposed to just a nifty one), the team is hoping that a number of nations will move their banks to the system.

SanderNation V: Meet Lemuria

Lemuria - Baracãon citizen and the man behind the phrase "SanderNation" Sander Dieleman recently chalked up another mark next to the title, with the creation of the new Empire of Lemuria. Lemuria, based on the southern brother of the well-known missing continent of Atlantis, is designed to be a cultural nation picking up where other nations left off.

The nation's constitutional convention is already well underway, along with its citizenship drive. The three week old nation is already boasting five citizens, with a number of them being new to micronations.

The constitutional convention looks soon to wrap up, with participants finalising their ideas over the nation's proposed families scheme and the legislative rules. To have your say before it's too late, drop by the nation's forums at http://sander.domainmultitude.com/lemuriaforums/