Could Steemit Become Its Own Country?

in #steem8 years ago (edited)


Yes it can, there are legal and historical precedents. The Nation of Steemit is achievable and here is why.


Throughout history land has been bought and sold among nations. In fact, transferring sovereignty over territory in exchange for monetary compensation was a major reason why the United States became as large as it is.

From the $15 million dollar Louisiana purchase of 1803; the $5 million dollar Florida purchase of 1819; In the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexico transferred titles to most of the land in what would later become the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California, as well as set the Texas boundary for a price of $15 million; Six years later, in 1854, the Gadsden Purchase bought the rest of Arizona and New Mexico for $10 million; and in 1867 the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million - just 2 cents an acre!

In 1898 Spain sold the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico for $20 million and gave up control of Cuba. Even the Danish sold their Virgin Islands to the U.S. in 1917 for a payment of $25 million in gold.


Yes, some of these purchases came after hostilities, but the land was still transferred in exchange for money.

If it is not an outright sale, there are precedents of long term territorial leases – Hong Kong from China to the British from 1898-1997 and the Panama Canal “leased in perpetuity” handed back to Panama in 1999.

It is not just examples from a hundred years ago or even older, it still happens today. In fact Japan, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Oman, Djibouti, Ethiopia, the Seychelles, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan have ceded jurisdiction over land in exchange for money, often for foreign military bases. Since at least the 1970's Peru has been trying to get Chile to go halfsies on an 8km wide strip of land at their borders to give to Bolivia so that the country can have ocean access and no longer be landlocked.

More recently Tajikistan has leased 2,000 hectares of land to China and Kosovo transferred 8,000 hectares to Montenegro in 2015.

If they would give up control of land for those purposes, why not for a new nation to be established?

Everything has a price.


On April 13, 2015 Vit Jedlicka founded the micro-nation of Liberland on an unclaimed 2.7 square mile patch of land along the Danube and between Croatia and Serbia. You can read about it HERE from @sykochica. It is founded on Libertarian principles, uses bitcoin as its currency and has the motto “Live and Let Live.” There was a second smaller pocket of land that Liberland passed on and that parcel has since been claimed by Kamil Wrona, he calls it Enclava.

The most famous of micro-nations, Sealand, built upon a platform at sea, was even trying to sell itself for $975 million in 2007.

There are plenty of other nations, both sizeable and micro, that exist in our world today without international recognition. Just within Australia there is The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, the Murrawarri Republic and The Hutt River Province Principality.

Other countries in existence but without wide recognition, or any at all, are Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Republic of Abkhazia, Republic of South Ossetia, State of Palestine, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Somaliland, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria). Even Israel is not recognized by 31 UN members.

International law states the requirements for statehood as follows:

  • You must have a defined territory.
  • You must have a permanent population.
  • You must have a government.
  • Your government must be capable of interacting with other states.

In 1972, a rich man named Michael Oliver built up two atolls in the Pacific Ocean so that they remained above water during high tide. He named his land the Republic of Minerva and declared independence on January 19, 1972. Well, that lasted about a month before the King of Tonga sent a few troops over to occupy and claim it for himself.

Just last year Igor Ashurbeyli declared his intent to create the first space nation of Asgardia.

While it may seem foolish that a new country can be created “from nothing”, it can be done. Just check out this long list of micro-nations!


It doesn't even take much land at all, the Sovereign Order of Malta has diplomatic relations with 100 countries and observer status at the U.N., but it only occupies a few buildings in Rome.

It would seem that being a legitimate country is fairly subjective, and the only thing a prospective one would need to do is have some land and population. Other than that, a country would just need to have enough recognized countries say that you are one and poof - you are one just like the Sovereign Order of Malta.

While much of the currently unclaimed land is in undesirable locales, buying some from a country might not be out of the question. If not an outright purchase, a 100 year lease might be in the cards.

Steemit has a population, it has a currency, it has a ‘government’ and it can interact with all the other states. All we need is some land.

With the @steemit account having a little over $100 million steem it is currently worth $15 million. When steem rises back to the level it held in July, the account would be valued at $400 million.

Spend a portion of that money for a few hectares, or an awesome castle, from a country in dire need of cash and Steemit could be on the map. Literally.

Preferably with ocean access, for the whales and dolphins to swim in.


Steemit Flag picture credit @alexc

Pictures: From Pixabay or 1 2


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Some good things to think about..I like your post 😊

Great! Wanted people to know what is possible. :)

Great piece. That should give the word "steemians" a whole new meaning! :)

That it would my friend @ezzy! :D

The one and only, my bro... :)

If that becomes a reality, I would love to get on that train ;)

I'm sure you will be able to find a spot for yourself :)

I nominate @ned to be our president :)

Only as long as he wields no supposed power of initiated force... ;)

Very interesting! Upvoted and following you now...glad I found you as I have thought about the same things...

Thank you! From the past and current examples of micro-nations it seems that if you just declare independence then for the most part you are. Then gather worldwide support or sympathy for your new country. It helps if you are self-sufficient with resources such as water and a way to grow enough food. Also if you declare in a country that doesn't want to appear violent so doesn't use its forces.

But if Steemit had enough money to offer a country in dire need of it (Venezuela?), then maybe they would shave off a strip of land and hand over sovereignty on it. If not forever maybe a 99 year lease or something like that?

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A thought provoking concept. :)

Yea, we can always dream right? :D

Of course. We could just seek to remove goverment instead and take our liberty and freedom back from the empire? :) I think that is worth fighting for. The bad boys have had a good run however they are now obsolete.

That almost always leads to the Empire Strikes Back

Looking back at the King of Tonga, one additional item that any nation that wants to last long is a means of self-defense ;>

I'm sure there are a few of us here that are proficient in firearms... ;p

an example I've used before is the organization and coordination of the Roman army versus the personal heroism of the Germanic warrior.

Roman armies didn't lose a lot until the corruption of the Roman empire seeped into the military and/or the Romans started using other people to fight their wars ;>

or another example;
individual settlers lost their battles against Comanche raids, while Ranger/Minutemen sorties against the Comanche put the Comanche on the defensive.

any state needs an organized system of defense IN ADDITION to making sure each citizen is aware of their own responsibility of self-defense, including the personal use of weapons ;>

If I like the climate I'd immigrate :) - Maybe Steemit can buy a land sometime and transform it into something like the Principality of Hutt Rive.

There are loads of possibilities. Did you read the other list of micro-nations I linked? Very interesting to read about them.

yes I've seen this list - but I haven't researched about them all yet;)

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