How much can you do from a domain name? Start your blog, initiate your long awaited business plan or to marketize your shop better online. But in the long list of all those things that might happen to you after a domain name registration, formation of a nation certainly won’t find any mentions. Not even in your wildest dreams. However, this is what has actually happened!
Gareth Johnson, co-founded a company called Young Pioneer Tours. The company specialized in countries that were lesser known or in-conflict. The nations the company toured included the likes of Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria and North Korea. However, there was always this temptation with him to buy an island. And for this reason he had registered the domain name LetsBuyAnIsland.com.
Things changed when Johnson came to know about an Island being on sale in the Philippines. The land prices are high in the Philippines but still low when compared to the Western world. Johnson thought that although it was difficult single-handedly, the island could be purchased if other partners are involved in the purchase.
Thus the island was purchased for the price of $180,000 plus taxes. Currently there are more than 100 partners in the island who have different numbers of shares. Each share is priced at $3,250.
But there was a twist and a major development in the narrative of the island that was purchased. The island is now vowing to be an independent micronation called “Principality of Islandia”. The country already has its own Flag, anthem and a government. The new nation is aspiring to be democratic one too.
It can be demonstrated through their voting environment. As discussed earlier, partners are given shares based on the price. However, even if you have a higher number of shares, you’d get only one vote. The number of votes per partner is fixed at 1. Levels of share possessed by someone doesn’t determine their political power here.
I have to admit, I have rarely read something this crazy lately. I mean how could a domain name registration end in the formation of a nation? What are the odds!
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