Federated States of Gapla

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Federated States of Gapla
Savezne Države Gapla (Croatian)
Савезне државе Гапла (Serbian)
Motto: "Erit Ergo Justitia" (Latin)
"Justice will be Served"
Anthem: "A Proud Royal Union"
March: "March of the Revolution"
State seal
CapitalNew Gaplastovia
Largest citySweet Falls
Official languages
Ethnic groups
(only residents counted)
Religion
(only residents counted)
Demonym(s)Gaplan
GovernmentFederative Representative Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch
Wyatt, Prince of the Danubias
• President
Chelsea Chen (PLP)
Connor Holdsworth (RRP)
LegislatureNational Assembly (de jure)
Council of Ministers (de facto)
Establishment
• Establishment of Gapla-Phoenix
24 August 2015
• Restoration of Gapla-Phoenix
28 February 2019
• Union day and federation
6 March 2019
• First constitution ratified
23 March 2019
• Current form (Federated States of Gapla)
2 May 2019
10 September 2019
• Current constitution
5 April 2023
• Grand Reformation
16 June 2023
Area
• Total
28.4 km2 (11.0 sq mi)
Not including Gaplan Antarctica
Population
• 2024 estimate
350
CurrencyGapla Dollar (GPD)
Time zoneTime in Gapla
Date formatYYYY - MM - DD
Driving sideright
Internet TLD.gx

The Federated States of Gapla, more commonly known as Gapla and sometimes called the Gaplan Federation, is a sovereign state that claims to have tacit recognition from Taiwan and the Switzerland[1] which is regarded as a micronation by the external community. It claims pieces of terra nullius (Greater Danubia) near the border between Croatia and Serbia on the Danube river, and insists that it has a claim to these territories because it was the first valid claimant. The country is a federation of five constituent dominions and three territories. In addition, the country claims Gaplan Antarctica, Mogollon, as well as residences of mayors.

The country's current form, including the Principality of Gapla, which is considered a renaming rather than being a formal predecessor state, was founded by Wyatt Baek on 28 February 2019 as a restoration of the United Republics of Gapla and Phoenix, with motivations to create a fairer and freer country. It is located near the western coast of the United States (where it claims several residences), in the Balkan region of Europe (where it claims terra nullius), and in Antarctica (where it claims the Gaplan Antarctic Territory).

Gapla's system of government is comprised of the judicial branch (the Supreme Court), the federal branch (the National Assembly and Executive), and the royal branch (the monarchy). The Supreme Court's justices are appointed by present and past Presidents of the Federated States of Gapla, and the royal branch is simply a ceremonial monarchy to raise funds, enhance Gaplan culture, and showcase the nation's history. As subdivisions of the Executive, ministries exist to promote specialized interests and activities within the country.

A former member of the Grand Unified Micronational and a former observer of the Cupertino Alliance, Gapla since has relied on a semi-isolationist foreign policy with the goals to increase professionalism and distance itself from mainstream micronationalism, this type of micronation is usually deemed a sector isolate in Zabelle Skye's sectorology. However, this effort to professionalize is regarded as far from complete. The prides of the country include having a strong economy, with its currency being treated as fiat and is used to facilitate transactions of many goods, its long and vibrant history, and its unique culture.

Etymology

The name for the Federated States of Gapla came from the root "Gapla," which as the national restorer (Wyatt Baek) claims, was a name stuck in their head for a country since they were very young. The name has been used with several lost Gaplan predecessors, which usually either used the name "Special Land" or "Gapla," none of which were thought of as serious nor organized except for possibly Gapla-Phoenix.

Many speculate that this name came from the combination of "Gap" and "LA", meaning the "Gap" in the United States near the city of Los Angeles. Gaplan analysts argue that this is unlikely as Gaplan territory at the 2019 restoration was not very close to Los Angeles, rather being near a suburb of Orange County. However, the largest major city closest to New Gaplastovia is Los Angeles, making this theory plausible.

The short name of the country, Gapla, is commonly misspelled as "Galpa," with the Empire of Aeternia and several delegates of the Cupertino Alliance using the popular misspelling.

History

National symbols

The national flag

The national flag of Gapla, the Standard of Greater Gapla.

The national flag is named the "Standard of Greater Gapla." The flag was created by Wyatt Baek as one of the initial Gaplan symbols on the day of founding of the Federated States of Gapla and has never changed, in exception to two instances when the flag size ratio was changed for standardization (it is now 2:3). It is also used as a national naval jack.

The Standard of Greater Gapla consists of a blue background with a red cross, an orange circle, and a yellow star.

Colours of the flag

The blue touches the red, and the orange, because the pride of the people are made from the people, and the National Assembly and Association of Ministries are made of the people. Also notice that citizens themselves cannot change the nation, the star.

The red touches all of the areas, because the pride of the people is made from the people, gives people to National Assembly and the Association of Ministries, and affects the nation.

The orange represents the National Assembly, which most closely touches the star. The orange also is made from the pride of the people and the people.

This yellow star is the government, and touches everything except for the blue, because citizens cannot change the government alone. It is touching the orange because the National Assembly and the Association of Ministries can change the government. It is touching the red because the pride of the people can change the government.

The state seal

The state seal of Gapla.

The state seal of Gapla is used when the Coat of Arms or flag are not appropriate depictions of the nation. It is mainly used on documents, government logos, and as a simple marker of the Gaplan government. The seal's predominant color is gold, and is based on Spanish military emblems.

It is composed of a laurel wreath, signifying unity and federation, a six-pointed star, Gapla's six core values (justice, liberty, peace, progress, sovereignty, and merit), and the heraldic crown of the Sovereign Prince, signifying the monarchy that ties the country together.

It was adopted on 31 August 2023, with the current Coat of Arms.

The state motto

The official state motto is Erit Ergo Justitia (in Latin), translating roughly to "Justice Will be Served" - but the original government-sponsored interpretation of the motto is "May Justice be Served." The motto describes a want for justice in Gapla, one of the founding reasons of the micronation.

However, there has been a proposed change of the motto to Justice, Liberty, Peace, and Progress (without a latin form), which, according to the proposers "better describes the Gapla of today and its promise of these four elements." This argument is supported by the People's Liberal Party, however, strongly opposed by the current largest party, the Free Rightist Party.

Justice, Liberty, Peace, and Progress became Gapla's secondary motto, but it was rarely used outside of official government branding, compared to the primary motto (Erit Ergo Justitia) being used to express satisfaction, joy, and pride in Gapla by many news sources and individuals.

The national anthem and march

The coat of arms

Subdivisions

A satellite view of Greater Danubia.

The Federated States of Gapla is a federation of five constituent dominions and three territories. Each dominion and territory is called a "state," so there are eight states in the Federated States of Gapla. However, the term is rarely used and made more sense before the country had its Grand Reformations in 2023.

Each of the constituent dominions is a principality, ruled by a prince or a princess, and each territory is a duchy, ruled by a duke or a duchess. However, each dominion has an elected official known as a governor that holds more power, but these positions are currently assigned to identical people in all cases.

Dominions typically have stronger self-governing powers than territories. The Prince of the Danubias serves as the country's figurehead and Sovereign Prince, with the monarchy being largely ceremonial in nature, however, playing an important role in Gaplan society and structure.

List of subdivisions of Gapla

The following is a list of government-recognized subdivisions of the Federated States of Gapla.

  • "Created inside Gapla" means that the state in question was created inside of Gapla from land from a macronation.
  • "Joined Gapla" means that the state was either formerly an independent country, a non-state entity, or a province of another before federating into the Federated States of Gapla and becoming a state.
  • "Formed the FSG (original state)" means that the state was federated into the Federated States of Gapla on 6 March 2019 (Union Day) as an original state.
Name Flag Capital Leader(s)
Constituent Dominions (5)
Principality of Gaplastovia New Gaplastovia Wyatt, Prince of the Danubias
Principality of Cristus Cristaria Connor, Prince of Cristus
Principality of Elemental Elemental City Chelsea, Princess of Elemental
Principality of Folia Tail Dragon City Renaldo, Prince of Folia Tail
Principality of Emeralkia Southern Emeralkia Emma, Princess of Emeralkia
Territories (3)
Gaplan Antarctica Port Gaplastovia Connor, Duke of Gaplan Antarctica
Duchy of Mogollon Seagates Eovnia, Duchess of Mogollon
Gaplan Overseas Lands Caucania Ortiz, Duke of the Overseas Lands

Subdivisions within constituent dominions

Within a constituent dominion, it is necessary to divide the dominion into several cities, towns, villages, and municipalities, as a single dominion is very large.

Politics and government

Government

The country's system of government is comprised of three branches: the judicial branch (the Supreme Court), the federal branch (the National Assembly and Executive), and the royal branch (the monarchy). The justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by present and past Presidents of the Federated States of Gapla through the Ministry of Justice, and the royal branch is simply a ceremonial monarchy to raise funds, enhance Gaplan culture, and showcase the nation's history.

As subdivisions of the Executive, ministries exist to promote specialized interests and activities within the country.

Ministries

The following is a list of all government-recognized ministries of the Executive of the Federated States of Gapla.

Ministries of the Federated States of Gapla
Ministry Logo
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Technology
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of State Identity
Ministry of Architecture
Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ministry of the Armed Forces
Ministry of Finance

Monarchy

For a list of Gaplan peers, see List of Gaplan peers.

The Federated States of Gapla is a constitutional monarchy. The country has a monarchy for tradition and fundraising but the monarch or any member of the monarchy has no political power due to their status in the monarchy. However, many members of the monarchy are independently involved in the political process of the country.

During the history of Gapla, the monarchy was used to encourage states to verify land and fund the country. However, land grants are not eligible for titles anymore, except in rare circumstances.

Today, the main method of entrance into the monarchy is by funding the country, through a significant contribution to Gapla, or by a notable appearance in Gaplan history.

Awards

Throughout its history, the Federated States of Gapla has given its citizens a variety of awards, decorations, and orders as a reward for good work. The most famous, prestigious, and first of these awards is the famous Order of the Gaplan Star (a successor of the Heroes of the Revolution of the Federated States of Gapla, the former highest order), which has only two awardees.

Many princes and princesses have created their own orders, as they have the power to once they create their royal houses.

Political parties

Politics are very contentious in the Federated States of Gapla.

Theoretically, the National Assembly is the legislature, and consists of twenty members proportionally elected in general elections through party lists. The leader of the majority caucus is the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the leader of the minority caucus is the Leader of the Opposition.

However, due to the practical reformations to halt most of the government until Greater Danubia is inhabited by Gapla, the entire government has been replaced by the Council of Ministers. This is known as the provisional government. Members of the Council of Members are not directly elected, rather, they are selected from applications made from people interested in building Gapla. Through a competitive interview process, members that are the most interested and dedicated are selected.

The following is a list of political parties in the Federated States of Gapla.

Political parties in the Federated States of Gapla
Logo Party Leader Political position European affiliation (unofficial) Ideology
Free Rightist Party

"Rightist Party"

FRP Wyatt Baek Right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists Libertarian conservativism
People's Liberal Party

"Liberal Party"

PLP Chelsea Chen Center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Modern liberalism
Righteous Reformist Party

"Reformist Party"

RRP Connor Holdsworth Far-right Identity and Democracy Religious nationalism
Socialist Republic Party

"Republic Party"

SRP Connor Hetner Far-left The Left in the European Parliament Libertarian communism
Centrist Radical Party

"Radical Party"

CRP Clayton Walker Center-right European People's Party Radical centrism
AMASHDRCPCKJUNOSR Party

"AMASH Party"

Gabe Itchez Right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists Satire
Nationalist Union Party

"Nationalist Party"

Daniel Hu Far-right Identity and Democracy Neoconservatism

Official standards

Official standard flags are used to represent a certain branch of the government of the Federated States of Gapla, and are used along with the national or state flags, if applicable.

The following is a list of official standards of the Federated States of Gapla.

List of official Gaplan standards
Name Flag
Standard of the President
Standard of the National Assembly
Standard of the Supreme Court
Standard of the Armed Forces
Standard of the Monarchy

For standards of each member of the royal family, see List of Gaplan peers.

Seals of offices

Gapla has several seals for its official offices, namely the President, Deputy President, Speaker of the National Assembly, and Leader of the Opposition. These are widely regarded as the four most important seats in the country with exception to the Sovereign Prince, which is a part of the Gaplan monarchy.

The official seals of office are below.

List of official Gaplan seals of offices
President Deputy President Speaker of the National Assembly Leader of the Opposition

Land

The Federated States of Gapla claims land in several venues.

Regions

A map of Mogollon.

The following are the federally recognized regions of Gaplan territory:

  • The western region includes all of the territorial claims located near the macronational cities of Irvine, Tustin, or Santa Ana), and is primarily residential. Its total area is a little under one acre and is the smallest yet most populated region of Gapla.
  • The eastern region consists of the Governor of Elemental's two houses annexed from Nevada, as well as a few houses in Australia and Vietnam that are parts of the Gaplan Overseas Lands of the Newlands and the UDR. In addition, it contains the residential territory of New Gaplastovia, located near Albuquerque. This region is used to group all residential land not located near Southern California.
  • The Mogollon region (synonymous with the territory of the city of Mogollon) consists of territories granted during Eovnia Pual's encounter with the U.S. Forest Service. The entire territory of the region was annexed from Arizona, and the region has a population of approximately ten people.
  • The Antarctic region (synonymous with the territory of the Gaplan Antarctic Territory) consists of previously unclaimed sea ice, as well as a portion of Antarctica considered to be terra nullius due to an invalid territorial claim by Chile. Due to its inhabitability, the region has no population.
  • The Danubian region (synonymous with Greater Danubia) consists of the pockets of land between Serbia and Croatia claimed by Gapla (New Gaplastovia proper and Cristus). The region has no permanent population.

Verification processes

The Federated States of Gapla employs strict verification processes to avoid claiming land that it is not authorized to claim. Land in most territories is exempt from verification.

The verification process for residential land is that a state must meet at least two of the below requirements to have verified land.

  • Appearance on public records
  • Certification of address through mailing
  • Certification of address through random weekly governmental visit
  • Governor IP address location approximation check

The verification process for non-residential land (that has previously been claimed by another entity) is that an entity must meet at least one of the below requirements.

  • Proof of permanent sovereignty
  • Proof of granted sovereignty of the land by the former entity

Geography, climate, and weather

The city of Elemental City and surrounding territories has a fairly flat geography, with a warm climate. The climate data for Elemental City can be applied to all Gaplan states except for outlying regions of Elemental, Mogollon, New Gaplastovia, Greater Danubia, and the Gaplan Antarctic Territory.

Below is a chart of the climate data for Elemental City.

Climate data for Elemental City, Federated States of Gapla
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 66
(18.9)
67
(19.4)
68
(20)
72
(22.2)
73
(22.8)
78
(25.6)
82
(27.8)
83
(28.3)
82
(27.8)
78
(25.6)
72
(22.2)
67
(19.4)
73
(22.8)
Average low °F (°C) 47
(8.3)
48
(8.9)
49
(9.4)
51
(10.6)
55
(12.8)
59
(15)
62
(16.7)
63
(17.2)
62
(16.7)
57
(13.9)
51
(10.6)
47
(8.3)
54
(12.2)
Average Precipitation inches (mm) 2.95
(74.9)
3.5
(89)
2.85
(72.4)
0.85
(21.6)
0.26
(6.6)
0.14
(3.6)
0.03
(0.8)
0.15
(3.8)
0.3
(8)
0.32
(8.1)
1.05
(26.7)
1.75
(44.5)
13
(330)
Source: Weather.com

National holidays

Gapla's government declares national holidays that are unique to the nation. Currently, there are seven recognized holidays.

Holidays that are not unique to the country (such as Christmas) are not allowed to be recognized by the government but are still observed in practice.

The following is a list of officially declared and recognized government holidays.

  • 28 February - Independence day
  • 13 January - Freedom day
  • 6 March - Union day
  • 23 March - Constitution day
  • 2 May - Government day
  • 18 June - Princess day
  • 24 August - National day
  • 10 September - Revolution day

Leaders and elections

Leaders

Leaders, as in almost any country, are important leaders in their community.

Presidents of Gapla

The President of Gapla is the head of government of the Federated States of Gapla and is the most senior official in the government.

Gapla has one president at a time, and the term of a president is one year. They are elected once every two elections, which usually occur every six months.

Deputy Presidents of Gapla

The Deputy President of Gapla, formerly known as the Vice President, is the deputy head of government of the Federated States of Gapla and is the second most senior official in the government. They co-lead the government with the President and serve as an advisor as well as a policymaker.

Gapla has one Deputy President at a time, and the term of a president is one year. They are elected once every two elections, which usually occur every six months.

Elections

Gapla's elections are typically held every six months, unless a special circumstance arises, and are held through the STV (single transferrable vote) system, rather than the FPTP (first past the post) system used in most countries, such as the United States. Presidents and Deputy Presidents have a one-year term, which means that they are elected once every two elections, while the Speaker of the National Assembly and Leader of the Opposition are elected as leaders of their legislative party list.

The country is a republic and citizens directly elect executive offices while electing representatives through proportional representation.

Prior to Reform Acts of 2020, the electoral system was under a MGP (multiple graded points) system, in which ranked voting applied but candidates received "points" for the ranking they received on a voter's ballot rather than a transferrable vote.

Currency

Gapla's currency system is one of the most advanced in the micronational community due to the fact that it is traded and exchanged for fiat, printed on special paper with security features, and actually used as a recognized medium of exchange for everything from national credits, bakery goods, 3D prints, toys, crafts, websites, and more. The Gapla Dollar is the only legal tender in the Federated States of Gapla, but other mediums of exchange are allowed to be used.

A Bank of Gapla Discord bot was developed by the Ministry of Technology to keep track of users' balances, let users gift Gapla Dollars, let administrators manage balances, and more.

In addition, a Gapla Dollar stablecoin (GaplaCoin, GPC) was developed by the government. Initially, the cryptocurrency was not a success, with only six holders of GaplaCoin. This is likely due to citizens being unfamiliar with cryptocurrencies, ERC-20 coins, and the Ethereum network, as well as how to use them. However, the Gaplan government started an initiative to create an SPL-based Solana coin instead of an Ethereum one, which was easier to use. This effort was successful and the GaplaCoin is used alongside the Gapla Dollar, but its fiat form is still used more often due to its ease of use compared to the cryptocurrency.

Postage stamps

Traditional postage stamps are not used by the Federated States of Gapla due to the government's belief that they are pointless and can be replaced by digital, printable postage stamps.

Stamps can be paid for, generated, and printed at the national portal for stamps, which is at https://stamps.gaplagov.org/. Users can select a postal service and pay for stamps on the website through their Bank of Gapla account.

Identification

The Federated States of Gapla issues several types of identification, including passports, visas, and license plates.

The national I.D. card has been discontinued, however, the process of its recreation as an optional internal passport is under consideration.

Gaplan visa

The updated Gaplan visa.

The Gaplan visa is a document that allows holders to temporarily enter the Federated States of Gapla, with the exception of personal property, until expiry or revocation. The Executive Council has the right to revoke a visa with a majority at any time.

However, the Gaplan Constitution permits "invisible visas" - visas granted to people by a governor permitting them to enter their state, or a mayor permitting a person to enter their city, and so on and so forth. These visas are only applicable to one Gaplan subdivision and are immediately revoked once the visit is over.

These visas were likely created due to the fact that the Gaplan government does not wish to issue a visa for every nonimportant visit to a governor's state, especially when the states are homes and these entries are brief and frequent.

Gaplan passport

The design of the Gaplan passport.
The data page of the Gaplan passport, fully machine readable and ICAO-compliant.

The Gaplan passport is an international travel document with a front cover, inside front cover, pages for visas, stamps, and amendments, and back cover. It is the standard international travel document for all Gaplan citizens and is optional.

The design of the Gaplan passport is shown in the images. The cost for issuance is 50 USD, and is only issued to citizens of Gapla who have met certain security clearance requirements.

Diplomatic and official versions of the passports are not offered, instead, Gaplan citizens place a sticker in their passport that allows for digital verification of its authenticity in order to save costs and ensure that it is only used when needed.

Gaplan license plate

GOV-001 is the license plate of the primary car of the Gaplan government.

The license plate of the Federated States of Gapla is put on cars (and is optional as a sign of patriotism on bikes) inside the Federated States of Gapla to certify vehicle registration. A license plate is not strictly required - however, if no license plate is on a car, the car can only drive on private roads, not government-owned ones. The cost for issuance is 50 USD.

Cases involving crashes or other damage to a vehicle without a valid license plate on the side of the victim will not proceed.

While its earlier rendition, printable out of paper, was popular during the early eras of Gapla, the license plate has little practical use as of the present day and is very rarely seen, and its use is de facto limited to government and postal bikes and vehicles.

References