Principality of Làas
Làas or the Principality of Làas is a micronation enclaved within the French department of Pyrenées-Atlantiques. It claims the entirety of the village of Làas as its territory. The principality was formerly created in summer 2014 by its mayor Jacques Pedehontaa. The micronation had 131 citizens in 2015.
There is no hard-border with France and any visitor can become a legal citizen by going to Làas and purchasing a passport.
Contents |
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| 1 History |
| 2 Geography |
| 3 References |
History
The idea of creating a principality in Làas first came up in 2011 when the mayor Jacques Pedehontaa was angry towards the French Territorial Collectivities reform. He later saw the success of micro nations like Hutt River in bringing tourists and making them spend on items like flags, passports, national coins and banknotes. He decided to inspire himself of these micronations and created his own. The settlement has since triple it's number of tourists. Jacques Pedehontaa, former mayor of Làas, is prince of Làas since independence was declared.
Geography
The micronation can be found in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques within the New Aquitaine region. The village is surrounded by hills and plains. Thanks to the only river in the country, the Gave d'Oloron, it has green and lush vegetation. You can fin wild animals like deers, boars and foxes roaming around the land. The community is part of the historical region of Béarn, which used to be independent and had Pau as it's capital but is now part of the French Republic.