Principality of St. George
Principality of St George a Πριγκιπάτο Αγίου Γεωργίου Prigipáto Agēou Georgēou | |
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 Flag
 Coat of Arms
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| Motto: True Liberty, true Equality and true Justice for all(Imperial) (Greek: Πραγματική Ελευθερία, Πραγματική Ισότητα και Πραγματικό Δίκαιο για Όλους) True Liberty, true Equality and true Justice for all | |
| Anthem: Hymn to Liberty (Greek: Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν) | |
 Greece; MultipleTerritories under administration | |
| Capital | Patras |
| Official languages | Greek b |
| Recognised national languages | English |
| Ethnic groups | Greeks |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox Church |
| Demonym(s) | St Georgian (official) Ayiorgitis (common) |
| Government | Non-Partisan Constitutional Monarchy |
• Prince | Prince Dean II |
| Legislature | Bicameral, Non-Partisan |
| National Council | |
| People's Assembly | |
| Establishment | |
• Established | July 26, 2007 |
• Declaration of Independence | July 26, 2017 |
| Area | |
• | 0.04 km2 (0.015 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 2.37 |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 15 |
• Census | 15 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $678,000 |
• Per capita | $45,200 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $678,000 |
• Per capita | $45,200 |
| Gini | 52 high |
| HDI | ▲ 0.855 very high |
| Currency | US Dollar, Euro (USD, EUR) |
| Time zone | -5:00, +02:00 (Eastern European Time) |
• Summer (DST) | +02:00 (Eastern European Time) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +30 |
| Internet TLD | .gr, .stg (proposed) |
The Principality of Saint George, or St (Saint) George for short, is a state that claims sovereignty, however it is most commonly referred to as a micronation. The Principality was formed on June 26, 2007, but formally declared independence on the same day in 2017.
Geography
The name of the nation was inspired by the name of the neighborhood in which the Principality was founded. St George is also the patron Saint of the Principality. Currently the Principality occupies land in the western part of the Achaea region in Greece. Lately Patras remains as a region with historical and cultural value.
History
The principality was only a movement and model nation since 2007. However, years later, in 2017, the founding members formally declared independence. Its founding was inspired and influenced by current events around the globe, such as financial instability and ongoing wars. The commencement of the movement started at the cusp of the great financial crisis of 2007, which highlighted the reckless nature of the global financial model and further solidified the reasons to declare independence.
From 2007 through 2012 the nation was formally known as the "East Patras Dukedom", with which the founding members created the general idea behind the founding of the Principality, as well as the government structure and a preliminary constitution. The "East Patras Dukedom" claimed a larger area than the Patras territory currently has control over.
Government and politics
Even though a monarchy, the constitution greatly favors the citizens and ensures that everyone, even the monarch himself, are equals. This is unlike other nations, such as the United Kingdom, where the monarch is above the law.
There is currently a push by the Prince to prohibit central as well as regular banking with executive order E.O.1.2018 [1]. His aim was to protect the country from banks taking control and prevent "debt fueled deficit spending and inflation." Although this is just an executive order, there is movement to adding this clause in the immutable section of the constitution to ensure that future citizens are protected.
In addition to protecting his citizens from the repercussions of a banking system, the Prince has also signed executive orders with the goal of protecting citizens' privacy, following revelations in the USA regarding government surveillance. An act favored by the citizens.
The government is structured into three branches: The Executive, the legislative and the judicial.
Executive Branch
The Prince holds the executive powers and is the head of state. His role entails signing bills into law, or vetoing and them to the National Council, carrying out foreign and domestic policy and signing and enforcing executive orders. The Prince has the right to assign certain responsibilities to other citizens, such as the secretary of foreign affairs, although he hasn't yet done so.
The Prince also has a cabinet of counselors and ministers. The purpose of this cabinet is to propose and plan policy and to discuss proposed legislation.
The Prince lives in the mansion on Filotheis Road, and is often referred to as Filotheis Mansion (Megaro Filotheis; Greek: Μέγαρο Φιλοθέης).
Legislative Branch
The legislative branch is composed of a bicameral legislature. The upper house is the National Council, whose members are voted by citizens, and the People's Assembly whose members are all citizens over the age of 18 and not members of the National Council. There is currently one People's Assembly per administrative region (2 at the moment), but this may change as the nation grows. The Prince is also the speaker of the National Council, which is a voting seat.
The National Council has 7 voting seats, of which one is the speaker, and 2 non voting seats which are referred to as "Observers" and are equal to the number of administrative districts. Currently 4 of the voting council seats are vacant.
Judicial Branch
The judicial function of the government is handled by the National Council and is heavily overshadowed by a jury of citizens who are meant to balance the powers of the National Council and ensure fairness in the decisions.
Law and order
The Saint George's Police Force (SGPF) was established apon declaring independence. Due to the lack of staff, this is an autonomous branch of the military and handles only civil matters. Also, because of non existent crime, the Prince decided early in 2018 to only use the force in a need-to basis, in order to save resources.
The Principality has strict laws pertaining to major threats, such as drug and human trafficking and strict child protection laws. The laws are so strict that any crimes in this field is regarded as seriously as treason against the state and may result in immediate loss of citizenship for the purpotrators on top of any decision of the court of law.
Foreign relations
The Principality has been recognized by the Empire of Austenasia, Imvrassia, the Karno-Ruthenian Empire, Græcia (and all other nation-members of the League of Hellenistic Micronations), and Vishwamitra. The first official diplomatic relations were established with Imvrassia in early November, 2018. Furthermore, the Principality of St George is a member of League of Hellenistic Micronations (since mid 2020). Formally the Principality of St George is in a race to be recognized by other nations, thus its foreign relations are currently limited.
The Principality has recognized, upon declaring independence, all nations that are members of the United Nations, as well as Taiwan.
Even though the Principality is in need of recognition, there are strict rules regarding its recognition policy (the policy followed to recognize another nation). The first and most important requirement is the establishment of a diplomatic channel and the willingness of the other nation to recognize the Principality of St George. Unless otherwise directed by the Prince, the Principality doesn't recognized any nation that does not recognize it. Following this fundamental requirement, the Department of State requires that nations seeking mutual recognition are serious with legitimate claims over land and sovereignty.
Military
The Principality of Saint George Defence Forces (SGDF), was established upon declaring independence and its purpose is to be a defending force.
Organization
In 2017, right after the formal declaration of independence, the Prince ordered the establishment of the following branches:
| Emblem | Branch | Abbreviation | Duties |
|---|---|---|---|
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Saint George Ground Forces | SGGF | The primary role of the SGDF is to actively protect the nation's sovereignty. Other responsibilities include border patrol and early warning in case of border breaches. |
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Saint George Search and Rescue Force | SGSAR | The SGSAR has an active role of saving lives in its region of responsibility. |
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Saint George Research and Development | SGRND | This branch researches and develops new technology. The purpose of the R&D is to ultimately develop equipment that will be used by the military. |
By law, all citizens (both men and women) younger than the age of 50 and older than the age of 18 are required to be a member of the armed forces and train. However, in times of peace it is not required for all citizens to be in active duty, but rather only on a need-to basis. All citizens have the right to bare arms.
Research and Development
The SGRND is considered to be a very important part of the military, since from it many important projects have emerged so far.
A noticeable R&D project is dubbed Project Pegasus (SG-1 UAV) which aims to develop a national drone to be used for border patrol and to aid in search and rescue missions. There are a few other projects, such as a platform that is meant to find and track wildfires, which is called "Wildfire Hunting Platform" or WHUP (pronounced woop). The WHUP is directly managed by the SGSAR.
Social Impact
As there are no real threats against the nation, except for in the cyberspace, the SGDF has assumed a special role regarding the well-being of the country, as well as helping neighboring countries. A noticeable contribution with a significant social impact is the use of the SGDF's wildfire hunting platform. The SGDF also has an advanced mapping department, managed directly by the SGRND.
Economy
Although the economy is heavily reliant of the host country's economy, the Principality does produce certain services that it exports.
The current gross domestic product (GDP), which was reported on March 27, 2019, is a total of $718,300, up $8,000 from March 2019. The territories contribute with the production of olive oil, oranges, lemons and tangerines, intended for internal consumption, and by developing tourism.
Culture
Greek is the de facto language of the Principality. However, the English language is used for official purposes. The population is, currently, 100% of Greek descent and the official religion is Eastern Orthodoxy.
References