Aerican Empire

Aerican Empire
Flag of the Aerican Empire
CapitalMontreal, Quebec
Official languagesEnglish
DemonymAerican
Government
• Emperor
Eric Lis
Area
• Total
750,503 km2 (289,771 sq mi)
Population
• Census
200

The Aerican Empire (/ɒˈɛrɪkɪn/ ah-ERR-i-kin; French: Empire aéricain), conventionally referred to in short form as Aerica (/ɒˈɛrɪkə/ ah-ERR-i-kə), is an unrecognized self-proclaimed monarchy in Canada, founded in May 1987 for fun.[2][3] Its name stems from the term "American Empire".[4] In 2000 The New York Times described its website as "one of the more imaginative" micronation sites.[5][6][7]

History

The Aerican Empire was founded on May 8, 1987 by Canadian Eric Lis[8] and a group of friends. For the first ten years the Empire was almost completely fictional, claiming sovereignty over a vast galaxy of feigned planets and engaging in wars against other micronations (although never resulting in physical contact).[9] In 1997, the Empire created its own website.[10]

In 2007, Aerica first issued "novelty passports." The first issued passport was exhibited in the Palais de Tokyo 2007 Micronational art exhibition. Aerica issued stamps for the first time in 2015.[11]

Status

The project's mission statement is: "The Empire exists to facilitate the evolution of a society wherein the Empire itself is no longer necessary."[9][12][13] It describes itself as having a parliamentary system, with various elected bodies and offices, under the oversight of an Emperor (currently the founder, Eric Lis).[14] Lis, who founded the Aerican Empire as a child, obtained his M.D., C.M. from McGill University.

The group's activities are permeated by a great deal of humour and a love of science fiction and fantasy, with recurrent references to Star Wars, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and similar works. Annually, the Empire holds story-writing contests, role-playing and wargaming days, and such events as the Dog-Biscuit Appreciation Day Scavenger Hunt.[9] It also developed a religion called Silinism, the worship of the Great Penguin; originally intended as a joke, but which the group says has thirty practitioners worldwide.[5] It has holidays and "niftydays" (such as Saint Bill's Day, "honoring the ultimate nerd"[15] and Topin Wagglegammon, "the Niftiest Day of the Year"[16]).

Offline activities

Delegations from the Aerican Empire were in attendance at the Polinations academic conference in London in 2012[17][18] and the MicroCon micronations convention in Atlanta in 2017.[19] Aerica was also represented at MicroCon 2023 in Joliet, Illinois.[20]

In 2025, the Aerican Empire hosted MicroCon 2025 at Ruby Foo's hotel in Montreal, which was attended by 120 participants from 48 micronations.[21][22]

National symbols

Their flag is similar to the flag of Canada, with a yellow smiling face instead of the red maple leaf in the white square (although the red rectangles on the sides have different side length ratios).

See also

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference taifa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Wheeler, Maureen & Tony (25 November 2006). "Countries Of A Kind". The Vancouver Sun. p. 34. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  3. ^ Ryan, J: Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Self-Proclaimed Nations, ISBN 1-74104-730-7
  4. ^ Aerican Empire: FAQ Archived 2020-02-18 at the Wayback Machine at the group's website, section "What kind of name is Aerica?". Retrieved July 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Utopian Rulers, and Spoofs, Stake Out Territory Online". The New York Times. 25 May 2000. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2018. Aerican Emire: Aerican, one of the more imaginative sites, refers to itself as the Monty Python of micronationalism, and its inhabitants worship a being known as the Great Penguin. The site warns its readers: Aerican places a high emphasis on silliness. People who cannot act silly are permitted entry only on a limited basis. A smiley-face adorns the flag.
  6. ^ Mihm, Stephen (8 June 2000). "Lands of the free-for-all". The Age. p. 77. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  7. ^ Mihm, Stephen (2 September 2000). "States of Play". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 225. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  8. ^ Shapiro, Jody (22 October 2010). "Minding the Micronations, Jody Shapiro, National Post, 2010". National Post. p. 49. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  9. ^ a b c The Montreal Mirror: The Montreal Mirror Archived November 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, 17 August 2006, "The little empire that could"
  10. ^ O'Driscoll, F: Ils ne siègent pas à l'ONU, ISBN 2-87867-251-8
  11. ^ Aerican Empire Post, [1] Archived 2020-08-13 at the Wayback Machine, May 8, 2015
  12. ^ The Boston Phoenix: The Boston Phoenix Archived May 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, October 2000, "States of Mind".
  13. ^ CBC Daybreak: Daybreak Archived 2017-01-09 at the Wayback Machine, 13 July 2006, "The Aerican Empire: Interview With Eric Lis". Montreal: CBC Radio
  14. ^ Le Soleil, Quebec City: Le Soleil, 18 January 2001, "Vive Eric 1er, empereur virtuel!"
  15. ^ Context Magazine "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved June 27, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), April–May 2001, "Altered States".
  16. ^ "Aerican Empire: Calendar". Archived from the original on 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  17. ^ Delafontaine, L., Les Micronations, Montreuil-sur-Brêche, Diaphane, 14 September 2013, pages 160, ISBN 978-2-919077-19-9
  18. ^ "Radio France: 15 July 2012, archived at". Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  19. ^ Atlanta Magazine: Atlanta Magazine Archived 2020-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, 30 June 2017, "You probably didn't know, but leaders from 26 micronations just gathered in Atlanta".
  20. ^ Motum, Robert (3 September 2023). "Westarctica, Sancratosia, Slowjamastan, and other fake nations may have some real things to teach ones". The Boston Globe. pp. K2. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  21. ^ https://www.microcosme.info/post/microcon-2025-a-record-edition-under-the-banner-of-kindness-and-creativity
  22. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-microcon-diplomatic-reception-montreal/
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