Aerican Empire
Aerican Empire Empire aéricain (French) | |
|---|---|
| Micronation (unrecognized entity) | |
 Flag | |
 Coat of arms | |
 The Aerican Terrestrial Empire | |
| Claimed by | Eric Lis[1][2] |
| Dates claimed | May 8, 1987–present |
Website www | |
The Aerican Empire (French: Empire aéricain) (/ɒˈɛrɪkɪn/ ah-ERR-i-kin) , conventionally referred to in short form as Aerica (/ɒˈɛrɪkə/ ah-ERR-i-kə), is a social organization and self-proclaimed micronation, founded in May 1987.[3][4] Its name stems from the term "American Empire".[5] In 2000 The New York Times described its website as "one of the more imaginative" micronation sites.[6][7][8]
History
[edit]The Aerican Empire was founded on May 8, 1987 by Canadian Eric Lis[9] 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).[10] In 1997, the Empire created its own website.[11]
In 2007, Aerica first issued "novelty passports." The first issued passport was exhibited in the Palais de Tokyo 2007 Micronational art exhibition.[12] Aerica issued stamps for the first time in 2015.[13]
Geography
[edit]The Aerican Empire has a number of colonies, including:
- Parrwater, in the vicinity of Castor Creek, Alberta
- The Pasture, between Michigan and Wisconsin
- Earth, in Montreal, Canada
- Psyche, east of Melbourne, Australia, covering Dandenong and Springvale
- Chompsville, also in Australia, east of Psyche
- Retsaot Island, in Ashburton Domain, New Zealand, south of Christchurch
- Verden, an extraterrestrial planet
- Northern Plutopia, the northern half of the planet Pluto
- Mars Colony, on the planet Mars, near the Mangala Fossa
- Yackbard, southeast of Des Moines, Iowa
- Microvia, east of Birmingham, in the United Kingdom
Status
[edit]The Empire's mission statement is: "The Empire exists to facilitate the evolution of a society wherein the Empire itself is no longer necessary."[10][14][15] 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).[16] Lis, who founded the Aerican Empire as a child, obtained his M.D., C.M. from McGill University and has been published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience[17] and Weird Tales magazine.[18][19]
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.[10] 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.[6] It has holidays and "niftydays" (such as Saint Bill’s Day, "honoring the ultimate nerd"[20] and Topin Wagglegammon, "the Niftiest Day of the Year"[21]).
Offline activities
[edit]Delegations from the Aerican Empire were in attendance at the Polinations academic conference in London in 2012[22][23] and the MicroCon micronations convention in Atlanta in 2017.[2] Aerica was also represented at MicroCon 2023 in Joliet, Illinois.[24]
National symbols
[edit]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). The national motto of the Aerican Empire is "The world is ridiculous; let’s keep it that way".[25]
Currency
[edit]The Aerican Empire first issued coinage in November 2009, and a second coin was minted to celebrate Aerica's 25th anniversary in 2012.[26] Banknotes were issued for the first time in 2017.[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Infoman: Infoman Archived 2017-08-10 at the Wayback Machine, 11 October 2012, "Émission du 11 Octobre"
- ^ a b 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".
- ^ Wheeler, Maureen & Tony (25 November 2006). "Countries Of A Kind". The Vancouver Sun. p. 34. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ Ryan, J: Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Self-Proclaimed Nations, ISBN 1-74104-730-7
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mihm, Stephen (8 June 2000). "Lands of the free-for-all". The Age. p. 77. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ Mihm, Stephen (2 September 2000). "States of Play". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 225. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ Shapiro, Jody (22 October 2010). "Minding the Micronations, Jody Shapiro, National Post, 2010". National Post. p. 49. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ 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"
- ^ O'Driscoll, F: Ils ne siègent pas à l'ONU, ISBN 2-87867-251-8
- ^ Aerican Mailing List Archive, [1], December 2, 2006
- ^ Aerican Empire Post, [2] Archived 2020-08-13 at the Wayback Machine, May 8, 2015
- ^ The Boston Phoenix: The Boston Phoenix Archived May 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, October 2000, "States of Mind".
- ^ CBC Daybreak: Daybreak Archived 2017-01-09 at the Wayback Machine, 13 July 2006, "The Aerican Empire: Interview With Eric Lis". Montreal: CBC Radio
- ^ Le Soleil, Quebec City: Le Soleil, 18 January 2001, "Vive Eric 1er, empereur virtuel!"
- ^ Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience: [3] Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, 2007, "Neuroimaging and genetics of borderline personality disorder: a review".
- ^ Weird Tales Magazine: Weird Tales, 2008, "My True Lovecraft Gave To Me".
- ^ Weird Tales Magazine: Weird Tales, 2011, "A Contract Without Loopholes".
- ^ Context Magazine: Context Magazine Archived October 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, April–May 2001, "Altered States".
- ^ "Aerican Empire: Calendar". Archived from the original on 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
- ^ Delafontaine, L., Les Micronations, Montreuil-sur-Brêche, Diaphane, 14 September 2013, pages 160, ISBN 978-2-919077-19-9
- ^ "Radio France: 15 July 2012, archived at". Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Aerican Empire – De Facto". defactoborders.org. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ a b "Aerican Empire: Economics". Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
