{{Short description|Micronation in The Antarctic Region}} {{Infobox | flag = File:Flag of Grand Duchy of Flandrensis.svg
| above = Grand Duchy of Flandrensis | subheader = Unrecognized micronation | image = 200px | caption2 = Aerial view of Sealand in 1999 | label1 = Claimed by | data1 = Niels Vermeersch | label2 = Date claimed | data2 = 4 September 2008 | label3 = Area claimed | data3 = Marie Byrd Land }} The '''Grand Duchy of Flandrensis''' (Dutch: {{lang|nl|Groothertogdom Flandrensis}}) is a micronation with claims over some territories of Antarctica, which was founded in 2008 by the Belgian Niels Vermeersch. Flandrensis is not recognised by any country or government,<ref name="DutchVANSTEENKISTE">{{in lang|nl}} VANSTEENKISTE, A., "Hoogledenaar is Groothertog van micronatie Flandrensis", Het Nieuwsblad, 13 September 2012, page 22-22</ref><ref name="DutchVERHAEGHE">{{in lang|nl}} VERHAEGHE, H., ''[http://internetradio.vrt.be/radiospeler/v2_prod/wmp.html?qsbrand=21&qsODfile=%2Finternetradio_master%2Fproductiesysteem2%2Fprogramma_od%2F25_25rmpw.xml Middagpost West-Vlaanderen] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203191314/http://internetradio.vrt.be/radiospeler/v2_prod/wmp.html?qsbrand=21 |date=2012-12-03 }}'', Radio 2, 13 September 2012 (interview with Niels Vermeersch)</ref><ref name="Belenfant">{{in lang|fr}} BELENFANT, M., ''Sa Majesté le Grand-Duc de Flandrensis brise la glace'', 'Le Jeu de l'Oie: La Revue Internationale de Sciences – Po Lille', April 2014, page 30-31</ref><ref>The Telegraph, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/10816813/Ten-bizarre-micronations.html?frame=2906054 Ten bizarre micronations], 14 May 2014</ref> nor is it their intention to get diplomatic recognition.<ref name="brusselstimes.com">The Brussels Times, [http://www.brusselstimes.com/magazine2/4653/springtime-of-micronations-spearheaded-by-belgian-grand-duke-niels Springtime of micronations spearheaded by Belgian "Grand-Duke" Niels], 8 December 2015</ref><ref name="Hobbs 2022">{{Cite book |last=Hobbs |first=Harry |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/micronations-and-the-search-for-sovereignty/B0414A3A322695D9EE71E4CDDFDA06DE |title=Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty |last2=Williams |first2=George |date=2022 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-15012-5 |series=Cambridge Studies in Constitutional Law |location=Cambridge}}</ref> Since 2021 the micronation is registered in Belgium as the environmental non-profit organization “vzw Groothertogdom Flandrensis”.<ref name="Staatsblad">, ''[https://kbopub.economie.fgov.be/kbopub/toonondernemingps.html?ondernemingsnummer=772515027&fbclid=IwAR0v9pkqQIOitVWoe6rqFpYICqD-5AdC8HqyqiSLEQbEtIykRB-LzbqEZ54 Registration non-profit vzw Groothertogdom Flandrensis]'', Kruispuntbank Ondernemingen, 12 August 2021</ref>
==History== The Grand Duchy of Flandrensis was founded on September 4, 2008 as a temporary hobby for two weeks.<ref name="Oeuillet">{{in lang|fr}} Oeuillet, J., ''Le business des vanités : enquête sur les arnaques à la noblesse'', Ed. du Moment, 16 April 2015, pages 207, {{ISBN|978-2-35417-370-8}}</ref> The micronation is inspired by the medieval County of Flanders (Pagus Flandrensis).<ref name="DutchVANSTEENKISTE" /><ref name="DutchVERHAEGHE" /> Flandrensis was regarded by the founder first as a hobby-micronation, and later as an ecological venture, to raise awareness of ice melting and climate change.<ref name="Nationalgeographic" /><ref>{{in lang|pl}} BARTKIEWICZ, A., Jak zostać królem, RZECZPOSPOLITA (Minus Plus), 20 July 2017, page 10-12</ref><ref>BEANLAND, C., King of your castle, Open Skies, Emirates Printing Press, 01 May 2019, page 49-50</ref> Since 2021 the micronation is also an environmental non-profit organization.<ref name="Staatsblad"/>
The micronation has its own identity cards, currency, heraldry, newspaper, constitution, national anthem and football team.<ref>{{cite web |title=Football |url=https://flandrensis.com/national-football-association-of-flandrensis/|website=Flandrensis|access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref>
Until 2014, Flandrensis was partly a political simulation, with political parties<ref name="Gheeraert">{{in lang|nl}} GHEERAERT, T., ''Diplomatieke rel om een deel van Antarctica'', Het Wekelijks Nieuws, 05 September 2013, page 10-11</ref><ref name="Gheeraert2">{{in lang|nl}} GHEERAERT, T., ''Verkiezingen in Flandrensis'', Het Wekelijks Nieuws, 17 October 2014, page 62</ref> and organised yearly elections. Professor Alastair Bonnett of the University of Newcastle described Flandrensis as an example of a micronation that is inspired by a city council in which young people learn to make decisions.<ref>{{in lang|ru}} APPARAT, ''[http://v7news.com/5-steps-to-create-your-own-micronations-apparat/ 5 steps to create your own micronations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122151202/http://v7news.com/5-steps-to-create-your-own-micronations-apparat/ |date=2015-01-22 }}'', December 2014</ref>
In 2021 the micronation was composed of 741 citizens from 71 different nationalities.<ref name="LeMonde"/> Outside of the internet, the activities of Flandrensians were restricted to the region around Roeselare,<ref name="DutchVANSTEENKISTE" /><ref name="DutchVERHAEGHE" /> but the official embassy is now located in the West-Flemish town Sint-Juliaan.<ref name="LeMonde"/><ref name="Gheeraert"/><ref name="Mazars">{{in lang|fr}} MAZARS, P., “Micronations: la tournée du grand-duc", ''Le Journal du Dimanche'', 28 July 2014</ref><ref name="Cornillie">{{in lang|nl}} CORNILLIE, B., “Niels, groothertog van Flandrensis'', Het Laatste Nieuws, 29 August 2014, page 20''</ref>
Flandrensis was represented at several international conferences on micronations, such as Polination London (2012) and Perugia (2015), and the MicroCon conventions in Atlanta (2017) and Las Vegas (2022).<ref name="brusselstimes.com"/><ref>THE TELEGRAPH, T. Coote, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11737914/Inside-the-weird-world-of-the-micronation.html Inside the weird world of the micronation], 14 July 2015</ref><ref name=" BONZOM ">{{in lang|fr}} BONZOM, N., « Le sommet francophone des micronations, entre folkore et engagement citoyen », 20 minutes, 26 September 2016,</ref><ref name="LaVoix">{{in lang|fr}} PLACER, A., Sommet de micronations sur le pavé: folklorique et citoyen, La Voix du Nord, 21 January 2018</ref> In August 2023 Flandrensis hosted the first European edition of MicroCon in Ypres, Belgium along with the Royal Republic of Ladonia.<ref>[https://microcon2023.com/microcon-ypres/ MicroCon 2023] – official website. Retrieved 7 July 2023.</ref><ref name="GHEERAERT2">{{in lang|nl}} GHEERAERT, T., “(Belgium) GHEERAERT, T., "Groothertog van Flandrensis organiseert conventie in Ieper", Het Wekelijks Nieuws, 04 August 2023, page 26</ref>
In May 2022 the founder was invited as a speaker at ChangeNow, an international climate summit in Paris to talk about Flandrensis and environmental micronationalism.<ref>[https://www.changenow-summit.world/paris-2022/en/speaker/f5f1a926-83ab-ec11-a99b-a04a5e7d3e1c ChangeNow] – official website. Retrieved 27 May 2022.</ref>
On November 25, 2025, Flandrensis adopted a new flag, replacing their flag that had existed since the creation of Flandrensis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National symbols of Flandrensis |url=https://flandrensis.com/about/national-symbols/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=Grand Duchy of Flandrensis |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Territory== Flandrensis claims five islands off the coasts of West Antarctica: Siple Island, Cherry Island, Maher Island, Pranke Island and Carney Island. Flandrensis is regarded by the founder as an ecological venture, to raise awareness of ice melting, hereby Niels Vermeersch was one of the first who introduced the concept of environmental micronationalism.<ref name="brusselstimes.com"/><ref name="Nationalgeographic">{{in lang|nl}} STROCHLIC, N., ''Ieder zijn eigen koninkrijk'', National Geographic, April 2016, page 8-9</ref> Flandrensis does not intend to visit its claimed territories and portrays itself as the only country in the world that does not want any humans on its land.<ref name="Gheeraert"/><ref name="DutchVANSTEENKISTE" /><ref name="DutchVERHAEGHE" /><ref name="Prudent">{{in lang|fr}} PRUDENT, R., Envie d’être chef ? Toi aussi, crée ta micronation en dix leçons '', ‘Rue 89', 12 June 2014''</ref><ref name="Hobbs 2022"/>
== Non profit organization == On August 12, 2021, Flandrensis was registered in the Belgian Official Journal as “vzw Groothertogdom Flandrensis”. In the published bylaws Flandrensis describes itself as an environmental non-profit organization that focuses on climate change and Antarctica, using the concept of micronationalism to draw attention to the climate in a creative way.<ref name="Staatsblad" /> Some of their projects are climate letters and clean-up actions.<ref name="LeMonde">BAUDET, M., Voyage dans les micronations, ces pays de fantaisie qui réinventent la démocratie, Le Monde, 16 August 2021</ref> The Grand Duchy of Flandrensis is among 1000+ non-governmental organizations that have received United Nations Environment Programme accreditation.<ref>{{cite web |title=List of accredited organizations |url=https://www.unep.org/civil-society-engagement/accreditation/list-accredited-organizations |website=UNEP |access-date=13 October 2023}}</ref>
==Language== In 2024, the creation of a constructed language named Flandriaans, based mainly on Dutch and English, was announced, as well as the establishment of the “Komjesi vor Åna ov Flandriaans Langåfrega (KÅFL)”<ref>{{cite web |title=Language |url=https://flandrensis.com/about/language/|website=Flandrensis|access-date=29 November 2025}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Grand Duke Flandrensis.jpg|Niels Vermeersch File:Flandrensispolination.JPG|Signing of a treaty between Flandrensis and the Republic of St. Charlie at Polination (2012)<ref name="DutchVANSTEENKISTE" /><ref name="DutchVERHAEGHE" /> File:National Football Association of Flandrensis logo.svg|Logo of the National Football Association of Flandrensis File:Flag of Flandrensis.svg|Flag of Flandrensis (2008-2025) File:Flag of Grand Duchy of Flandrensis.svg|Flag of Flandrensis (2025-present) </gallery>
== See also == * List of micronations * Flags of micronations * List of Antarctic territorial claims
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[http://www.flandrensis.com Official website] *[https://micronations.wiki/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Flandrensis Grand Duchy of Flandrensis] on MicroWiki
{{Micronations}}
Category:Micronations in Antarctica Category:States and territories established in 2008 Category:Marie Byrd Land Category:Environmental organisations based in Belgium