Empire of Atlantium
The Empire of Atlantium is a social and political advocacy group based in Sydney, that has the form and structure of a sovereign state. It was established, in 1981, by a group of three teenagers, and now has approximately 1000 members, in over 60 countries. The Atlantians have designated Emperor George II (b. George Francis Cruickshank) as their "head of state".
Among the causes Atlantium espouses are the right to unrestricted international freedom of movement, the right to abortion, the right to assisted suicide and decimal calendar reform.
Atlantium contends that it is a primarily non-territorial sovereign state. Its territorial claims are limited to a 61 m² apartment, located several kilometres from the centre of Sydney's main business district. Atlantium is considered by some people to be a micronation. Atlantium commonly refers to itself as an aspirant microstate.
No established nation has recognised Atlantium's sovereignty and it has no reciprocal diplomatic relations, but instead appoints "unaccredited diplomatic representatives" to serve its interests and support its citizens in various towns, states/provinces, nation-states and regions of the world. These representatives are not bound by the United Nations Vienna Conventions on Consular and Diplomatic Relations.
Proponents assert that Atlantium accepts applications for citizenship, but such citizenship does not supercede previously existing citizenships. Atlantians contend that they are all dual-citizens, and that Atlantium actively encourages its citizens to participate in the political processes of their resident countries.
Critics point out that in these claims Atlantium appears to be using the words "citizenship" and "diplomatic" in senses different from those generally accepted, thus making it difficult to either refute or understand any claim made by Atlantium in these regards. Supporters note that Atlantium has made no secret of its attempts at redefining existing paradigms, and claim that this is in fact a fundamental motivation for the Empire's existence.