Sealand

A Maunsell sea fort in the North Sea, two squat pillars supporting a platform, built in 1943 as an anti-aircraft position. At that time it lay in international waters, as the territorial boundary was only 3 nautical miles out, just over 4 imperial miles. It was decommissioned in the 1950s but in 1965 became a pirate radio station, beyond UK broadcasting law. The rival broadcaster Paddy Bates ousted the original pirates but never began broadcasting himself, instead claiming the tower as the independent "Principality of Sealand". He later added the business of passports, currency and the like. In 1978 the tower was briefly captured by rival pirates, German businessmen planning a casino. They were ejected but declared themselves the Sealand government in exile, and set up a trade in Sealand passports, selling some 4000 for $1000 a time to Hong Kong residents trying to escape the Chinese takeover. Meanwhile in 1987 the UK extended its territorial limits from 3 to 12 nautical miles, so Sealand is now firmly British. This has curbed further attempts to exploit its status, for instance as a data haven and "dark web" host. Paddy Bates died in 2012. His family continue to assert property rights and stage occasional stunts, such as a Sealand football team, but nobody lives there now.