A man has declared himself president of a self-proclaimed country nestled in a disputed patch of land between Croatia and Serbia - and it comes complete with a flag, cabinet, currency and nearly 400 citizens.
Daniel Jackson founded the Free Republic of Verdis, a 0.5-square-kilometer (less than 125 acres) sliver of forest along the Danube River. He did so after discovering the area was unclaimed by either neighboring country due to an ongoing border dispute.
"Verdis was an idea I had when I was 14," said Jackson, who is 20 years old. "It was just a bit of an experiment at first with a few mates. We have all dreamed of creating something crazy."
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Jackson officially declared the republic's independence on May 30, 2019, news agency SWNS reported.
The area the British man claimed, known on maps as "pocket three," has since been named the world's second-smallest country, right behind Vatican City.
The digital designer, who earns a living by creating virtual worlds on Roblox, began shaping Verdis into a functioning government when he was just 18.
"We started making Verdis a reality when I was 18 by forming some laws and a flag," he said. "We have now built up a government and have a great cabinet," he said.
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The official languages of Verdis are English, Croatian and Serbian - and the nation uses the Euro as its currency.
Verdis is accessible only by boat from the Croatian city of Osijek, though attempts to settle there have gotten some significant resistance.
In October 2023, Croatian police detained several settlers, along with Jackson himself, before deporting them and issuing him a lifetime ban from entering the country.
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"They deported us but couldn't give a reason why," Jackson said. "They said we were a threat to homeland security."
Now operating what he calls a "government in exile," Jackson has accused Croatian authorities of installing surveillance along his country's shoreline to block access from Serbia, SWNS reported.
"We have had a lot of problems with Croatian authorities, but we do want a good relationship with them in the future," he added.
"They haven't taken to us kindly and have been aggressive," he claimed.
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Per SWNS, Jackson now travels frequently to Belgrade, Serbia, where he says officials have been more receptive.
Despite his ban from Croatia, he continues to advocate for the right to access Verdis and hopes to return to live there one day.
"If successful, I would step down from my position and call an election," he said.
"I am not interested in power at all … I just want to be a normal citizen. It has been eye-opening, and I am quite proud of what I have achieved," he added.
Verdis began with just four people but now claims over 400 official citizens from a pool of more than 15,000 applicants.
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Each person receives a passport - though Jackson has warned people against trying to use it for actual international travel.
That said, some citizens have reportedly used their Verdisian passport to enter other countries.
"It is a very small country so we have to be careful who we let in," Jackson told SWNS.
"When it comes to approving people, we look for in-demand skill sets such as experience in medicine or policing."
Despite mounting setbacks, Jackson said he remains optimistic.
"It is a matter of when, not if, we get back on the land," he said.
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"Croatia doesn't claim the land, so we have the right to it, and we believe that we have a good chance."
Jackson, who is originally from Australia, is determined to make Verdis more than just a thought experiment, SWNS reported.
"To the naked eye it is just a lot of forest, but when you realize that you are in a country you have created, it is magical," he said.
