WELCOME TO THE PRINCIPALITY OF ISLANDIA, THE WORLD’S NEWEST MICRONATION

Just a 15-minute boat ride from Belize City lies Coffee Caye, a 1.2-acre uninhabited island.

Back in 2018, investors started a project called Let’s Buy An Island. The aim was to crowdfund the purchase of an island and then to start a micronation. The group soon raised more than $250,000 and completed the purchase of the island off the coast of Belize in South America.

The purchase of Coffee Caye took place in December 2019 for $180,000 plus tax. Soon after Covid-19 stopped everything and the investors had to wait patiently.

The dream was to claim the island as an independent entity with its own anthem, government and national flag. Although micronations often do their own thing, they’re not officially recognised by the international community.

Coffee Caye is long, thin and vaguely shaped like a coffee bean. One side of the island features a clearing overlooking a small beach that leads down into a shallow bay. The other half of Coffee Caye is thick with scrub and bounded by mangroves.

CNN reports that the founding members established early on that each share in the island would cost $3,250. So far they have sold almost 100 shares and counting. While investors can purchase multiple shares, each person is only entitled to one vote in the democratic decision-making process.

Coffee Caye has been added as a day trip to several tours in Belize City. The aim is to promote the island to tourists visiting the South American city.

Image credit: Travel and Leisure