American Reacts to How To Start A New Country! 

Years ago an Indigenous Australian called Burnum Burnum, rowed up to Dover on the coast of England and declared England on behalf of Australian Aboriginals and planted their flag. Yes, he was in a rowing boat in tribal dress with a spear. He was being satirical.

JJ, Sealand actually _was_ a pirate radio station for a while but it has a much more interesting behind it. Armed invasions and counter-invasions (yes really), treason "trials", hostage situations, international money laundering rings, drug trafficking, The Pirate Bay (yeah, that one) and er... the World Cup of Kung Fu. Have a look at "The Principality of Sealand: Stories of Pirate Radios, Coups d’état, and Helicopter Raids"

I like how you take time to read the little cards, that most people dont

I love how you always find a very obscure theme, that nobody else has picked up on and bring it to the public eye, keep it up, it's always entertaining.

You're a legend dude. This time for posting is far better for us Brits!

Law graduate here. I do remember a small part of my curriculum on International Law about the country-ness of places - under the Montevideo Convention, a "country" must have a permanent population, a defined terrirory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. The problems with many of the claims of the would-be-nation-states in the video are down to at least one article in that list.

There's a classic British Ealing comedy called 'Passport to Pimlico' about some London residents who set up their own country. The film concentrates on all the unforeseen difficulties this leads to for both sides. It's a fun film and like many Ealing comedies is often shown on the BBC around Christmas. It's worth checking out just for your own enjoyment.

Your reactions are always so great to watch, from a longtime map men fan and resident of the UK of GBANI

Little clarification on Taiwan's claims: even though the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, due to the 1 China policy, the PRC didn't actually become a un recognised country until 1971. This is because the ROC (Taiwan) had a perminant seat on the un security council meaning that they could veto any un decision made. The un unanimously decided to replace the ROC with the POC in the un in 1971, removing its country status. During which the ROC claimed all of China. Taiwan however relinquished their claim on mainland China in 1992, but since Taiwan is no longer a country, it is unable to alter countries claims, meaning that Taiwan still officially claims mainland China.

Fantastic, I'm purchasing a new brain soon to keep up with all the learning I'm doing here! Thanks Map Men + Reaction Man!

Lashed doesnt only mean getting whipped . It can also mean getting Pissed: . / (læʃʃt) / adjective. British informal intoxicated; drunk.

love the map men videos

I’m a Yorkshire man and I declare that Yorkshire is a nation that is currently fighting for it’s freedom like Scotland we do have a flag with a white rose flower on it but RU-vid doesn’t have a flag icon of it in the emoji section so here is the closest icon to the Yorkshire flag 🌸

For those who enjoyed this, may I also offer my recommendation to seek out Danny Wallace's 'How to Start Your Own Country' 6-part series on DVD. Most chuckle-some.

Love your videos JJLA, they make me giggle so much.. Cheers from the UK

As Eddie Izzard said, "by the cunning use of flags".....

I was going to say look into Sealand when this started, it has a really interesting history. The British comedy writer Danny Wallace did a TV series and book called How to Start your Own Country (or something like that). I won’t spoil it but worth checking out Edit: Oh they mentioned it anyway, as we know a lot of the same people they will definitely know Danny

CGP Grey also have a really good video on this topic that you might be interested in. It's called "How many countries are there?"

Watch the old B&W British comedy film ‘Passport To Pimlico’.

The show danny Wallace show was good he made his flat into the country of lovely its a good watch

“Set his sights on being supreme ruler of it” ahh the ancient British urge to conquer still alive and well

Danny Wallace, the comedian who declared his flat in east london a country, has written a few books which are well worth reading. Him and Dave Gorman, his former flatmate, made some legendary drunken bets, leading to hilarious adventures they have made tv shows or books about. Definitely worth checking those out

Cascadia is an interesting one in the PNW

I think you should watch Toast of London 😊

One of the wildest cases of "inventing" akingdom is the Legend of Redonda, the Caribbean "guano" island off the coast of Montserrat. The novelist E.M. Shiel claimed this uninhabited isleas his Kingdom: Wikipedia: Main article: Kingdom of Redonda As King Felipe, Shiel was purportedly the king of Redonda, a small uninhabited rocky island in the West Indies, situated a short distance northwest of the island of Montserrat, where Shiel was born.[31] The Redonda legend was probably created out of his imagination by Shiel himself and was first mentioned publicly in a 1929 booklet advertising the reissue of four of his novels by Victor Gollancz Ltd. According to the story Shiel told, he was crowned King of Redonda on his 15th birthday in 1880. However, there is little evidence that Shiel took these claims seriously. His biographer, Harold Billings, speculates that the story may have been an intentional hoax foisted on the gullible press.[32] At this late date, verifying or discrediting the story may be impossible. On his death, John Gawsworth became both his literary executor and his appointed heir to the "kingdom". Gawsworth took the legend of Redonda to heart. He never lost an opportunity to further elaborate the tale and spread the story to the press.[33] Gawsworth supposedly kept the ashes of Shiel "in a biscuit tin on the mantelpiece, putting a pinch in the stew for special guests."[34] Main article: Kingdom of Redonda The island of Redonda, seen from Nevis, with Montserrat in the distance, 2006 Redonda is the setting for the myth of the "Kingdom of Redonda". M. P. Shiel, an author of fantasy novels, claimed that in the year of his birth, 1865, his father Matthew Dowdy Shiell, from Montserrat, decided to celebrate his first male child by arranging for the boy to be crowned King of Redonda at the age of 15, in a ceremony purportedly carried out on the small island by a bishop. Shiel first expressed the idea of the "Kingdom of Redonda" in a promotional leaflet for his books. Since then, the title has been "passed down", and continues to the present day. For a period of time the "Royal" lineage of Redonda had a more or less solely literary theme, with the title being given to writers, such as John Gawsworth and Jon Wynne-Tyson. Wynne-Tyson (King Juan II), his successor the Spanish novelist Javier Marías (King Xavier), and rival contenders for the Redondan title, such as Gawsworth, William L. Gates and Bob Williamson, were featured in a BBC Radio 4 documentary, Redonda: The Island with Too Many Kings, which was broadcast in May 2007.[14] " I wonder whether Javier Marias still reigns over the guano?

I would like to you to react to the history of FINLAND. The time period when we were aligned with Germany during WWII is interesting. As well as the 1700-1800s. Or even before from 1000 onward that lead to our National Epoc 'Kalevala' which is almost like a 'bible' for us Finns. It's based in Carelia which we lost to Russia. My father was one of the last to born there.

Dam dude nice Geography knowledge

Im a noble of Sealand, a principality east of England. You can see all about us on this Sunday 26th Nov 2026 on CBS 60 minutes from 7:00 - 8:00 EST. We even have our own American football team !! Worth a watch. Baroness Riordan of Sealand x

The irony being that the same people in England who were pro-Brexit are the first to condemn Scotland wanting to break away from the UK. Even more ironic is the fact that a Remainer, like myself, can sympathise with them for wanting to leave because even though I’m English I am actually ashamed of what my country has become. Oh, and no, I am not going anywhere, so FU who suggests otherwise … 😊

You should definitely do a video on Sealand, its interesting and amusing and was embarrassing for the uk government at the time, it also involves kidnap attempts there are a few good you tube videos on it. My favourite line regarding are you a counrty is from Eddie Izzard Britain: we declare India for the British Empire. India: but this is our country you cant have it Britain: Do you Have A Flag? InDIA: NO britain: well your not a country then Lol

Your first pronunciation of Kosovo was correct. 😂❤

Sovereign military order of Malta

If you want to know more about Taiwan and the one-China policy, the Scottish RU-vidr WonderWhy has a truly excellent video on it. Actually, I think you'd really like WonderWhy's videos.

basically its all in the marketing😂

Just so you guys know those letters are English satire

All the countrys jave their owm flag

Not easy starting a country as we in the Irish Republic found out over seven hundred years. The rest of you had it dirt easy.

Hi JJLA, as you are in the USA and a RU-vid celebrity can you pop along to the UN and tell them that you endorse the Democratic Republic of Cliveland for me. Just tell them I am oppressed by my three dogs, two demanding kids and someone who says she is married to me, causing a long civil war which sadly I seem to lost. Thank you.

We all get educated lollll

You're American, your country was literally formed when a bunch of guys "declared" it - keep up the great vids

I guess the land itself has no idea what country it is in.

You should start an ASMR channel - your voice is so calming😄

Problem with Scottish independence is they cant afford it. England pays massive subsidies to Scotland just so they can make ends meet financially. Things like free university for Scots are only able to be done because of these subsidies, while English kids University costs grow higher and higher along with our taxes to pay for those in Scotland. (Please note, not at all a dig at any Scots, more a dig at both governments - Scottish and Westminster, neither of whom have managed decent organisational skills)

1st

For Scotland, it's not just Brexit. One of the big things that England/Westminster has had for years is that supposedly the other countries (Scotland, Wales, North Island) could have there own parliaments, handle tax & healthcare differently, and vote on rules and laws different to England/Westminster. This is the big thing that mostly appeased Scotland in the last referendum they had for independence. That was until recently when the Scottish government recently made a law that the current Tory government didn't like and so Westminster decided to veto that law change in Scotland. Regardless of what people thought about the law in question, the fact that Westminster took action to veto a Scottish law is the key issue that reopened the conversation again.

There is a connection between Scotland and Catalonia. The majority branch of the Scottish so-called "separatist" movement (SNP/Scottish Greens) are convinced that an independent Scotland would be welcomed into the EU. This is by no means a certainty, as Spain is highly likely to veto Scotland's admission due to the Madrid government's own separatist problem with Catalonia. The Scottish "separatist" movement is effectively dead due to increasing bitter infighting between the "old" separatists (SNP and its henchmen) who simply want to move Scotland from Westminster rule to Brussels rule, and the "new" separatists (Alba party, the true separatists) who want nothing to do with the EU. It is a fallacy that the Scottish independence movement has been strengthened due to Brexit., quite the contrary. Scottish unionism is safe for at least another couple of generations. The SNP are dead in the water, hopefully never to be revived. Interesting times ahead to see if Alba can unite the separatists (and how long it will take, if ever).

I don't like this channel you're reacting to. It's very shallow and picking some 'funny' aspects of history while not giving a good overview of how things actually are. I would categorise this channel (you're reacting to) as pulp, simple non-connect pieces of history.