Westarctican Colony of Raphania
Our History:
The Westarctican Colony of Raphania (raf-ae-nee-uh), otherwise known as Raphistan, is an autonomous nation and protectorate of the Grand Duchy of Westarctica, located in the southwestern deserts of North America. The nation is surrounded completely by the United States, namely by the State of Arizona.
Raphania has existed in one form or another since February of 2007 when it rose from a simple political experiment in the playground of a primary school, into the community of friends and family that it exists as today.
The Grand Emirate was first founded in 2007 by its first leader Charles. He, along with several schoolmates wished to create a new nation for themselves from the ground up. This new project would be known as the Kingdom of Rosston and would follow its creators through most of their primary school years. However, by 2013, most of those involved in Rosston had moved on to other things, and the country therefor became inactive and dormant.
This dormancy would end in March of 2017 when after receiving a new spark of inspiration, Charles along with a close friend would once again reactivate Rosston. Wishing to show a new era for the nation, the country would change its name to the People's Republic of Phokland with Charles being declared Prime Minister. Eventually, Charles would be crowned monarch and the state would once again change its name, this time to the Principality of Phokland.
In this state, the nation would undergo two more name changes in its lifetime, becomeing next the Tsardom of Phokland in 2018 and finally the Phoklandian Free State in early 2020.
Unfortunatly for the small nation, 2020 would also spell disaster as in April of that year, the government would fracture and left without land and citizenry, Charles (now using the reigning title of Charles I) would once again declare the micronation inactive.
This inactivity would last until September of 2021, when after purchasing a 1.16 acre property in northeastern Arizona, Charles would reactivate Phokland, changing its name to the Desert Realm of Raphistan (otherwise known as Raphania) and would claim the property as the territory of the nation. He would also change his reigning name to Shah Alexander I and create a caricature around the title acting as a "despotic dictator" over the land and few citizens which would come to join him in running the small nation.
Eventually, Raphistan would acquire more land through the purchase of a second 0.32 sq. acre property and the ceremonial annexation of a deserted strip of lakefront. Due to the growth of the nation, Charles wanted to ditch his dictator persona and present a more actuate front-facing version of himself to the nation. He therefor launched a "coupe" against Shah Alexander I in April 2022 and returned himself as leader of Raphistan, which he christened as the Grand Emirate of Raphania with himself as Grand Emir.
Basic Information:
The Grand Emirate of Raphania is considered politically to be a neo-absolute monarchy under the rule of the Grand Emir. The nation is made up of two properties of land owned by the monarch, known administratively as Prefectures.
These properties are known as the Raphanian Frontier and Homeland Prefecture with the Raphanian Frontier being based around its regional center of Al-Aarondad City; named for the biblical brother of Moses, Aaron, and Homeland Prefecture centered around Raphania's national capital of Goree; named for the maiden name of the royal consort of Raphania, Emira Sarahann Marie, the Princess of Goree.
In addition to the two prefectures, a small strip of land not owned by the monarch is claimed by Raphania ceremonially. This land, designated as a Ceremonial Province, is known as the Herenolia Coast and is centered around its capital, Point Bokka. The strip is a small slice of rocky lake coastline where the Grand Emir would often frequent. In addition, an honorary "Consulate" exists which is in fact occupied by and was ceded by the nation's first Prime Minister; Tony. The area includes a small residence named Garretsburg and acts as a secondary meeting place for the Raphanian government. Garretsburg is centered around its capital of Frankeville.
Finally, Raphania controls a Protectorate known as Frestonburg which consists of a large public park in Arizona. The territory was ceded on 24 June 2022 by the Commonwealth of Dracul, who gifted the territory of "Las Verdes Colinas" (translating roughly to "The Green Hill") to the Grand Emirate of Raphania. The reasons for this stemmed from Dracul's lack of management over the territory and Raphania's desire to assume control over it and use it for micronational development. The territory had once been in part or wholly a part of several micronations before Dracul, many of which Emir Charles was involved in personally, such as the; Kingdom of Gendarania, Tsardom of Phokland, Empire of Kyberia, Federal Republic of Misladistan (from whom the former territorial flag was derived) and the Grand Imperial Empire of Lanzantonia. The area consists of a large public park with a narrow-gauge leisure railway, several small lakes and islands, recreation areas and a small permanent carnival which serves as the administrative capital of Darvin. Upon Raphania assuming sovereignty over the area, it was designated nominal independence as a Raphanian Protectorate under the direct administration of the Emir of Raphania, in a similar way to how the Congo Free State served as the personal territory of King Leopold II of Belgium. Following Raphania's annexation of the Colinas, it was formally renamed to Frestonburg and its flag was changed from the former Mislandistani flag to its current blue, white and red tri-color.
