Republic of Rose Island

Uncommon card · No. 125111

The Republic of Rose Island (Esperanto: Respubliko de la Insulo de la Rozoj; Italian: Repubblica dell'Isola delle Rose, both lit. 'Republic of the Island of the Roses') was a short-lived micronation on a man-made platform in the Adriatic Sea, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) off the coast of the region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, built by Italian engineer Giorgio Rosa, who made himself its president and declared it an independent state on 1 May 1968. Although Rose Island had its own government, currency, post office, and commercial establishments, and the official language was Esperanto, it was never formally recognized as a sovereign state by any country of the world. The Italian government viewed it as a ploy by Rosa to raise money from tourists while avoiding national taxation. Rose Island was occupied by Italian police forces on 26 June 1968, subjected to a naval blockade, and eventually demolished in February 1969.

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