About Verdis
Verdis, officially the Free Republic of Verdis (Croatian: Slobodna Republika Verdis) (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободна Република Вердис) is a sovereign state located between Croatia and Serbia along the Danube river. On some maps, especially local maps, this land is known as Pocket-3 of the Croatia-Serbia border dispute.
The parcel of land appeared due to an existing border dispute between Croatia and Serbia. The area had not been claimed by Croatia, Serbia, or any other nation, entity, or private entity, which left the land unclaimed (terra nullius) since the Croatian War of Independence until it was proclaimed as the Free Republic of Verdis on 30 May 2019 by Daniel Jackson and his administration.
Government
The Governance Structure of the Free Republic of Verdis functions as a Direct Democracy under a Republic. More can be read on the government page.
Inhabitants
As the country is still developing, there are currently no inhabitants in Verdis. The Government of the Free Republic of Verdis plans to allow people to live on the land claim once enough funding, international recognition, and planning have been reached.
While Verdis doesn’t currently have any permanent inhabitants, there are around 323 citizens, most of which are Croatian and Serbian. Over time, Verdis has received thousands of applications for citizenship.
There are also Verdisian Representatives located nearby who have continuous active access to the land claim to physically administer Verdis.
Territory
The Free Republic of Verdis is located between Croatia and Serbia along the western side Danube River. On some maps, the land is known as Pocket-3 of the Croatia-Serbia border dispute.
The land size of the claimed territory reaches around 0.254km2. When including waters (which reach the centerline of the Danube), Verdis’ claim reaches 0.501km2, with the waters being just 0.247km2, making Verdis slightly larger than Vatican City.
The border meets Croatia by land and meets Serbia at the centerline of the Danube as shown on the maps of this page.
Official Languages: English, Croatian, Serbian
Demonym(s): Verdisian, Verdish
Government: Republic with elements of Direct Democracy
Established: 30th May 2019
Currency: Euro
Timezone: Central European Time (CET)
Date format: dd/mm/yyyy
ISO 3166-1 ALPHA 2 CODE: VS
ISO 3166-1 ALPHA 3 CODE: VRD
COORDINATES: 45.594642,18.907913
Verdis (pocket 3) along danube river
Under international law, no other nation may lay claim to the pocket as it has already been claimed by the Free Republic of Verdis, which makes Verdis the original entity under international law. The territory has been claimed as de jure under international law as Verdis is the oldest active claimant to the land claim.
Flag
The blue at the bottom of the flag represents the Danube river, the white represents peace and unity, and the top blue represents clear skies.
Coat of Arms
Verdis’ Coat of Arms has a number of important features. The checkers represent Croatian culture, the firesteel represents Serbian culture, the wavy lines represent the Danube river, the bird represents the White Stork, the national bird of Verdis, and the trees represent strength and peace.
What defines a state?
According to Article 1 of the 1933 Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, the canonical definition in international law reads: “The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population; (b) a defined
territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states.”
The Free Republic of Verdis has fulfilled all these criteria and principles set out in the Montevideo Convention ever since its inception.
Additional international legal considerations in Verdis’ favor:
– The formation of Verdis as a state is based on self-government of its own people, i.e. its citizens;
– Verdis was proclaimed with the tacit consent of its former claimants Croatia and Serbia, which both have waived claim to the territory;
– Verdis does not violate the territorial integrity of any other country;
– Verdis was not claimed by use of force;
– Verdis is not a separatist or secession movement;
– Verdis is not a coup or takeover of an existing state
– There is no applicable counterclaim to that of Verdis on the indicated territory