How to make a country

[Scientific_potato]

Ever since i had ideas on how to improve my own country, i always thought it would be cool to make one... but the thing is i dont know how.
I've thought about doing a charter city instead but i'd love full independence to experiment with certain policies, governments, economic systems, how houses are built, how you vote, public transportation... you get the idea. i dont want it to be big, maybe the size of a medium city.
this city would be more for experimentation at first (haven't considered the troubles of redesigning a city rapidly.)

if you think this discussion should go somewhere else please let me know, i wasnt quite sure where this would belong.
and yes, i am aware this is (probably) the stupidest idea ever thought.

[Phi for All]

There are going to be steps needed by anyone trying to form a micronation, like acquiring the land. This is a tough step considering no existing country wants to give up good territory. It may be easier to suppose you can just build an island in an appropriate place.

Then there are steps (you mentioned some) that are unique to your new country, like your energy and transportation infrastructure, economy, and port systems. Are you a democracy or something else? One of the most important considerations is how you'll deal with other countries. Do you want open trade or do you want to protect your own manufacturers?

It might be interesting to focus this discussion on how a new country like this could attract people to be citizens. What policies would you draft that would be most attractive to the people you want to populate your country?

[swansont]

If memory serves there was someone who had an artificial island (WWII radar station, or something like that) in international waters who declared themselves to be a sovereign nation. 

<pause> found it

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand

One of the issues this points out is that other countries can just ignore your sovereignty claims.

 

[Scientific_potato]

3 hours ago, Phi for All said:

There are going to be steps needed by anyone trying to form a micronation, like acquiring the land. This is a tough step considering no existing country wants to give up good territory. It may be easier to suppose you can just build an island in an appropriate place.

Then there are steps (you mentioned some) that are unique to your new country, like your energy and transportation infrastructure, economy, and port systems. Are you a democracy or something else? One of the most important considerations is how you'll deal with other countries. Do you want open trade or do you want to protect your own manufacturers?

It might be interesting to focus this discussion on how a new country like this could attract people to be citizens. What policies would you draft that would be most attractive to the people you want to populate your country?

Im not particularly looking to make money via natural resources like ore, lumber, or anything like that.
im wanting to make money by taxing things like businesses and stuff, idk. it really depends on if i get land that does have resources i guess. 
i just had an idea- can the government invest in businesses?

DISCLAIMER: most of what i know about science was self taught via youtube and google, take my opinions/ideas with a grain of salt

[swansont]

6 minutes ago, Scientific_potato said:

Im not particularly looking to make money via natural resources like ore, lumber, or anything like that.
im wanting to make money by taxing things like businesses and stuff, idk. it really depends on if i get land that does have resources i guess. 
i just had an idea- can the government invest in businesses?

It would be your government. You could set it up any way you want. There are governments that own businesses. Sometimes they’ve always owned it, sometimes they seize privately-owned industries; the latter is called nationalization

[Scientific_potato]

 

5 minutes ago, swansont said:

It would be your government. You could set it up any way you want. There are governments that own businesses. Sometimes they’ve always owned it, sometimes they seize privately-owned industries; the latter is called nationalization

im not saying i would want full control of companies, i mean i would want to pay companies that are developing money to further develop and then after go and take some of their money? idk, maybe it would be a good idea to control companies- not in the way that china does (they use their control to spy on people from other countries)

[Peterkin]

1 hour ago, Scientific_potato said:

Im not particularly looking to make money via natural resources like ore, lumber, or anything like that. im wanting to make money by taxing things like businesses and stuff, idk. it really depends on if i get land that does have resources i guess. 

Before you can tax anyone, the money must first exist. There has to be an economy in place.

First, you have an territory with a particular location, climate and geography. Next, you have in your territory a specific number of people of a particular ethnicity, demographic and culture. Start with the basics. Google Earth can help locate your fictional country. Once you have the place, you'll know the resources, settlement, energy and transportation options. 

Then, you have to invent or borrow a history for that nation. Was it always a sovereign nation, or is it and emancipated colony - if the latter, by what means was independence gained? Or is it uninhabited and you're leading a diaspora to settle it?

Have you considered the form of government? You need a constitution to lay out the principles on which the country is governed.

If you really want to do this thought-project, think like a world-builder.

[Scientific_potato]

 

11 hours ago, Peterkin said:

Before you can tax anyone, the money must first exist. There has to be an economy in place.

First, you have an territory with a particular location, climate and geography. Next, you have in your territory a specific number of people of a particular ethnicity, demographic and culture. Start with the basics. Google Earth can help locate your fictional country. Once you have the place, you'll know the resources, settlement, energy and transportation options. 

Then, you have to invent or borrow a history for that nation. Was it always a sovereign nation, or is it and emancipated colony - if the latter, by what means was independence gained? Or is it uninhabited and you're leading a diaspora to settle it?

Have you considered the form of government? You need a constitution to lay out the principles on which the country is governed.

If you really want to do this thought-project, think like a world-builder.

how about we start thinking about what type of government/economy/geography it should have
im going to spend some more time to figure out what i want for these (im not looking to replicate successful countries but to improve on them)

[Peterkin]

1 hour ago, Scientific_potato said:

how about we start thinking about what type of government/economy/geography it should have
im going to spend some more time to figure out what i want for these (im not looking to replicate successful countries but to improve on them)

Okay by me, but you're going the wrong way around. You have to know the land and its economic potential, the  population, its culture and its needs before you can design a government that will work in the long term. You've seen enough conquering nations try to foist their own idea of governance on other countries and it doesn't take. The successful countries have had a stable population for centuries and longer, and they hammered out their present system slowly, over time. If that's the way you intend to go, read their history first. Or any history.

Edited May 16 by Peterkin