Free Republic of Verdis

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.

The border meets Croatia by land and meets Serbia at the centerline of the Danube as shown on the maps of this page.

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 state, 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.

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.

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

Size: 0.501km2

  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.

Croatian authorities on a beach in Verdis. The flag seen in the forest was vandalised by the officer in the photo.

Further information about the treatment of Verdisian’s by Croatian authorities can be found on the #StandWithVerdis website.

Life in Verdis

Since Verdis was founded, the country has been actively preparing to allow settlers to live on the land. As part of preparation, efforts for Verdis to become more involved in the international community have been made, along with an amount of surveying trips throughout the country itself to ensure the safety to access the land and the preparation of legal information.

Verdis’ permanent settlement officially begun on the 11 October 2023, however, this was quickly stopped by Croatian authorities who violated international law by entering the territory of the Free Republic of Verdis and also detaining its settlers, including journalists and numerous members of the government. As a result, the government of the Free Republic of Verdis are working towards taking the Croatian authorities to legal.

Verdis aims to be a country highly dedicated to democratic values, reconciliation of ethnic groups, modernisation, the environment, and many more goals.

0 +

Citizen's

0

Ministries

0

Acres

Benefits of Verdis

The development of the Free Republic of Verdis brings countless benefits not only to its citizens and settlers, but also neighbouring countries and nearby regions looking to boost their economy through tourism and cooperation. Verdis actively works to engage and build relations with nearby states and regions, along with using the services offered by locals of nearby towns and cities such as Aljmas, Osijek and Apatin.

Although Verdis is quite small, the country also serves as a good location for neutrality, allowing leaders to meet and communicate when disputes arise. Verdis can also serve as a hub for humanitarian organisations in Central & Eastern Europe. Verdis can also serve as an example to current and future states on topics dedicated to environmental consciousness.

The Verdisian Government is the central executive authority for the Free Republic of Verdis and is responsible for the efforts to become increasingly involved in the international community and is actively working to build relations and gain recognition from UN member and observer states.

The country is also highly dedicated to assisting with humanitarian work around the world, and has already hosted and taken part in many projects.

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