Zaqistan
Republic of Zaqistan Zaqistan | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Quispiam Ex Nusquam (Something From Nothing) | |
 Zaqistan in Utah | |
| Capital | Zaqopolis |
| Leaders | |
• President | Zaq Landsberg |
| Establishment | November 19, 2005 |
| Time zone | Zaqistan Standard Time (ZST) |
Zaqistan, officially the Republic of Zaqistan, is an art project founded in 2005 in Box Elder County, Utah by Zachary ("Zaq") Landsberg.[1] Some have referred to it as a micronation and, like all other micronations (not to be confused with microstates), it is not officially recognized by any other sovereign state.[2]
Background
Landsberg, a sculptor who lives in Brooklyn, claims he bought the two-acre property in 2005 for $610 on eBay and visits the site once or twice per year. State and local officials have stated that he pays property taxes on the land, which has no buildings on it. Landsberg, who refers to the property as an art project, has installed sculptures, a "border patrol gate", and sells "passports" on his website.[2]
Location
The self-proclaimed Republic of Zaqistan is located in the Newfoundland Evaporation Basin of the The Great Salt Lake in the Great Basin Region of North America. It is extremely remote, being 50 miles (80 km) from any gas station, 15–20 miles (24–32 km) on dirt roads from the highway and then 2 miles (3.2 km) hiking though the desert after that. The nearest town is Montello, Nevada, about 60 miles away.[2]
Zaqistan is 100 miles (160 km) to the northwest of Salt Lake City, approximately 25 miles (40 km) south-south-west of Park Valley, Utah. The ghost town Terrace is 6.2 miles (10 km) away.[citation needed]
Publicity
Marking its five-year anniversary, a video documentary art project was created by the Zaqistan Arts Council, formed by Sofia Gallisá, Zaq Landsberg, Scott Riehs, and Jeff Sisson.[3] In September, 2015, during the preparations for the nation's decennial, Utah's KSL News broadcast the story and interviewed Landsberg.[4] In October 2015, Associated Press picked up the story which resulted in it also being run in various publications.[5]
References
- ^ Alex Cabrero (October 20, 2015). "Man creates Republic of Zaqistan in Box Elder County". Deseret News.
- ^ a b c Cathy Free (October 27, 2015). "New Yorker Zaq Landsberg Creates His Own Country Called Zaqistan in Remote Utah Desert – But He Doesn't Live There". People.
- ^ "Building Zaqistan: The first five years surviving in Utah". Daily Mail Online. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
- ^ "New York man creates 'sovereign nation' in Box Elder County". KSL.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
- ^ "New York man creates 'sovereign nation' in Utah". Associated Press. Oct 24, 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
External links
- Zaq Landsberg interview on Chicago: WGN-AM radio (Interview occurs at 35:00.)
- Ventures Africa: There's more to micronations than lunacy
- Brenna Visser's Take on the News: Zaqistan and Marco Rubio
- New York artist founds his own nation in Utah desert
- Vice magazine: One Man's 'Sovereign Nation' in the Middle of the Utah Desert
- The Official Zaqistan Website
