For R3.7-million, these guys created their own island country

It's not uncommon to hear people say that they wished that they could escape to an island somewhere off the coast of nowhere. Most of the time they don't mean it literally, but you get their point.

As much as it would be an ideal way of just getting away from all the stresses and hassles of life, it's more of a mental escapism. Just the ideology of living a simple life on an island... ahh, what an image...

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Of course, when people say this, it is rarely followed up with the intent of actually going ahead and buying or occupying an island. But this group decided that would be their plan in life - to find the funds to buy their own island and create their own piece of the world, a country of their own. 

"Mayer is co-founder of Let's Buy an Island, an ambitious project that in 2018 set out to crowdfund the purchase of an island. By December 2019, the group's aspirations became reality, raising over $250,000 to complete the purchase of Coffee Caye, a 1.2-acre, uninhabited island off the coast of Belize." (CNN)

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It is the world's first crowdfunded island, plus investors haven't just purchased a share of the Belizean property, but have also invested in the world's first micronation (an entity that claims independence but isn't recognized as such by the international community). (CNN)

The micronation is run on a democracy and each investor has one democratic vote when it comes to any decision-making process. 

"Coffee Caye was purchased for $180,000 plus tax, and the sale was completed in December 2019 -- right before Covid-19 put a halt to any further plans." (CNN)

The micronation also has its own national anthem, a national flag, and a government that's been elected by the investors. Now we're not sure if we are about that life, but it sure is something of a revolution. 

Now, somehow, the unattainable becomes real, that which we only dreamt about has evolved into a reality. Who said you can't have your cake and eat it? 

Image Courtesy of Instagram