Free Commonwealth of Penguinea
From Lomwiki, the micronation encyclopaedia
| Free Commonwealth of Penguinea | |
 Flag |  Arms |
| Motto: None Musical Anthem: Refugees, by Van der Graaf Generator | |
| |
| Location: | St Helena Island, Queensland, Australia, and western Antarctica. |
| Co-ordinates: | 27°23′36″S 153°13′54″E |
| Area: | 0.75 km2 (excluding Antarctica) |
| Capital: | Fort Cromwell |
| Membership: | < 20 |
| Date of foundation: | 16 October 1997 |
| Leadership: | Provisional Protector Evan Gallagher |
| Organisational structure: | Republic |
| Language: | English |
| Currency: | None |
The Free Commonwealth of Penguinea was a micronation created by disaffected members of the Kingdom of Talossa, as a consequence of their estrangement from the latter's then-leader, Robert Ben Madison. The group proclaimed their "independence from Talossa" on 16 October, 1997, under the leadership of Evan Gallagher, a resident of Brisbane, Australia.
Penguinea's largely symbolic territorial pretensions encompassed the sector of the Antarctic continent between 90° and 150° West, and the island of St Helena, a former penal settlement situated in Moreton Bay, in the Australian state of Queensland. The latter was designated its "spritual homeland".
In practice, Penguinea was an online community with a predominantly creative focus; one notable exemplar was the development of two versions of a constructed Penguinean language; the first was named it-Penginijtung. It was created by Daphne Lawless, Evan Gallagher and Jan Havliš, and was based on Japanese, Icelandic, German and Welsh; the second - named Pengeálige - was a creation of Eric Rothwell and Jim Morgan, and was based on Celtic languages.
Under the influence of a changing membership, Penguinea underwent a number of structural reorganisations and reinventions, and ceased to be identifiable as a micronation in 2000.
Evan Gallagher came to national attention in 2008 when he and his partner David Mills became the first same-sex couple to be married in Australia according to the rites of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
As at October 2010 a number of former members of Penguinea are members of the Republic of Talossa.
Contents |
References
External links
- Free Commonwealth of Penguinea website (at the Internet Archive).
Gallery
 Evan Gallagher, paramount leader of Penguinea. |
 Colonial-era ruins on St Helena Island. |
