New York Man Claims He’s Formed His Own Sovereign Nation

Tired of the direction his own country was going, one New York man decided enough was enough and formed his own country. Welcome to Zaqistan.

30 year-old freelance artist Zac Landsberg out of Williamsburg has been reportedly running his very own “sovereign nation” know as the Reublic of Zaqistan, in middle-of-nowhere Utah for the past decade. Now Landsberg is thinking about officially putting his country on the map.

Landsberg is the self appointed head of state and lone semi-regular resident of the 4-acre plot. He told the NY Daily News that he visits the country a few days out of the year.

Zaqistan has its very own red-and-yellow flag, its own passports (with an application process — $40 suggested fee) and a welcome sign greeting anyone who somehow makes the trek there. It even has a national motto: “Something for nothing.”

However, what the Republic is missing is government, economy, recognition, or any other people outside of Landsberg himself.

Landsberg is a 2007 NYU graduate. He said he founded Zaqistan as a college student in August 2005 as a "tongue-in-cheek thing." According to him, he purchased the land, 50 miles from the nearest town, on eBay. Since then, the nation has mainly served as an occasional hangout spot with his friends.

After its decade anniversary, Landsberg is said to be making a more concerted effort to build “monuments” on Zaqistan soil, which in this case amounts to small sculptures and statues and public works projects.

You got to start somewhere. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day.