7. The Republic of Rose Island
In 1967, Italian engineer Giorgio Rosa constructed a 400-square-meter platform in the Adriatic Sea, 11 kilometers off the coast of Rimini, Italy. He declared it the Republic of Rose Island on May 1, 1968, appointing himself president. The platform featured a restaurant, bar, nightclub, souvenir shop, and post office, and issued its own stamps. The Italian government viewed this as a tax evasion scheme and demolished the platform in February 1969.
