Duchy of Apisia

Duchy of Apisia
National flag of the Duchy of Apisia Flag National emblem of the Duchy of Apisia Coat of arms
Motto: Fiat voluntas Dei (Latin: May God's will be done)
Anthem: National anthem of the Duchy of Apisia
Sydney, Australia
Capital	Finch
Largest city	Tied
Official languages	English and German
Demonym(s)	Apisian
Government	Constitutional monarchy
• Duchess	Chloe I
• Prime minister	Thonks
Legislature	Parliament
Establishment	9 September 2021
Population
• Census	5
Currency	Australian dollar and Apisian ounce
Time zone	UTC+10 (AEST) and UTC+11 (AEDT)
Website Government website
This nation is a member of the Micro UN and a member of the Micronational Community of Australia.

The Duchy of Apisia, more simply known as Apisia (/əˈpiːʒə/ or /əˈpiːzijə/), is a micronation in Oceania. On 9 September 2021, the duchy seceded from the Commonwealth of Australia in order to build a more capable and favourable state, claiming territory in Sydney, Australia. Its current national flag and emblem were designed and adopted by the Duchess on 14 October 2021. The Duchy of Apisia is divided into baronies, each of which contains local councils which subservient to the Parliament. The Duchy of Apisia applied to join the Micro UN on 21 October 2021 and was accepted on 22 October 2021. The Duchy of Apisia also petitioned to join the Micronational Community of Australia on 22 October 2021, with the request passing with 3 in favour and 1 abstaining on 30 October 2021. The duchess sent a letter of withdrawal from the Micro UN to the president of the CCR, signed by herself and the prime minister, on 18 November 2021.

Monogram seal of Duchess Chloe I of Apisia

The Duchy of Apisia is officially a constitutional monarchy. The style of the head of state is the duke or duchess, with this title being held by Duchess Chloe I. The head of state represents the nation in foreign affairs and must ratify legislation before it is passed into law. The head of state can veto legislation (nominally, due to the legislation being unconstitutional, but any legislation may be vetoed), though a supermajority of the 75% of the parliament may call a referendum (requiring a supermajority of 75% of the citizenry) to depose the head of state and instate the heir as the new head of state. The Duchy of Apisia's head of government is the prime minister. The head of government presides over the cabinet, able to appoint cabinet members from the government. The head of government can also dismiss the parliament with consent from the head of state in a state of emergency. The parliament is the primary legislative organ of the Duchy of Apisia, made up of proportionally elected citizens, formed after every election. The cabinet is the primary executive organ of the Duchy of Apisia, able to propose legislation to the parliament. Elections are called by the head of government, with approval from either the head of state or a majority of the parliament.

The Duchy of Apisia strives to maintain healthy and neutral relations with other micronations. The nation deems itself pacifistic, and will only go to war out of necessity. The Duchy of Apisia has joined the Micro UN and the Micronational Community of Australia in order to expand its diplomatic mission.

Etymology

The name Apisia is derived from the genus of the honey bee, Apis, which reflects the land's traditional bee-keeping culture, which has since become extinct.

History

The Duchy of Apisia was founded on 9 September 2021. This day is celebrated as its national day. On 14 October 2021, its national flag and emblem were adopted as official symbols. The 16 October 2021, marked the adoption of the National Anthem of the Duchy of Apisia and Fiat voluntas Dei as the national motto.

On 21 October 2021, Apisia adopted an open diplomatic position by joining the micronations subreddit, and Apisia petitioned to join the Micro UN. The interim prime minister was also appointed by Her Majesty on this day. The Duchy of Apisia joined the Micro UN on 22 October 2021. On 22 October 2021, the Duchy of Apisia petitioned to join the Micronational Community of Australia and was admitted on 30 October 2021.

Politics and government

The Duchy of Apisia is a constitutional monarchy, with power being shared between the royal institution and the government.

The Parliament, Royal Administration, and Supreme Court are the three main arms of government, with each being responsible for legislation, executive functioning, and legal interpretation respectively. The Parliament is divided into the House and the Cabinet. The Cabinet, consisting of the prime minister, and two other politicians they appoint, drafts legislation and proposes it to the House. The House will discuss and then vote on the proposed legislation during scheduled sessions. Members of the House may vote for or against a piece of legislation, or they may abstain from voting. If the majority of those who voted are "for" the legislation, it will be signed by the prime minister and given to the Royal Administration to ratify or veto. If vetoed, the Royal Administration may comment on the legislation, and the Cabinet may edit it. It may be presented to the House again, repeating the process. It may be vetoed a total of twice, meaning any legislation can pass through Parliament thrice. If it fails to pass through the Parliament or is not ratified by the monarch in any of these three attempts, the legislation may not be proposed again until after the next election. If ratified, the legislation will become law.

Seat holders are able to send legislation to a Cabinet member, which may then be proposed to the House, should the Cabinet wish to do so.

Elections are based on the entire population and are conducted as a proportional popular vote, with no qualifying threshold implemented as of yet, meaning even the smallest parties have a chance of winning seats. The reason for the lack of a threshold is due to the small number of winnable seats.

Map of the claimed area of the Duchy of Apisia, with baronies labelled.

Royal Administration and baronies

The Royal Administration is the executive branch of government. It is made up of the head of state and barons. It is the responsibility of the Royal Administration to ratify legislation in each of their jurisdictions. Laws ratified on a national level will be applicable to all baronies. Baronies are responsible for local area management, but their legislative power is limited to their barony and may not conflict with national law. The head of state may take a baron to the Supreme Court to contest a law passed. Baronies have their own democratically elected governments, with a three-seat consensus council. This council functions in the same way as the Parliament, but on a local level, as though it were both the Cabinet and the House. The baron functions like the head of state, ratifying or vetoing local legislation.

Law and order

Interpretation of the law is done through a court system. The only official court as of the nation's establishment is the Supreme Court. The supreme justice is appointed by the head of state. On 23 October 2021, Terrence Poole was appointed as supreme justice.

The Royal Police Department of Apisia (RPDA) is responsible for enforcing the law, though this department only exists in theory.

Foreign relations

The Duchy of Apisia is a member of the Micro UN. It recognises all nations in the Micro UN and the Micronational Community of Australia. Similarly, it is recognised by the Micro UN and the Micronational Community of Australia. The Duchy of Apisia recognises all UN member states, apart from the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Duchy of Apisia also does not recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Apart from these, the Duchy of Apisia recognises the Republic of China, the Republic of Kosovo, the State of Palestine, and the Republic of Artsakh. The Duchy of Apisia is not recognised by any UN member state.

The duchess, prime minister, and supreme justice of the Duchy of Apisia unanimously agreed to withdraw from the Micro UN on 18 November 2021, following the organisation's shift towards militarism and suppression of free speech. A letter was sent the same day to the president of the CCR, citing concerns, and notifying the organisation of a two-week period of withdrawal, signed by the duchess and the prime minister.

The Duchy of Apisia wishes to maintain healthy relationships with other micronations, with an open, pacifistic diplomatic stance. An embassy for the New German Empire was established on 23 October 2021. An embassy in the CCR was established on 24 October 2021. A mutual recognition treaty with the Empire of Aënopia was signed on 27 October 2021.

Diplomatic relations

Nation/s	Recognises Apisia	Recognised by Apisia	Relations established	Embassies?
Member nations of the UN		(ex. People's Republic of China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea)	9 September 2021 (By Duchy of Apisia only)	N/A
Republic of China			9 September 2021 (By Duchy of Apisia only)
Republic of Kosovo			9 September 2021 (By Duchy of Apisia only)
State of Palestine			9 September 2021 (By Duchy of Apisia only)
Republic of Artsakh			9 September 2021 (By Duchy of Apisia only)
Member nations of the Micro UN	De jure (Micro UN)		22 October 2021	N/A
Member nations of the Micronational Community of Australia			22 October 2021	N/A
New German Empire			23 October 2021
CCR			24 October 2021
Empire of Aënopia			27 October 2021	Mutual recognition treaty

Military

The Duchy of Apisia does not have a standing military, nor a department of defence. The nation has not been involved in any form of conflict as of its foundation.

Geography and climate

The Australian magpie is the national animal of the Duchy of Apisia.

The average highest temperature, determined from Bureau of Meteorology data from 1995 to 2021, is 27.9 °C, and the average low is 5.7 °C. The nation is located in the Southern hemisphere, with the warmest temperatures in January, and coldest in July. Temperatures can range from high 30s to lower than 10 °C.

The average amount of rainfall is around 1069.8mm. Storms are occasional, especially in the Summer. It does not snow.

The elevation of the Duchy of Apisia is almost completely level, with no terrain that could be potentially difficult to traverse. The most notable natural feature is a camphor tree.

The Duchy of Apisia is located within Sydney, Australia, South of the harbour. It is a landlocked nation.

Economy

Taxation has not been implemented in the Duchy of Apisia. The nation has a projected annual budget of A$650, relying on benevolent income from foreign donors. The Duchy of Apisia does not import or export any tangible goods.

Culture and media

The culture of the Duchy of Apisia is nearly identical to that of upper-middle-class Sydney. There is an openness to LGBTQ+ issues, and individual rights and freedoms are sought after. The nation holds more potent religious values than its counterpart culture.

Education rates are among the highest in the world, with an education index of >0.8.

The official languages of the Duchy of Apisia are English and German, though only English is spoken on a day to day basis. There are no recognised minority languages.

Streaming services are commonplace in the Duchy of Apisia. There are no state-owned television channels, nor do the majority of citizens watch on-demand or free-to-air. Television has effectively died out.

The nation's press freedoms are uninhibited, with most media consumed being from foreign outlets.

Departments

Departments exist to devolve power and make governance easier. These organisations exist under the direct jurisdiction of the Royal Administration.

Seal of the Customs Department

Customs Department

The Customs Department is responsible for immigration management, visa issuance, and citizen application processing. It has jurisdiction over visa and citizenship applications and is one of the departments with access to electoral codes, given to every citizen, which they can use to vote in elections. The Customs Department was established on 23 October 2021.

See also

• Micronational Community of Australia
• Sydney, Australia
• Micro UN

External links

• TBD