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| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
| What is a micronation? Simply put, a micronation is, as the word implies, a small nation. The Kingdom of Hanover regards itself as a nation. Because of the size of our community, Hanover happens to be a micronation. It should be understood that the Kingdom of Hanover is in no way a part of the hobby known as "micronationalism." Hanover is, instead, a real national community with real citizens and a real government counting itself among the members of the community of nations. How can you have a nation without land? Don't mistake a nation for a state, which we do not claim to be. A nation is simply a group of people who identify themselves as such organized under a single, usually independent government. The Palestinian people, for example, while landless, are a nation. Are you recognized by the United Nations? I'm sure the United Nations has never heard of us before and probably never will. While the eventual achievement of statehood is not something we rule-out, we realize where we are at the moment and entertain no delusions of grandeur. I'll bet that king of yours entertains delusions of grandeur. Yeah, probably, but all kings are a little screwy, anyway. Why should ours be any different? So you've got a King. Does he have a Queen? No. King Thomas is currently Hanover's most available bachelor . Why a monarchy, anyhow? Why not a republic? We believe that a limited monarchy is a system of government preferable to a republic inasmuch as it provides us with an apolitical head of state who governs impartially and who is not beholden to any particular political party or movement. Many Hanoverians also enjoy the traditions and trappings of monarchy. Does the King wear a crown? To date, our gracious king has not been crowned. A formal installment of some sort is planned for the future, although the nature of the ceremony is yet to be determined. Due to the high cost of crowns these days and their general lack of availability, a coronation is unlikely. A simple oath-taking ceremony will likely prevail. Why does Hanover use Great Britain's heraldry? We don't, as a matter of fact. The heraldry you see was that of the long since defunct Kingdom of Hanover, adapted from Britain's when the Electors of Hanover ascended the British throne in the 18th century. Since that Kingdom no longer exists, we decided to adopt its heraldry, which we find quite lovely. Do You mean to somehow resurrect the defunct Kingdom of Hanover, now part of Germany? No. Our Kingdom of Hanover is a new nation which has adopted the name "Hanover" and certain external elements of the old Hanover (such as the flag, coat of arms, &c.) on account of a sentimental attachment to the old Kingdom on the part of its history-buff founders. Does Hanover plan to seceed from the nation? From which nation? Our citizens live in many different countries of the world and many of them are deeply patriotic. The Kingdom of Hanover is not a secessionist movement. If Hanover is not a simulation, why the references to palaces, bars, cities and churches? Well, were not a bunch of kill-joys for God's sake. Within every society there must be some sort of entertainment. This is a part of ours. We don't pretend that we actually have palaces or land, we only use representations of such elements to make our on-line experience more...aesthetically pleasing. You can compare the situation to the use of models in the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog: as they don't actually wear clothes they serve no practical purpose but they keep young hormonally active shoppers and gay men everywhere coming back again and again to max-out their charge accounts. Is Hanover merely an on-line nation? No. Some citizens of Hanover are quite committed yet rarely, if ever, participate on-line. As our citizens are spread out in many different areas of the globe, our discussion forums and chat room become, perhaps, the most convenient way for most of them to communicate with one another. Many citizens, however, are in contact with each other and with the government via telephone, email, postal service or even face-to-face. Do you actually have a real goods economy? Yes, we do. Our national currency, the Talen, is used to purchase the services of several businesses begun by various entrepreneurs. A law firm, a gambling casino, a heraldry design service and several media sources are amongst the businesses which have been established so far. The Royal Bank of Hanover was created by Sir Steven Foong, Hanover's Minister of Finance, to issue currency and to regulate the economy. All citizens are encouraged to open an account with the Royal Bank. Does this mean I will have to pay to participate in your nation? We're a nation, not a nightclub. We don't charge a cover at the door, if that's what you mean. It does mean you will have to provide some sort of compensation when you desire privatized services offered by vendors within the Kingdom. Keep in mind, all transactions are in Hanoverian Talen, so you won't be losing any Dollars or Pounds or Yen. How does one go about aquiring Hanoverian Talen? One opens a business which provides a service which others are willing to pay for. If not, one gets a job with a business which does. Sound familiar? Are you people half-crazy, or what? Some of us are, yes. Individuals stumbling onto a nation like ours for the first time will often scratch their heads in wonder. Once you become involved, however, it all seems to make sense. We invite you to spend some time with us to see what we're all about. Hanover, for whatever reason, tends to appeal primarily to type-A personality males addicted to power, politics and history and so we hereby issue an appeal to all artists, gardeners, poets, preachers, food critics, bartenders, librarians, lovers, dancers, actors, students, teachers and members of the ladies' altar society reading this page to apply for citizenship and rescue us from the madness! How do I become a citizen of Hanover? Simply visit the State Department's citizenship page and follow the easy-to-read instructions. What if I have more questions about the Kingdom of Hanover? We'll be delighted to answer them. Feel free to email any questions you may have to: kingdomofhanover@yahoo.com |
| 2003 . The Government of Hanover |
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