In an era when nearly every piece of land on Earth belongs to a recognised state, the idea of starting a new country can sound almost impossible. Yet Daniel Jackson, a 20-year-old with British and Australian citizenship, insists he has done exactly that. Jackson is the self-declared president of the Free Republic of Verdis, a tiny patch of forest and sand along the Danube River between Serbia and Croatia that he says qualifies as terra nullius — land claimed by no country. His project has attracted thousands of online supporters, a volunteer government and even its own passports. But Jackson himself cannot enter the territory he claims to rule. After attempting to settle the land in 2023, he says Croatian authorities removed him and imposed a lifetime ban, leaving the would-be president running his micronation from exile.
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