Conch Republic

Conch Republic Micronation
Flag
Motto: We Seceded Where Others Failed (also: The Mitigation of World Tension through the Exercise of Humor)
Status	Under United States Control
Official languages	English
Organizational structure	Republic
• Founding Prime Minister	Dennis Wardlow
• Secretary General	Sir Peter Anderson
Establishment
• Declared	April 23, 1982
Area claimed
• Total	15.4 km2 (5.9 sq mi)
Purported currency	Conch Dollar (US Dollar de facto)

The Conch Republic (República de la Concha) is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek secession of the city of Key West, Florida, from the United States on April 23, 1982. It has been maintained as a tourism booster for the city since. Since then, the term "Conch Republic" has been expanded to refer to "all of the Florida Keys, or, that geographic apportionment of land that falls within the legally defined boundaries of Monroe County, Florida, northward to 'Skeeter's Last Chance Saloon' in Florida City, Dade County, Florida, with Key West as the nation's capital and all territories north of Key West being referred to as 'The Northern Territories'".

While the protests that sparked the creation of the Conch Republic (and others since then) have been described by some as "tongue-in-cheek," they were motivated by frustrations over genuine concerns. The original protest event was motivated by a U.S. Border Patrol roadblock and checkpoint that greatly inconvenienced residents and tourists.

The Conch Republic celebrates Independence Day every April 23 as part of a week-long festival of activities involving numerous businesses in Key West. The organization — a "Sovereign State of Mind", seeking only to bring more "Humor, Warmth and Respect" to a world in sore need of all three according to its Secretary General, Peter Anderson — is a key tourism booster for the area.

The official stringed instrument of The Conch Republic is the Conchalele. The Rock Lives On Millionaire Gallery, on Duval Street in Key West, recently had one on display. Bob MacPhail, a Speech Professor at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, Florida, is the creator of this instrument. David Herzog and Chuck Fox of the Island Time Band entertain with it touring throughout the Florida Keys and the Mid West.

In 1982, the United States Border Patrol set up a roadblock and inspection point on US 1 just north of the merger of Monroe County Road 905A/Miami-Dade County Road 905A onto US 1 (they are the only two roads connecting the Florida Keys with the mainland), in front of the Last Chance Saloon just south of Florida City. Vehicles were stopped and searched for narcotics and illegal immigrants. The Key West City Council complained repeatedly about the inconvenience for travelers to and from Key West, claiming that it hurt the Keys' important tourism industry. Eastern Air Lines, which had a hub at Miami International Airport, saw a window of opportunity when the roadblocks were established; Eastern was at the time the only airline to establish jet service to Key West International Airport, counting on travelers from Key West to Miami preferring to fly rather than to wait for police to search their vehicles.