AFRICA

ASIA

SIBERIA

• Ethnic group: Sibiryak

• Proposed state: Siberian Republic

• Advocacy movements: Siberskoye Zemlyachestvo (Autonomy Movement), Sibir, Free Siberia, Democratic Siberia

  Movement: Siberian regionalism, National Alternative of Siberia

• Political parties: Monstration for Siberian Federalization, All-Siberian Democratic Union, Siberian Republican Alliance, Roar of the Taiga (Zov Taugi)

• Organizations: Siberian Agreement, Siberian Regional Organization (Siberskoye Zemlyachestvo)

The idea of a Siberian Republic came about in the mid-19th century and took shape with military activities of Aleksandr Kolchak and Viktor Pepelyayev during the Russian Civil War. In 1918 two provisional governments were formed, one in Vladivostok and another in Omsk. Both governments merged by the end of the year into the Provisional All-Russian Government, though Siberia would ultimately become part of the Soviet Union in 1922.

The idea of an independent Siberian Republic was considered in 1989, during the election of Congress of People’s Deputies of the Soviet Union, but they reached a compromise with the Siberian Agreement, which gave more regional power to the local leaders. Siberian autonomy was considered again in 1992, but the Siberian territories were consolidated under the Siberian Agreement and stated in its resolution that if the demands of Siberians were ignored, they would “accelerate the creation of the Siberian republic.”

Originally, regional governors were elected by local voters, but in 2004, then-President Vladimir Putin changed the law and decided to appoint the governors directly, greatly increasing the Kremlin’s authority over Russia’s far-flung regions, and there is common feeling that Moscow rules Siberia imperiously, with little regard for the wishes of the people there.

After the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, performance artist Artyom Loskutov wrote in his blog about an idea to create a Siberian Republic within the Russian Federation. Loskutov attempted to organize a mock demonstration called Monstration to take place on August 17 in Novosibirsk to promote Siberian Federalisation.

The protest was compared to Euromaidan that led to the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, with Nikolai Valuyev calling it the “first attempt of global efforts to promote separatism in Russia”, a message which was boosted by Progressive politician Aleksei Navalny via his personal blog. However, the Kremlin launched a media blackout of the event, and Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor issued warnings to 14 media outlets that ran the story and threatened to close BBC Russian Service.

Russian authorities banned the march and attempted to censor media coverage about the event, citing a recently passed law against “calls to mass unrest, extremist activities or participation in illegal public events.” The purpose of the protest was to “ridicule the Kremlin’s hypocrisy in the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and to raise the issue of Siberia’s delayed development”. He claimed that Western Siberia provides most of Russia’s oil and gas, but the region gets very little benefit since the taxes go to Moscow.

The argument for an independent republic is that Siberia makes up 77% of Russian territory (13.1 million square kilometers) and includes 40 million people. Western Siberia has rich oil and gas reserves, but the taxes go directly to Moscow. Getting extraction companies to pay taxes in the regions where they operate would benefit Siberia.

EUROPE

NORTH AMERICA

GREENLAND

• Ethnic group: Greenlandic Inuit

• Proposed state: Democratic People’s Republic of Greenland

• Political party(s): Inuit Ataqatigiit (Community of the People), Siumut (Forward), and Partii Inuit (Inuit Party), Partii Naleraq (Point of Orientation Party)

  ,Nunatta Qitornai (Descendants of Our Country)

Greenlandic independence is a political ambition of several political parties, advocacy groups, and individuals of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, to become an independent sovereign state.

A consultative referendum on home rule was held in Greenland on 17 January 1979. Just over 70.1% of voters voted in favor of greater autonomy from Denmark, leading to the establishment of a Greenlandic Parliament and Greenland gaining sovereignty in areas such as education, health, fisheries and the environment. As a result of the referendum, home rule came into effect 1 May 1979 and Greenland became an autonomous constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

In 1953 a new Danish Constitution incorporated Greenland in Denmark, the island thereby gained representation in the Danish Parliament and was recognized as a Danish province known as the County of Greenland. In 1979 the Danish government granted Greenland home rule, with Denmark keeping control of a number of areas including foreign relations, defense, currency matters and the legal system in Greenland.

In 2008 Greenland’s citizens approved the Greenlandic self-government referendum with a 75% vote in favor of a higher degree of autonomy. Greenland took control of law enforcement, the coast guard, and the legal system. The official language changed from Danish to Greenlandic on 21 June 2009, Greenland national day.

As part of the self-rule law of 2009 (section §21), Greenland can declare full independence if they wish to pursue it, but it would have to be approved by a referendum among the Greenlandic people. A poll in 2016 showed that there was a clear majority (64%) for full independence among the Greenlandic people, but a poll in 2017 showed that there was a clear opposition (78%) if it meant a fall in living standards.

Greenland’s former prime minister, Kuupik Kleist, has repeatedly expressed the need to diversify Greenland’s economy, which mainly relies on fishery, tourism and a substantial annual block grant from the Danish state.The block grant equals about two-thirds of Greenland’s government budget or about one-quarter of the entire GDP of Greenland. Economic stability is seen as a basis for full political independence from Denmark. When Kim Kielsen was reelected with a strong majority as the leader of the largest Greenlandic pro-independence party Siumut in 2017, observers considered it a win for the “slow-independence” faction instead of the “now-independence” faction.

In 2008, independence campaigners touted the year 2021 (the 300th anniversary of Danish colonial rule) as a date for potential independence.

LAURENTIA

• Proposed state:

• Pressure groups:

the Laurentian bioregion, an area that spans Southern Ontario, New England, portions of Quebec, and the eastern Midwest, which shares a common cultural, political, geographical, historical, and environmental link surrounding the St. Lawrence river.

The bioregion of Laurentia which rests atop the geoological feature known as the Laurentian craton in eastern North America.

Centered on the Great Lakes, this bioregion spans the Eastern Woodlands of North America from the easternmost part of the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast of the Northeastern United States and Canadian Maritimes. From north to south, it spans from the edge of the boreal forest in Canada, generally up to approximately the 50th parallel give or take a couple degrees of latitude and south to approximately the Ohio River, Potomac River and Ozarks.

Along with the bioregional similarities throughout the region, and the water cycle of the Great Lakes and regional namesake Saint Lawrence River, there are also strong cultural and economic connections in Laurentia. The Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario is the busiest border crossing in North America.

The Laurentian region was the destination of freed black slaves during the days of the Underground Railroad, both in the northern U.S. states and in Canada. In the nineteenth century, the border was porous and to this day family ties between American and Canadian Laurentians continue.

Laurentia includes many of the largest North American cities, including New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston, Toronto, Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Cleveland, Montreal, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Columbus and Minneapolis/St.Paul.

SONORA

Proposed state:

Political party(s):

The Sonoran Desert, also called Desierto de Altar, is an arid region spanning 120,000 sq mi (310,800 sq km), covering large parts of northwestern Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur, as well as southwestern Arizona and southeastern California

it is Mexico’s hottest desert.

The Sonoran desert wraps around the northern end of the Gulf of California, from Baja California Sur, north through much of Baja California, excluding the central northwest mountains and Pacific west coast, through southeastern California and southwestern and southern Arizona to western and central parts of Sonora.

The Sonoran Desert ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Peninsular Ranges, which separate it from the California chaparral and woodlands (northwest) and Baja California Desert (Vizcaino subregion, central and southeast) ecoregions of the Pacific slope.

To the north in California and northwest Arizona, the Sonoran Desert transitions to the colder-winter, higher-elevation Mojave, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau deserts.

To the east and southeast, the deserts transition to the coniferous Arizona Mountains forests and Sierra Madre and Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests at higher elevations. To the south the Sonoran–Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest is the transition zone from the Sonoran Desert to the tropical dry forests of the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

The highest area in the western part of the ecoregion, which reaches 1,206 m (3,956 ft) in elevation, was formed when intense volcanic activity adjacent to a portion of the Gulf of California formed a lava spill and a variety of cinder cones surrounding the Pinacate area.

The rest of the western section is composed of plateaus and sand dunes reaching no more than 200 m (656 ft) above sea level.

The south-central part of the Mexican state of Sonora is dominated by the foothills of the western Sierra Madre Occidental. These mountains reach elevations between 1,000 and 2,000 m (3,280 and 6,560 ft), resulting from a system of faults and generalized volcanic activity during the Cenozoic era.

Soils are sandy and alkaline in the dunes, but toward the Pinacate and mountainous regions they are made of igneous or metamorphic material.

The climate of the Sonoran Desert ecoregion varies slightly due to its large size. In the Arizona upland section climate is more mesic, with bi-seasonal rainfall between 100-300 mm annually.

Climate is subtropical dry near the Gulf of California. Near the Colorado River Valley and all remaining parts of the ecoregion temperatures are high year round with infrequent, irregular rainfall creating an arid dry climate.

The Desierto de Altar, in the western Sonoran ecoregion, is one of the driest areas in North America, with periods of drought that can last for 30 months. In general, the ecoregion is very dry receiving less than 90 mm (3.5 in) of annual rainfall.

Many wildlife species, such as Sonoran pronghorn antelopes (Antilocapra sonoriensis), desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and the endemic Bailey’s pocket mouse (Perognathus baileyi) use ironwood, cacti species and other vegetation as both shelters from the harsh climate and a water source.

Other mammals include predators such as mountain lions (Felis concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), and ring-tailed cat (Bassasiscus astutus), as well as their prey, such as black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus), and round-tailed ground squirrels (Spermophilus tereticaudus).

Other mammals able to withstand the extreme desert climate of this ecoregion include California leaf-nosed bat (Macrotus californicus)

Many plants not only survive, but thrive in the harsh conditions of the Sonoran Desert. Many have evolved to have specialized adaptations to the desert climate. The Sonoran Desert has the greatest diversity of vegetative growth of any desert in the world; 560 plant species grow in the extremely harsh conditions of drought and heat, and interact in a variety of ecological relationships that add to the complexity of the community.

More than 160 plant species, including six threatened succulents, depend upon legumes such as ironwood and mesquite for their regeneration in the Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran is the only place in the world where the famous saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) grows in the wild. Cholla (Cylindropuntia spp.), beavertail (Opuntia basilaris), hedgehog (Echinocereus spp.), fishhook (Ferocactus wislizeni), prickly pear (Opuntia spp.), nightblooming cereus (Peniocereus spp.), and organ pipe (Stenocereus thurberi) are other taxa of cacti found here.

Cactus provides food and homes to many desert mammals and birds, with showy flowers in reds, pinks, yellows, and whites, blooming most commonly from late March through June, depending on the species and seasonal temperatures.

Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and bur sage (Ambrosia dumosa) dominate valley floors. Indigo bush (Psorothamnus fremontii) and Mormon tea are other shrubs that may be found. Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert include desert sand verbena (Abronia villosa), desert sunflower (Geraea canescens), and evening primroses.

NEW ENGLAND

• Proposed state: Republic of New England

• Pressure groups: New England Independence Campaign, New England Republican Army, 2nd Hartford Convention

New England is a region that comprises of six states in the Northeastern region of the US. The states include Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In 1620, the area was an English settlement. The New England independence movement is the active secessionist movement in New England. They want to form an independent state that will have the interest of the New England population at heart.

New England is a region that comprises of six states in the Northeastern region of the US. The states include Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In 1620, the area was an English settlement. The New England independence movement is the active secessionist movement in New England. They want to form an independent state that will have the interest of the New England population at heart.

We are New England! Our home is a diverse,historic, and beautiful area in north america that is part of a divisive and abusive government. This campaign takes a bipartisan stance on U.S politics to focus on uniting the people of New England so that we may regain the promise of the founding fathers of the United States; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness.

We aim for Freedom, Liberty, and Prosperity in a government which no longer has any.

This movement is predicated upon the belief that the federal government has become too divisive, and “takes a non-partisan stance on U.S politics to focus on uniting the people of New England so that we may regain the promise of the founding fathers of the United States; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness.”

New England would encompass any state northeast of the New York State border, including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The economy of New England is extremely diverse and generates nearly $1 trillion per year in GDP.

New England’s government would be a democratic framework with larger local governments and smaller federal governments, with a focus on equity, personal liberty, and environmentalism. Support for the movement is unknown, as there has not been a poll of the subject to our knowledge. The site for the pressure group shows around 6,000 in visits.

Next: The

OCEANIA

SOUTH AMERICA

PATAGONIA

Patagonia (Spanish pronunciation: [pataˈɣonja]) is a sparsely populated region at the southern end of South America, shared by Chile and Argentina. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains and the deserts, pampas, and grasslands to the east. Patagonia is one of the few regions with coasts on three oceans, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Southern Ocean to the south.

The Colorado and Barrancas Rivers, which run from the Andes to the Atlantic, are commonly considered the northern limit of Argentine Patagonia.[1] The archipelago of Tierra del Fuego is sometimes included as part of Patagonia. Most geographers and historians locate the northern limit of Chilean Patagonia at Huincul Fault, in Araucanía Region.

The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains and the deserts, pampas, and grasslands to the east. Patagonia is one of the few regions with coasts on three oceans, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Southern Ocean to the south.

The Colorado and Barrancas Rivers, which run from the Andes to the Atlantic, are commonly considered the northern limit of Argentine Patagonia. The archipelago of Tierra del Fuego is sometimes included as part of Patagonia. Most geographers and historians locate the northern limit of Chilean Patagonia at Huincul Fault, in Araucanía Region.

Catalonia’s dream of independence also revealed more than one Patagonian. With the impulse of the October 1 referendum that determined the independence of Catalonia, in Patagonia this old idea is also refined. One of the referents of this movement that adds adherents to social networks is the businessman Diego Gastón Ergas, who launched a “call to all sectors of the Argentine Popular Field, Organizations, Political Parties, Clubs, Intermediate Institutions, Shops, Trade Unions, Businessmen , Argentine Military and Teachers to ensure the political and economic sovereignty of the Southern Region and the federal administration of our resources. For an Autonomous, Agroecological, Sustainable and Non-Nuclear Patagonia! ”, Says the communiqué spread in networks.

Among those who add their adhesions to this idea are the musician Oscar Payaguala, who recalls that “40 years ago we started that campaign. Few “turned on” but something will happen at some point, “he longed.

In Patagonia, 5% of the Argentine population produces 50% of the GDP for the entire country and many are aware of their exploitation. Several studies over the years have placed Patagonian independence at anything from 53% (Clarin) which also showed 78% of young people wanted independence… surely an idea of what the future holds: