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The Northern Forest Archipelago FAQ's
(Frequently Asked Questions)
In the following document, you will find the answers to some of the most common questions asked about the Northern Forest Archipelago. If after reading through this section, you find that you still have questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the NFA Ministry of Information.
Q: I hear terms like nation, state, nation-state, and sovereign (some or all with "micro" stuck on the front) used a lot in the description of micronations, what do they mean, and where does the NFA fit in?
A:That is a tricky question that covers a lot of territory. Here are a group of definitions used by the NFA, taken from numerous standard reference tools and online forums:
Nation: A group of people who share common customs, culture, physical location or territory, history, and (frequently) language.
State: The government or supreme public power within a sovereign political entity; an institutional structure charged with exercising authority within a definable jurisdiction.
When thinking about states, one should also take note of the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, which forms the traditional internationally accepted basis for the legal definition of statehood:
Article 1: The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states.
Nation-state: A group of people who share common customs, culture, physical location or territory, history, and (frequently) language, and the government or supreme public power within a sovereign political entity; an institutional structure charged with exercising authority within a definable jurisdiction.
Sovereign: The right of a political entity to exercise power, free from external compulsion or restraint; self-governing and independent
Micro: Very small.
The Northern Forest Archipelago is a very small sovereign nation-state and has been since 1998. We are entitled (by international law) to the rights of a sovereign State, which includes participating in all international organizations and maintaining normal diplomatic relations with all other sovereign states. We meet all the criteria set forth in Article 1 of the 1933 Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States. We have a sovereign government exercising effective jurisdiction over well-defined territories with permanent residents, and we have diplomatic relations with several other sovereign states.
The Northern Forest Archipelago defines itself as a very small nation-state, by which we mean: A small group of people who share common customs, culture, physical location or territory, history, and (frequently) language, and the government or supreme public power within a sovereign political entity; an institutional structure charged with exercising authority within a definable jurisdiction. We also sometimes use and will answer to the term micronation, as it is commonly used as a sort of umbrella for a wide variety of small nations and/or states and/or simulations.
Lots of people and nations and states (both micro and macro) use the term micronation to describe what could more accurately be defined as (micro) nations, (micro) states, (micro) nation-states, online forums, one-man ego-nations and rant-sites. It is a convenient term that has to date been used as a catch-all covering a lot of territory, and will likely continue to be used for the foreseeable future (including use by the NFA when dealing with people and organizations outside the NFA depending on their use of the terms above). We choose to let the actions and choices of people and organzations that we deal with determine their status, rather than the definitions or names or titles they assign themselves or others.
The NFA has no interest in telling anyone what to think or what to call themselves.
Q: Would you classify the NFA as primarily online? What
purpose do you see your online presence serving?
A:
The NFA is primarily a land and animal and plant based nation-state, with a relatively new informational website (the NFA is over 5 years old, but our web-presence is only about 1 year old).
Q: Does the NFA have actual territory? Do you plan to acquire territory/more
territory in the future?
A:
Backwoods, the capital of the NFA, was founded on 28 acres of land in the Adirondack region of New York State. The rest of the NFA is made up of other privately owned parcels of land and a number of parcels of state and federal land of the USA and various US states in the Great Northern Forest (New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine). The King of the NFA is currently engaged in negotiations to purchase another chunk of land, also in the Adirondack region.
Q: Are there any other real countries in circumstances similar to the NFA?
A: Let's see...
The NFA has a small amount of territory...so do the Vatican city and the Principality of Monaco.
The NFA exists within another state...so do the Navaho nation and the Channel Islands.
The NFA is not recognized formally by the United States... neither are Taiwan or Tibet.
The NFA is not (yet) a member of the United Nations...neither are the Cayman Islands or Palestine.
Q: What type of government does the NFA have?
A: The NFA is a constitutional Monarchy, with three branches: the monarchy, the parliment, and the justice system. The Monarchy is a posting for life, permanent residents vote for members of the parliament every 6 years, and the members of the justice system are appointed jointly by the monarchy and the parliament for life. The 3 branches were created with a balance of power in mind, and this works most of the time.
Q: Does the NFA want/plan to secede from the United States?
A: The answer is an unequivocal NO. The NFA and is not looking to secede from the USA. The NFA exists within the United States, permanent residents of the NFA are also residents of the USA. Residents of the NFA pay U.S. taxes, vote in the U.S., and abide by all of the laws of the USA. The NFA has made the U.S. Department of State aware of our existence through numerous communiques over the years, and our two nations will continue to live together and apart in peace and harmony.
Q: What is the symbolism behind the NFA's flag? Was it created by a
citizen, some outside source, or adapted from a pre-existing flag?A:
The flag of the NFA comes from an original design by the King. The field of blue symbolizes the water that makes our land so rich in biodiversity and natural beauty. The field of green symbolizes the forest (and other plant life) that makes the Great Northern Forest such a magical place. The white background symbolizes the lovely snow which covers so much the NFA for so much of each year, encouraging hardiness, wintersports, and community. The loon represents the wonderful animals of the lakes and rivers, and the moose represents the fantastic array of land-based animals. The crossed snowshoes give a friendly nod to the relatively small human population of the NFA, while reminding them that we are all guests visiting the Great Northern Forest, and should tread lightly upon the Earth.
Q: How does the NFA carry out foreign relations? Is there one
person heading the effort or a cadre? What are the goals of your
foreign relations?A:
Official foreign relations of the NFA are carried out by Marjorie Boodlesmythe, Minister of Foreign Relations for the NFA. The goals of the foreign relations program of the NFA are: to establish friendly and beneficial relations with other nations and states, pursue the goals set out as the guiding principles of the NFA (see below), increase the NFA's knowledge about other nations and states and micronationalism in general, promote a positive image of the NFA, and carry out any other initiatives put forward by the King and/or parliament.
Q: Please describe the NFA's monetary system and currency.A:
The NFA Sweat Equity Buck is based on a theory called "Community Currency". We printed our own money because we watched Federal dollars come to the NFA, shake a few hands, then leave to buy rainforest lumber and fight wars. NFASEBs, by contrast, stay in our region to help us hire each other. While dollars make us increasingly dependent on transnational corporations and bankers, NFASEBs reinforce community trading and expand commerce which is more accountable to our concerns for ecology and social justice.
NFASEBs are backed by the labor that created and continues to create them. The NFASEB based economy was born through service to the NFA, but has grown beyond these simple beginnings. They are called "Sweat Equity" Bucks because the equity backing and supporting the currency is the sweat of the people of the NFA shed in honest work. A simple explanation of how we introduce NFASEBs into the economy can be shown using real examples, the construction of the Backwoods townhall and the government website: the citizens who worked on these and other projects were paid at a rate of 1 NFASEB per hour for their labor. By virtue of the fact that they worked hard to earn the NFASEBs, they will value them at an appropriate level, and can then turn them around to pay other citizens for goods and services as a usable medium of exchange within the NFA. The government was the first distributor of NFASEBs, but they have now spread throughout the archipelago, and as their number and value continues to grow, they are beginning to be used as currency by our citizens.
A little faith in the system was all that was required to get the ball rolling, and by now, the NFASEB is widely used and accepted throughout the NFA. The NFA Minister of Finance, Frances Kibble, keeps track of, and control over, the issuance of each and every NFASEB entering our economy. Some of those operating on the NFASEB system have a greater faith in it than they do in the US$, because they know what backs it up, and that the NFA does not operate at a deficit (an interesting note in contrast is that the US has about $580 Billion in circulation, no longer backed by gold, and a total debt load of more than 15 times that amount, almost $10 Trillion).
Q: What role does online commerce play in the NFA? Explain
the NFA's position on micronational commerce in general.A:
Online commerce serves two purposes: to help to pay for our web-presence and other expenses associated with the operation of the NFA; to help promote a positive image of the NFA with the rest of the world. The NFA feels that micronations run the risk of losing credibility if they become profiteering scam-sites, or mislead people about their products or the goals of their commercial activities.
Q: Please describe the NFA's postal system.A:
The NFA provides free and ad-free email to every citizen. In addition, the NFA has established a physical postal system. NFA Stamps can be bought at any government office, or through our Online Market for 1/20th of one NFASEB ($.50). Stamped mail can be dropped into any Postal Delivery Receptacle (PDR) throughout the NFA. The PDRs can be checked by any citizen, and if they are going to or near the intended destination of the mail, they will take it with them for delivery; in this way, every Citizen in the NFA is a postal carrier. Once the mail has been delivered, the recipient initials the envelope and gives it to the carrier. The carrier can then take the initialled envelope to any government office and exchange it for either: a new stamp, NFASEB Bills or coins (if they accumulate at least 2, which is equal to the smallest denomination of NFASEB).
Q: What are the guiding principles of the NFA?
A: The guiding principles of the NFA are simple:
- Protection of the woods, waters, and wildlife of the Northern Forest
- Sustainable use and enjoyment of the woods, waters, and wildlife of the Northern Forest
- Spread the word about the value and beauty of the woods, waters, and wildlife of the Northern Forest, so as to promote and insure their protection over time
Q: Can I become a citizen of the NFA...can our land become a province?
A: Yes to both questions, provided you meet the following criteria:
- You must live in the Northern Forest of the North American Continent to qualify for NFA citizenship
- If you own land, you must agree in principle to the guiding principles of the NFA, and declare yourself a part of the NFA
(NOTE: declaring your land to be a part of the NFA does not have an impact on your legal rights of ownership, it is more a state of mind than a binding legal contract)
- If you do not own land, you must actively support an organization that works to protect the Northern Forest (for example, the Nature Conservancy in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine)
- You must fully fill out the NFA Application for Citizenship, including the section asking about becoming a province
- You must send you application, along with any required supporting documentation, to the Ministry of Citizenship
Q: What does it cost to become a citizen of the NFA?
A: Nothing, article 49 of our constitution states, "The Northern Forest Archipelago levies no taxes, fees, or tarifs from it's citizens." The monies necessary to run the NFA are generated through donations from our benefactors, and from money earned through our NFA Online Market, NFA Amazon.com Store, or the NFA Online Shop, so please feel free to visit these businesses to help us defray the costs of statehood.
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