Backpacking in Nedland: I Am The Country of Nedland’s Official Consul-General to Northern Ireland

On my travels I have an absolute obsession for visiting new countries and even better, countries that most don’t recognise or that people think don’t exist! This will be obvious from my recent travel target to whackpack my way to 200 real life countries before I turn forty. I still debate with myself what counts as a country and what counts as a visit to a country, my selfish list of 625 countries has many flaws and overlaps and I know that, but I try to stay true to my Northern Irish nationalist beliefs.

“Arconada…Armstrong!” – John Motson.

In different ways, I could have visited 121 countries, or any debated number from 1 up to 153 depending on your definition of a country. But if planet earth is a “country”, then I have been to at least ONE, so I am not on zero. This post today is even more obscure as I have NEVER actually backpacked in Nedland, yet I am officially now their Consul General for Northern Ireland, and any Northern Irish people wishing to whackpack this gem of a country, Nedland! It feels like I’m cheating by writing about it in fact, but having been in touch with the leader of Ned, it’s only a matter of time before I officially visit. They have “territory” within Polish borders so maybe I even backpacked it without knowing!

In my backpacking repertoire, here are some other crazy adventures on my way:

• I was knighted in Adammia. I am officially SIR Jonny Blair in that country!
• I was the first tourist to backpack through Austenasia. A proud moment when I toured Wrythe with the Emperor Jonathan I.
• I became Austenasia’s Official Consul General for Northern Ireland.
• While Mongolia was my 150th real country, I was also the first travel writer to cover the quirkaday Kingdom of “Krolestwo Dreamlandu”, country 151, formed in the Polish seaside port of Gdynia.
• I have been rejected for visas for Sealand and the Kingdom of Elleore for absurd reasons – bird sanctuarys and “war threats”…
• I backpacked the Kingdom of Lovely with the famous “Millwall Neil” in 2016.

So before I officially make my adventure to Nedland (country number 2, or up to 154 on my real journey), here is some basic information on this place…

The Kingdom of Nedland

Do NOT confuse it with NEDLANDS in Perth, Australia!!

The Khanate of Nedland (Cyrillic: Канат ов Недланд; Šlovedkian: Kéntsvu Nidpudi, Norwegian: Khanatet Nedland), is a secessionist micronation, and a constitutional monarchy. It is located primarily in the Washington, D.C. area of the United States, with territory in eighteen other macronations. The country is divided into 48 departments. It is a member of the Holy Roman Empire. Nedland also has an enclave in the territory of Mahuset (Alkland) and vice-versa (Lundenland). The current Chief Advisor is Hasan Çakar of the Labour Party, elected in May 2017.

Nedland currently controls territory in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, the Czech Republic, Ghana, Cameroon, the Netherlands, Poland, Algeria, Romania, France, Pakistan, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Kazakhstan, and Switzerland. As of August 3, 2017, the population was 239. As of February 2017, 45.8 percent of the population was unemployed, but this has changed to an estimated record low of 15% by June, and was reduced to 4% by July. Nedland also has borders with the micronations of Sandus, Paravia, Mercia, Austenasia, Mahuset, Hortania, Glastieve, Lundenwic and Coria. According to the 1933 Montevideo Convention, Nedland is recognized as a sovereign state.

So there we go, Nedland is on the hitlist and I’ve one step in the country already!

Safe travels!

“If you believe…they put a man on the moon, man on the moon” – Michael Stipe.