Micronations—sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects—are entities that claim to be independent nations or states but which are not recognized by world governments or major international organizations. These nations often exist only on paper, on the Internet, or in the minds of their creators.
Micronations differ from secession and self-determination movements in that they are largely viewed as being eccentric and ephemeral in nature, and are often created and maintained by a single person or family group. This criterion excludes entities such as the Republic of China (Taiwan) that have diplomatic relations with other recognized nation-states of the world without being formally recognized themselves by many nation-states or accepted by major international bodies. Some micro-nationalists[who?] call their countries Nomadic Countries, especially ones that have no land and are based on the Internet.