Kingdom of Valtio
Encyclopedia
Valtio is an micronation
started by Ari Peltonen
. The development of this micronation project has been mentioned in Nyt Magazine and on Radio Helsinki. The territory of Valtio is located 8 kilometres north of Posio
town centre, in Lapland, northern Finland
. It has no legal standing.
Valtio was founded on August 26, 2006. The government of Valtio consists of Head of state Ari Peltonen, minister of culture Katja Ståhl, foreign minister Alexander Stubb
, defence minister Eva Wahlström
and treasurer Jani Halme. Stubb, however, currently is also the Finnish foreign minister.
Valtio has no armed forces
. According to Peltonen, the defence forces of Valtio have only one member: Defence minister Wahlström.
Valtio has applied for EU-membership and has a written constitution.
The coat of arms
of Valtio is a shield with golden crown guarded by two winged boars. The flag is black and white, symbolising the whiteness of snow
and the darkness of Arctic areas. Citizenship is open and can be given according to applications. According to Peltonen, Valtio has received applications of citizenship from Estonia
and USA
.
In October 2006, Valtio received two new citizens who had applied for citizenship. During November 10, 2006, head of state Peltonen left a written notice to Finland, seeking recognition for the independence of Valtio. The notice was received in the presidential office, but left unanswered.
On November 24, the city manager
of Turku
accepted Ari Peltonen's proposal for Turku to become the capital city of Valtio. (Note: such political decisions in fact are within the powers of the city council, not the manager.)
On June 19, 2007, the Finnish Defence Forces newspaper Ruotuväki sent an armed expedition to take back the territory claimed by Valtio and set up a Finnish flag on the patch.
On August 26, 2007, Ari Peltonen visited the embassies of Sweden
, USA, UK
, Estonia, France
and Brazil
to invite the ambassadors into the first independence day celebrations of Valtio. Only the ambassadors of the United States of America, Sweden and the United Kingdom refused to meet Peltonen.
. The application was received by EBU
, but was rejected. Despite this, a song was selected to represent Valtio by a vote organized by Radio Helsinki.
in order to cause a diplomatic crisis between Valtio and the People's Republic of China
. The government of Valtio does not agree on the foreign policy and some of the members of the government claim that they are ignorant of the plans made by Peltonen.
Micronation
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...
started by Ari Peltonen
Ari Peltonen
Ari Pekka "Paska" Peltonen is a Finnish radio reporter, author and musician.Since 1985, Peltonen has given musical performances under the name of Paska , his one-man-band. Peltonen has also used the pseudonyms Jeesus, Jorma and Johnny-Blue, usually as opening acts for Paska...
. The development of this micronation project has been mentioned in Nyt Magazine and on Radio Helsinki. The territory of Valtio is located 8 kilometres north of Posio
Posio
Posio is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
town centre, in Lapland, northern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It has no legal standing.
Valtio was founded on August 26, 2006. The government of Valtio consists of Head of state Ari Peltonen, minister of culture Katja Ståhl, foreign minister Alexander Stubb
Alexander Stubb
Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb is a Finnish politician and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 4 April 2008 to 22 June 2011...
, defence minister Eva Wahlström
Eva Wahlström
Eva Ulrika Birgitta Wahlström is the most successful Finnish female boxer to date. She was ranked second best in Europe in 2004 and 2005...
and treasurer Jani Halme. Stubb, however, currently is also the Finnish foreign minister.
Valtio has no armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
. According to Peltonen, the defence forces of Valtio have only one member: Defence minister Wahlström.
Valtio has applied for EU-membership and has a written constitution.
The coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Valtio is a shield with golden crown guarded by two winged boars. The flag is black and white, symbolising the whiteness of snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
and the darkness of Arctic areas. Citizenship is open and can be given according to applications. According to Peltonen, Valtio has received applications of citizenship from Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In October 2006, Valtio received two new citizens who had applied for citizenship. During November 10, 2006, head of state Peltonen left a written notice to Finland, seeking recognition for the independence of Valtio. The notice was received in the presidential office, but left unanswered.
On November 24, the city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
of Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
accepted Ari Peltonen's proposal for Turku to become the capital city of Valtio. (Note: such political decisions in fact are within the powers of the city council, not the manager.)
On June 19, 2007, the Finnish Defence Forces newspaper Ruotuväki sent an armed expedition to take back the territory claimed by Valtio and set up a Finnish flag on the patch.
On August 26, 2007, Ari Peltonen visited the embassies of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, USA, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Estonia, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
to invite the ambassadors into the first independence day celebrations of Valtio. Only the ambassadors of the United States of America, Sweden and the United Kingdom refused to meet Peltonen.
Valtio and Eurovision song contest
In February 2007, Ari Peltonen tried to get Valtio into the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. The application was received by EBU
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
, but was rejected. Despite this, a song was selected to represent Valtio by a vote organized by Radio Helsinki.
Politics
According to the newspaper Ruotuväki, the foreign policy of Valtio is ambitious and power-hungry. Ari Peltonen has threatened to officially recognise TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in order to cause a diplomatic crisis between Valtio and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The government of Valtio does not agree on the foreign policy and some of the members of the government claim that they are ignorant of the plans made by Peltonen.
Sources
- Helsingin SanomatHelsingin SanomatHelsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
newspaper's monthly Magazine NYT -liite (October 13, 2006 – August 24, 2007)