Inside the strange and wonderful world of micronations

Late last week, BBC reported that conservative Party of Free Citizens in the Czech Republic member Vit Jedlicka has declared a 2.7-square-mile "no man's land" between the borders of Serbia and Croatia to be a new sovereign nation.

Naming it "Liberland," Jedlicka appointed himself the president.

Liberland is just the newest in a long history of "micronations," pieces of land that claim to be independent or sovereign nations, but are not recognized by world governments. They are founded for many reasons, some as protests, some to boost tourism, and some just for fun.

Reports put the number of current micronations at over 400. Photographer Leó Delafontaine found himself fascinated by these places and began photographing them in 2012, visiting six countries and three continents to capture 12 unique micronations.

Delafontaine shared the following images with us. You can see more on his website or purchase the book of the series, out now on Diaphane Editions.