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The
Republic of Port Maria declared
its independence on 1st October 1980, and has seen steady growth in its economic
and trading base since then. The country is located on the Maria
Theresa Reef, between New Zealand and Fiji, and
this includes a small area of land that is underwater at high tide, but extending
above the sea some 2 metres at low tide. View
a location map. With a lot of engineering ingenuity, platforms have
been built on the reef, and a permanent population of 287 is now supported here.
There are also a number of resident animals and birds of various species. Founding
father of the country was the famous Norwegian
archaeologist Geir
Sør-Reime. The country benefits from sales
of offshore banking licences, while sales of stamps
and souvenirs now make up an important part of the economic base of the country.
Ship repair, docking, and fishing are other major
industries, and plans for the future include the launching of Port Maria's first
geosynchronous communications satellite. Until that day, we must survive on the
irregular mail ships.
 Port
Maria citizen, or just a
fan?
Get FREE
e-mail at Port
Maria! Click here. 
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REPUBLIC
of PORT MARIA 
