Molossia

English

Molossia in antiquity

Flag of the micronation

Location of the micronation

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Μολοσσῐ́ᾱ (Molossĭ́ā). The micronation was named by its founder, Kevin Baugh, who provided the following explanation:

I liked the name “Molossia”, having seen it on the Internet referring to the ancient Molossian hounds. Adopting it I later discovered there was an Ancient Greek city-state named Molossia (demonstrating the importance of googling first). After some angry Greek journalists objected to the use of the name, I distanced our Molossia from the ancient Molossia. Now the meaning of the name officially is a corruption of the Hawaiian word Maluhia, which means serenity or peaceful.

Proper noun

Molossia

1. (historical) A region of ancient Epirus, the territory of the Molossians.
2. A micronation claiming sovereignty over 1.28 acres of land near Dayton, Nevada.

   Synonym: Republic of Molossia

   • 2011, George S. Cuhaj, Thomas Michael, editors, Unusual World Coins (companion volume to the Standard Catalog of World Coins), 6th edition, Krause Publications, →ISBN:

     X # 2 25 WESTARCTICAN DOLLARS Copper-Nickel, 39 mm. Ruler: Grand Duke Travis I Obv: Arms Rev: Crown and rearing horse on quartered flag background Rev. Legend: Treaty of Friendship between Westarctica and Molossia Edge: Reeded

   • 2014, Kathy Ceceri, Micronations: Invent Your Own Country and Culture with 25 Projects, Nomad Press, →ISBN:

     The micronation of Molossia in Nevada opened its own railroad line in March 2000.

   • 2018, Joseph Pisenti, Answers to Questions You’ve Never Asked: Explaining the What If in Science, Geography and the Absurd, Mango Publishing Group, →ISBN:

     The most well known micronation in the United States is Molossia—no, I didn’t make this up—located in Dayton, Nevada.

   • 2023 June 8, Richard Collett, “He ran out of countries to visit, so he created his own”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     In August 2021, Williams visited the Republic of Molossia, an 11.3-acre micronation in Nevada that declared independence from the United States of America in 1998, where he was given a personal tour by “His Excellency President Kevin Baugh.” He learned about the Republic of Molossia’s ongoing “war” with now-defunct East Germany, how the local currency (the “valora”) is backed by chocolate chip cookie dough instead of gold, and had his passport stamped and his photo taken on the “border” with the United States.

Derived terms

• Molossian

Translations

a region of ancient Epirus

• Marathi: मोलोस्सिया (molossiyā)
• Portuguese: Molóssia f
• Ukrainian: Молоссія f (Molossija), Республіка Молоссія f (Respublika Molossija)

Further reading

• Molossians on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Republic of Molossia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia