Gapla

Federated States of Gapla Savezne Države Gapla (Croatian) Савезне државе Гапла (Serbian)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Erit Ergo Justitia" (Latin) "Justice will be Served"
Anthem: "Hail Gaplastovia" March: "March of the Revolution"
State seal
Capital	New Gaplastovia
Largest city	Sweet Falls
Official languages	English
Recognized languages	Croatian Serbian
Ethnic groups (only residents counted)	78.4% Asian —66.2% East Asian —12.3% South Asian 18.5% White —12.3% Caucasian —6.2% Middle Eastern 3.1% Multiracial —3.1% Wasian
Religion (only residents counted)	83.1% Christianity —60.0% Protestantism —12.3% Catholicism —10.8% Mormonism 6.2% Islam 6.2% Hinduism 1.5% Buddhism 3.1% No religion —3.1% Agnosticism
Demonym(s)	Gaplan
Government	Federative Representative Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Wyatt of the Danubias
• President	Hendrik Täks
• Deputy President	Amalia Battle
Legislature	Provisional Government
Establishment
• Establishment of Gapla-Phoenix	24 August 2015
• Restoration	28 February 2019
• Federation	6 March 2019
• First constitution	23 March 2019
• Current name	2 May 2019
• Gaplan Revolution	10 September 2019
• Danubian reformation	16 June 2023
• Provisional Government	20 October 2023
• Provisional charter	31 January 2024
Area
• Total	0.83 km2 (0.32 sq mi)
Population
• 2024 estimate	350
Currency	Gapla Dollar (GPD)
Time zone	Time in Gapla
Date format	YYYY - MM - DD
Drives on	Right
Internet TLD	.fg
Website my.gaplagov.org

Gapla, officially the Federated States of Gapla (FSG) and co-officially the Gaplan Federation, is a country located in Southeast Europe, along the Danube. It borders Croatia to the west and shares a river border with Serbia to the east. A federation of two constituent states and two territories, its territory of Greater Danubia consists of former terra nullius. The country has approximately 450 e-Residents, approximately 70 of whom are full citizens, and spans approximately 205 acres.

The Croatia–Serbia border dispute, involving conflicting territorial claims along the Danube, emerged following the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Croatia claims that the border should follow cadastral records from Yugoslavia, which defined internal administrative boundaries between its constituent republics. In contrast, Serbia claims that the border should follow the Danube's thalweg, a principle traditionally applied to international borders. The dispute intensified after Croatia's declaration of independence in 1991, with both countries inheriting conflicting interpretations of their international border. As a result of this dispute, four pockets of territory on the west bank of the Danube river were left unclaimed by both Croatia and Serbia, resulting in terra nullius. Gapla claims the pocket west of Apatin as its constituent state of Cristus and Pocket 2 as its constituent state of Gaplastovia, and is the only legitimate claimant to these territories, following the de facto dissolution of Ongal and the Gapla's subsequent claim.

Gapla's government is comprised of a judicial branch, a federal branch (comprising of a legislature and an executive), and a royal branch (a ceremonial monarchy). Within the executive, nine members are elected: mayors are elected for each municipality, governors are elected for each state, and a president and deputy president are elected for the entire country. The remaining eleven members of the National Assembly are elected using party-list proportional representation in annual elections. In an effort initiated in 2023, the country changed from its prior status as a traditional micronation and changed its primary goal to become a settled country in the future. In early 2024, the Gaplan government became inoperative as the Provisional Government took control of the country to expedite the effort.

Etymology

The etymology of the name "Gapla" is largely unknown. The name—credited to Wyatt Baek—was first used for the Republic of Gapla, a predecessor state of modern Gapla and a constituent republic of Gapla-Phoenix. However, Baek claims that the name predated Gapla-Phoenix, but has also claimed that he does not remember the name's etymology. Some Gaplan historians have claimed that Baek deliberately chooses not to reveal the name's etymology, a claim he has denied.

A common hypothesis is that the name "Gapla" originated from a portmanteau of "Gap" and "LA" (i.e., the "gap" in the United States near the city of Los Angeles), as pre-Danubian Gapla claimed territory near Los Angeles. However, this hypothesis has been widely discredited by Gaplan historians as unlikely.

History

Main article: History of Gapla

Government and politics

{See also|List of political parties in Gapla|List of ministries of Gapla|Monarchy of Gapla|Orders, awards, and honorary titles of Gapla}} Gapla has a competitive multi-party system within a provisional government.

Constitutionally, Gapla is a federative semi-presidential system with a ceremonial constitutional monarchy. In theory, a directly elected president leads the executive and appoints a cabinet, the unicameral National Assembly (led by the speaker) is the legislature, and the Supreme Court (led by the chief justice) is the judiciary.

However, following the Danubian reformations in 2023, Gapla has been under an unelected provisional government officially known as the Council of Ministers. New members are selected following a competitive admissions process involving an online application form, interview, and standardized testing. Current members, known as Provisional Governors, vote on the admission of applicants.