In the early nineties, a proud young American Paidley opened on the Internet the government website of the nonexistent state of Melchizedek, which is supposedly located on the islands in the Pacific Ocean. All this could be considered a harmless joke if the ghost country had not brought its creator more than one million dollars in profit over the several years of its existence.
The clever youth organized a brisk trade in Melchizedek passports. An investigation into Paidley's criminal activities was launched by the Philippine police after a raid on hot spots, where three citizens of this state were detained. And then the most surprising thing came to light. It turned out that Melchizedek is pursuing an active and not unsuccessful foreign policy. The government of Singapore, for example, has already recognized this country and allowed its citizens visa-free entry into its territory. South Africa went even further, accrediting the "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary" Melchizedek.
But that's not all
It turned out that in 1995, at the session of the Union of Parliaments of the Asia-Pacific Region, a group of delegates proposed to give Melchizedek observer status in this body. Then Paidley turned to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan with a demand to admit a non-existent country to the United Nations as a non-aligned third world state. The UN decided to consider this issue at one of its meetings, but did not manage to do so. Thanks to the actions of the Philippine police, it became clear: there is no such power on the planet.
One should simply laugh at this story, but the thought involuntarily comes to mind: the fate of many countries and peoples of the Earth is in the hands of ordinary ignoramuses. Even world-class politicians do not know geography at all!