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A young man from the UK, just 20 years old, has done something most people would never even imagine. Daniel Jackson used to love gaming as a kid. His favorite was Roblox. He played around with creating pretend worlds and countries on the platform. But he didn’t stop there. He took that childhood idea and actually tried it in real life.
Daniel created his own country. Yes, a real one. He named it the Free Republic of Verdis. It sits on a small patch of land between Croatia and Serbia, near the Danube River. This land is called “Pocket Three” and is not officially claimed by either country. It’s only about half a square kilometer of forest. But to Daniel, it’s the start of something big.
He began working on Verdis when he was just 14, playing around with friends and dreaming big. At first, it was all just for fun. But by the time he turned 18, he took it seriously. He declared Verdis independent in 2019 and started building a government from scratch.
Now, Verdis has its own flag, passports, and even a currency. Around 400 people have signed up to be citizens. Daniel acts as the leader for now, but he says he doesn’t want to stay in charge forever. He plans to hold elections once everything is stable. He says he’s not doing this for power. He just wants to be a normal citizen in the country he created.
Things haven’t been easy. In 2023, Daniel and some of his supporters tried to visit the land of Verdis. Croatian police stopped them. He was detained, then kicked out of the country. He was banned from ever entering Croatia again. Officials said he was a threat to security, but didn’t explain what that meant.
Because of this, Daniel now runs most of Verdis online. He keeps the project going through a website called Verdisonline. He’s still trying to get other countries to take Verdis seriously. He’s also working hard to build friendly ties with Serbia.
Even though he can’t step foot on the land anymore, Daniel says being there was a magical feeling. To others, it may just look like a bunch of trees. But to him, it’s the home of his dream. And even with all the problems, he’s not giving up.