Unlike Próspera, which is based on cooperation with the Honduran government, Liberland seeks complete autonomy and sovereignty.

The remarkable story of this uninhabited place began with the break-up of Yugoslavia. When establishing the border between Serbia and Croatia, the two countries relied on different sources of information. In the process, the wooded peninsula – officially known as Gornja Siga – was overlooked by everyone. Neither Serbia nor Croatia lays claim to it.

And because the densely wooded area belonged to no one, Mr Jedlička – a Czech native and former financial market analyst – decided to claim it and, in 2015, proclaimed the meritocratic state of Liberland.

The country has a…