British Arctic Territory

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British Arctic Territory


Flag	Coat of Arms

Motto: To be confirmed

Anthem: God Save the Queen

Status

Social Studies Program for Students as an introduction to Mock Government - Virtual

Official language

English

Governor

Nerd Man Bob

Lieutenant Governor

Buckeye Bill

Area

To be confirmed

Population

To be confirmed

Currency

Pound Sterling

The British Arctic Territory was created by Clay Moss on April 1, 1995 as an April Fool's joke. The hoax, as it was, hoped to achieve several minor goals, but ended up having a much larger impact than ever expected.

The initial idea of the hoax was to promote a set of new British flags and ensigns that the vexillological community could have a bit of entertainment with. However, the hoax was taken seriously by several readers, and at one point in time, the British government would neither confirm nor deny the existence of the BAT.

Because of the robust success of the hoax, the British Arctic Territory began to gather a substantial cult following. Thus, the BAT took on a life of its own, even if it wasn’t an actual territory. The British Antarctic Territory does, however, exist.

[edit] Social Studies

After a period of time, it was decided by the BAT Governing Council that good use might be made of the BAT and its established infrastructure. So, on its 10th anniversary as a virtual territory, a mock government was established. The BAT now serves as a virtual platform for use in Social Studies classrooms. Students are appointed as caretakers of the BAT and work within its mock parameters to practice “governance”.