Introducing: Escape From Zaqistan

Deep in the Utah desert is a tiny, tiny, tiny nation: The Republic of Zaqistan. Guarded by robots, Zaqistan nonetheless welcomed new citizens for more than 15 years - until it fell into ruins. Now the eponymous founder wants to rebuild. Join hosts Ryan Murdock, Gabbie Watts and Zaron Burnett on a journey to uncharted territory … to the nation of Zaqistan…and the upside-down world of micronations. 

Listen here and subscribe to Escape From Zaqistan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In two thousand and five, Zach Landsberg bought a piece
of desert land on eBay and started his own country.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
I took the flag pole and just planted the flag
and just kind of looked out of like this is mine,
this dirt and this desert brush, like I own this.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
It wasn't quite so simple about in our country.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
This would be against the rule, this would be tracy.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
This is where government and the American dream kind of clash.
We ought to find you and run you out of
the country for starting your own nation, Zach persisted, you.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Know, and they're just like, you can't have these I'm like, well, man,
are you seizing every Disneyland passport that comes by? And
they're like that's different. It's like how they were like,
we know where Disneyland is, we don't know where Zakistan is.
It turns out Zach's not alone. I am King Ernesty Manuel,
I am the Queen of Ladonia.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
I'm Jackson, first King of Kapperberg.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mintonia.
All over the US people are starting their own micro nations.
Please don't stand in the troops. We had a peace
of loving nation and we wish to cooperate with the
United States in almost every way except for the Texas
and laws.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
And now with America on the brink of whatever comes next,
Zach's looking to open up his borders. What will be
the procedure to get nationality of the Zakistan? Kindly please
send me the detail and make his nation stronger.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
They're fifty five pounds of water five hundred pounds of concrete.
Join us on a journey to uncharted territory far from
just about anywhere.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Learning to fly a plane by trial and error seems
like a bad idea. I didn't have my choice.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
It's also fun if you don't kill yourself.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
To a country within a country.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
We still have the off road portion to go, and
we're losing daylight fast.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
Everything's gonna be just fine.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Oh my god, what is that?

Speaker 3 (01:47):
Bullets?

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Bulls?

Speaker 1 (01:49):
That's scary to capitate any of us.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Listen, like so the wind's really crazy and it's actually
kind of hard to find.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
In the dark of in the light as well.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Listen to Escape from Zakistan.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Are you there?

Speaker 1 (02:08):
That's Escape from z a q a Istan on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts,