Ankh Morpork

chrisboote · 1027610. Tue Oct 08, 2013 9:49 am

Now, what constitutes a country....

Ankh Morpork is twinned with the town of Wincanton, in Wiltshire

The Ankh Morpork Consulate (also known as the Discworld Emporium) has been granted diplomatic recognition by six countries (including South Africa) and carries out the day-to-day business of Ankh Morpork

It has issued stamps for over ten years now, which when affixed to letters are accepted as postage in the UK and abroad, and Bernard Pearson has promised to faithfully deliver any letters stamped with any countries postage stamps inside the shop, thus it is de facto a member of all International Postal Unions

It issue passports, which have been used as legally accepted ID to enter & leave Ireland by air and sea, and as proof of identity in at least six US cities, and have allowed transport between Schengen countries and Switzerland on at least four occasions

It also issues birth, marriage and death certificates* which again have been used as necessary legal documents for such diverse requirements as proof of age for entering the UN bar in New York, re-issuing drivers' licences in Maryland and Arizona, proof of change of name for a landlord in Arizona, and issuing of a University of Dartmouth, Massachussets, library card

In the matter of currency, it has fixed the Ankh Morpork dollar to the United Kingdom Pound Sterling

It also acts as a legally registered** land broker, selling properties in Ankh Morpork with a legal document constructed by one of the most devious minds I have ever met

And it grants University Degree Diplomas, in such well recognized subjects as Post-Mortem Communications, Cruel and Unusual Geography, and Vindictive Astronomy

It even has a permanent population of at least one, as Bernard can't get about much nowadays, and so tends to sleep in the shop

Are those enough to make it 'real' 8-)

* which as one option for Date of Death have a tick box 'as soon as I raise the money'

** with both the UK AND Ankh Morpork Land Registries. The latter can be contacted, c/o the Ankh Morpork Consulate (closed on Thursdays, leave letters under the cat)

Zebra57 · 1027634. Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:54 am

[quote="chrisboote"]Now, what constitutes a country....

Ankh Morpork would not qualify as a country for the BBC quiz show Pointless but could possibly be classed as a Medieval Cathedral!

sally carr · 1027658. Tue Oct 08, 2013 12:00 pm

I have always thought it was a city state.

chrisboote · 1027742. Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:16 am

suze · 1027860. Wed Oct 09, 2013 10:50 am

Not for the purposes of Pointless it isn't, what with not being a member of the United Nations.

Singapore is, though.

chrisboote · 1027891. Wed Oct 09, 2013 12:19 pm

Oh, Pointless - halfway between cracked.com and wikipedia for both accuracy and entertainment
I'm not saying in which direction either of those indices point, mind...

djgordy · 1031266. Thu Oct 24, 2013 2:26 pm

The definition of what constitues a country may vary. It usually means a sovereign state but can also be applied to a subdivision of such a state (e.g. Wales), a disputed or occupied territory (e.g. Tibet) or a dependency (e'g. Bermuda). There are a number of soereign states which are not recognised by others, such as Israel and North Korea.

So, Pointless just tells contestants which defintion they will accept. This doesn't mean that other definitions may not be availabe.

Zebra57 · 1034099. Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:56 am

Pointless is at it again! After stating that Beverly Minster was a cathedral, Westminster Abbey apparently is a Gothic Cathedral. It was a cathedral for ten years during Tudor times to quote Wiki:

"1540–1550: 10 years as a cathedral

Henry VIII assumed direct royal control in 1539 and granted the abbey the status of a cathedral by charter in 1540, simultaneously issuing letters patent establishing the Diocese of Westminster. By granting the abbey cathedral status Henry VIII gained an excuse to spare it from the destruction or dissolution which he inflicted on most English abbeys during this period. Westminster was a cathedral only until 1550. The expression "robbing Peter to pay Paul" may arise from this period when money meant for the abbey, which is dedicated to Saint Peter, was diverted to the treasury of St Paul's Cathedral."

It would appear that ecclesiastical accuracy is not a strength of this programme. Does Ankh Morpork have a cathedral?

chrisboote · 1034104. Fri Nov 08, 2013 10:09 am

Welllll it has a whole street of temples (including the famous Temple of Small Gods who are too insignificant to have one each, so joined together in a sort of God-of-the-month club to raise funds to build one of the most imposing in the city)
For definitive answers to all such questions, however, I would refer the earnest seeker of knowledge to the Compleat Ankh Morpork

And at the weekend we heard the full story of how the Consulate of Ankh Morpork was officially recognized by the British Crown
Basically, to quote an ex-copper and still-Mason in the Home Office "Werl, yus, it's a lot of paperwork, but paperwork gets lost all the time round 'ere, know what I mean?"
Hence, we suspect, the inclusion of the A-M Consulate on the List of Recognized Extra-territorial Premises
And the Ambassadorial Christmas cards from the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Nicaraguan, New Zealand and Cypriot Ambassadors
No Ferrero Rocher yet, but Bernard lives in hope
Oh, and then there's the invite to send a delegate to a conference on "The Unique Problems Facing Small Nations in an Increasingly Corporate World" (which I'm begging him to be allowed to go to, sporting A-M Consulate credentials)

Alexander Howard · 1297656. Thu Oct 04, 2018 1:34 pm