La Cité franche de Cézembre

The small island of Cézembre, off the coast of the city of St. Malo, in Brittany, France, was annexed as a Talossan colony on 17 August 1982. It became a self-governing oversease Province in September, 1996.

• NAME: Cité franche de Cézembre (Free City of Cézembre)

• DIMENSIONS: 200 x 700 metres

• LOCATION: 4 km northwest of St. Malo, France

• MOTTO: Liberté, Dignité, Hilarité

• FLAG: The current flag, the "Gwenn-ha-Du," was adopted as the official flag of the Province of Cézembre in February, 1997. It is the traditional flag of independent Brittany, and is the only flag ever actually flown by Talossan citizens on the island. It was hoisted by King Robert I and Prime Minister Frédéric Maugey on 2 July 1986 during their expedition to the island. Prior to February 1997, two flags designed by Maugey had been adopted as official, but neither ever flew over the Province.

• ANTHEM: (none)

• OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: French (English is the de facto language of government)

• POPULATION: 7 (Frédéric Maugey, Patrick Matter, Vincent and Guillaume Jacob lost their Talossan citizenship in February 1994 due to inactivity. On 27 October 1994 the Governor of Cézembre declared their Free City citizenship still in force, although none of them has been heard from since 1991. In 1996 Gjermund Higraff and Alberto Manassero became citizens of the Free City; they were joined in 1997 by Tomás Gariçéir.

• RELIGION: Roman Catholic (official)

• NATIONAL DRINK: Muscadet (white wine)

• FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Until September 1996 Cézembre was ruled by a Governor (Robert Madison) appointed by the Talossan government. Constitution of 6 July 1991 was suspended by order of the Governor on 23 December 1992. In March 1994 the Cosâ placed the island under the "supreme directional control" of Governor Madison, who stepped down in October 1996 and named Gjermund Higraff interim Governor. The Province is preparing for elections, to be held in mid-1997.

• CAPITAL: Repaire-des-Corsaires

• POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS: Territory occupied by France in 1984 constitutes the Zone interdite ("Forbidden Zone") and comprises 90% of the island. The free areas are the Zone autorisée ("Authorized Zone"). The Frédéric Maugey Peninsula was liberated by Talossan forces on 2 July 1986.

• HISTORY: St. Brendan founded a monastery on Cézembre c. 524; abandoned after the 16th Century. Vauban fortified the island in 1696 but the forts are in ruins. German occupation troops surrendered 2 September 1944 fater Allied bombing. King Robert I and Frédéric Maugey visited the island on 17 August 1982 and the King nailed an annexation notice to the wall of an old German fort. French invasion took place in 1984; French troops erected a barbed wire "line of death" on the pretext that "dangerous ammunitions" from World War Two were located in the interior. Maugey and the King toured the unoccupied region of the island on 2 July 1986, and due to deficiencies in French barbed-wire technology, the two Talossans reconquered the Frédéric Maugey Peninsula, holding a victory picnic there.

• DEPENDENCIES: The New Falklands are some rocks near the Plage de la Rochebonne in St. Malo which separate from the mainland at high tide. They are only a few square metres in size. They were officially annexed by Talossa on 5 August 1982 and later came under Cézembre's jurisdiction.