The Principality of the Pontinha secedes from Portugal

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 29, 2007 – Prince D. Renato Barros, sovereign of the Principality of the Pontinha (Portuguese: Principado da Pontinha or Principado do Ilhéu da Pontinha), has formally announced the secession of the Principality from Portugal.

The Fort of Saint José is the headquarters of the Principality of the Pontinha, self-proclaimed country by Prince D. Renato Barros. The Fort of Saint José is located off the coast of the port of Funchal, capital of the Madeira Islands, an autonomous region of Portugal.

The history of the rock begins as early as 1 July 1419, when Portuguese sea captains João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, at the service of Prince Henry the Navigator, land on a rock, and carve steps and a shelter that can still be seen today. The history of the country, on the other hand, begins on 9 October 1903, when the then King D. Carlos I of Portugal, ancestor of D. Renato Barros, first Prince of the Pontinha, signed a Regal Letter (the original is kept in the Tower of London) that stated that the territory of the said Principality of the Pontinha, a rock where the Fort of Saint José is located (the building of the Principality), shall be sovereign.

Currently the case is being analyzed by the international community, including the United Nations. Prince D. Renato Barros expects to obtain the rights of a country, including the 200 nautical miles.

Prince D. Renato Barros states that he has good relations with the Brazilian Government, and if the Principality shall be recognized, it will be the door of entry to Europe.

The Principality of the Pontinha is a member nation of the Micronational Professional Registry, an international and intermicronational professional registry.