In the April 1, 1977 edition of the Guardian newspaper, a 7-page article appeared concerning the fictional micro nation of San Serriffe which was reported as being located in the Indian Ocean. The Republic of San Serriffe was claimed to be an archipelago of two islands (Upper and Lower Caisse) with a capital of Bodoni. The national bird was the Kwote and the inhabitants were known as Flongs. The idea behind this hoax was a play on words from typography. Because Desktop and MS Word were not around then, the general public was fooled by the termninology, some even blatant, about the features and culture of San Serriffe, the lower island shaped like a semi-colon! Many thousands of people were duped and even though exposed, the Guardian reported on the ficticious nation over several decades, providing a false history, flag, monetary denominations, and political leadership!!!

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