What is the Fifth World?

Examples of First World nations are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Examples of Second World nations are Albania, Burma, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Examples of Third World nations are Bangladesh, Cameroon, Laos, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.

These are the nation-states we study in our school geography classes. Most of these entities are sovereign states, but at least three dozen are considered quasi-states (failed or collapsed states). This is the Official World.

Then there are old and new nations, with small-, medium-, to large-sized territories (they are not necessarily 'macro' in size), that have yet to become fully recognised states such as the Dominion of British West Florida, the League of Indian Nations of North America, and the Republic of Texas (group). The most evolved of these are de facto states, but all of these nations are secessionist by nature. These are Fourth World nations.

Fifth World nations look a lot like Internet micronations superficially, but are usually older, more resilient, and have complex cultures. These nations are not secessionist by nature, as they either have primarily irredentist claims, or no territorial claims. This is the most basic form of authentic nationhood. An example of a Fifth World nation is Sealand. Something "Fifth Worldish" is something larger than a family, yet smaller and more culturally specific than "humanity".

The words "Fifth Worlder" and "Indigo" can be compared to the words "Asian" and "Oriental" respectively. "Fifth Worlder" is a special geography term, one that is more Web-based than Earth-based, while "Indigo" is a special racial term, one that is a phenotype, not a genotype. The Fifth World is as ethnic as the Fourth World, and as virtual as the Sixth World.