What used to be a satirical exercise in geography is now a marketing phenomenon – and not just
What if Portugal suddenly lost part of its territory? An image shared on Twitter indicates this, showing a new map of the Iberian Peninsula in which the area between Porto and Viana do Castelo disappears, as is part of the Spanish region of Galicia.
In place of that area lies Liechtenstein, where the city of Laurenberg is located and where Europe’s “new Ryanair base” is now located.
We are proud to announce our new base in Lissenborg! pic.twitter.com/fzN0mVHBsL
Ryanair November 3, 2022
The airline’s post comes after the same map was originally shared by Gaspardo, a user with nearly 260,000 followers on the social network Twitter who calls himself Lissenborg’s boss. This user, who shared the map on October 30, joked with the alleged geographic ignorance of Americans, saying that he was “sure that Americans don’t know the name of this country,” in a post attached to the map.
Je suis sûr que les américains ne connaissent même pas le nom de ce pays ptdrrr pic.twitter.com/aecSupQdyU
– Gaspardooo (@gaspardooo) October 30, 2022
A few days after Gaspardo created the content, many people scrambled to bring the game to life. Lisentburg already has a flag, an anthem, and even a Our websiteWhere members of the fictitious government are introduced. The joke is that there are even those who are actually asking for the territory to join organizations such as the United Nations or NATO.
Like Ryanair, brands like Amazon or Netflix have also taken advantage of content to try to reach their followers. In Spain, the transport company Autohero, which operates throughout the Iberian Peninsula, announced that it was already providing services to Lisentburg.
If you want to visit this imaginary place, you will have to contact the Ministry of the Interior, which has already been created as well.
Pour toutes liées au papiers d’identités & visas n’hésitez pas à nous contacter!
You must be granted an administrative right Anfragen zu Ausweisen und Visa kontaktieren Sie uns bitte!
For all administrative procedures related to identity papers and visas, contact us! pic.twitter.com/nmCgUgYXfR
– Ministry of the Interior (IntrListenbourg) November 1, 2022
William Shakespeare is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, history, and current affairs. With a keen eye for storytelling and analysis, he produces informative articles that help readers understand the people, ideas, and events influencing modern life.
