Where is the Republic of San Seriffe and what are its principal islands?

And a happy April Fool's Day to you too.

"San Serriffe: In 1977 the British newspaper the Guardian published a
special seven-page supplement in honor of the tenth anniversary of San
Serriffe, a small island republic located in the Indian Ocean. A
series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture
of this obscure nation. It was said to consist of only two islands:
Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Its capital was Bodoni, and its leader
was General Pica. Adding credibility to the supplement were the paid
advertisements that ran in it. For instance, Texaco offered the public
the chance to compete to win a two-week trip to Cocobanana Beach in
San Serriffe. Kodak asked readers to send in their favorite pictures
from vacations spent in San Serriffe. The Guardian's phones were
ringing all day as readers sought more information about the idyllic
island. Perhaps the public was attracted by the evident typographical
bent of the islanders (the majority of the island names referred to
font names and other typesetting terminology).

Reason for Selection: This charming hoax had an enormous influence
within the British media. For better or worse, it was largely its
example that inspired the other British papers to fully embrace the
tradition of April Fool's Day. Ever since then they have diligently
worked every year to make us believe stories about flying rabbits,
thermal ties, one-way highways, and interfering brassieres. San
Serriffe itself has become a running gag in the Guardian, surfacing in
a new location every few years because of a bizarre, geological
phenomemon that causes it to drift slowly around the world."

Yep folks, I know I quoted the whole answer.

From the website - Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of all time - the
quote used is from the Google cache of the page, but the same basic
information is on the new page as well.

Cheers
digsalot

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Clarification of Answer by digsalot-ga on 31 Mar 2003 20:32 PST

woops - here it is - http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/top100.html

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Request for Answer Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 31 Mar 2003 20:36 PST

Dear Digsalot --

But can they be convinced to send troops to 'Operation Iraqi Freedom'
is the real question?

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Clarification of Answer by digsalot-ga on 31 Mar 2003 20:53 PST

Hi Omni - thanks for the clarification request.  All military
personnel from the Republic are now involved in civil defense measures
out of fear there may be an attack with weapons of mass destruction.

Among their greatest fears is the release of large numbers of rabid
bats.  In order to train the population in how to defend themselves,
the military is now experimenting on just how long the population can
survive comfortably while walking around inside sealed oversized
plastic sandwich bags.  That alone is taking the resources of at least
half of their military forces.

The other half of the military is involved with "Operation Germ Pump."
 There is the fear virulant bacteria may be introduced into the food
supply which will multiply in the intestinal track and be released
into the general environment through elimination.  They are
experimenting with reversing the pumps in the sewer system untill such
material averages a depth equal to the lower lip of the average San
Seruffian.  At such a time, the population will be instructed to chant
in unison, the phrase - "Don't make waves - don't make waves - don't
make waves" - - thus demonstrating their unwillingness to get involved
with international affairs.

I fear the only military personage who is available for the Iraq war
effort is Gen. Pica himself.  However, the "coalition of the willing"
has already indicated he is not their type.

I hope that helps answer your question.

Cheers
digsalot

My goodness is General Pica still in power after over twentyfive years?