List of active separatist movements in North America

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of currently active separatist movements in North America. Separatism includes autonomism and secessionism. What is and is not considered an autonomist or secessionist movement is sometimes contentious. Entries on this list must meet three criteria:

  1. They are active movements with living, active members.
  2. They are seeking greater autonomy or self-determination for a geographic region (as opposed to personal autonomy).
  3. They are the citizen/peoples of the conflict area and not comes from other country.

Under each region listed is one or more of the following:

Canada Canada

Flag of Cascadia.svg British Columbia + Pacific Northwestern US

Flag of Quebec.svg Quebec (Main article: Quebec sovereignty movement)

Inuit Autonomist Movements:

Denmark Danish territories

For other movements in Denmark, see List of active separatist movements in Europe.

Greenland is geographically part of North America, but has been politically connected with Europe for a long time.

Flag of Greenland.svg Greenland

Mexico Mexico

Flag of the EZLN.svg Zapatista (Chiapas)

(As result of the dialog between the government and the EZLN support base, 5 small and remote regions of the Mexican southernmost state of Chiapas have established semi-autonomous self-governance, ruled under indigenous traditional councils that coexist alongside the official Mexican government, these regions are called Councils of Good Government)

Honduras Honduras and Nicaragua Nicaragua

Mosquito

United States United States

U.S. States[edit]

Flag of Alaska.svg Alaska

Pine Ridge Flag.svg Lakota Sioux (South Dakota and North Dakota)

Confederate National Flag since Mar 4 1865.svg The South

Flag of Texas.svg Texas

Flag of the Vermont Republic.svg Vermont

Flag of Cascadia.svg Cascadia (Washington + Oregon + the Canadian province of British Columbia)

United States United States Territories

 

Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Puerto Rico

France French Overseas Departments

Flag of Martinique.svg Martinique

United Kingdom United Kingdom overseas territories

No room for a beach towel! BILLIONS of mysterious jelly-fish-like creatures wash up on beaches along the west coast of the U.S 

  • Creatures called ‘by-the-wind sailors’ have been stranded on U.S beaches
  • The animals have perplexed biologists as little is known about their lives
  • They are similar in nature to jelly-fish and feed by stunning their prey 

By TED THORNHILL FOR MAILONLINE

They say stranger things happen at sea, but it seems stranger things happen on beaches, too.

Billions of mysterious small creatures have been washed up on beaches along the west coast of the U.S, from Southern California to British Columbia.

Needless to say, locals have been extremely curious about the invaders.

Millions of these creatures, which ride wind and currents, were washed up in La Push - creating a virtual carpet of them on the beach

Millions of these creatures, which ride wind and currents, were washed up in La Push – creating a virtual carpet of them on the beach

The jellies, also called Vella vellas, are washing up on the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Southern California. Pictured here, jellies on a beach in San Pedro, California

The jellies, also called Vella vellas, are washing up on the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Southern California. Pictured here, jellies on a beach in San Pedro, California

Billions of 'by-the-wind sailors' have washed up on beaches on the West Coast of the U.S. Here, a beach in La Push, Washington is littered with their dead bodies

Billions of ‘by-the-wind sailors’ have washed up on beaches on the West Coast of the U.S. Here, a beach in La Push, Washington is littered with their dead bodies

The creatures are known as ‘by-the-wind sailors’, or their scientific name of velella velella, according to the Daily Breeze newspaper in Southern California.

The jelly-fish-like creatures each measure around seven to 10 centimetres, are bright blue and distinguished by a gas-filled float that rises above the surface of the water.

This fin-like structure means that their direction of travel depends entirely on the winds and the currents.

The number of velella that have washed up on North America’s beaches is staggering, with possibly billions stranded.

THE SECRET LIVES OF THE VELELLA VELELLA

Experts find the creatures perplexing as little is known about their true nature.

The creatures are similar to jellyfish as they sting to stun their prey – though they’re not capable of causing humans much pain – and have a similar structure.

They are sustained by feeding on animal plankton and drift around in huge flotillas which can contain millions of individuals.

The creatures each measure around seven to 10 centimeters, are bright blue and distinguished by a gas-filled float that rises above the surface of the water.

This fin-like structure means that their direction of travel depends entirely on the winds and the currents.

Kevin Raskoff, professor of Biology at Monterey Peninsula College, told Scpr.org: ‘The numbers, if you extrapolate, are awe inspiring. With some of my students we counted more than a thousand per meter. The numbers get astronomical pretty fast.’

Experts find the creatures perplexing as little is known about their true nature.

The creatures are similar to jellyfish as they sting to stun their prey – though they’re not capable of causing humans much pain – and have a similar structure.

They are sustained by feeding on animal plankton and drift around in huge flotillas which can contain millions of individuals.

Travel guide Michael Ellis, writing in Bay Nature, said: ‘Even though velellas are very common and distributed throughout the oceans of the world, very little is known about the details of their life.

‘The reproductive polyps apparently bud off small medusae (miniature jellyfish-like structures) somewhere in the middle of the ocean. The medusae sink to depths of over 7,000 feet and grow gonads which produce sperm or eggs.

‘Fertilization occurs in the dark abyss. The small young develop a float, secrete gas into it and rise slowly thousands of feet to the surface. Here they glide along feeding on animal plankton that they sting with specialized cells (located on the tentacles) called nematocysts.’

Their stranding is thought to coincide with the warming up of coastal waters.

Vella vellas are similar to jellyfish in that they sting to stun their prey ¿ though they¿re not capable of causing humans much pain

Vella vellas are similar to jellyfish in that they sting to stun their prey – though they’re not capable of causing humans much pain

The jelly-fish-like creatures each measure around seven to 10 centimetres in length, are bright blue and distinguished by a gas-filled float that rises above the surface of the water

Archive: Exotic Jellyfish shot by Daniel Regner

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2730616/No-room-beach-towel-BILLIONS-mysterious-jelly-fish-like-creatures-wash-beaches-west-coast-U-S.html#ixzz3BB04cA52
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