> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://kings-of-earth.gitbook.io/kings-of-earth-wiki/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://kings-of-earth.gitbook.io/kings-of-earth-wiki/legacy-world-smp/legacy-geopolitical-rules/country-claim-create-rules.md).

# Country Claim/Create Rules

Rules required to be followed when creating a new nation or claiming new territories for an existing nation

{% hint style="info" %}
**Newly formed nations are given a 3-day grace period.**

During this period, no foreign nation can attack/declare war on the nation.\
Nations that have the grace period active will automatically forfeit their grace period if they attack another nation.
{% endhint %}

* **Claim or join a country in ⁠country-claim-join**
* **All nations will be named after the first country they claimed**
  * Nations that are conquered/annexed by other nations will be adopted into the conquering nation under their name
  * Nations that gain independence can be named after any country they have currently under their territory
* **All nations MUST have a capital and government type**
  * A country doesn’t have a government if it has only one player
  * Democratic governments must have a population size of 5 minimum
* **If the country leader is inactive w/o reason, their territories are either:**
  * Dissolved
  * Ceded to his successor determined by the citizens within 3 days
* **You can *****passive claim***** a country every 3 days (5 max *****passive claims*****)**
  * Passive claims are classified as when a nation claims an occupied country (land) for itself without the need for a declaration of war.
  * Passive claims MUST also meet the criteria below
* **You cannot passively claim countries that are not neighboring your land**
  * (*Small bodies of water are exceptions*)
  * (*You must build a 4 blocks wide bridge with sides to claim territory over large bodies of water*)
* **You change countries once every 5 days**
  * Leaders must choose successors if they do this (if there's more than one active citizen within their nation)
* **If you're being exiled from your nation after losing a war:**
  * You must wait 5 days to claim a small country
  * You can join an existing nation as soon as you're exiled
  * You must wait 5 additional days in order to participate in war (after joining a nation or creating a new one)
* **When splitting countries or taking some regions of IRL countries:**
  * You must create defined borders with 2-block high deepslate tiles or acceptable material