Kevin Meynell wrote:
"The Channel Island of Sark is pretty much an autocracy. The Seigneur
leases the land (at the exorbitant rate of GBP 1.79 per annum ;-))
from the British crown in perpetuity and can pretty much do what
he/she wishes."

It seems like this is very much comparable to the situation of the
Congo in the 19th century, before it became a Belgian colony. It was
more or less the private property of the King of Belgium then (and
not part of the Belgian kingdom!).

Also Saudi Arabia springs to mind here.

I seem to recall that the seigneur of Sark also gets a percentage of
the amount of money involved in the selling of real estate there. I
recently read the autobiography of the dame of Sark Sibyl Hathaway
(interesting, by the way).

But on the subject of autocracies: what about the Vatican?

Peter S.