What is Listenbourg? Why is it going viral on Twitter? Why did the meme become so big in Europe?
It only took three days after a photoshopped map showing Listenbourg — a fictional country haphazardly tacked onto the Iberian peninsula — appeared on social media for the joke to take the world by storm.
At first, it was nothing more than a jab at Americans and their supposed lack of knowledge of geography.
“I’m sure Americans don’t even know the name of this country,” Twitter user Gaspardo said on 30 October, accompanying a map with a red arrow pointing at the slab of land liberally added to Spain and Portugal and coloured green, implying this was an EU member state.
Another user instantly replied: “Who does not know Listenbourg?” — and the meme was born.
At the time of writing, the post gathered more than 95,000 likes and thousands of shares on Twitter.
Meanwhile, some decided to take the trolling to another level, claiming the place was actually real.
A high-definition satellite map replaced the original one, while on Reddit, a channel quickly sprung up, claiming that Listenbourg has its own Formula 1 Grand Prix and that its astronauts were a part of a mission to the Moon.
Others quickly organised around what they claim is an “extreme-centre party,” whose leader pledged to “improve Listenbourg’s image abroad,” while its alleged Ministry of Interior already offered to answer any questions regarding its identity documents and visas.
Another post on Twitter claimed that Listenbourg’s king Listen XV was, in fact, the first Sun King, going to war against Louis XIV for the prestigious title in 1661.
A national anthem together with a red-and-white flag sporting a golden eagle appeared on YouTube almost instantaneously on a purportedly official Listenbourg government account.
The French Wikipedia entry for the Republic of
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