LJUBLJANA (AFP) - The world's latest micronation, the minuscule "Kingdom of Enclava" proclaimed by Polish tourists in April, is in fact part of Slovenia, officials in Ljubljana said on Thursday.

"The territory mentioned (by the Kingdom of Enclava) is Slovenian," the small southeastern European country's foreign ministry said in a statement sent to AFP.

Croatia, however, may not agree, as the infertile 100 sq m area is in a zone being considered by a Hague-based international arbitration panel handling a long-running border dispute between the two.

But either way, the area near the Slovenian town of Metlika and 50km west of Zagreb is not "no-man's land" as the Polish tourists were told by locals, the Slovenian ministry said.

The arbitration panel is expected to rule by the end of this year.

One of the Polish tourists, Mr Piotr Wawrzynkiewicz, told AFP last week that "Enclava" citizens "regardless of skin colour, religion or nationality will be able to express their opinions, study for free, and earn money without worrying about taxes". The tiny state, with five official languages, is the latest in a series of micronations declared - mostly for fun, but sometimes for serious reasons - and which are generally not recognised internationally.

In early April, Czech national Vit Jedlicka created the Free Republic of Liberland on a small parcel of land by the Danube river between Croatia and Serbia.

Others include the Whangamomona Republic in New Zealand, Sealand off Britain's east coast, the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands and the Glacier Nation, founded by Greenpeace in Chile.