All of the land on this planet is claimed, so in order to start a country, I have to pick an area and convince the people who live there that we need to start a new country from scratch. Evolving an existing area or country into Mikeland is doomed to failure.

The important facets of the region for Mikeland include:

• No more than two time zones off U.S. Eastern Time. This allows for business in Mikeland to function in real-time with the U.S. and the rest of North and South America. I have nothing against Europe or Asia but it's very inconvenient to be separated by time from the largest economies in the world
• Contained within a single time zone. A geographically small area is easier to run as a coherent whole.  Can you imagine trying to run the former U.S.S.R. that spanned 12 time zones?  Even the continental U.S. is difficult enough with 4 time zones.
• Mountains and rivers that can be used to generate hydro power
• At least one deep ocean port to facilitate global trade
• Ocean beaches and lakes for enjoyment of the citizens and tourists
• Situated so there is some noticeable change of seasons
• Rich in natural resources that can be intelligently used for the good of the country

Given these factors, I've decided the best place for Mikeland is the area currently called Venezuela.  The country is currently in a position where the citizens might seriously consider just starting over with a new country!