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by The Broadcasting Corporation of EuroNews. . 156 reads.

EuroNews - April 2020 - Issue XV

EuroNews - April 2020 - Issue XV

Welcome, everyone, to the fifteenth edition of Europe’s very own EuroNews! A lot of effort has been put into this issue, so it would be great if you could take some time out of your day to explore the good work our team of staff has put into this newsletter (and let’s face it, many of us are in quarantine and have too much time on our hands, so you don’t have an excuse to not check it out)!



The flag of Regnum Italiae who won
the election
European Events
Commissioner Competition
The March election kicked off with a healthy pack of five candidates. Despite the presence of three previous Commission-hopefuls, Alienage, Nardin, and Of herbshire, it was generally thought the main battle would be between the incumbent, Gor nacho, and former long-time Commission member Regnum Italiae.

Nardin would have used his position in the Commission to bolster Europe’s defence against trolls and spammers, potentially by forming a Defence Office for our region. He also wanted to create a mentorship program that fosters newcomers to the region, and a reform of the ambassadorial positions to nurture stronger relations between Europe and the wider NationStates community. While he has run purely to act as a second candidate in the past, Nardin affirmed that this campaign was a serious attempt at winning the election.

Herbshire was very concerned with the electoral system in Europe and wished to reform it, introducing a two-round system instead of the current first-past-the-post system. Hersbhire would also like to establish a “European Radio Network” on Eurocord (Europe’s Discord server) that, in future, election candidates could also use to campaign, so as to not be restricted to the telegram format.

One of Gor Nacho’s major reasons for re-running was to implement a mentorship program that has been one of his flagship policy ideas for a few elections now. However, his first term was also cut short due to a series of unfortunate events that led to his temporary suspension from the Commission in early January (which is explored further in our January Issue. Due to that mishap, Gor also desired to serve a full term.

Regnum Italiae brought three main policy areas to his campaign: defence, community, and diplomacy. Like Nardin, Regnum believes that more security is needed in our region and proposed the creation of a fourth position in the Cabinet, a Defence Secretary, who would be solely tasked with dealing with trolls and spammers. For the community, Regnum wanted to foster roleplay events in the hopes of bringing Europeans together even more. Finally, diplomacy; Regnum wanted to open more embassies and subsequently nurture friendly relations with the wider NationStates world, while maintaining our neutrality.

Alienage’s platform was the same as previous elections, he wanted to promote the ideals of the European Leftist Movement (solidarity, neutrality, to name a couple). He also spent most of the election adamant that it should have been postponed because of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The election started off exciting with Gor and Regnum immediately racing ahead of the pack, neck and neck. Their desperate battle for first continued for a day before Regnum gained momentum and rocketed into the lead, eventually finishing with almost twice as many votes as the rest of the four candidates combined.

The Results
Regnum Italiae: 58
Gor Nacho: 15
Of Herbshire: 9
Nardin: 4
Alienage: 3

Total votes cast: 89

For a more detailed breakdown of the March election and events surrounding it, The Satherlandic Times has a great edition on the election which can be found here.

Written by Yahlia


Roleplay Report
Europe, being a region filled with many dedicated regulars, is constantly creating new factbooks filled with rich lore. It would be an injustice if we let many of these fantastic pieces of roleplay go unnoticed, so here are some of the best role-play factbooks created by Europeans.

Austranesi is a relatively new nation here in Europe, but that hasn’t stopped them from throwing themselves into the community and roleplay. They were very quick in filling out their own Wikipedia-style factbook, their template borrowed from The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth. Austranesi’s factbook covers everything from Java Man and the human settlement of Indonesia to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami with plenty of their own alt-history weaved in, alongside their demographics and geography. As a New Zealander myself, it is somewhat annoying to see us united with Australia in yet another piece of roleplay, but the inclusion of the Austronesian region in the country has pacified me somewhat. It’s a great looking factbook, Austranesi, you should be proud! :)

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This article is available in EnglishIndonesianMalay
Please be aware: The Indonesian and Malay dispatches are not updated as frequently as the English one.

United States of Austranesi

Negara Austranesia Bersatu (Indonesian)

Bersatu Negeri Austranesia (Malay)



Flag

Coat of Arms



Motto
Katingalina tiasa leres
"Might Makes Right"


Anthem
"Advance Austranesi Fair"




Location


Population 395,741,764
Density 94.77/mile²


Capital Canberra
35°18'33"S 149°07'20"E
Largest City Jakarta


Official Language(s)
English
Indonesian
Malay


National Language(s)
English
Maori
Sundanese
Javanese


Regional Language(s) Over 1200 languages


Ethnic Groups Over 700 ethnic groups


Religion
49% Christianity
31% Islamic
10% Irreligious
3% Judaism
2.4% Buddhism
2.3% Hinduism
2.3% Sikhism


Demonym
Austranesian (official)
Aussie (common)


Government Federal Presidental Republic
- President Antoine Remers
- Vice President Marc Laurie
- Speaker of the Council Ronald Corbin
- Chief Justice Carl Demerat


Legislature Congress
- Upper House: Senate
- Lower House: Federal Council


Establishment
- Independence: 1 January 1801


Land Area 4,175,003 mile²
10,813,207 km² (2nd)


Elevation
Highest Point: Mt. Jayawijaya
Lowest Point: Mariana Trench


GDP (PPP) $28.9 trillion
GDP (PPP) per capita $73,030.65


GDP (nominal) $18.2 trillion
GDP (nominal) per capita $45,991.62


GINI 34.0 (Medium)


HDI 0.938 (High)


Currency Austranesian Dollar


Time Zone UTC +7 to UTC -9


Date Format DD-MM-YYYY


Drives on the Right


Calling code +61


ISO 3166 Code AU


Internet TLD .au

This factbook is part of a series on



Austranesi


The United States of Austranesi, commonly called Austranesi, Austranesia, or AussieLand, is a federal republic in Europe. It is bordered on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by Great Australian Bight, and on the west by the Indian Ocean. Austranesi covers 10,813,207 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 395,741,764 people. Austranesi comprises of 30 states and 7 territories. Austranesi is also a member of the World Assembly, ASEAN, EAA, and ATA. Austranesi’s capital is Canberra and it’s largest city is Jakarta. Some other large metropolises include Sydney, Los Corales, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore City.

Etymology

Main article: Etymology of Austranesi

The name “Austranesi” is derived from the Austronesian peoples who inhabited most of the nation’s Pacific islands. As of 2019, a majority of the Austronesian peoples live in the states of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Maluku, North Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Papua, West Papua, East Papua, Sulawesi and New Zealand. The standard way to refer to a citizen of Austranesi is as a "Austranesian," or “Aussie.”

History

Main article: History of Austranesi

Indigenous peoples

Human habitation of Austranesi began at least 2 million to 500,000 years ago, with recently found fossilized remains of Homo erectus, popularly known as the "Java Man" suggest the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited at that time. Homo sapiens reached the region around 43,000 BCE. The Australian Region's habitation began around 65,000 years ago, with the migration of people in the Australian continent by land bridges and short sea-crossings from what is now Southeast Asia. The rock shelter known as Madjedbebe, located in Arnhem Land in northeast Outback, is recognized as the oldest site showing the presence of humans in Austranesi. The Lake Mungo remains have been dated to around 41,000 years ago, making them the oldest human remains. These people were the ancestors of modern Indigenous Austranesians. Aboriginal Austranesian culture is one of the oldest continual civilizations on earth.

At the time of the first European contact, most Indigenous Austranesians were hunter-gatherers with complex economies and societies. According to recent archaeological finds, the population of those societies were about 750,000 at the time of European contact.

European arrival

The first European arrival to Austranesi was in 1512, who were Portuguese traders arriving in the Indonesian Region, led by Francisco Serrão, sought to monopolize the sources of nutmeg, cloves, an cubeb pepper in the Maluku Islands. Dutch and British traders followed soon after. in 1602, the Dutch established the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and became the dominant European power for almost 200 years. The VOC, however, was dissolved in 1800 following bankruptcy, and the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies as a nationalized colony and remained as one until its invasion and annexation by Austranesi during the Indonesian War in 1856.

The British controlled the Australia and New Zealand Regions for almost 40 years until Austranesi's independence on 1 January 1801. Australia was first discovered by the Dutch in 1606. However, the British colonized what is now known as New South Wales in 1770, after James Cook mapped out the east coast. With the loss of its American Colonies, the British Government sent a fleet of ships to New South Wales to establish a penal colony in the state. However, the colony would not last as Australia and New Zealand gained independence to form the United States of Austranesi on 1 January 1801.

Indonesian War

The Indonesian War was fought between Austranesi and the Dutch from 1854 to 1856. The Dutch wished to expand its empire to the south. The Dutch, however, were heavliy outnumbered and not prepared for the massive waves of Austranesian soldiers coming in through Java and Nusa Tenggara. The Dutch army was obliterated and the war ended with the Austranesian invasion of Indonesia and New Guinea.

World War I and World War II

In 1914, Austranesi joined the Allies in fighting World War I, and used it as an opportunity to invade German Pacific Colonies, in which they successfully annexed German New Guinea. 416,000 Austranesians served during the war and took part in many of the major battles fought on the Western Front. Austranesi fought on the Pacific Front against Japan in World War II, due to the threat of Japanese expansion into Austranesi. There were long and bloody battles fought between Austranesi and Japan, however Austranesi was able to come out victorious in most of those battles. Austranesi invaded and annexed many Japanese colonies, including Samoa, Malaysia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Palau. The United States provided protection for Austranesi in case of an unexpected invasion by Japan. From 1945-1948, Austranesi and Japan fought a large war, known as the Great Pacific War, with the United States and the Soviet Union fighting on the side of Austranesi. However, even with the large advantage provided by two world powers, Austranesi struggled against Japan, but the Austranesian invasion of Kyushu and the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war, and Kyushu became a military controlled territory, until it was ceded back to Japan in 1951.

Modern era

After World War II, Austranesi remained neutral during the Cold War, and never engaged in external armed conflicts. However, political, economic and social instability and terrorism in the Indonesian region remained in the 2000s. However, in recent years, the economy has performed strongly. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami devastated Austranesi and killed 130,000. However, since that event, the region has been able to thrive, and Jakarta became one of the largest economic hubs in the world.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Austranesi

At 10,813,207 square kilometers, Austranesi is the 2nd largest country in the world, only behind Russia, which covers 17,098,246 square kilometers. The Australian continent is the smallest out of the 7 continents. The country is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and is only connected to Asia by the Malaysian Peninsula. There are over 17,671 islands scattered across the entire country, with 6,200 being inhabited. The largest of these islands is Australia, which covers 7,692,024 square kilometers. Other large islands include Java, Borneo, New Guinea, and Sulawesi

The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, lies a short distance from the northeast coast of the Australian Region, and extends for over 2,000 kilometers. Mt. Jayawijaya, located in the State of Papua, is the tallest mountain in Austranesi, with Puncak Jaya being the tallest peak in the entire nation. The Mariana Trench is the lowest point in Austranesi and the world.

The Indomalayan Region is an archipelago that is mostly characterized by small islands covered in rainforests. The largest of these islands is New Guinea, which is covered in rainforest and is sparsely populated, with the 3 largest urban areas being Jayapura, Port Moresby and Sorong.

Austranesi’s size gives it a wide variety of landscapes, with tropical rainforests in the northeast, mountain ranges in the southeast, southwest and east, and desert in the center. The desert/semi-arid land known as the Outback covers over 5.6 million square kilometers and takes up 70% of the Australian Region. The Australian Continent is the driest inhabited continent, with less than 500mm of annual rainfall. Outside of urban areas in the Outback, the population density is 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometer. However, most inhabitants live in urban areas such as Ayers, Yalata, Outback City, and Paraburdoo, or in the southeast coastline of the continent.


Satellite image of Austranesi

Climate

The climate of Austranesi is highly diversified, due to its size and location. Austranesi is one of the only 2 nations to extend to all 4 hemispheres, the other being Kiribati. In the Australian Region, the climate is heavily influenced by ocean currents, including the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low-pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia. These factors cause rainfall to vary markedly from year to year. Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical, predominantly summer-rainfall (monsoon). The south-west corner of the country has a Mediterranean climate. The south-east ranges from oceanic (Tasmania and coastal Victoria) to humid subtropical (upper half of New South Wales), with the highlands featuring alpine and subpolar oceanic climates. The interior is arid to semi-arid.

In the Indomalayan Region, the climate tends to be relatively even year-round, due to the region being on the equator. The region has two seasons—a wet season and a dry season—with no extremes of summer or winter. For most of Indonesia, the dry season falls between May and October with the wet season between November and April. It’s climate is almost entirely tropical, dominated by the tropical rainforest climate found in every large island of the region. Some states, such as Kalimantan and Sumatra, experience only slight differences in rainfall and temperature between the seasons, whereas others, such as Nusa Tenggara, experience far more pronounced differences with droughts in the dry season, and floods in the wet. Rainfall is plentiful, particularly in Western Sumatra, Western Kalimantan, Western Java, and Papua.

In the Polynesian region, the climate is described as mostly tropical, with a warm rainy season lasting from November to April and a cool dry season running from May to October.

Demographics

Language

Main article: Languages of Austranesi

English, Indonesian, Malay and Maori are the 4 official languages of Austranesi. English is the most spoken language, with 79.3% of Austranesians being fluent in English. Indonesian is the second most spoken, with 69.4% fluent speakers, mainly in the Indonesian region. Malay, Maori, Mandarin, and Japanese are also widely spoken languages across the Indonesian region of Austranesi. Mandarin is mostly spoken in the State of Singapore, however English is the official language of the state. There are also over 1200 regional languages spoken in the nation, mostly spoken across indigenous people.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Austranesi

There is no state religion of Austranesi. The Austranesian Constitution prohibits the Austranesian government from making any law to establish any religion, impose any religious observence, or prohibit the free exercise of any religion. 49% of Austranesians were counted as Christian, 31% as Muslim, 10% as non-religious, 3% Jewish 2.4% Buddhist, 2.3% Hindu, and 2.3% Sikh.

Ethnicity

Main article: Austranesians

Austranesi is an ethnically diverse nation, with over 700 ethnic groups recorded by the 2010 census. Most Austranesians have descended from the Austronesian peoples whose languages had origin in Provo-Austronesian which possibly originated in what is now Taiwan. Another major grouping is the Melanesians, who inhabit central Austranesi (the Maluku Islands and Western New Guinea).

The Javanese are the largest ethnic group, constituting 36.2% of the population, and are politically dominant. They are predominantly located in the central to eastern parts of Java and also sizable numbers in most states. The Caucasians, Sundanese, Malay, Batak, Madurese, Minangkabau and Buginese are the next largest groups in the country. A sense of Austranesian nationhood exists alongside strong regional identities.

Health

Main article: Healthcare in Austranesi

Austranesi has revolved around a universal healthcare system that grants free healthcare to citizens since the Universal Healthcare Act of 1997. Austranesi's life expectancy is the third highest in the world for males and the seventh highest for females.Life expectancy in Austranesi in 2010 was 79.5 years for males and 84.0 years for females.

Total expenditure on health (including private sector spending) is around 9.8% of GDP. Austranesi introduced universal health care in 1997. Known as Medicare, it is now nominally funded by an income tax surcharge known as the Medicare levy, currently set at 2%. The states manage hospitals and attached outpatient services, while the National Government funds the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (subsidising the costs of medicines) and general practice.

Education

Main article: Education in Austranesi

School attendance, or registration for home schooling, is compulsory throughout Austranesi. Education is the responsibility of the individual states and territories so the rules vary between states, but in general children are required to attend school from the age of about 5 until about 18.

Australia has an adult literacy rate that was estimated to be 99% in 2003. However, a 2011–12 report for the Austranesian Bureau of Statistics reported that Tasmania has a literacy and numeracy rate of only 50%. In the International Assessment Organization, Austranesi regularly scores among the top five of thirty major developed countries (member countries of the Economic Development Organization). Catholic education accounts for the largest non-government sector.

Austranesi has over 5,300 government-funded public universities across the country. Out of those 5,300 universities, there are 1,526 public colleges, 1,587 private nonprofit schools, and 1,185 for-profit schools. Kupang University in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara was ranked first on the EDO’s most prestigious universities in the world. Institutions in Austranesi are most notable for their competition, mainly in sports.

Largest Cities

Main article: Largest Cities in Austranesi

Rank

City

City Population

State

1

Jakarta

10.1 million

Java

2

Sydney

7.9 million

New South Wales

3

Los Corales

7.6 million

Queensland

4

Kuala Lumpur

7.2 million

Malaysia

5

Singapore City

5.6 million

Singapore

6

Brisbane

5.4 million

Queensland

7

Perth

4.9 million

Western Australia

8

Adelaide

4.3 million

South Australia

9

Maningrida

3.8 million

Outback

10

Ayers

3.1 million

Outback

Government

Main article: Government of Austranesi


States of Austranesi

DESCRIBE GOVERNMENT

States and Territories

Main article: States of Austranesi

Austranesi has 30 states, 1 mainland territory, 6 external territories, and an Antarctic Claim. The 7 territories function as states, however the Federal Government can has the power to modify or repeal any legislation passed by the territorial legislatures.

Under the constitution, the states essentially have plenary legislative power to legislate on any subject, whereas the Federal Government may legislate only within the subject areas that correspond with Section 19. For example, state parliaments have the power to legislate with respect to education, criminal law and state police, health, transport, and local government, areas that the Federal Government has no control over. However, Federal laws prevail over state laws to the extent of the inconsistency. The Federal Government can also enact national policies, such as the Universal Healthcare Act. The states can opt out of these, but rarely do so.

Territories work like states, but they cannot opt out of national policies, unlike states. In the Territorial Government Act of 2003, the constitution defines a territory’s government as a unicameral government with the power to enact laws with the consent of the Federal Government. Those laws can be either modified or repealed by the Federal Government, although laws are rarely repealed or modified.

Military and Foreign Relations

Main article: Austranesian Armed Forces and Foreign Relations of Austranesi

DESCRIBE MILITARY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS

Economy

Main article: Economy of Austranesi

Economic Indicators

Rank: 2nd
Economic Capital: Jakarta
Currency: Dollar
Fiscal Year: 1 January-31 December


GDP (nominal): $18.2 trillion
GDP (nominal) per capita: $45,991.62
Labour Force: 381 million
Unemployment: 14.7 million

The economy is a mixed economy dominated by the petroleum industry, amounting for approximately 69% of GDP. Austranesi is the top exporter of petroleum products in the world, exporting at least 65% of petroleum products to nations such as the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. The Topka Oil Corporation, headquartered in the port city of Los Corales, is the largest oil company in Austranesi, and the 4th largest in the world, producing approximately 5.2 million barrels per day. The tourism industry is the second largest industry in Austranesi. 9.6 million visit Austranesi annually and contribute $79 billion to the GDP annually.

The mining industry is another major industry in Austranesi. The 2014-15 mineral extraction valued at $212 billion. Of this, coal represented $45.9 billion, oil and natural gas $40.4 billion, iron ore $69.5 billion, gold ore $13.7 billion, and other metals $7.9 billion.

Coal is primarily mined in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. Gold, iron, and oil are mostly found in Outback, South Australia, Western Australia, and in the Melanesia Region. 54% of coal mined in Austranesi is exported, mainly to East Asia. Diamonds are mostly mined in southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales. 15% of diamonds mined are exported to the United States, Canada and Russia every year, and contributes $11 billion to Austranesi’s GDP every year.

Agriculture contributes 11% of Austranesi’s economy. Due to 70% of the Australia Region’s land being covered by the outback, most agriculture takes place in the Indomalaya Region. In 2018, 83% of farmland was located in the Indomalayan region, and 43% in New Guinea. Most farmland in the Australian Region is found on the coastline.

The manufacturing industry in Austranesi is one of the largest in the world. Car companies such as Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz operate manufacturing plants in New South Wales and New Zealand, and aerospace companies, such as Airbus and Boeing, operate plants in Kalimantan, Java, Queensland, Papua, and East Nusa Tenggara.

In 2018, Austranesi was ranked 19th out of 180 countries in accordance to press freedom. Media is a strong industry in Austranesi, with the Austranesian Broadcasting Network and 11 Entertainment representing two of the largest media companies in the country

The Austranesian Dollar is the national currency for the nation.

Science and Technology

Main articles: Science and Technology in Austranesi

DESCRIBE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Communication

Main article: Communications in Austranesi

DESCRIBE COMMUNICATIONS

Culture

Main article: Culture of Austranesi

Since 1788, the primary influence behind Austranesian culture has been Anglo-Celtic Western culture, with some Indigenous influences. The divergence and evolution that has occurred in the ensuing centuries has resulted in a distinctive Austranesian culture. The culture of the United States has also been highly influential, particularly through television and cinema. Other cultural influences come from neighbouring Asian countries, and through large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking nations.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Austranesi

About 33% of Austranesian over the age of 15 participate in organized sports.

Sports are extremely popular in Austranesi, with the most popular sport being baseball, followed by soccer and Austranesian football. The Austranesian Baseball League is the most popular sports league in Austranesi, with 17.1 million viewers per game during the 2018-19 season. The Austranesian League 1 averaged around 16.7 million viewers per game during the 2018-19 season. The Austranesian Football League is the third most popular sports league, averaging 11.1 million viewers per game in the 2019 season.

The Austranesian national cricket team has participated in every edition of the Cricket World Cup. Austranesi has been successful in the event, winning the tournament 5 times, the record number. Austranesi also has a fierce rivalry with India. Both teams have played each other in the World Cup Finals twice, with India winning in 2011, and Austranesi winning in 2015.

The Austranesian national football team has also been successful in world competitions, winning the FIFA World Cup twice, first in 1998 and most recently in 2018. Austranesi has also competed in the AFC Asian Cup, winning in 1977, 1999, 2003, 2015 and 2019, and losing in the Finals in 2007 to Iraq. In the Olympics, Austranesi has won Gold 3 straight times (1996, 2000, 2004) and winning Silver once (1992).

Austranesi is one of 5 nations to participate in all editions of the Olympic Games. Austranesi has also hosted the Olympic Games 3 times, 1956 in Melbourne, 2000 in Sydney and 2008 in Copalton. The country regularly competes among the world elite basketball teams as it is among the global top three teams in terms of qualifications to the Basketball Tournament at the Summer Olympics. Other major international events held in Austranesi include the Austranesian Open tennis grand slam tournament, international cricket matches, and the Austranesian Formula One Grand Prix. The highest-rating television programs include sports telecasts such as the Summer Olympics, FIFA World Cup, The Ashes, Rugby League State of Origin, the Austranesi-India cricket match, the Austranesi-Japan baseball match, the Aussie Series of the Austranesian Baseball League, and the Grand Finals of the Austranesian Football League. Skiing in Austranesi began in the 1860s and snow sports take place in the Austranesian Alps and parts of Tasmania. Basketball and American Football is also popular in Austranesi, however only in college and high school. The AUSA generates $103 billion in revenue every year for college football, basketball, baseball, and soccer.

Cuisine

Main article: Austranesian Cuisine

DESCRIBE CUISINE

Infrastructure

Main article: Austranesian Infrastructure

DESCRIBE INFRASTRUCTURE

Energy

Main article: Energy of Austranesi

DESCRIBE ENERGY

Original template by Ponderosa
Additions and Revisions by The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth
Original template may be found here
Template with Additions and Revisions may be found here

Read factbook

Estonesia recently published a factbook focusing upon their religion’s pantheon of gods. The main deity in Ööselskia is Öösele, the god of night, space, forgiveness, and knowledge. Öösele is the creator of all and “parent” of all the other deities. Estonesia explores the rest of their gods in the factbook, and, if I’m not wrong, draws some inspiration from the Elder Scrolls universe. Either way, it’s a cool exploration of a fictional pantheon of gods and something I’ve rarely seen in other nations’ roleplay.

Öösel: Öösel is the Main god and God of Gods of the Ööselskia Faith. It is the God of Night, Space, Forgiveness and Knowledge. It is the Creator of all things and they are the "Parent" of all the other Gods.

Païkest: Päikest is the sun that give us light, the God-Guardian of Our Solar System. He is one of the Gods of Light and Protection

Käärented: God of War and Death, he is the one in charge of welcoming the dead in Rahukoht (Heaven) and manage it.

Grääciaed: She is the Goddess of Peace, Justice and Prosperity. She manages the Purgatory, the one that judges the souls to decide if they end up in Rahukoht or reincarnate.

Kahepoolne: Kahepoolne is the God of Madness, Despair, Sadness but also Happiness. He is known to curse some humans that sinned in their past life with mental or physical disabilities, diseases, conditions and illnesses.

Siskees: Siskees is the Goddess of Love, Fertility and Agriculture. Like Aphrodite in the Greek Pantheon, she is particularly beautiful and can make almost any Human fall in love with Her. Yet she doesn't have any feelings of Love herself which is kind of a Paradox for the Goddess of Love herself.

Otšijak: Otšijak is not really a God but more of a Half God. He is guarding the Suramahatukogu, the Great Divine Library of Knowledge. Most of those who seek more knowledge when they end up in Rahukoht will be able to find it in the Suramahatukogu but most won't return and will wander into the endless halls and corridors of the Suramahatukogu for ever. Miraak holds the High Suramahatukogu were belongs the most important Knowledge, the Thruth and Secrets of Life

Käded: They are the God of Philosophy, Arts and Wisdom. They are an entity without any gender or defined form, it is a pure essence of energy that apparently have the most normal voice you could expect.

Suēmöö: She is the Goddess of Commerce, Work and Will. Praising and Praying her is supposed to grant more luck and charisma during exchanges and bargains, as well as making you more efficient in your daily work.

Könißed: Könißed is the God of Nature and God of the Oceans. He guards the Ancient sunk City of Maavald.

Æoth: Æoth is the God of the 69 Pleyads, the Divine Servants. Him and the Pleyads guards the Crack, only acces for the Kõrmonid to the Human World. The Kõrmonid live in the Эctoth, the Mad Dimension.

Prantesmää: Prantesmää is the God of Illusions, Dreams and Nightmares. If he appears in one of you dreams, you will be able to have a discussion with his Dream form and he will prevent you from doing something you could regret in the Future or he can just advice you on a problem you currently have, helping you putting an end to it.
If you Encounter him in one of your Nightmares under his Nightmare Form, you will belong forever to the Nightmare you were in as your Real you will disappear from Existence and nobody will remember you (almost, there are some exceptions). Prantesmää only appears in the Dreams of People in need or to those who did Good Actions recently. As for those who did Bad Actions, crimes or sinned he will appear in their Nightmares

Read factbook

Rivierenland has done a lot of work on his Wikipedia-style factbook as well. He has written extensively on his nation’s history and political system, creating one of the longer overview factbooks that I have seen. Riv explores everything from his nation’s founding in 1697 until the modern-day, covering everything from the colonial period to the Industrial Revolution, from the World Wars to the Cold War. History and politics aside, Riv also discusses his economy, culture, healthcare and education, and even the country’s infrastructure. It’s obvious that Riv put a lot of effort into this wonderful factbook!

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Rivierenland


Flag



Motto
You'll never walk alone


Anthem
Queen's Song




Location


Population 78 Million


Capital Utrecht
Largest City Bremen


Official Languages
Dutch,. German, French, Italian


National Language
Dutch & German


Ethnic Groups
Dutch people
German people
French people
Italian people
Others


Religion
Atheism
Ietism
Catholicism
Islam
Judaism
Orthodoxism
Paganism
other


Demonym
Rivierenlander (official)


Government Parliamentary Republic
- Eleanor Cohen (Premier)


Legislature Parliament
- Upper House: Volkskamer (People's Room)
- Lower House: Huis van Gedeputeerden (House of Deputies)


Establishment
- 1697


Land Area Unspecified


Elevation
Highest Point: Monte Rosa (4634 meters)
Lowest Point: Zuidplaspolder (-6,76 Meters)


GDP (nominal) 353 trillion Guilders
GDP (nominal) per capita 131022 Guilders


Currency Guilders (ƒ)


Time Zone GMT & UTC +1


Date Format DD-MM-YYYY


Drives on the Left


Calling code +31


ISO 3166 Code Rv


Internet TLD .riv

This factbook is part of a series on



Rivierenland


The First Republic of Rivierenland, commonly called Rivierenland, Rivierenlander Republic, or Riv, is a parliamentary republic in Europe. It is bordered on the east by the DDR & Austria, on the south by Italy, on the north by Denmark and on the west by France. Rivierenland covers unspecified square kilometres and has an estimated population of 78 million people. Rivierenland comprises of 8 Provinces. Rivierenland is also a member of the Schengen Area and EFTA. Rivierenland also fully contains the autonomous city of Hertogenbosch.

Etymology

Rivierenland is Dutch for "Rivers land". It's name came to place when Rivierenland was founded, because not only did it rely on the river Rhine, but it was also because the Rhine was it's national identity. Name changes were proposed many times but all rejected, because the name was just too recognizable. Everyone from America to Australia knew about Rivierenland. Later on when Rivierenland expanded along the Rhine, Moselle, Schelde and Elbe, the name became even more synonymous with the nation, because now there were four rivers, with the Rhine still as the heart of the nation.

History

The founding and early years
Rivierenland was founded in 1697, after a long battle with a recovering Netherlands. The Netherlands was still recovering from the Eighty Years' War that had ended several decades prior, but that still had the Netherlands relatively crippled. Rivierenland was founded by Henry de Kleine (King Henry I). He was a merchant who lead the Rivierenlander revolt against the Dutch after he was found out with his good leadership skills. The war of independence took place at first to just take a bit of the Netherlands, but when the Netherlands lunged all of their forces at the rebels, the Rivierenlanders tried to annex a big chunk of the Netherlands. It worked and the Netherlands was now divided into three entities: Rivierenland, the Union of Arras (Atrecht) and Luxembourg.

After a few years, Rivierenland found itself in a personal union with Arras and puppeted Luxembourg in the process. All in all, the UK and France were eyeing the new nations and wanted to annex them, but they never attacked any of the three nations. Rivierenland had a lot of problems with everybody and it found itself frequently at war with other nations, including Arras. This lead to Rivierenland bordering Luxembourg. by this time, Joris de Leider (King Joris II) was in charge. He was very disliked by the Frisians. So much so that they tried to assassinate the King many times and when those attempts failed, they eventually rebelled and formed their own country. That nation was quickly re-annexed and Rivierenland was restored again. In 1780, the King made sure that a Prime Minister would be in place to take actions when necessary, alongside a parliament containing 200 people.

More expansion
Years passed by and Monarchs too. When Mathilde de Rustige (Queen Mathilde I) became Queen, she began sending an ultimatum to Luxembourg to be annexed or fight in war. Luxembourg accepted the ultimatum and they joined Rivierenland. Subsequently a few years after that, Rivierenland expanded east in hopes to increase it's power in Europe and it gained some lands via trade and war.

Rivierenland also started setting up dominions in Africa and Brazil, with avail from Portugal and the UK. Portugal in particular wasn't pleased with the dominion of Fortaleza and Recife and battled Rivierenland a long time for it alongside the UK who were unhappy about Rivierenland taking bits of the Gold Coast and other valuable places in West Africa. After some fighting, Rivierenland got to keep the colonies after they were deemed too useless in a decoy attempt to make Portugal and the UK lose interest. It worked.

Rivierenland then came along a piece of land that was heavily contested between many nations, but somehow Rivierenland managed to make it a country (Greater-Schleswig) and it became attached to Rivierenland, until Laver Island demanded a piece of it and the territory became split between the two.

When Amalie de Stille (Queen Amalie II) got in power, she tried to battle Prussia to expand further east, but Premier Ivan de Lange stopped Amalie in this and instead manged to sway her into expanding south.along the Rhine. After years of fighting and trade, they got halted by Napoleon's forces. They were now part of Napoleonic France, but still got to keep the Monarch and Premier for some unknown reason. When the French eventually left, the expansion continued and then they stopped.

After a few years, Wilhelm Kleinsburg (King Wilhelm I) became the monarch, he invested a lot in the military and eventually they expands further south, reaching the Saarland. At this point, the Premier (Willem Hagenaar) started suggesting to the King that it was maybe a good time to start looking at the UK and their industry sector, as the UK was undergoing an industrial revolution. The King followed the advice and started opening up good relations with the UK to try and get new techniques, ideas and innovations from the Brits in order to better the industry in Rivierenland.

Industrial Revolution and progress
Thanks to Hagenaar's advice, Rivierenland was getting new technology and innovations to further the industry. This lead to a few changes in the country. First of all, when Erik Koter became Premier, he demanded the King to write a constitution to further democracy in Rivierenland and also to officialize the status of the Premier. The King first denied his demands, but when it became clear that if he didn't bow down to Koter, the people would overthrow him, the King then quickly drafted up a constitution with help from the Premier. With the constitution, the Premier became official and got more power in ruling Rivierenland, whilst the Monarch got their power reduced to only voting on motions in the parliament and vetoing proposals in parliament. The Monarch was still allowed to declare war on behalf of the nation. This ensured that Rivierenland would become more democratic.

The constitution also allowed all wealthy men to vote in elections and allowed a maximum of 12 hours of paid work a day. These few bits in the constitution along with other stuff were hot button issues for a long time. By this time Rivierenland had just annexed Switzerland and they kick-started a movement for betterment of the constitution. They advocated for a maximum of 8 hours of paid work a day, all men being able to vote and women's suffrage (along with other things). Under the Premiership of Tjerk Ivanssen, the amount of labour per day was reduced to 8 hours and all men were able to vote. Womens' suffrage was ignored until Amanda Strauss became Premier. She then made womens' suffrage legal and from 1890 on, Rivierenland had voting rights for everyone over 18.

A new century and WWI
When Strauss left office, Heloise Charbot took over the Premiership and made some reforms which were unheard of at the time, like a fixed minimum wage for all workers and allowing same-sex unions. Charbot also implemented a military draft and an income tax, but the King (King Johann) quickly overturned the income tax, because he thought the people would get angry.

The military draft was only put in place, because of fears of a major European war between the great powers. Rivierenland then had two choices: stay neutral or ally. Rivierenland chose to ally itself with Russia and France against Prussia and Austria-Hungary. Julian Bannings (King Julian I) and Diederik de Jong (Premier) oversaw WWI. Rivierenland's loses were moderate at about 56000 soldiers lost. Rivierenland made sure that the Prussian and Austro-Hungarian forces were stuck at their border so they'd eventually run out of morale and supplies. After the war, Prussia was to cease to exist, but Rivierenland refused to take any of it's land. To compensate, Laver Island gave up Hamburg and surrounding areas.

Interbellum and WWII

Anna Kießling & Marie Annette

The interbelum was an interesting time for Rivierenland as it saw an economic boom that no one had predicted to happen, which was weird because Rivierenland still had to recover from the Great War. The economy was booming and Rivierenland set up many things, like a new railway system, a national airline, new road system, etc. Rivierenland was on a bubble of hope and prosperity and Marie Annette (Queen Marie II) was getting good credit from abroad. But there was a problem, the bubble burst when the Great Depression happened. Rivierenland was starting to see negative effect, like an unemployment rate of 43% (a record high), a national debt of 12 million Guilders (560 million Guilders today) and other things. The blame was mostly put on Harris Wilson, who had neglected the prospect of welfare programs, which lead to many Rivierenlanders also becoming homeless.

This caused a few attempts to overthrow Wilson by a group of national socialists. National Socialists and communists set up their own parties to try and take over Rivierenland, but in the end, the RDP (Rivierenlander Democratic Party) remained the ruling party, albeit with a different Premier (Anna Kießling). Kießling tried to tow the nation out of the crisis by starting up numerous welfare programs. She also noticed Germany and Austro-Bavaria making preparations for war. Thus she initiated militarization programs to prepare the military for war (yet again) and to offer more jobs. By 1939, the unemployment rate was down to 14%, but at this point WWII had started. Poland and Czechoslovakia got invaded and Rivierenland was next. Together with forces from Laver Island, the Germans and Austrians were held off, but eventually the defences broke and both nations were invaded. Kießling and Annette already fled to London at that point.

Life in German/Austrian occupied Rivierenland was normal at first, but after 1941 life became harder to live.While in exile, both Annette and Kießling both operated an illegal radio that was broadcasted in secrecy in Rivierenland. They also led the resistance movement in Rivierenland, which was deemed the second best resistance movement of the entire war behind the Partizans in Yugoslavia. Many Rivierenlanders also collaborated with the enemy, by revealing hiding places of Jews, fighting against the Soviets on the eastern front, building German/Austrian structures and many more things.

In 1944, Annette and Kießling made a very dangerous decision. They decided to return to Rivierenland and they did that without getting caught. By that time, the Allies were already making their way through France. The Allies and the two Rivierenlander leaders called up for rebellions against the enemy and it worked. The rebellions that already existed became fiercer and they managed to free Utrecht and other cities. By December 1944, the western part of Rivierenland was free again and the army focused on freeing the other parts as well as trying to free Jutland too. By May, 1945, the Germans and Austrians gave up and surrendered europe was finally back at peace, but it had to rebuild, with Rivierenland being hit teh hardest.

Cold War and decolonization

Europe, 1960 (with the Iron Curtain marked with a white line)

After WWII, Rivierenland began rebuilding. Infrastructure became revitalized, the flag-carrier (Rivierenlander Aero Systems) was disbanded to save money, foreign aid was received, etc. The Marshall plan really gave Rivierenland the kick in the pants to work even harder than before to rebuild. Rivierenland then joined NATO, because it wanted to protect themselves from the communists on the other side of the Curtain.

When Kießling stepped won as Premier in 1956, Rivierenland was booming with industry and teh unemployment rate was at an all time low. Helmut Rosenthal took over and he together with Annette worked on projects like a dam in the Rhine, an international railway to Belgrade, starting in Amsterdam and even the creation of the Flevopolder. The Cold War really didn't matter in the eyes of Rivierenlander citizens, until the government tried to start a new project that would strengthen their position in Europe: Nuclear missiles.

In 1960, Rosenthal had proposed to parliament a bill that would enable Rivierenland to start the production of ICBM's and other nuclear warheads. NATO already backed this proposal, because of Rivierenland's location. The bill was passed and the production started in factories in Bremen, Saarbrücken, Schaan and Venlo. Despite it creating new jobs for the people, the citizens didn't like the fact that they were holding nukes. They were afraid that now the Soviets would try to attack them at any moment, because of the nukes they had and because the communists were only just across the border.. Protest began in major cities and carried on until 1962, when Rivierenland made it pretty clear that the ICBM's were a real ebenfit for Rivierenland.

one of Rivierenland's ICBM's

In 1963, Margaret Elling Sr. (Queen Margaret I) became the new Monarch and she was a more aggressive one than her predecessor. She many times opted for a revolt in the Soviet Union to overthrow the communists and in the USSR she was made look like a fool. Once at an international meeting which included the two countries, Khrushchev tried to put a clown's nose on Elling Sr. Margaret didn't take this lightly and tried to punch him before her guards separated her from him.

After years of calm and relieved tensions, Rivierenland started making trade deals with some countries, which included England and Yugoslavia, but also Czechoslovakia. This marked a very strange moment, but the USSR said nothing about Czechoslovakia's deal with Rivierenland. In 1973, an embargo was placed on several western countries, including Rivierenland. This put Rivierenland into an economic crisis yet again. The new Premier (Luka Sporar) had a real job on his hands and the pressure on him was really high.

Sporar made many attempts at trying to combat the crisis. Firstly, he tried to relieve the economic burden by giving independence to the Dominion of Diamond Coast and giving the Dominion of Fortaleza and Recife away to Brazil, since they weren't profitable for Rivierenland. This worked not as much as hoped and Sporar tried another measure. implemented income tax, which relieved the economic burden on the government, but only increased it with the citizens. His final attempt was to let Rivierenland join the EU. This proved not so good as hoped and the pressure on him grew so large that in 1976, just one month before the elections, he shot himself.

Andrei Popescu took his duties over and helped Rivierenland out of the crisis. He did that by reducing the nuclear program and investing in cheaper ways of energy. He also even gambled Rivierenland back out of the crisis. Popescu managed to calm the citizens, but at what cost? Well, Rivierenland became less of a target. The Soviets weren't joking about Rivierenland anymore and tensions relieved slightly.

In the 80's, the tensions between Rivierenland the eastern bloc, that Rivierenland started opening up foreign relations with several Eastern bloc countries, like Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, etc. Even the USSR started opening up agreements and even agreed to build a railway between Amsterdam and Warsaw. Even air travel was made possible between the two nations, with the first route being between Amsterdam and Moscow.

When in 1991 the Soviet Union finally fell, Rivierenland helped aid several newly formed republics with gaining democracy. Mostly to Poland, Ukraine and the three Baltic states. Those nations achieved those goals and repaid Rivierenland in the following years. With tensions in the Balkans, Rivierenlander troops were sent to fight alongside other NATO troops, including securing small towns in Bosnia from being an over by the Serbs. Popescu was heavily criticized by the people for sending troops to Bosnia and was replaced with Amelia Jeppen. A year prior to that, Margaret Elling (Queen Margaret II) took over the reins from her mother.

Modern times
In the early 90's, Rivierenland began to face a separatism. Many cities in the country wanted some kind of independence/autonomy and began to hold referendums which had very divided opinions. As per the Rivierenlander constitution, a referendum has to have at least 67% of the voting population have voted in the referendum. The referendums of Eindhoven, Tilburg, Maastricht, Antwerpen & Breda were all declared null, because their voting turnouts were below 67%. The only separatist city to receive a turnout of over 67% was 's Hertogenbosch. Their turnout was 68% and most of those voters voted for autonomy, so on the 21st of September, 1999, after many steps to autonomy, Hertogenbosch became an autonomous city, similar to Macau.

In 1997, the constitution was changed, which basically stated meant that the Monarch would have zero power left, which in the Queen's eyes was so unacceptable, that she sued the Premier in the High Court and won. The constitution did revert back to what it was, but with the only change being that the monarch would lose the veto-right and could only vote and lobby.

Rivierenlander Parliament (used since 1996)

In 1999, more tensions with the people arose, when the government sent troops to Kosovo to aid the Kosovars and other NATO soldiers in the fight against the Serbs. This caused protests in major Rivierenlander cities, but Jeppen responded to those protest, not by reassuring the people, but by rather ordering the police to arrest anyone who showed any sign of dissent. The Queen was heavily against that and forced Jeppen to revert that decision.

By the turn of the century, Rivierenland was yet again on the verge of entering a war, when NATO asked for Rivierenland to aid them. Jeppen first said yes, but when not only the people, but also the parliament threatened to issue a motion of distrust against her if she actually sent the troops to Afghanistan, she refused and kept Rivierenland neutral. By this time Jeppen also tried to make a series of bills and motions, but failed most of the times because of one thing: The Queen was lobbying in parliament to sway MP's to vote against whatever resolution the Premier put on the table that didn't please the Queen. Jeppen sued Elling because of that, but the court ruled in favour of the Queen and Jeppen lost more trust from the parliament.

Eleanor Cohen

In 2006, a scandal had came to light which involved a few MP's and the Premier. This was a corruption scandal, which led to a court ruling stating that Jeppen was to be blocked from running for another term as Premier in the elections of 2008. This paved the way for many people to become Premier while in the meantime Jeppen fled to Poland to rule from there for the remaining 2 years of her term.

In 2008, Eleanor Cohen became Premier, whilst Jeppen secretly returned to Rivierenland in disguise. Cohen managed to get the Premiership by basically slandering Jeppen left-right-and-centre. So much so that she was nicknamed: "The Butcher". In the first few years of the new Premiership, many reforms were made that progressed Rivierenland further to catch up with the rest of the world, like for example legalizing recreational drugs and same-sex marriage.

In the meantime, public opinion towards foreigners started to take a turn for the worse as in 2010 and 2011, a series of terrorist attacks happened in Rivierenland, which 95% were orchestrated by foreigners. This led to the rise of the Rivierenlander National Party (RNP), which was led by Anne van Bilthoven. She failed in gaining Premiership and Cohen got to stay, although she had to do somethings different to make sure the public didn't turn against her. So she closed the borders a bit. It worked.

In 2015, Rivierenland was in a negative attitude against the EU and NATO. It started negotiations to leave the EU at around early 2015 with much avail from the Queen, who was a pan-Europeanist, while the Premier was Eurosceptic. Since the Queen couldn't do much and the majority of the parliament was also Eurosceptic, Rivierenland left the Eu, but to do a favour to the Queen, they joined EFTA and the Schengen Area.

Around that same time, Rivierenland also joined the UN Security Council as part of an expansion from 5 permanent members to 10. As soon as Rivierenland joined the SC, it created controversy with many opinions, like critiques towards Middle-Eastern countries being part of the SC, a new two-state solution for Israel and the Palestine and the addition of the Palestine to the UN. As a result, Rivierenland received embargoes from Middle-Eastern nations, but they were lifted after threats from the UN. The Palestine also joined the UN due to Rivierenland's efforts.

Geography

The geography of Rivierenland is very diverse. From the Alps in the south to a flat landscape in the North. Rivierenland really changes once you go from the north to the south. In the north you'll get very flat land and even lands that are below sea level. You only have to go slightly south to experience a height change, with hills forming near Maastricht and Luik/Liege.

Once you've gone further south, the Rhine begins to become wider and slower. You'll also start seeing higher hills/mountains like the Ardennes. Once you've gone south of that you'll begin to see more hills than flat landscape. You'll have to go further south to actually reach the highest mountains, with them belonging to the Alps mountain range. No surprise that the lowest point is in the north and the highest in the south.

Climate

The climate varies a lot, but mainly stays in one theme: temperate. The climate is mostly temperate, with dry winters and mild summers. A lot of downfall can happen but depending on where you are the type of downfall can differ. In the north and middle parts of the country you'll mostly get rain, while in the south you'll mostly get snow.

Language

Rivierenland doesn't have a fixed own language. It's national languages are Dutch and German, but French, Italian and English are official too. English only became an official language after WWII as a thank you to the Allies. Due to immigration to Rivierenland, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and Serbo-Croatian were introduced into Rivierenland, but they aren't official, nor widely spoken. Esperanto was also introduced in the country a few years ago, but after many attempts at making it the national language, it was dropped and only a handful of people still speak it.

Religion

Rivierenland used to be very protestant, until the 18th century when Catholicism became widespread in the country. Until 1896, Rivierenland's national religion was Christianity, until the parliament decided that Rivierenland decided that a national religion was unneeded. Christianity was a semi-national religion from then on until 1948, when the parliament decided again that Rivierenland should be fully secular. Today, Atheists make up the majority of the nation, while Christians and Muslims battle it out for second place. Judaism and Paganism are also big along with other religions/forms of irreligion.

Ethnicity

Most people in Rivierenland are Germanic. Further divided, most people are of Dutch and German descent. Although that group is large, the group of Hispanics, Slavics and Arabs isn't far behind each other. The smallest big minority within Rivierenland are gypsies (more Sinti than Roma). Between 1999 and 2009, Bosschenaren were still considered as Rivierenlanders, until legislation passed recognizing the rights of Bosschenaren and since then they're not counted as Rivierenlanders.

Health

Healthcare in Rivierenland is regarded as one of the best in the world. Hospitals in Rivierenland are almost never full and when they are, then that's a sign of that a serious problem is occurring. All Rivierenlanders receive health insurance at birth so that they can be covered for the rest of their lives. When Rivierenlanders are hospitalized abroad, their insurance will cover that most of the times, unless the time in the hospital is less than 2 days.

Education

TU Delft

Rivierenlander education is the second best in Europe, behind that of Finland. The education in Rivierenland has a unique system: Primary school (8 years) - secondary school (4-6 years), which includes the levels of (in order from lowest to highest): Basis - Kader - VMBO - HAVO - VWO - Atheneum. - MBO or HBO (3 years) - University (optional, 2-3 years). The best universities/technical schools of Rivierenland are among the likes of TU Delft, University of Leiden, University of Utrecht, University of Bremen, University of Frankfurt and the University of Zürich.

Largest Cities

Rank

City

City Population

PROVINCE

1

Bremen

7.8 Million

Emserland

2

Hamburg

5.7 Million

Emserland

3

Frankfurt

4.2 Million

Österrhein

4

Amsterdam

4.1 Million

Boven-Rijn

5

Bern

3.5 Million

Alpina

6

Geneva

2.9 Million

Alpina

7

Stuttgart

2.8 Million

Schwarzerland

8

Antwerp

1.6 Million

Beneden-Rijn

9

Utrecht

980000

Boven-Rijn

10

Strasbourg

891000

Schwarzerland

Government
The Rivierenlander government is divided into many sections. The hierarchy goes as followed: First comes the head of the Volkshuis (Upper House), which is the Premier (Eleanor Cohen as of now). Then comes the Monarch (Queen Margaret II as of now), followed by the House of Deputies (Lower House), which is the Vice-Premier (Jere Koskinen as of now). Finally comes the mayor of Utrecht (Sharon Dijksma as of now).

The upper house takes care of most issues. Whenever a bill/reform is proposed, it first is voted upon in the upper house (which is also voted upon by the Monarch). If it has passed that vote, then the lower house may vote on it. If it has passed that vote to, then the proposal is turned into law. If the upper house votes for something, but the lower house votes differently, then it will go to a public vote (which doesn't happen too often).

The Rivierenlander government has control over all of the provinces and electorates. The only land in Rivierenland that isn't governed out of Utrecht is Hertogenbosch which is governed by it's city council. Rivierenlander laws don't apply there for the most part and the only Rivierenlander figurehead to have any sort of official status there is the Monarch. The monarch is the head of state in Hertogenbosch, but mayor Johan van Westveld runs the city.

The current government structure was first created in 1950, when the seats in the upper house was raised from 150 to 200. There are 10 parties as of current in parliament. Those are listed below:

Party

Founding year

Leader

Seats in upper house

RWP

1870

Eleanor Cohen

102/200

RGP

1975

Thomas Malek

38/200

RRP

1871

Johan van den Heuvel

20/200

RDP

1971

Catherine Phillips

15/200

RAP

2004

Anna Lerkendal

11/200

RCP

1931

Martin Sissoko

9/200

Pirate Party

2011

Johanna Eidúrsdottir

3/200

Swiss Seperatist Party

1948

Bernhard Kuchinger

1/200

Volt

2017

Anton Praet

1/200

Military and Foreign Relations

Rivierenland's military is built upon American imports. Most of the Rivierenlander military equipment is American, but after Rivierenland left NATO, they had to start producing military equipment themselves. They had some experience with doing that, because Rivierenland already had created missiles (mostly nuclear) in the past. The normal gear of a soldier here is a handgun, an AK-47, a taser, a dagger and 4 grenades. Rivierenland also has 2 aircraft carriers and many other military vehicles (mostly F-16's).

Rivierenland's foreign relations are diverse. Rivierenland's oldest allies are Laver Island and France, while the newest ally is St Scarlett. Rivierenland also holds good relations with Hertogenbosch. Rivierenland has always tried to maintain neutral while in conflict (except during the 90's) and the last war Rivierenland fought in was the Kosovo War (1999). Rivierenland also sometimes gets some controversy, because of it's recognition of the Palestine, Somaliland and Taiwan.

Economy

Economic Indicators

Rank: 1st
Economic Capital: Frankfurt
Currency: Guilders (ƒ)
Fiscal Year: 1st of May


GDP (nominal): 356 trillion Guilders
GDP (nominal) per capita: 131022 Guilders
Labour Force: 72% of all Rivierenlanders
Unemployment: 8% (excluding people not ready to work)

The Rivierenlander economy at the start of the nation's existence relied on industries such as ship-building, cotton-weaving and other things, like trade and conquer. Once the industrial revolution happened, Rivierenland's economy was backed by the many industries, like ship-building, land-pumping, many factories and steel production. Ever since 1870, Rivierenland has it's own national stock market, the REF (Rivierenlander Economic Forum).

Since the late half of the 20th century, Rivierenland shifted from industries, to other sources of work. Factories became less important and the economy became more reliant on foreign trade, services and tourism. Since 1990, the reliance on the tourism sector has reduced immensely. Now, Rivierenland relies on foreign trade, some industries, services and other sources of work.

Communication

Communications in Rivierenland have always been pretty good. The national mail company (Rivierenlander Mail) has existed since 1827 and has always done good. When it comes to telecommunications, it's first internet cable was laid in 1990 and the first GSM-pole in 1991. In Rivierenland there are many telecom/internet providers, with Tele2, Proximus and T-Mobile being the most used in the nation. Some provinces have providers that are unique to that province, like Telia in Emserland and Orange in Luxembourg.

When it comes to newspapers, the service has been pretty good until the recent years. Rivierenland's national newspaper (Het Koninklijke Dagblad) was founded in 1856 and has fared very good for most of the times. During WWII, the newspaper got banned, but was issued illegally by resistance members. In the recent years, the newspaper outlet hasn't been faring good thanks to news online, which has lead to the outlet almost going bankrupt 3 times.

Culture

Aphrodite

The Rivierenlander people are a very sober and cheap kind. That's because they were born and raised that way. In Rivierenland, there's also a lot of swearing, but mostly in kind manners, which lead to the Rivierenlander principle of the "swearing saint" being created in 1924. Rivierenland's culture is also defined by the Rhine, as it is the lifeline of the nation. The four national symbols are the royal swan, the royal tulip, the Rhine river and Aphrodite.

Rivierenlander culture has also seen some influence from foreign cultures, due to the stream of foreigners into the country, mostly Southern European and Arab influence, which saw shifts in cuisines, manners of life and even the usage of the Rhine.

Sports

Stadion Galgenwaard

Football is the most popular sport in the nation and has broken some records in the country, for example the most televised broadcast in the country was the World Cup final in 2010, between Rivierenland and Spain (2-1). Besides football, Hockey is also very popular, but way less than football. For that reason, Rivierenland is one of the only countries in Europe to broadcast the Stanley Cup final.

Basketball and rugby are next and both have had growing support in the recent couple of years, with even the Prime Minister having said that one of her favourite athletes was Michael Jordan. Rugby has been growing thanks to Brits bringing the sport over to Rivierenland. Reportedly, over 14% of Rivierenlanders watched the 1995 Rugby World Cup final (won by South Africa).

Cuisine

Rivierenland is like Australia on this one. It doesn't have a defined national dish, because the dishes that are Rivierenlander aren't really meant to be that. Stamppot for example is deemed a snack by Rivierenlanders and thus refused to be accepted as a national dish. Many foreign foods have become well-liked in Rivierenland, with the most popular ones being paella, falafel, kebab, spaghetti and nasi goreng.

Infrastructure

Rivierenlander infrastructure is sometimes described as the best in Europe and that's because of a few things: The roads and other parts of the national infrastructure are often checked and if any sign of fatigue is shown, then it will be immediately repaired. Also, Rivierenland has very good public transport with some cities offering it for free.

The railroads in Rivierenland are often split into many parts to make sure that trains don't have to take trips longer than needed. There are also many international railroads in Rivierenland that go to far-flung destinations like Warsaw, Milan, Belgrade, etc. The harbours are very important, with most focus being put on the harbour of Rotterdam. Airports in Rivierenland are also very important, with the biggest being Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Flughafen Frankfurt am Main.

Energy

Nuclear power plant in Borselle

Most of the Rivierenlander energy comes from the wind as many wind turbines were put in place in the last decades to try and replace gas, coal and oil as energy sources. Rivierenland also uses nuclear energy, but the government has made plans in 2009 to gradually phase out nuclear power in Rivierenland. Furthermore, solar energy and water energy are heavily invested upon, with water energy having proven to be very reliable and cheap.

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Read factbook

If I had to say who in Europe is the most prolific producer of pretty and impressive pieces of lore, it would be St Scarlett, and last month she created yet another high-quality factbook. This addition to her universe is a page on her capital city, Rubin. Overview factbooks are very common, but I haven’t seen many for cities which makes an awesome change. Scarlett explores Rubin’s history, administration, and economy, but also explores distinctly city-related aspects, such as the centre’s transport, local sporting history, and even goes so far as to twin her capital with other cities around the world. Polished off nicely with a collage of Rubin’s cityscape, typical of Wikipedia, a flag, and even a web address for the fictional metropolis, Scarlett’s covered it all.

Rubin

Capital City


Clockwise from top: East Harbour, Redwood Manor,
Freya Castle, St Mary Street, Vixen Hus



Flag



Location of Rubin in St Scarlett



Map of Greater Rubin


Sovereign State:

St Scarlett

Region:

Greater Rubin

Districts

Erinwood
West Harbour
East Harbour
Central Rubin


Government:

Body:

Council of Rubin

Mayor:

Alice Kittleson


Area:

City of Rubin:

170 mi²
273 km²

Greater Rubin:

541 mi²
870 km²


Elevation:

0 ft
0 m


Population:

City of Rubin:

1,080,000

Greater Rubin:

1,127,000

Density (GR):

2,083/mi²
1295/km²


Demonym:

Rubiner, Kriger


Police:

Rubin Redguard

Airports:

Rubin International Airport
Erinwood Airport


Website

www.rubin.gov.rb

Rubin, sometimes known as Krigerby is the capital and largest city of St Scarlett. It is located off the mainland on the island of Greater Rubin in the East of St Scarlett. Its latitude is 69°50' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. Containing 47% of the nation's population it is the center of St Scarlett's cultural, economic and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination.

While not the oldest settlement in the nation, with that honour going to Damerev in Southern Peninsula, it is amongst the oldest and is believed to have been settled around 900AD. It was founded as a small fishing village for the few Norwegians who saw interest in the mostly uninhabited islands and has always been a population centre due to it's flatter terrain and warmer temperatures, as well as it's proximity to Scandinavia.

It has served as a regional capital since the 1100s, as the capital of the Fox Islands, and later Scarlett Islands, region of Norway until 1987 and as the capital of the nation of St Scarlett ever since. During the war of independence, St Scarlett was administered de facto from Kryss as Rubin was a Norwegian stronghold for the majority of the war, however the Matriarchal Council still declared Rubin to be their de jure capital.

Etymology


Rubin's name is relatively simple, being the word Ruby in Norwegian, though it's origins are harder to trace.

Legends say the the city is named for the blood spilled by the mayor of Rubin when he had Saint Scarlett executed, but there are many records that show the city already had the name before the saint's birth. Most agree it was named after the river of the same name that flows through the city, which itself was said to have been named when it ran red with the blood of catholics during the persecution years.

The River Rubin is sometimes called the Ruby River in English, the city however is always called by it's Norwegian name.

Another lesser used name for the city is Krigerby, which means Warrior city, and the citizens are often referred to as Krigers or warriors. This is due to the uprising of the citizens against the Norwegian mayor after he killed St Scarlett, after executing him they put the city under female, Skarlagen control for the rest of its history.

History


The city's early history isn't well recorded but it is known the city was founded as a fishing village around the year 900AD by Norwegians looking to get away from the mainland's raider culture and heavy fishing industry.

It wasn't until Christianity was brought to Scandinavia however that the city's population began to expand rapidly. Catholics fleeing persecution settled mostly in Damerev and Rubin for the first century before spreading out across the mainland to cities such as Snowby and Redbrook.

While Norway mostly ignored the archipelago it was aways keen to hold onto the territory and to stop Catholics from feeling like it was a safe haven where they could not be harmed, and so the King sent representatives to Rubin who acted both as Mayor and as a governor of sorts for the whole island group. While a Skarlagen identity was developing many protested this but were unable to change it without risking their lives or their families, though small Matriarchal councils did exist and claimed sovereignty over the lands.

This did not change until the 1600s when Saint Scarlett was sent to the islands, allegedly on the word of God, and landed at the city. Rubin was a hotspot of her miracles and her attempts to decry Norwegian rule on the islands. She was particularly outspoken about Mayor Axel Rolfseen who was fond of public executions and had been the first mayor to execute one of the unofficial matriarchal councils. Her defiance unfortunately led to her demise, suffering the same fate as the council but this proved the final straw for the citizens of Rubin who rose up against Rolfseen and had him executed in the same manner, in the same spot. Rubin is still seen as the heart of St Scarlett for this reason and is known as the birth of the nation as a state free from Norway even though independence took another 3 centuries to achieve.

After Mayor Rolfseen was executed Norway stepped back from the islands a little more and the city was ruled by the matriarchs until more recent years.

The city's population continued to grow as more Catholics moved across, and began to see many people of British and Irish descent joining. This only continued as the islands became friendlier with nations that were not Norway and Laverians, Danes, Americans, Canadians, Italians etc became common on the streets of Rubin. The city to this day prides itself on its diverse range of nationalities and cultures.

Geography


Rubin's metropolitan area is the same as the region of Greater Rubin and takes up the entire island which lies about 25 miles off the Eastern shore of the mainland.

The City of Rubin, containing the vast majority of the population and excluding the districts of East Harbour and Erinwood, is located on the west of the island, lying on the River Rubin which flows from centre of the island into the Redbrook Strait between Greater Rubin and St Scarlett proper.

The island is much flatter than the rest of St Scarlett with it's highest natural point being only 131 feet, and is mostly covered in snowy fir forests with the exception of the City of Rubin and the town of Erinwood. While it still experiences arctic temperatures it is slightly warmer than the rest of the nation as it is sheltered from Atlantic and Arctic winds by the mainland which curves around three of the island's four sides.

While the city does have sandy beaches they are far too cold to be the city's main attractions, though they get some activity in the summer months when temperatures reach an average of 15°C.

Administration


Greater Rubin consists of the districts of West Habour, East Harbour, Central Rubin and Erinwood. Districts are responsible for a wide variety of public services, which include land-use planning, environmental planning, public housing, management and maintenance of local roads, and social security.

Central Rubin is the largest of these districts and along with West Harbour makes up the City of Rubin, where most Rubiners and in fact Skarlagens live.

All four districts are administrated by the Mayor of Rubin and the Council of Rubin from Rubin City Hall which is located in Central Rubin.

Rubin also contains the majority of St Scarlett's government and law enforcement. All divisions of the national police force are controlled from the city, but the division that operates within the city limits is known as the Skarlagen Red guard and is known for it's red uniforms and police vehicles.

The city has gained a track record for being increasingly environmentally friendly in recent years and the entire island of Greater Rubin is mostly powered by Solar and Wind energy, separating it from the rest of St Scarlett which relies mainly on nuclear energy.

The city's urban planning authorities continue to take full account of these priorities. Special attention is given both to climate issues and efforts to ensure maximum application of low-energy standards. Priorities include sustainable drainage systems, recycling rainwater, green roofs and efficient waste management solutions. In city planning, streets and squares are to be designed to encourage cycling and walking rather than driving and cycle paths are incredibly common. Furthermore, the city administration is working with smart city initiatives to improve how data and technology can be used to implement new solutions that support the transition toward a carbon-neutral economy. These solutions support operations covered by the city administration to improve e.g. public health, district heating, urban mobility and waste management systems. Smart city operations are maintained by the Haugen Solutions Lab, the city's official smart-city development unit under the Technical and Environmental Administration, named and based upon Denmark's Copenhagen Solutions Lab.

Demographics and Society


Immigrants by Country of Origin:

Country of Origin

Population

Laver Island

144,000

Norway

90,000

United Kingdom

54,000

Ireland

36,000

Denmark

18,000

United States

7,200

Sweden

4,000

Italy

3,700

Canada

3,100

Rubin is the most populous city in St Scarlett and one of the most populous in the Nordic countries. With it's population standing either at 1,080,000 or 1,127,000 depending on which definition of Rubin you choose: either the city or the metropolitan area.

The region is also the most populated in the nation despite being the smallest, and saw a boom in population both in the 90s, post independence, mostly from the UK, Italy, Ireland and North America and once again in the 2010s following the end of isolationist policies and the Lavo-Skarlagen treaty which saw an increase in the already high Laverian population as well as in Norwegian and other Scandinavian populations.

Like the rest of the nation around 80% of Rubiners were born in St Scarlett or to Skarlagen parents. There are no official statistics on ethnic groups but it is assumed a large majority of Rubiners are white due to the nations they originate from and a lack of imperial activity in St Scarlett's past. People of African and Asian descent are not unheard of however.

The vast majority of people living in Rubin follow the Roman Catholic faith, though Protestants (particularly Lutherans) are also common. The biggest non-Christian religion is Islam with almost no other religions being represented in the city. The city boasts many churches, including Rubin Cathedral, and one mosque but other temples are limited to small establishments, usually within regular houses. While paganism is no longer largely followed in St Scarlett the Temple of Freya is a popular tourist destination in the heart of the city.

In more recent years, Rubin has ranked high in international surveys for its quality of life. Its stable economy together with its education services and level of social safety make it attractive for locals and visitors alike. Although it is one of the world's most expensive cities, it is also one of the most liveable with its public transport, facilities for cyclists and its environmental policies. The city boasts open spaces, increasing activity on the streets, city planning in favour of cyclists and pedestrians, and features to encourage inhabitants to enjoy city life with an emphasis on community, culture and cuisine. Other sources have ranked Rubin high for its business environment, accessibility, restaurants and environmental planning.

Economy


Rubin is the major economic and financial centre of St Scarlett. The city's economy is based largely on services and commerce. Statistics for 2018 show that the vast majority of the 750,000 workers in Rubin are employed in the service sector, especially transport and communications, trade, and finance, while less than 10,000 work in the manufacturing industries. The public sector workforce is around 230,000, including education and healthcare.

Several financial institutions and banks have headquarters in Rubin, including the Bank of Scarlett, Barclays SK and E.L. Wollum's. The Rubin Stock Exchange (RSE) was founded in 1920 and is now owned by Nasdaq, Inc.. Rubin is also home to a number of international companies including Vixen Inc and Rudd's. City authorities have encouraged the development of business clusters in several innovative sectors, which include information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, clean technology and smart city solutions.

Shipping is a growing industry in Rubin and the East Harbour district is slowly being converted into an industrial harbour.

Rubin has some of the highest gross wages in the world. This along with relatively low taxes has made St Scarlett an attractive location for both domestic and foreign labour. It is however also among the most expensive cities in Europe.

Tourism also plays a large role in Rubin's economy, attracting visitors due to the city's mixed culture, architectural attractions and award-winning restaurants. Since 2019, Rubin has been one of the fastest growing metropolitan destinations in Europe. Hotel capacity in the city is growing significantly. From 2018 it has been experiencing a large growth in international bed nights (total number of nights spent by tourists), tallying a rise of nearly 55% for Chinese visitors.

In 2018, it is estimated that city break tourism contributed to 3 billion vixes in turnover. 320,000 cruise passengers visited the West Harbour in 2019.

Cityscape


The city's appearance today is shaped by the key role it has played as a regional centre for centuries. Rubin has a multitude of areas, each with its distinctive character and representing its own period. Other distinctive features of Rubin include the abundance of water, its many parks, and the bicycle paths that line most streets.

The city's style has evolved over the centuries, from medieval Scandinavian to a mix of modern Scandinavian, British and German architectural styles. Over the last decade glass skyscrapers have been springing up, including Vixen Hus, the city's tallest building at 515 feet (157 metres) which was finished in 2012.

Prominent buildings from the nation's older years include the 19th century Freya Castle built in a Neo-gothic style, the 20th century British styled Redwood Manor and the Temple of Freya which dates back to the 8th century.

Rubin has focused on keeping many green spaces and the forest which once dominated the island is present throughout the city. The largest park is the Great Northern Park which stretches all the way across the north of the island and is filled with woodlands, playgrounds, cafes, golf courses and statues.

The city's major landmarks include the aforementioned Freya Castle, Redwood Manor, Temple of Freya and Vixen Hus as well as the two major harbours (East and West), Rubin Cathedral and the House of Scarlett which contains the major government institutions.

Culture and Contemporary Life


Apart from being the national capital, Rubin also serves as the cultural hub of St Scarlett. Since independence, it has undergone a transformation from a modest Scandinavian capital into a metropolitan city of international appeal in the same league as Barcelona and Copenhagen. This is a result of huge investments in infrastructure and culture as well as the work of successful new Skarlagen architects, designers and chefs.

While St Scarlett is not known for it's museums the Rubin Museum is quickly becoming a world renowned institution with it's collection of legally acquired artefacts and its cycling on-loan collections from institutions such as the British Museum and the Smithsonian. It also contains a large collection of Viking artefacts, mostly collected from the archipelago and it's surrounding waters.

The city also boasts a lively theatre, the Erin Redwood Theatre in Erinwood, which is often referred to as St Scarlett's Broadway. Other popular entertainment institutions include the Rubin Central Library, containing books from the nation's entire history, including the Matriarchal Sagas written by matriarchs of old, 3 major art galleries (Rubin Museum of Modern Art, Tate Rubin and the Matriarchal Gallery) and a huge number of nightclubs, pubs and bars.

The city is also developing a culture of cuisine with many brand new five star restaurants emerging across the island.

The city is becoming more and more of a student city with the University of Rubin rapidly increasing it's student population now that male and foreign students are permitted entry.

Sport


The city isn't huge on sport, though Rubin boasts a successful Women's football team that has existed since the early 1900s, in Rubin City FC which has been successful in many international women's tournaments. A men's team has emerged since the new anti-gender discrimination laws from 2018, the Rubin Foxtails, but they are yet to obtain any major victories. Both teams are housed at Rubin Stadium in Erinwood.

The city also has a history of equestrian sports and has an Ice Hockey team (The Arctic Vixens) and stadium (East Harbour Stadium).
.
Transport



The Official Rubin Metro Map

The Greater Rubin area has a very well established transportation infrastructure making it a hub in Scandinavia. Rubin International Airport, opened in 1950, is Scandinavia's third largest airport, located in East Harbour in Greater Rubin. It is connected to the city centre by metro services. December 2018 was a record month with 1.2 million passengers.

The city also has a much smaller airport in Erinwood Airport which mostly serves lighter and privately owned aircraft, this is the airport that figures such as the President and Matriarch tend to utilise.

Greater Rubin has an extensive road network. The car is still the most popular form of transport within the city itself, representing two-thirds of all distances travelled. This can however lead to serious congestion in rush hour traffic. The only connections to the mainland are by car-ferry however a road/rail bridge is planned to be constructed over the next decade. In 2018, West and East Harbour handled 160 cruise ships and 340,000 passengers.

The Rubin Metro is used by about 60% of the city's passengers, the remainder using bus services. Espendottir Station near the city centre serves passengers travelling by metro and bus. Some 750,000 passengers make use of public transport facilities every day.

Rubin is cited by urban planners for its exemplary integration of public transport and urban development.

The Skarlagen capital is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, with bicycles almost outnumbering its inhabitants. In 2018 some 23% of all working or studying city-dwellers cycled to work, school, or university. With 1.07 million km covered every working day by Rubin's cyclists (including both residents and commuters), and 75% of Rubiners cycling throughout the year. The city's bicycle paths are extensive and well used, boasting cycle lanes not shared with cars or pedestrians, and sometimes have their own signal systems – giving the cyclists a lead of a couple of seconds to accelerate.

Twin Towns


Rubin is twinned with the following cities:

  • Amsterdam, Netherlands

  • Dublin, Ireland

  • El Sueño, Chile and Venezuela

  • Lisbon, Portugal

  • London, United Kingdom

  • Oslo, Norway

  • Rome, Italy

  • City of San Marino, San Marino

  • Tokyo, Japan

  • Vulkanerborg, Laver Island

Read dispatch


I would urge you all to explore these featured factbooks, they’re all very interesting. If you’re struggling for inspiration, these pages may be exactly what you need to get the juices flowing! Keep being creative, Europe!

Written by Yahlia


Europeans of the Month
Nothing is more important for keeping our region alive than its community! So, here is this issue’s Europeans of the Month to award some of our members for their contributions to NationStates Europe!

The award for Newcomer of the Month goes to... Elisabethshagen!
Elisabethshagen arrived here somewhat recently but over the course of last month, they have become an RMB regular and fit right in with our community! Welcome to Europe Elisabethshagen!

The award for RMBer of the Month goes to... Yahlia!
With the RMB full of nothing but football talk for a long time, Yahlia was one of those who tried to keep it fun and fresh for those not interested in the sport. He’s also been doing some trivia for the quarantine. This, combined with his persistent reading of every post, makes him the RMBer of March!

The award for Flag of the Month goes to... Pilipinas and Malaya!
I’ve seen Pilipinas use a number of different flags since we first met on the RMB a couple of years ago; this current flag is fresh and unique and perhaps the best he’s had so far. It’s a fun combination of the Nordic cross and the flag of the Philippines, I also like how technically the Dutch flag appears within it.

The award for Motto of the Month goes to... The kingdom of denmark!
“Let Denmark be your home, your inspiration, your nation”
This is a nice positive and patriotic message for a nation and I like it!

The award for Factbook of the Month goes to... Estonesia!

Öösel: Öösel is the Main god and God of Gods of the Ööselskia Faith. It is the God of Night, Space, Forgiveness and Knowledge. It is the Creator of all things and they are the "Parent" of all the other Gods.

Païkest: Päikest is the sun that give us light, the God-Guardian of Our Solar System. He is one of the Gods of Light and Protection

Käärented: God of War and Death, he is the one in charge of welcoming the dead in Rahukoht (Heaven) and manage it.

Grääciaed: She is the Goddess of Peace, Justice and Prosperity. She manages the Purgatory, the one that judges the souls to decide if they end up in Rahukoht or reincarnate.

Kahepoolne: Kahepoolne is the God of Madness, Despair, Sadness but also Happiness. He is known to curse some humans that sinned in their past life with mental or physical disabilities, diseases, conditions and illnesses.

Siskees: Siskees is the Goddess of Love, Fertility and Agriculture. Like Aphrodite in the Greek Pantheon, she is particularly beautiful and can make almost any Human fall in love with Her. Yet she doesn't have any feelings of Love herself which is kind of a Paradox for the Goddess of Love herself.

Otšijak: Otšijak is not really a God but more of a Half God. He is guarding the Suramahatukogu, the Great Divine Library of Knowledge. Most of those who seek more knowledge when they end up in Rahukoht will be able to find it in the Suramahatukogu but most won't return and will wander into the endless halls and corridors of the Suramahatukogu for ever. Miraak holds the High Suramahatukogu were belongs the most important Knowledge, the Thruth and Secrets of Life

Käded: They are the God of Philosophy, Arts and Wisdom. They are an entity without any gender or defined form, it is a pure essence of energy that apparently have the most normal voice you could expect.

Suēmöö: She is the Goddess of Commerce, Work and Will. Praising and Praying her is supposed to grant more luck and charisma during exchanges and bargains, as well as making you more efficient in your daily work.

Könißed: Könißed is the God of Nature and God of the Oceans. He guards the Ancient sunk City of Maavald.

Æoth: Æoth is the God of the 69 Pleyads, the Divine Servants. Him and the Pleyads guards the Crack, only acces for the Kõrmonid to the Human World. The Kõrmonid live in the Эctoth, the Mad Dimension.

Prantesmää: Prantesmää is the God of Illusions, Dreams and Nightmares. If he appears in one of you dreams, you will be able to have a discussion with his Dream form and he will prevent you from doing something you could regret in the Future or he can just advice you on a problem you currently have, helping you putting an end to it.
If you Encounter him in one of your Nightmares under his Nightmare Form, you will belong forever to the Nightmare you were in as your Real you will disappear from Existence and nobody will remember you (almost, there are some exceptions). Prantesmää only appears in the Dreams of People in need or to those who did Good Actions recently. As for those who did Bad Actions, crimes or sinned he will appear in their Nightmares

Read factbook


I have yet to see a factbook like this, detailing the nation’s deities. As a result, this factbook by Estonesia is unique, interesting, and well worth a read.

And last but definitely not least, the award for General Excellence this month goes to... Miharr!
These are trying times for us all and it’s nice to see Miharr constantly sending kind thoughts to those who are affected by the current pandemic, thanks for keeping us all happy and positive Miharr!

Written by St Scarlett



A graph showing Thaecia’s recent growth in population
NationStates News
Recruitment Ruffles Feathers
On 29 February Thaecians elected Korsinia (aka Laver Island) as their new Prime Minister and Titanne as their new President. Along with many policies that we won't discuss here, the new administration launched a revamped recruitment program. A program that was hotly debated both within Thaecia and on the interregional stage.

But why did Korsinia decide to revamp the recruitment system? The previous administrations dropped the “aimed“ program used at the time as it was practically ineffective. In fact, the region’s population passed from more than 300 nations during the summer to barely 200 this winter (Northern Hemisphere seasons). The necessity for a new system for recruitment was felt by the whole region. The new recruitment system that Thaecia adopted provided “monthly and WA-wide recruitment telegrams” and “consisting of both telegram stamps and manual recruitment targeting new, refounded, and WA nations”. To support this new initiative, a Stamp Donation Program was started to let residents help the region, as well as continuing “manually inviting people” to join Thaecia.

Unfortunately, this particular effort was not well received by the community, as many regions expressed their disapproval for this new policy. WA recruitment in User-Created Regions is seen as misconduct and abuse by most people on the platform, even though some of the biggest regions, like The East Pacific, supported Thaecia and its decision. To spice up the whole debate, a couple of nations from Thaecia, namely Cerdenia and Brototh, started to ravage the NationStates Forum and NSGP Discord server to “avenge” the pride of their region.

To try to cool the situation down, on 18 March the Thaecian administration released a Linkpress statement where they condemn the actions of Cerdenia and Brototh and promising that “[we] shall refrain from WA recruiting and shall use recruitment of new and refounded nations unless this proves ineffective, in which case the administration reserves the right to use WA recruitment once more”. Furthermore, a poll conducted by LinkThe Thaecian Journal on the same day, revealed that 81.8% of the residents approve of Korsinia’s recruitment policy and 63.6% of them thinks that this new system should be continued. Yet, as the Journal itself declares, “it appears that Thaecians are much more divided in their evaluation of the government's handling of the backlash” as only 40.9% approve.
Also, as shown by LinkThe Shift on 25 March, Thaecia increased its WA population by 27.4% and currently, as of 29 March, attests its total population to 306 nations. Korsinia declared that “all proved to be extremely successful in getting new citizens to the region”. The new recruitment system is very effective and the region stands by their Prime Minister in this, but most of the community doesn't approve of their recruitment policy and this may hurt Thaecia’s diplomatic relations. In the end, we should ask ourselves, what matters the most? The judgement of your own citizens or of the rest of the interregional community?

Written by Regnum Italiae



The IDU’s current server
Stray Server
We all have lived that moment when we lose something very important and we try our best to get it back. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail. That is what happened to the International Democratic Union but, luckily, this story has a happy ending.

It all started on 16 March, when the regional forum and the wiki went down because of an “issue with the provider” as Sanctaria, WA Minister and administrator of their Discord server, regional forum, and wiki, said later that day. After four days trying to contact the server provider for support, Sanctaria communicated to the rest of the region the possibility of having lost the server and all of its content for good. Some of the residents tried to look for an alternative, like a backup on the Wayback Machine, but the outlook was grim for them and, as the days passed by, the situation did not seem to improve.

The significance of the loss of their forum may be foreign to many Europeans, we barely use ours as we rely more on NS’ proper site. We, in fact, only go on the forum to read our regulations or to send our transparency requirements for elections. But they do their whole governmental and parliamentary activity on the forum, they store all of their laws on the forum, their regional roleplay is very participated and hosted on that forum. To lose their forum would be like losing half, if not more, of their region, and this is without taking the wiki into account.

Fortunately, on March 23rd Sanctaria succeeded in finding a backup of the server, dated to March 15th, and restored both the wiki and the forum. He has also set up an automatic backup on his PC every week and changed the server’s provider to ensure a better service. The residents cheered and thanked Sanctaria for his efforts. Finally, all’s well that ends well.

Written by Regnum Italiae


IRL Info

The COVID-19 outbreak has sparked
panic-buying, leaving many supermarkets
understocked

Coronavirus Chaos (Opinion Piece)
Part 1: China
It all started in the city of Wuhan. Doctors, most notably Dr Li Wenliang, noticed that this was a never-before-seen virus, very similar to SARS. The Chinese Communist Party, ever so fearful of so-called negative publicity, intentionally suppressed all information on this virus. They were aware of the dangers that the disease held and refused to take any serious measures to contain this new virus strain despite multiple health experts within Wuhan telling them otherwise. They appeared on the doorsteps of the people who knew of it and told them that they must stay silent.

Well, once 2020 hit, the virus suddenly began popping up across the city of Wuhan and other cities inside the province of Hubei. Before this, the virus mainly flew under the radar. Now, the virus was definitely noticed by major news outlets. Cases were then reported in countries like South Korea, Thailand and Japan. The world now looked for explanations about exactly what caused this virus to leak. China immediately responded with closing off and quarantining multiple cities and entire provinces were put on high alert. The world applauded this action, but the Chinese Communist Party definitely reacted too late. Their aim was to distract attention from the virus and make it look like business was going as usual, and to continue the rapid expansion of the Chinese economy. Now, the world looked at China and their next move against the virus.

Days after the closure of Wuhan and neighbouring cities, the number of cases still began to climb upwards. As many as 1,500-2,000+ were infected daily. More cases were now appearing worldwide, people in China began to panic as more and more got infected. Streets became empty as everyone barricaded themselves inside their homes. Stores quickly sold out all of their wares, as many began to hunker down and get supplies that would last them for a while. Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and many other cities looked like massive ghost towns.

As the statistics progressively got even larger, many countries decided to evacuate citizens from the outbreak epicentre. They also advised all people to stop non-essential travel to China. Companies began closing their stores and production outlets, leading to decreases in both revenue and the Chinese economy.

As observed here, the effects of China’s suppression of vital information about the virus did not help them. Instead, it hurt them even more. Internal threats were now seen on Weibo as locals began calling for more freedom in general. Companies began to move operations away from China after workers became exposed to the virus. People online in many countries then began advocating the disposal of any Chinese products or to avoid any Chinese people altogether, which hurt Chinese companies’ sales even more and created distrust between consumer and producer, as well as fostering anti-Chinese/anti-East Asian racist sentiment.

Then, Dr Li Wenliang died. May he rest in peace. I mark this a significant turning point in the development of the outbreak. Around this time is when I would consider the effective containment to have ended. After Dr. Li’s death, we heard of the cruise ship Diamond Princess which soon reported 700 cases. This also coincided with a spike in both local and international cases.

Now, we have outbreak centres across the world: Lombardy in Italy, North Gyeongsang in South Korea, and New York City in the United States. All because Xi Jinping and company decided to withhold important information on the virus and chose to continue life as normal. Their actions resulted in the opposite of what they wished to happen, and now the world has been thrown into a state of panic and fear. Even some major officials have been afflicted with the coronavirus, take Iran’s Deputy Minister of Health, for example.

In summary, this is a result of the Chinese Communist Party putting money over human lives once more. But that decision ended up hurting them on three sides: economically, politically, and socially.

Part 2: Donald Trump
Now, about Donald Trump, this man tried to politicize the coronavirus outbreak. He initially called the virus a big “Democratic hoax” to bolster his own re-election campaign, and now he’s essentially forcing multiple Democratic governors to withhold their criticisms to acquire medical supplies required to fight the pandemic. If anything’s going to hurt his election chances, it’s this.

He spread misinformation when he told everyone that chloroquine was safe to use when in fact, the Food and Drug Administration was still testing it for efficiency, leading to a man’s death. Earlier on, he tried to “put a deadline” on the coronavirus pandemic; 15 April would be the cap he proposed. Many experts warned him against this move, saying it would only threaten Americans even more, putting lives at risk. Thankfully, he pushed back on this when news hit that America had surpassed 100,000 cases (much more than China had). What he should have done earlier was to impose a nationwide lockdown, but he left this task entirely to the governors and said that the White House would be there to back the governor’s actions. It should be the federal government taking charge in this time of emergency, rather than the president following along behind the states.

How about Dr. Fauci (a prominent American doctor in the White House Coronavirus Taskforce), you ask? I think Fauci should be the spearhead of this whole response (instead of Trump or Pence), with Trump and company backing him up, supplying the required executive orders and political moves that would help. It’s so sad to see a man with the actual expertise to handle this pandemic being put on the sidelines by President Trump, who clearly lacks the initiative to do something and was only prompted by the rising number of cases. This was essentially what China did when they let the virus run amok inside the country for almost a whole month.

In summary, Trump shouldn’t be the one leading this whole pandemic containment operation, as evidenced by the administration’s rather messy response. Fauci and other people with the qualifications should. Trump should not ever politicize anything in crises either. Partisanship and internal bickering is the last thing the United States needs right now.

Written by Pilipinas and Malaya



The Colosseum, Italy’s most famous monument,
is almost deserted
Italian Isolation
It was just a week after Valentine's Day when the outbreak started and most of Piedmont, Lombardy, and Veneto were declared “red zones”. At first, I, and most of the Italians, didn't really care. "The virus only kills if you're old or immunodeficient," said the media. "You must keep calm" said the government. In the meantime, the first pasta shortages were occurring, supermarkets were being cleaned out and the price of hand sanitizers increased tenfold (in some cases a small bottle was sold at 200€). It was just a few cases but it was really happening and it was the first time since World War II.

But that was just the beginning, the government closed the universities and schools, then halted sports events, then every commercial activity except for supermarkets, pharmacies, and other essential stores. Furthermore, the government prohibited leaving your house except for medical reasons, to work, or to buy food. #IoRestoACasa, I Stay At Home, is the slogan that the government and a vast number of celebrities spread on the internet, through social networks, and on television. Even in tourist areas, like where I’m living, you can now see empty roads and barely a car going around… and the few people who have to go outside, to buy food or other necessities, wear masks and/or gloves to avoid catching the coronavirus.

But before the enlargement of the red zone and the enforcement of the quarantine to the whole of Italy, many people from the northern regions (those from the south) fled to the southern areas to avoid the virus. This proved to be very dangerous; the hospitals and the medical infrastructure in southern Italy are worse than in the north, adding more strain to the south’s already subpar services. That, together with the shortage of medical equipment has accentuated and emphasised the under-preparedness of southern Italy’s healthcare.

Of course, even entrepreneurs and store owners are going through hard times because of the forced closure, but thankfully the government established some funds to help the economy. Yet, as our Prime Minister said, “our priority is to stop the infection and then, later, to support and help enterprises and industries”. Also, while the EU is trying to help us by sending money and allowing a deficit in expenses, China too has sent us some medical equipment and a team of medics. Though not everyone in Europe is so willing to assist, especially those in the north of the continent, every bit of help is welcomed.

This crisis also proved that in times of need, the government knows how to act, though the noisiest parties (Lega, Fratelli d’Italia, and so on) continue making noise and nothing more. The situation now seems to be stabilizing, although, according to experts, we have not yet reached the peak of the infection. Most of us have already come to terms with the idea that this situation will last, at least, until May. To lighten up the quarantine, some people started to sing or play instruments on their balcony to cheer up the neighbours. I'm pretty sure it will end happily ever after, in the meanwhile I’ll stay home.

Written by Regnum Italiae



Current Democratic front-runners Bernie Sanders
and Joe Biden
Democratic Differences
In the USA, the Democratic Primaries have been going on for quite some time in the run-up for the 2020 American Presidential election. The primaries exist so the Democrats can choose a candidate who will represent them in the election against the incumbent, Donald Trump. Out of the many candidates fielded in the primaries, only two remain: Joe Biden, former governor of Delaware and President Obama’s Vice-President, and Bernie Sanders, current senator of Vermont, with the former currently having a sizable lead. But how did we get here?

The earliest candidate of the current primaries was John Delaney, a Maryland politician. He announced his candidacy on 28 July 2017. Soon, on 8 November, Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur, threw his hat into the ring. More candidates followed in 2018 and 2019, most announcing their campaigns in 2019, including the likes of Elizabeth Warren (Massachusite senator), Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaiian congresswoman), Kamala Harris (Californian senator), Pete Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana), Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden, just to name a few out of many. In 2019, the first candidates began to drop out, Tim Ryan (Ohioan congressman) and Beto O'Rourke (former Texan congressman) as examples.

The campaigns seemed to be relatively amicable until the televised debates began, and then the candidates were not afraid to get messy. A few candidates began to launch attacks at each other in the hopes of undermining their opponents and boosting their own popularity. When Michael Bloomberg (former Mayor of New York City) announced that he was going to run, the entire stage of Democratic nominees rallied against the billionaire, ripping him apart in his first televised debate. He was broadly disliked by the public and several candidates who accused him of buying the election, with millions being poured into his own campaign, much more than every other candidate. Bloomberg later dropped out after Super Tuesday, a day in which 14 states voted for their nominee in the primaries when he failed to win the nomination of any state (though he did win American Samoa).

Almost every candidate did very poorly in securing delegates from states and one by one they dropped out until only two horses remained in the race, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Although Sanders started strong, the tides quickly changed and Biden surged into the lead off the back of the South Carolina primary and subsequent domination Super Tuesday vote. How? Well, Biden was already expected to have the highest approval out of all candidates even after he had lost several states to candidates like Buttigieg and Sanders. He also received many endorsements from candidates that dropped out as he's more moderate Sanders who describes himself as a “democratic socialist”.

The future of the Democratic primaries is uncertain given the current COVID-19 pandemic, which makes voting and debates with live audiences dangerous, but either way, despite Sanders’ significant support, it’s looking more and more likely that it will be Biden who challenges Trump in the presidential election later this year.

Written by Rivierenland



The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the
postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic
Games
Sporting Situation
Football leagues across Europe have postponed their seasons. Originally, leagues like La Liga and the French Ligue 1 played their matches behind closed doors. Out of the five major leagues in Europe, the Italian Serie A was the first to suspend the season. La Liga and Ligue 1 followed suit, with the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga the last to act. Questions about what to do next in the coming months are going to arise, with tough decisions being made to either scrap the season and start anew next year or possibly finishing out the season in the summer. The question of promotion/relegation and how to crown a champion in the midst of a suspended season looms over the major leagues. While Liverpool is far ahead in the Premier League and it would make sense to crown them champions in that league, the other four leagues don’t have that privilege. Serie A has a tight title race between Juventus and Lazio, and they have proposed a playoff system to resolve that dilemma.

In the UEFA Champions League, many games have been played behind closed doors in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak before its inevitable postponement. In the round of 16 games that managed to be played, RB Leipzig defeated Tottenham, Atalanta defeated Valencia, PSG beat Dortmund, but Atletico is the biggest winner as they defeat reigning Champions League winner, Liverpool. The Europa League has also been postponed and the Euro 2020s will be held next year.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be postponed to 2021 as the coronavirus takes down another major sporting event.

In the US, the NBA, NHL, and MLS have all suspended their seasons in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The MLB has delayed the start of the season and expects to play on a shortened season. The NFL will still schedule the draft but not in their planned Las Vegas venue.

Even college sports in the US aren’t spared as the NCAA decided to cancel all remaining men’s and women’s tournaments, including March Madness. Looks like we won’t have the chance to complete our brackets this year.

The first EuroNews sports column has been wacky considering that all sports competitions are being cancelled left and right due to the coronavirus. We will see in the coming months how all these leagues will be impacted, and I will continue to track all the developments in sporting leagues across the world.

Written by Outer Sparta


Titillating Trivia
Hello and welcome to this issue’s National Trivia section! This month we’re once again covering facts from China, a nation which was the heart of the current Coronavirus threat but appears to be improving, and Italy, the country worst affected by the virus. I will also be covering a nation of my own choice, this month South Africa’s centrally named counterpart, the Central African Republic.

China
As one of the oldest civilisations, China has achieved a great number of things. One of the more impressive things China has produced is the Great Wall of China. This wall runs from the Pacific Ocean to a point 21,000 km into China and has stood in some form for 2,300 years.

China, as a large area of land crossing many different types of geographical region, has a diverse range of wildlife. Though the Chinese government can be criticized for many things and the country is not the greenest in the world, it cannot be criticized for its work on protecting these animals and plants with over 1,200 reserves created across the country. The nation is most famous for its Giant Panda which is exclusively found in the central mountains of the nation and nowhere else in the world.


The Great Wall of China
Italy
Italy’s Roman Empire once owned the entire Mediterranean, but eventually the nation retreated back to its boot-shaped peninsula. In more recent history, the country owned a small peninsula called the Istrian Peninsula. While this peninsula is now mostly owned by Croatia, with some in Slovenia, Italy still holds the city of Trieste and its surrounding lands, cutting Slovenia’s coastline almost completely off.

There are only three nations in the world entirely surrounded by just one country (Discounting those that also have a coastline, such as the Gambia) and two of those are both located entirely inside Italy’s borders, San Marino and the Vatican City, while the third, Lesotho, is located within South Africa. The Vatican was formerly the Papal States taking up most of Central Italy and has now shrunk down to become the smallest country in the world, located entirely within the borders of the city of Rome.

Central African Republic
Like South Africa, this nation’s flag breaks the generally accepted rule of not using more than 3 colours on your national flag, containing a total of 5; just 1 less than South Africa’s. This flag has been in use since 1958 and represents the four territories of French Equatorial Africa (Republic of Congo, Gabon, Chad and CAR) as well as France itself and symbolises their friendship as Francophone nations guided by France.

The country was briefly known as the Central African Empire from 1976-1979, when its president, Marshal Jean-Bédel Bokassa, a military dictator, declared himself Bokassa I, Emperor of Central Africa. He did not have much success however and was overthrown by David Dacko in late 1979 with help from France, who returned the nation to its republican roots.

Written by St Scarlett


Edited by Laver Island, Novgorod-Pskov, Regnum Italiae, Rivierenland, The sect meces, and Yahlia


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Edited:

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