Velzemia

Republic of Velzemia Itämaan tasavalta (Vichod) Velzemska republika (Seniak)
Flag
A map of Velzemia with the occupied region of Sarkola in black.
Capital	Paltamo
Official languages	Vichod, Seniak, Narodyn
Ethnic groups (2012)	Vichod (71%) Seniak (21%) Narodyn (4%) Other (4%)
Demonym(s)	Velzemian
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic
• President	Anssi Keskitalo
• Premier	Viljo Saarela
Legislature	People's Assembly
Independence from Narozalica
Area
• Total	372,431 km2 (143,796 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 estimate	17,013,556
• 2012 census	16,886,219
• Density	45.68/km2 (118.3/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	$276.1 billion
• Per capita	$16,228
Currency	Velzemian Slat (VZS)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+18

Velzemia (Vichod: Itämaa; Seniak: Velzemsko), officially the Republic of Velzemia (Vichod: Itämaan tasavalta; Seniak: Velzemska republika) is a country in central Euclea. Velzemia borders the Perovo Sea to the north, Swetania to the east, Unclaimed to the south and Narozalica to the west. The nation spans a territory of 372,431 square kilometres (143,796 square miles) which contains forested areas, mountains, hills and lowlands. It has a population of 17 million people. The capital of Velzemia is Paltamo, which is in Vichodnia.

The current Republic of Velzemia was formed in 1983 following the end of the Velzemian Civil War and the nations independence from Narozalica. The civil war began following confrontation between Vichod and Seniak militias and an inability to decide on a structure of governance following independence. Following the war an agreement was reached under which the Seniaks would be given their own regional legislature with a wide range of legislative powers. The now-Narozalic province of Sarkola was formerly a de jure territory of Velzemia, however, this claim was given up as part of the agreement for Velzemia's accession to the Samistopol Cooperation Organisation.

History

Prehistory

Archaeological finds suggest that Velzemia was first inhabited around 110,000 years ago by neanderthals. The proto-tbd ancestors of the Vichods first arrived in modern-day Velzemia around 2000BC and settled along the northeastern coast. Prior to the establishment of ??? rule in Velzemia these groups formed into their own Kingdoms.

Post-independence

On February 21st 1981, Velzemia declared independence from Narozalica after almost 259 years of Narozalic control. The newly formed interim government struggled to agree over how best to govern the country with some Seniak members wanting independence for their region, some wishing for a unitary state & some who were in support of a federal Velzemia. Furthermore, a new militia group, the Velzemian National Army, had began to terrorise Seniak & Narodyn villages in favour of a solely Vichod Velzemia. This divide led to five members of the government quitting and forming their own alternative Seniak government & declaring Seniak independence with the backing of the Armed Front for Seniak Liberties.

Politics

The current Velzemian Constitution was adopted in 1983 establishing the nation as a unitary parliamentary republic with amendments made to the system in 1985, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017. The first multi-party election was held on November 4, 1983. The country had declared it's independence from Narozalica in 1981 and had operated under an interim government up until this point. The government is divided into the legislative, executive and judicial branches under the 1983 constitution.

The President serves as the head of state and is elected every 5 years with a two-term limit. The role of the President is mostly ceremonial, however, they do hold the role of commander-in-chief of the armed forces as well as being responsible for the appointment of the Prime Minister, based on the advice of the People's Assembly, as well as holding some minor foreign policy roles. Since 2013 Anssi Keskitalo has served as the President of Velzemia. The Premier serves as the head of government and is supported by a 15 member cabinet. The cabinet is responsible for proposing legislation and the budget, executing the laws passed by the legislature and setting the foreign and internal policy of Velzemia. Since 2006 Viljo Saarela of the Solidarity Front has been serving as Premier.

The unicameral People's Assembly serves as the legislature of Velzemia. It is comprised of 250 members and members are elected from multi-member constituencies with quotas in place to ensure the Parliament is as representative of the different ethnic groups as possible. The two largest groupings in the current People's Assembly are the Solidarity Front, which holds a majority, and the National Reform Party of Velzemia.

The Supreme Court is the highest court of the land in Velzemia and the final court of appeals. It is comprised of 5 justices, all appointed by the Premier, who are appointed to life terms and must retire once reaching the age of 75. Judges in local courts are required to have studied at law school and are employed by the county or municipality in which they are based.

Demographics

Velzemia currenty has a population of 17,013,556 inhabitants according to the most recent estimates. This means the country has around 45.7 people per square kilometer. The country has a low birth rate of around 11.07 births per 1000 people (188,386 births) and a death rate of around 7.66 births per 1000 people (130,321 deaths). Since the country gained independence it has seen a considerable growth in the urban population with an estimated 75% of the population living in urban areas as of 2017, this has led to considerable issues regarding ageing in rural communities where, in the most extreme cases, the average age can be almost double the national average.

Language

Under the Velzemian Constitution Vichod, Seniak, and Narodyn are the official languages of Velzemia. According to the most recent surveys Vichod is the most popular language with 72% of the population speaking at as their first language, 19% speak Seniak as their first language, 6% speak Narodyn as their first language, and 3% speak another language as their first language. Overall, 92% of the population have a high level of comprehension of Vichod, 41% of Narodyn, 25% of Seniak, 17% of Gaullican, 11% of Estmerish and 6% of another language.

In education, the language of instruction is based on where the child goes to school. In Senia, all children are taught in Seniak with the exception of some schools near Narozalica where the language of instruction is Narodyn and some schools in urban areas where children may be taught in foreign languages. In Vichodnia, an overwhelming majority of schools use Vichod as their language of instruction but many in the west use Narodyn in predominantly Narodyn areas and in the capital, Paltamo, there are international schools teaching children in Estmerish, Gaullican, Weranian as well as Seniak language schools. All children are required to spend at least 1 hour a week learning Seniak, if in Vichodnia, or Vichod, if in Senia, as part of government efforts to decrease linguistic divides.

Religion

Religion in Velzemia
Religion			Percent
Episemalism			79%
Irreligion			11%
Other Sotirianity			8%
Other			2%
Source: Independent Survey (2015)

Prior to Episemalism becoming the dominant religion many Vichods followed the traditional native mythology. With the increasing Narozalic influence Seniaks began to shift from the Solarian Church to following Episemalism with Vichods abandoning their traditional beliefs. In recent years this native faith has seen somewhat of a rebirth, although the amount of adherents only numbers in the low thousands.

Freedom of religion is a right afforded to all residents of Velzemia under the 1983 constitution. The constitution also states that the government will not adopt an official religion whilst also allowing for them to give certain religions privileges and funding for their religious activities and buildings. This portion of the constitution has come under scrutiny in recent years however public support has been consistently in favour of the government offering funding to some religious groups, in particular Episemalist churches.

According to a 2015 survey by the independent Centre on Social Attitudes, 79% of the population of Velzemia are Episemalist, 11% are irreligious, 8% follow some other form of Sotirianity, and 2% follow another religion. The same study found that 39% of the religious population attended church at least once a month, 41% at least once a year, 7% rarely, and 11% never.

Culture

Music

Prior to Narozalic rule in Velzemia much of the nations musical tradition had been heavily influenced by Vichod mythology. With the new influence of Narodyn culture this quickly changed with traditional Vichod music being seen as uncultured by many and it's musicians facing persecution. This new Narodyn influence led to the rise of famous Velzemian composers such as Dimitri Hopko, who's Symphony No. 3 became one of the most important compositions in Euclean musical history. With the late 19th century came a new wave of nationalism that saw a revival in traditional Vichod music which has continued to today with many cultural festivals and schools encouraging people to know more about the music.

Popular music in Velzemia was heavily influenced by Narozalic popular music from the 1950s until the 1980s when the nation was still apart of Narozalica. Following independence music popular in eastern Euclea has seen a growth in popularity with genres like synth-pop, hip hop, rap and trap gaining prominence. (need to do more)