Svenskbygderna

Hverland Hverlandic: Hverøyken
Flag
Motto: "To dwell together in unity" Hverlandic: Að búa saman í einingu
Anthem: "O, Land of Prosperity and Peace" Hverlandic: Varðstjóri
File:Hverøyken locator map.png
Capital	Breíddalsvík
Official languages	Hverlandic
Other languages	Icelandic, Swedish, English
Ethnic groups (2019)	89% Hverlandic 5% Icelandic 2% Swedish 1% Norwegian 1% Faroese
Religion	Church of Hverland
Demonym(s)	Hverlander
Government	Unitary multi-party parliamentary republic with significant elements of direct democracy
• President	-
• Prime Minister	-
Legislature	Rokthing
Population
• 2020 estimate	130,435 (178th)
• Density	2.9/km2 (7.5/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$6.9 billion
• Per capita	$50,000
Gini (2017)	28.95 low
HDI (2020)	0.926 very high
Currency	Hverlandic Mynt
Date format	dd/mm/yy (NG)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+54
ISO 3166 code	HV
Internet TLD	.hv

Hverland (pronounced: /væ̌rland/; Hverlandic: Hverøyken pronounced: /væ̌røːkɪn/) is a small Nordic island country in the northern Atlantic Ocean. It is located around 250km southeast of Iceland and 350km from Norway. The capital city is Breíddalsvík.

Culturally, Hverland's small population of just over 130,000 demonstrates a cohesive national character. Hverland is a combination of individualism and egalitarianism. Hverlanders are highly agreeable and compassionate people, reflected in the state's strong social welfare system, while also harboring conscientiousness and responsibility, reflected by the high GDP per capita, high level of educational achievement, and more recently significant technological advancements.

Hverlandic politics have been described by scholars as an eclectic amalgamation of both conservative and liberal thought: for example, despite having rather restrictive abortion laws, it has relatively liberal LGBT laws. This dichotomy is usually attributed to the rather unique teachings of the state church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hverland, which has both a high adherence and a large influence over public policy. Hverland maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens. Hverland ranks high in economic, democratic, social stability, and equality. It is consistently ranked as one of the most developed countries in the world and high on the Global Peace Index. The country runs entirely on renewable energy.

Despite the nation being known for its state of neutrality, this has been questioned in recent years, with Hverland becoming a member of NATO in 2017. Though Hverland is philosophically and constitutionally a pacifist country, it continues to maintain a minimal defense force that consists of a coast guard and national guard. Hverland is also a member of the UN, OECD, and the Nordic Council.

Religion

Affiliation by religious movement (2020)

Affiliation	% of population
Christianity	89.19	89.19
Church of Hverland	78.47	78.47
Other Lutheran churches	5.62	5.62
Roman Catholic Church	3.98	3.98
Eastern Orthodox Church	0.35	0.35
Other Christian denominations	0.77	0.77
Other religion or association	3.65	3.65
Judaism	1.01	1.01
Buddhism	0.42	0.42
Heathenism	0.31	0.31
Baháʼí Faith	0.10	0.1
Other and not specified	1.81	1.81
Unaffiliated	6.46	6.46

Christianity

Main article: Christianity

For much of Hverland's history, Christianity has dominated the public and private sphere of daily life. The Lutheran Church of Hverland (Hverlandic: Hverøykenkirkja is both the established church in Hverland as well as the largest denomination of Christianity, with nearly 80% of the population as reported as members. However, membership has decreased in recent decades. There are several smaller Lutheran churches officially unaffiliated with the Church of Hverland that an additional 6% of the population affiliates with, although these churches are also reporting declines.

Hverlandic Lutheranism (commonly referred to as Laupstadism, named after its founder) and mainstream Christianity have a complex theological, historical, and sociological relationship. Laupstadism has been described by non-Hverlandic scholars as a distinct denomination that is separate from both mainstream Lutheranism and Christianity more broadly. For example, while Laupstads consider the Bible to be scripture, they do not believe in inerrancy or literalism like most Lutherans do. Laupstad theology argues that interpreting Christian and Lutheran scripture must be informed by scholarship (particularly from psychological, evolutionary, and existential perspectives). Perhaps the largest distinction is that most Laupstads do not profess a belief in a celestial being. Rather, Laupstads believe that theism has lost credibility as a valid conception of God's true nature. Such a belief is commonly referred to as Christian atheism. Christian atheism is a form of cultural Christianity and ethics system drawing its beliefs and practices from Jesus Christ’s life and teachings as recorded in the Bible and other sources, whilst rejecting supernatural claims of Christianity. In 2005, the book "Believing in a God Who Does Not Exist: Manifesto of An Atheist Minister", Church of Hverland pastor Hendrikse describes that Laupstads believe "God is for me not a being but a word for what can happen between people. Someone says to you, for example, 'I will not abandon you', and then makes those words come true. It would be perfectly alright to call that [relationship] God". Hendrikse's views are widely shared among both clergy and church members. As such, Laupstadism is typically classified as a liberal denomination. The Church has long supported gay and lesbian rights, and weekly services do not revolve around worship but rather focuses on deconstructing ancient scripture to extract out philosophical, ethical and theological wisdom that can be applied to the modern day. There is also a strong emphasis on community and fellowship.