Rensselaerswijck

Federal Republic of Rensselaerswijck Bondsrepubliek van Rensselaerswijck
Flag
Motto: "Verenigd in democratie. Samen in vrijheid." "Unity in democracy. Together in freedom."
Anthem: "Stormvogels"
Capital and largest city	Nieuw Hoop
Official languages	Rensselaer Freijian (dialect) Freijian
Recognised regional languages	Cree
Ethnic groups	1. Rensselaer 2. Alqonquain 3. Freijian
Religion	Secular State
Demonym(s)	Rensselaer
Government	Bondsrepubliek (Federal Republic)
• President	Willem Lodewijk
• Deputy President	Hamilton Van Rensselaer Fairfax
Legislature	Rensselaer Parlement van Het Volk
Independence from Freijian
• Declared	May 21st, 1811
• Treaty of Freijstad	July 1st, 1814
Population
• 1930 census	2,324,937
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$8.336 Billion
Currency	Rijksdaalder (R$)
Driving side	left

Rensselaerswijck, officially known as the 'Federal Republic of Rensselaerswijck (Rensselaer Freijian: Bondsrepubliek van Rensselaerswijck) is a sovereign nation located in northern Hibernia. Rensselaerswijck is bordered by Volkhov to the west and Alinora to the south. The Federal Republic is made up of 6 provinces and encompasses an estimated 2.3 million citizens as of the 1930 census, which mainly live on the Eastern coast along with the majority of Rensselaerswijck's largest cities. Heading further from the coast sprawling with infrastructure and densely populated cities presents a very remote, depopulated and unforgiving wilderness which stretches for hundreds of miles. Little to no organized infrastructure is found in the depths of the Rensselaerswijck wildlands, but it is the subject of an immense fur and pelt industry.

Rensselaerswijck is a Federal Republic with 6 administrative regions known as provinces. To the north-western reaches of the Republic is the Rensselaerswijck Indigenous Occupation Zone, which is a completely autonomous stretch of territory free from federal law and de-facto acts as a seperate entity free from the state. The capital and largest city in the Federal Republic is Nieuw Hoop (English: New Hope) which both represents the governmental hub of the country as well as the economic hub, being the largest port city in all of the Republic. Nieuw Hoop was granted its own Province in 1899 around surrounding villages and towns, significantly increasing its influence over the rest of the country. Featured in the city are the three, independent branches of government, providing checks and balances upon each other: the Executive branch (lead by President Willem Lodewijk), the Legislative branch (lead by Deputy President Hamilton Van Rensselaer Fairfax, who leads the nation's single-house proportionally elected Parliament) and finally the Judicial branch (lead by the Supreme Court consisting of a panel of 9 elected high judges, who serve terms of twenty years or until a retirmement age of 72, whichever comes first.)

Rensselaerswijck has been an independent nation-state for over 100 years, finally gaining independence from the ex-colonial power of Freijian on July 1st, 1814 in the terms of the Treaty of Freijstad. Since gaining independence, the country has strived to become a beacon of democracy and equality under the law. This is why the country has some of the most comprehensive agreements with the indigenous populations who roamed the areas around modern-day Rensselaerswijck before Cybelleum colonization. As a consequence, the Rensselaer identity is shaped by the inclusion of everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, or creed. A distinct culture and language dialect has also been formed from years of distancing from the traditions of Freijian.

Etymology

Rensselaerswijck was named after the prominent land-owning family which surprisingly supported and helped legitimize the May 21st Declaration, effectively the Rensselaerswijck Declaration of Independence. They willingly surrendered their land holdings to the new revolt, while other land-owners resisted and were captured. The family even denounced the now-capitulated government of Freijistad (which had been conquered at this point during the !Napoleonic Wars). Following the Treaty of Freijistad, the newly established Rensselaerswijck Republic agreed to restore all land-owning rights to noble families, under the provision that special priveleges would be revoked. The independence of Rensselaerswijck likely would not have been bloodless and effective if it not been the Rensselaerswijck family's help, historians note, which is why the nation was named after the family. The family's bloodline continues to influence the country to this day, with prominent von Rensselaerswijck members holding political office and owning mercantile-based business. The most well-known and arguably influencial of the Rensselaerswijck family today remains to be Hamilton Van Rensselaer Fairfax, the nation's Deputy General and statesman.

Geography and Climate

Geography

The Federal Republic of Rensselaerswijck shares land borders with the Grand Republic of Volkhov and Alinora, with a maritime border with the Ansulation ocean to the North-east and a slight border to the Hyborean ocean heading directly north. All six provinces hold direct sea access, with only one province not having access to the Bay of Rensselaer.

The north eastern coast of the country stands on with varied topography. From Nieuw Hoop eastwards, a broad, flat coastal plain dots the landscape with beaches which are populated in the summer yet frozen over in the winter. As you head westward into the Rensselaer forests, long stretches of uninhabited forest and mountain ranges, the largest of which being the Versche Mountain Range, which roughly follows the border between Volkhov and Rennselaerswijck. To the southeastern most edge of the country is flat plain, in which most of the small agricultural industry is found.

Mount Katadhin during winter, part of the Rensselaer mountain range. During winter, this area is nearly impossible to traverse.

Climate

The country is varied in its climate, reaching moderately warm summers and following with long, intense winters. By summer the beaches of Rensselaerwijck are tourist attractions for native residents alike, while the forests in the Western half of the country open up for safe travel. By winter, however, the country is nearly cut off from ocean access, with small sections of the Ansulation ocean not freezing over. The entire Bay of Rensselaer freezes over into ice in the later months of Winter, although this varies depending on the year. In 1930, for example, marked the first year the Bay never froze for winter while in 1819 records show the Bay frozen for over 5 months of the year, killing economic progress in the country.

Month	High Temperature	Low Temperature	Precipitation (mm)
January	20.7F / -6.3C	3.6F / -15.8C	83
February	23.4F / -4.8C	5.9F / -14.5C	71
March	33.3F / 0.4C	17.1F / -8.3C	71
April	47.8F / 8.8C	30.9F / -0.6C	71
May	62.6F / 17C	41.9F / 5.5C	80
June	72.3F / 22.4C	51.6F / 10.9C	114
July	78.4F / 25.8C	54.1F / 12.3C	117
August	74.8F/ 23.8C	54.1F / 12.3C	107
September	65.3F / 18.5C	46.6F / 8.3C	105
October	53.1F / 11.7C	37.2F / 2.9C	82
November	39.0F / 3.9C	26.8F / -2.9C	93
December	24.8F / -4.0C	10.2F / -12.1C	107