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(Added information about how the Grae system was introduced to Ostrov; the section in question was read and approved by User:JaejuX aka Nova Solarius. Also modernised dates and inserted some info about Ostrovian literature.)
(Climate Change! Props to Sparkles)
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|calling_code = +47
|calling_code = +47
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'''Ostrov''' is an island state in northern Dacia, located to the west of the main continent. Although it lies in the Winter Ocean, the [[Lurynia]]n bureau of meteorology has categorised the nation as being dominated by decidious woodlands; it is also located on a flat island, which means that temperatures across the nation at any given point will be fairly similar. While largely rural and agrarian, several towns also exist; the largest of these is capital city Southport, where around 8,000 of the 63,000 Ostrovians live.
'''Ostrov''' is a democratic island state in northern Dacia, located to the west of the main continent. While largely rural and agrarian, several population centres known as towns also exist; the largest of these is capital city Southport, where around 8,000 of the 63,000 Ostrovians live.
==History==
==History==
===Pre-Charter Ostrov (1361-1390)===
===Pre-Charter Ostrov (1361-1390)===
Line 101: Line 101:


==Economy==
==Economy==
==Climate==
Although it lies in the Winter Ocean, the [[Lurynia]]n bureau of meteorology has categorised the nation as being dominated by decidious woodlands. There has historically been one weather station in Ostrov, which has been maintained in Southport by the Lurynians for at least two centuries in partnership with the Polytechnic.
Ostrov is located on a small, flat island, which means that climatic conditions across the nation at any given point in time will be fairly similar. This means that the Southport station's recordings have traditionally been accepted as accurate readings of the entire Ostrovian climate. Although conditions in Ostrov occasionally vary from those on mainland Dacia, Lurynian officials over the years have repeatedly refused to confirm or deny whether their nation's magical capacities have affected either climate to any extent.
{{Weather box
| name        =  Climate data for Southport, 1410-1610
| width        =  auto
| collapsed    = 
| open        = 
| metric first = yes
| single line  =  yes <!-- Any entry in this line will display metric and imperial units in the same cell. Leave blank or remove this line for separate table rows. -->
| trace        = 
| location    =  Southport, Ostrov (1410-1610)
| temperature colour = pastel
<!-- Record high temperatures -->
<!-- Note that record temperatures should only be used when the data period is of the greatest length possible. -->
| Jan record high C = 10.9
| Feb record high C = 16.2
| Mar record high C = 20.1
| Apr record high C = 24.5
| May record high C = 28.7
| Jun record high C = 31.8
| Jul record high C = 36.4
| Aug record high C = 34.5
| Sep record high C = 28.4
| Oct record high C = 23.6
| Nov record high C = 17.2
| Dec record high C = 12.4
| year record high C =
<!-- Average monthly absolute maximum temperatures (that is, on average, the highest temperature to be observed in a month). It is important to note that this data is not very prominent in most climate data archives. -->
| Jan avg record high C  = 7.0
| Feb avg record high C  = 12.3
| Mar avg record high C  = 15.4
| Apr avg record high C  = 18.5
| May avg record high C  = 22.6
| Jun avg record high C  = 24.7
| Jul avg record high C  = 26.9
| Aug avg record high C  = 24.2
| Sep avg record high C  = 21.1
| Oct avg record high C  = 17.8
| Nov avg record high C  = 13.2
| Dec avg record high C  = 9.8
| year avg record high C = <!-- Note: the yearly data does NOT necessarily reflect the highest temperature in any of the months. This refers to the yearly highest temperature, that is, on average, the highest temperature to be observed in a year. -->
<!-- Average high temperatures -->
| Jan high C  = 3.5
| Feb high C  = 7.9
| Mar high C  = 10.2
| Apr high C  = 14.3
| May high C  = 16.5
| Jun high C  = 19.8
| Jul high C  = 23.3
| Aug high C  = 20.7
| Sep high C  = 16.8
| Oct high C  = 13.4
| Nov high C  = 9.8
| Dec high C  = 5.1
| year high C =
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
| Jan mean C  = 0.8
| Feb mean C  = 3.2
| Mar mean C  = 6.5
| Apr mean C  = 9.8
| May mean C  = 13.1
| Jun mean C  = 16.4
| Jul mean C  = 19.7
| Aug mean C  = 16.9
| Sep mean C  = 13.9
| Oct mean C  = 9.6
| Nov mean C  = 6.4
| Dec mean C  = 3.1
| year mean C =
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
| Jan low C  = -3.7
| Feb low C  = -1.4
| Mar low C  = 1.9
| Apr low C  = 4.8
| May low C  = 8.8
| Jun low C  = 11.8
| Jul low C  = 13.1
| Aug low C  = 12.2
| Sep low C  = 9.1
| Oct low C  = 5.3
| Nov low C  = 2.6
| Dec low C  = -1.7
| year low C =
<!-- Average monthly absolute minimum temperatures (that is, on average, the lowest temperature to be observed in a month). It is important to note that this data is not very prominent in most climate data archives. -->
| Jan avg record low C  = -6.7
| Feb avg record low C  = -3.8
| Mar avg record low C  = -1.6
| Apr avg record low C  = 0.4
| May avg record low C  = 4.3
| Jun avg record low C  = 6.8
| Jul avg record low C  = 8.6
| Aug avg record low C  = 7.6
| Sep avg record low C  = 4.9
| Oct avg record low C  = 1.6
| Nov avg record low C  = -2.1
| Dec avg record low C  = -5.3
| year avg record low C = <!-- Note: the yearly data does NOT necessarily reflect the lowest temperature in any of the months. This refers to the yearly lowest temperature, that is, on average, the lowest temperature to be observed in a year. -->
<!-- Record low temperatures -->
<!-- Note that record temperatures should only be used when the data period is of the greatest length possible. -->
| Jan record low C  = -13.5
| Feb record low C  = -10.2
| Mar record low C  = -7.4
| Apr record low C  = -4.7
| May record low C  = -2.6
| Jun record low C  = 0.7
| Jul record low C  = 2.7
| Aug record low C  = 2.4
| Sep record low C  = -0.9
| Oct record low C  = -3.5
| Nov record low C  = -7.4
| Dec record low C  = -11.5
| year record low C =
<!-- Minimum wind chill -->
| Jan chill  = -18.7
| Feb chill  = -14.6
| Mar chill  = -11.6
| Apr chill  = -7.7
| May chill  = -5.9
| Jun chill  = -3.7
| Jul chill  = -2.2
| Aug chill  = -2.8
| Sep chill  = -4.6
| Oct chill  = -8.1
| Nov chill  = -12.1
| Dec chill  = -17.2
| year chill =
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
| precipitation colour  = green
<!-- IMPORTANT: use mm or cm but NOT both! -->
| Jan precipitation mm  =
| Feb precipitation mm  =
| Mar precipitation mm  =
| Apr precipitation mm  =
| May precipitation mm  =
| Jun precipitation mm  =
| Jul precipitation mm  =
| Aug precipitation mm  =
| Sep precipitation mm  =
| Oct precipitation mm  =
| Nov precipitation mm  =
| Dec precipitation mm  =
| year precipitation mm =
| Jan precipitation cm  = 8.63
| Feb precipitation cm  = 7.62
| Mar precipitation cm  = 6.32
| Apr precipitation cm  = 5.92
| May precipitation cm  = 4.75
| Jun precipitation cm  = 4.39
| Jul precipitation cm  = 4.48
| Aug precipitation cm  = 4.96
| Sep precipitation cm  = 5.02
| Oct precipitation cm  = 5.43
| Nov precipitation cm  = 6.71
| Dec precipitation cm  = 8.68
| year precipitation cm =
<!-- Rainfall -->
| rain colour  =  green
<!-- IMPORTANT: use mm or cm but NOT both! -->
| Jan rain mm  =
| Feb rain mm  =
| Mar rain mm  =
| Apr rain mm  =
| May rain mm  =
| Jun rain mm  =
| Jul rain mm  =
| Aug rain mm  =
| Sep rain mm  =
| Oct rain mm  =
| Nov rain mm  =
| Dec rain mm  =
| year rain mm =
| Jan rain cm  = 6.43
| Feb rain cm  = 6.02
| Mar rain cm  = 5.62
| Apr rain cm  = 5.92
| May rain cm  = 4.75
| Jun rain cm  = 4.39
| Jul rain cm  = 4.48
| Aug rain cm  = 4.96
| Sep rain cm  = 5.02
| Oct rain cm  = 5.43
| Nov rain cm  = 5.91
| Dec rain cm  = 6.78
| year rain cm =
<!-- Snowfall -->
<!-- IMPORTANT: use mm or cm but NOT both! -->
<!-- IMPORTANT: Do NOT use snow depth information in the snowfall area! These are 2 different kinds of data! -->
| snow colour  = 
| Jan snow mm  =
| Feb snow mm  =
| Mar snow mm  =
| Apr snow mm  =
| May snow mm  =
| Jun snow mm  =
| Jul snow mm  =
| Aug snow mm  =
| Sep snow mm  =
| Oct snow mm  =
| Nov snow mm  =
| Dec snow mm  =
| year snow mm =
| Jan snow cm  = 2.2
| Feb snow cm  = 1.6
| Mar snow cm  = 0.7
| Apr snow cm  = trace
| May snow cm  = 0
| Jun snow cm  = 0
| Jul snow cm  = 0
| Aug snow cm  = 0
| Sep snow cm  = 0
| Oct snow cm  = trace
| Nov snow cm  = 0.8
| Dec snow cm  = 1.9
| year snow cm =
<!-- Snow depth -->
<!-- IMPORTANT: use mm or cm but NOT both! -->
<!-- IMPORTANT: Do NOT use snowfall information in the snow depth area! These are 2 different kinds of data! -->
| snow depth colour    =
| Jan snow depth mm  =
| Feb snow depth mm  =
| Mar snow depth mm  =
| Apr snow depth mm  =
| May snow depth mm  =
| Jun snow depth mm  =
| Jul snow depth mm  =
| Aug snow depth mm  =
| Sep snow depth mm  =
| Oct snow depth mm  =
| Nov snow depth mm  =
| Dec snow depth mm  =
| year snow depth mm =
| Jan snow depth cm  = 2.4
| Feb snow depth cm  = 1.5
| Mar snow depth cm  = 0.8
| Apr snow depth cm  = 0.2
| May snow depth cm  = 0
| Jun snow depth cm  = 0
| Jul snow depth cm  = 0
| Aug snow depth cm  = 0
| Sep snow depth cm  = 0
| Oct snow depth cm  = trace
| Nov snow depth cm  = 0.5
| Dec snow depth cm  = 1.4
| year snow depth cm =
<!-- Average number of precipitation days -->
| unit precipitation days = 0.5 cm
| precip days colour      = 
| Jan precipitation days  = 10.8
| Feb precipitation days  = 9.9
| Mar precipitation days  = 9.1
| Apr precipitation days  = 7.8
| May precipitation days  = 6.5
| Jun precipitation days  = 6.3
| Jul precipitation days  = 5.9
| Aug precipitation days  = 6.5
| Sep precipitation days  = 7.2
| Oct precipitation days  = 8.0
| Nov precipitation days  = 9.4
| Dec precipitation days  = 11.1
| year precipitation days =
<!-- Average number of rainy days -->
| unit rain days = 0.5 cm
| Jan rain days  = 10.3
| Feb rain days  = 9.4
| Mar rain days  = 8.9
| Apr rain days  = 7.8
| May rain days  = 6.5
| Jun rain days  = 6.3
| Jul rain days  = 5.9
| Aug rain days  = 6.5
| Sep rain days  = 7.2
| Oct rain days  = 8.0
| Nov rain days  = 9.1
| Dec rain days  = 10.5
| year rain days =
<!-- Average number of snowy days -->
| unit snow days = 1 cm
| Jan snow days  = 0.5
| Feb snow days  = 0.5
| Mar snow days  = 0.2
| Apr snow days  = trace
| May snow days  = 0
| Jun snow days  = 0
| Jul snow days  = 0
| Aug snow days  = 0
| Sep snow days  = 0
| Oct snow days  = trace
| Nov snow days  = 0.3
| Dec snow days  = 0.6
| year snow days =
<!-- Average daily % humidity -->
<!-- If entering the average daily % humidity, then the humidex table should be used. -->
| humidity colour =  green
| time day        =  1200
| daily          =  Y
| Jan humidity    = 67.2
| Feb humidity    = 65.9
| Mar humidity    = 63.2
| Apr humidity    = 61.6
| May humidity    = 58.8
| Jun humidity    = 59.5
| Jul humidity    = 58.9
| Aug humidity    = 60.5
| Sep humidity    = 61.6
| Oct humidity    = 63.9
| Nov humidity    = 65.7
| Dec humidity    = 68.3
| year humidity  =
<!-- Average dew point-->
| Jan dew point C =
| Feb dew point C =
| Mar dew point C =
| Apr dew point C =
| May dew point C =
| Jun dew point C =
| Jul dew point C =
| Aug dew point C =
| Sep dew point C =
| Oct dew point C =
| Nov dew point C =
| Dec dew point C =
<!-- Average monthly sunshine hours, monthly totals are preferred, and will produce colours, but percentages are accepted.-->
| Jan sun  = 120.9
| Feb sun  = 132.8  <!-- For February only if the source gives daily hours, please multiply by 28.25, not 28 -->
| Mar sun  = 164.3
| Apr sun  = 186.0
| May sun  = 229.4
| Jun sun  = 240.0
| Jul sun  = 254.2
| Aug sun  = 235.6
| Sep sun  = 195.0
| Oct sun  = 170.5
| Nov sun  = 138.0
| Dec sun  = 124.0
| year sun =
<!-- Average daily sunshine hours. Use this if the source shows daily sunshine hours. -->
| Jand sun  = 3.9
| Febd sun  = 4.7
| Mard sun  = 5.3
| Aprd sun  = 6.2
| Mayd sun  = 7.4
| Jund sun  = 8.0
| Juld sun  = 8.2
| Augd sun  = 7.6
| Sepd sun  = 6.5
| Octd sun  = 5.5
| Novd sun  = 4.6
| Decd sun  = 4.0
| yeard sun =
<!-- Average daylight hours, including cloudy hours. -->
| Jan light = 9.5
| Feb light = 10.6
| Mar light = 11.9
| Apr light = 13.4
| May light = 14.5
| Jun light = 15.2
| Jul light = 14.9
| Aug light = 13.9
| Sep light = 12.5
| Oct light = 11.1
| Nov light = 9.8
| Dec light = 9.1
| year light=
<!-- Average percent of possible sunshine. Number of daylight hours already factored into this number. Note that since this is possible sunshine, nighttime hours should not be included in this calculation. Will produce colours. -->
| Jan percentsun  = 41.1
| Feb percentsun  = 44.3
| Mar percentsun  = 44.5
| Apr percentsun  = 46.3
| May percentsun  = 51.0
| Jun percentsun  = 52.6
| Jul percentsun  = 55.0
| Aug percentsun  = 54.7
| Sep percentsun  = 52.0
| Oct percentsun  = 49.5
| Nov percentsun  = 46.9
| Dec percentsun  = 44.0
| year percentsun =
<!-- Average daily UV index -->
| Jan uv  = 2
| Feb uv  = 2
| Mar uv  = 3
| Apr uv  = 3
| May uv  = 5
| Jun uv  = 6
| Jul uv  = 7
| Aug uv  = 6
| Sep uv  = 5
| Oct uv  = 4
| Nov uv  = 3
| Dec uv  = 2
| year uv = 4
<!-- thanks to Sparkles (User:Oyus) for the IC and OOC assistance! -->
| source = Lurynian bureau of meteorology, Southport station
}}
==Demographics==
==Demographics==
Ostrov is entirely populated by humans; in particular, almost everybody in the country is of [[Ethnicities in Sparkalia|Ostrovian ethnicity]]. Although the Ostrovian census - which is conducted once every five years - does not collect statistics on religion, surveys carried out by private organisations suggest that the vast majority of Ostrovians are atheist. Analysts have suggested this could be an effect of Ostrov being populated by members of the First Unknown, who generally prefer relying on their own technology than on magic.
Ostrov is entirely populated by humans; in particular, almost everybody in the country is of [[Ethnicities in Sparkalia|Ostrovian ethnicity]]. Although the Ostrovian census - which is conducted once every five years - does not collect statistics on religion, surveys carried out by private organisations suggest that the vast majority of Ostrovians are atheist. Analysts have suggested this could be an effect of Ostrov being populated by members of the First Unknown, who generally prefer relying on their own technology than on magic.

Revision as of 20:16, 18 May 2023

Ostrov
Flag of
Flag

dark blue for historical relations with Lurynia, white for the First Unknown, an upwards chevron for the future
Motto: Justice and Progress
Anthem: Onwards
Ostrov is an island in Sparkalia. It is located west of Lurynia, which is in the north of the continent of Dacia. Lurynia is comparatively much larger than Ostrov.
Ostrov is located by the northern half of the continent of Dacia
StatusIndependent State
Capital
and largest city
Southport
Official languagesCommon
Recognised national languagesLurynian
Religion
secular state
Demonym(s)Ostrovian
GovernmentRepublic
• Prime Minister (Head of State and Government)
David Chatham
Discovery
• originally discovered by First Unknown
1361
• organisation into a state
by 1390
Area
• Total
2,525 km2 (975 sq mi)
Population
• 1611 census
63,000
GDP (nominal)estimate
• Total
$1,008,000,000
• Per capita
$16,000
CurrencyLurynian Sparek (LS)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Driving sideleft
Calling code+47
Internet TLD.os

Ostrov is a democratic island state in northern Dacia, located to the west of the main continent. While largely rural and agrarian, several population centres known as towns also exist; the largest of these is capital city Southport, where around 8,000 of the 63,000 Ostrovians live.

History

Pre-Charter Ostrov (1361-1390)

The island of Ostrov was discovered by the First Unknown when they arrived on the planet of Sparkalia in 1361.

A New System of Measurement (1364)

Christina Broadbent was part of the First Unknown wave of 1361 AR (1955 GD). While much of the population, including her husband, had taken up farming for subsistence, Broadbent was renowned as one of the leading ladies' dressmakers on the island for the first few months it was inhabited. In those days, there was no common system of measurements and many local farmers had decided to avoid them altogether.

However, Broadbent suddenly disappeared from the island in Umbra 1362. Her friend, corn farmer Michael Smith, wrote in his diary on Umbra 5th that she was "extremely upset" at the farming community's "inconsistent output" and had told him a matter of days previously that "she would set out, at any cost, to discover how to improve the abysmal situation."

Broadbent did not plan to reach any particular destination, although she arrived in the Solarius Empire - modern-day Nova Solarius - in 1363 AR (1957 GD on the Solarian calendar) after making the lengthy boat trip west along the north Pythian coast. Details of her time there are scant; it is understood that she was met with some hostility, given the War of Space, but was taken in by an anti-war rural family and learned about the local Grae system of measurements during her few months there.

Around Lyncis of 1364 AR (1958 GD), shortly after her return, Broadbent distributed over 100 copies of a handwritten pamphlet entitled A New System of Measurement, an impressive achievement on an island of roughly 800 inhabitants. Her pamphlet outlined the history of the system, the mathematics underpinning it, and what she saw as the need for a common system to be used among labourers. It is universally accepted that Broadbent's campaigning led to the universal adoption of the Grae system in Ostrov.

Megan Richards, the wife of David Chatham (who was Prime Minister as of Hilaria 1612), is one of Broadbent's 592 great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren.

The early Ostrovian state (1390-1428)

Internationalisation (1428-1481)

The Years of Temperance (1481-1538)

Economic and social liberalisation (1538-1597)

The David Chatham era (1597-1612)

Politics

Government

Given the size and population of the island, politics in Ostrov is highly centralised and relies on two major parties. Historically, the Farmers' and Workers' Union have been a socially conservative party which historically sought to abolish tariffs, and today supports reducing income tax dependence and introducing a sales tax (although this regularly meets with opposition from more moderate Union politicians); their base is among farmers and other rural workers. The Justice Party is a democratic socialist party which supports maximising personal freedoms, but wants to introduce a progressive income tax so that higher earners - particularly productive farmers who export to Lurynia - pay more; they enjoy heavy support in towns.

The government is currently made up entirely of the members of the majority party of the Ostrovian council, which is currently the Union. There are four cabinet ministries. David Chatham is the Prime Minister, head of state and government; he is broadly responsible for representing Ostrov on the Sparkalian stage and dictating the priorities and direction of the government.

While the state is limited, Ostrov regularly engages in deficit spending. Ostrov only collected around 8.3% of its GDP in tax revenue in the 1610 fiscal year. In that year's budget, healthcare took up 5.7% of GDP, education took up 3.8% and policing took up 2.3%. These figures have been fairly constant in previous years.

Although there is a common trope that many Ostrovians live in "rural areas" away from centers of population, everybody in Ostrov is in fact assigned to a town for administrative purposes. All towns have their own councils, but the power of towns is limited.

Parliament

The makeup of the Council as of Pax 1611 (which remains accurate as of Hilaria 1612):
  Farmers' and Workers' Union: 18 seats (majority)
  Justice Party: 10 seats
  Independents: 1 seat
  The Speaker

The Farmers' and Workers' Union hold a majority in the Council as of Hilaria 1612, with eighteen seats to the Justice Party's ten. There are two independent councillors: Stephen James is the Speaker of the Council, who presides over its meetings and keeps order. Esther Braddock, who was elected to a historically Union-held district in the Lux 1609 election but rapidly broke with Justice Party leadership on multiple issues, lost the Justice whip in Audax 1609 after cosponsoring a failed Budget amendment by a Union backbencher which would have introduced LS6 ($6) user fees for GP visits.

Foreign Relations

Other than with Lurynia, which has served as the nation's main trading partner for almost its entire existence, Ostrov has largely been isolated from the rest of Sparkalia.

Visa Policy

Ostrovian police automatically assume that anybody without a visa is staying for less than six months and not seeking employment. But anybody who plans to stay in Ostrov for more than six months in a contiguous twelve-month period, wishes to work in Ostrov at any time, or seeks to permanently move to Ostrov with their children must - depending on their nationality - either obtain a Work Visa or an Employee Sponsorship Form (ESF). Tourists cannot apply for a Work Visa or ESF while they are in Ostrov.

All workers from outside Lurynia must apply for a Work Visa. They must pass a Common or Lurynian language test, and seek a named employer to sponsor them and give them terms of employment. (A list of employers is available on request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)

Lurynian workers may enter the country without a Work Visa. They are exempt from the language requirement, but must also be sponsored by a named employer; at the Ostrovian border, they must present proof of their Ostrovian nationality and sign an ESF, which is a sworn affirmation that they have a named sponsor.

Foreign workers who work for an employer that is not sponsoring them, or otherwise without a Work Visa or ESF, are liable for deportation, unless they seek a new named sponsor or citizenship. Anybody who works and pays income tax for eight of the past ten years is, in theory, eligible to apply for citizenship; permanent resident status as such does not exist.

There is one small university on the island, the Polytechnic of Ostrov, which specialises in science, medicine, engineering, mathematics and economics. About 300 domestic students, a quarter of each year's cohort, are accepted for study - although the vast majority of them reside in Southport, which has the best-funded schools of any town and where the University is located. There is a quota of 50 international students; prospective students must apply for a Student Visa between Nox 15th and Florentina 15th in the year before they wish to begin studies. Applications are shared with the Polytechnic, who will make recommendations as to which students are of sufficient academic calibre to attain a good degree.

All students whose Student Visa application is successful will hear back by the end of Lux and be guaranteed a place, subject to attaining certain grades equivalent to those that Ostrovian students must achieve. Holders of Student Visas may remain in the country for six months after finishing their degree, during which they may seek a named sponsor employer and obtain a Work Visa without the requirement to complete a language test or fill an ESF. However, they are not treated as tourists if their Student Visa expires without them switching to a Work Visa or marrying an Ostrovian citizen, and will be removed from the country upon detection.

The Ostrovian police force will seek the deportation of anyone who moves to Ostrov simply so their children can be educated in the Ostrov primary and secondary school system. However, parents with Work Visas, Student Visas or ESFs do not need to apply for a visa for their children: they are entitled to an education on the same basis as an Ostrovian citizen. And non-Ostrovian citizens who are married to, or the children of, an Ostrovian citizen may enter and live in the country without any documentation as if they were an citizen themselves - so long as they can prove their spouse or parent is an Ostrovian.

Economy

Climate

Although it lies in the Winter Ocean, the Lurynian bureau of meteorology has categorised the nation as being dominated by decidious woodlands. There has historically been one weather station in Ostrov, which has been maintained in Southport by the Lurynians for at least two centuries in partnership with the Polytechnic.

Ostrov is located on a small, flat island, which means that climatic conditions across the nation at any given point in time will be fairly similar. This means that the Southport station's recordings have traditionally been accepted as accurate readings of the entire Ostrovian climate. Although conditions in Ostrov occasionally vary from those on mainland Dacia, Lurynian officials over the years have repeatedly refused to confirm or deny whether their nation's magical capacities have affected either climate to any extent.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.9
(51.6)
16.2
(61.2)
20.1
(68.2)
24.5
(76.1)
28.7
(83.7)
31.8
(89.2)
36.4
(97.5)
34.5
(94.1)
28.4
(83.1)
23.6
(74.5)
17.2
(63.0)
12.4
(54.3)
36.4
(97.5)
Mean maximum °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6)
12.3
(54.1)
15.4
(59.7)
18.5
(65.3)
22.6
(72.7)
24.7
(76.5)
26.9
(80.4)
24.2
(75.6)
21.1
(70.0)
17.8
(64.0)
13.2
(55.8)
9.8
(49.6)
26.9
(80.4)
Average high °C (°F) 3.5
(38.3)
7.9
(46.2)
10.2
(50.4)
14.3
(57.7)
16.5
(61.7)
19.8
(67.6)
23.3
(73.9)
20.7
(69.3)
16.8
(62.2)
13.4
(56.1)
9.8
(49.6)
5.1
(41.2)
13.4
(56.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.8
(33.4)
3.2
(37.8)
6.5
(43.7)
9.8
(49.6)
13.1
(55.6)
16.4
(61.5)
19.7
(67.5)
16.9
(62.4)
13.9
(57.0)
9.6
(49.3)
6.4
(43.5)
3.1
(37.6)
10.0
(49.9)
Average low °C (°F) −3.7
(25.3)
−1.4
(29.5)
1.9
(35.4)
4.8
(40.6)
8.8
(47.8)
11.8
(53.2)
13.1
(55.6)
12.2
(54.0)
9.1
(48.4)
5.3
(41.5)
2.6
(36.7)
−1.7
(28.9)
5.2
(41.4)
Mean minimum °C (°F) −6.7
(19.9)
−3.8
(25.2)
−1.6
(29.1)
0.4
(32.7)
4.3
(39.7)
6.8
(44.2)
8.6
(47.5)
7.6
(45.7)
4.9
(40.8)
1.6
(34.9)
−2.1
(28.2)
−5.3
(22.5)
−6.7
(19.9)
Record low °C (°F) −13.5
(7.7)
−10.2
(13.6)
−7.4
(18.7)
−4.7
(23.5)
−2.6
(27.3)
0.7
(33.3)
2.7
(36.9)
2.4
(36.3)
−0.9
(30.4)
−3.5
(25.7)
−7.4
(18.7)
−11.5
(11.3)
−13.5
(7.7)
Record low wind chill −18.7 −14.6 −11.6 −7.7 −5.9 −3.7 −2.2 −2.8 −4.6 −8.1 −12.1 −17.2 −18.7
Average precipitation cm (inches) 8.63
(3.40)
7.62
(3.00)
6.32
(2.49)
5.92
(2.33)
4.75
(1.87)
4.39
(1.73)
4.48
(1.76)
4.96
(1.95)
5.02
(1.98)
5.43
(2.14)
6.71
(2.64)
8.68
(3.42)
72.91
(28.71)
Average rainfall cm (inches) 6.43
(2.53)
6.02
(2.37)
5.62
(2.21)
5.92
(2.33)
4.75
(1.87)
4.39
(1.73)
4.48
(1.76)
4.96
(1.95)
5.02
(1.98)
5.43
(2.14)
5.91
(2.33)
6.78
(2.67)
65.71
(25.87)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 2.2
(0.9)
1.6
(0.6)
0.7
(0.3)
trace 0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
trace 0.8
(0.3)
1.9
(0.7)
7.2
(2.8)
Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) 2.4
(0.9)
1.5
(0.6)
0.8
(0.3)
0.2
(0.1)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
trace 0.5
(0.2)
1.4
(0.6)
2.4
(0.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.5 cm) 10.8 9.9 9.1 7.8 6.5 6.3 5.9 6.5 7.2 8.0 9.4 11.1 98.5
Average rainy days (≥ 0.5 cm) 10.3 9.4 8.9 7.8 6.5 6.3 5.9 6.5 7.2 8.0 9.1 10.5 96.4
Average snowy days (≥ 1 cm) 0.5 0.5 0.2 trace 0 0 0 0 0 trace 0.3 0.6 2.1
Average relative humidity (%) (at 1200) (daily average) 67.2 65.9 63.2 61.6 58.8 59.5 58.9 60.5 61.6 63.9 65.7 68.3 62.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 120.9 132.8 164.3 186.0 229.4 240.0 254.2 235.6 195.0 170.5 138.0 124.0 2,190.7
Mean daily sunshine hours 3.9 4.7 5.3 6.2 7.4 8.0 8.2 7.6 6.5 5.5 4.6 4.0 6.0
Mean daily daylight hours 9.5 10.6 11.9 13.4 14.5 15.2 14.9 13.9 12.5 11.1 9.8 9.1 12.2
Percent possible sunshine 41.1 44.3 44.5 46.3 51.0 52.6 55.0 54.7 52.0 49.5 46.9 44.0 48.5
Average ultraviolet index 2 2 3 3 5 6 7 6 5 4 3 2 4
Source: Lurynian bureau of meteorology, Southport station

Demographics

Ostrov is entirely populated by humans; in particular, almost everybody in the country is of Ostrovian ethnicity. Although the Ostrovian census - which is conducted once every five years - does not collect statistics on religion, surveys carried out by private organisations suggest that the vast majority of Ostrovians are atheist. Analysts have suggested this could be an effect of Ostrov being populated by members of the First Unknown, who generally prefer relying on their own technology than on magic.

Health

Culture

The creative arts in Ostrov are limited: there is a single museum and no dedicated venues for the performance of music, although some Ostrovian recording artists have made a name for themselves on the domestic stage, by releasing singles and performing in social venues in towns such as pubs. There is no television signal; ownership of radios is common and many Ostrovians will listen to Lurynian radio stations, although there is a single locally-owned radio station called Radio Sky which broadcasts pop music by Ostrovian and Lurynian singers.

Personal computers do exist in Ostrov and are widespread; many households, especially those without computers and printers, still have typewriters. However, there is no internet connection and all government communications, for example, happen in person or on pen and paper. Should the internet be introduced in future years, they have been assigned the .os TLD - although Prime Minister Chatham has ruled out this possibility, citing cost issues and the "potential for illegal activity."

Common is the official language of Ostrov; while the Ostrovian government publishes in both Common and Lurynian, the Common version prevails in the event of any disreptancies. The names of people, places, landmarks and important institutions in Ostrov are more representative of Common-speaking cultures, Common is taught in schools, and virtually all Ostrovians have at least some grasp of the language. However, Lurynian is the most commonly-spoken language, owing to Ostrov's historically strong ties with Lurynia; Ostrovians are generally expected to understand it, and many speak and write it to a high level.

While a Common-language market for literature exists and domestic authors have risen to modest fame for much of Ostrov's existence, most books in circulation are Lurynian. Today is the oldest and only major Ostrovian daily newspaper, having been first published in 1389; most of its content is in Lurynian, although every issue will contain a few pages of general Common-language news. Smaller, town-level newspapers exist, but are generally unremarkable and written solely in Lurynian.

Farming