Nuvania
Nuvanian Free State Nuwanse Vrystaat | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: "Ons land, ons vryheid"(Asteriaans) "Our Land, Our Freedom" | |
| Anthem: Die Stem van Nuwanië The Call of Nuvania | |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Pietersburg |
| Official languages | Asteriaans |
| Demonym(s) | Nuvanian |
| Government | Parliamentary republic |
| Walter Kronje | |
| Robert Marten | |
| Establishment | |
| 12 October 1673 | |
| 20 July 1720 | |
| 20 February 1819 | |
| 1 September 1886 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,055,828 km2 (407,657 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0.8 |
| Population | |
• July 2019 estimate | 48,177,598 |
• 2015 census | 47,448,333 |
• Density | 44.9/km2 (116.3/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | July 2019 estimate |
• Total | $1.37 trillion |
• Per capita | $28,895 |
| GDP (nominal) | July 2019 estimate |
• Total | $530.33 billion |
• Per capita | $11,177 |
| HDI | 0. low |
| Currency | Goudë (₲) (NUG) |
| Time zone | Nuvanian Standard Time |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | 500 |
| Internet TLD | .nu |
Nuvania (Nuvanian: Nuwanië), officially the Nuvanian Free State (Nuwanse Vrystaat) is a sovereign state located in western Asteria Inferior. It is bordered to the west by Vlissingemond, to the northeast by Vilcasumanas, and to the east by Alforja, with coasts on the Vehmens Ocean and the Arucian Sea. With 47.4 million inhabitants, Nuvania is the second most populous country in Asteria Inferior.
Etymology
Geography
At approximately 1,055,828 square kilometres (407,657 square miles), Nuvania is the third largest country in Asteria Inferior. It is home to a number of topographical features and ecoregions that have had a significant impact on the people that live there.
Northern Nuvania is composed of the Kustveld, a wide alluvial floodplain that extends from the northern slopes of the Grootreeks. The Kustveld is divided between the immediate littoral and seasonal floodplains, the drier but still humid insulaire kust and the foothills of the Grootreeks. The seasonal floodplains are known in Nuvania as the vloedlande and are a series of seasonal riparian wetlands and along the immediate coast, salt water swamps. These areas were once more extensive, but have since been drained to create farmland and urban areas, or have been modified to grow crops such as rice. The alluvial nature of the soils make the Kustveld one of the most fertile areas in Nuvania for pastures and crop growing, and the flat nature of the terrain make it suitable for the construction of large urban areas, making the Kustveld the most densely populated part of Nuvania. This has resulted in substantial losses of forest in the region, in addition to riparian and coastal wetlands.
The Droëveld dominates central Nuvania, stretching from the border with Vilcasuamanas in the east to the coast on the far northern Sublustrian Sea in the west. It is one of the most sparsely populated areas in Nuvania. Much of the terrain is rolling or largely flat, with dry and seasonal streams, and lakes interspersed among eroded gullies known as grootkraake which flood during heavy rains. Within the Droëveld are multiple different zones, although the largest itself is called Droëveld, meaning "dry field". Droëveld is typically flat or rolling terrain with grass cover and cacti, shrubs as principal cover, although trees used to the difficult climate are also found. The soil is a mixture of ancient alluvial [[Wikipedia:sands}] and clay, which is easily eroded. While parts resemble a desert, the droëveld is not considered a true desert but instead a tropical dry forest. The flatter parts of the droëveld are simply referred to as the veld. The area is rich in iron ore, with virtually all of Nuvania's iron ore mines located in this region.
Bushveld is found along the south facing slopes of the Grootreeks and typically consists of dry forests and bushland along the foothills and principal ranges themselves. Here the terrain mostly consists of rugged, often inaccessible terrain with deep valleys, and steep mountain slopes. This area has greater vegetation cover owing to its altitude, as it collects the precipitation from coastal weather systems during the short wet season, in addition to numerous fresh water springs. The bushveld is more prevalent towards the western coast, and largely does not exist towards the border with Vilcasuamanas.
The Westveld is a name given to the area of flat lands between the coast and the droëveld which principally exists in Steynland. This area marks the transition between the rolling terrain of the droëveld and the low coastal plains. The westveld is especially known for the {[wpl|red soils]] rich in iron ores and oxides, as well as the comparatively little vegetation cover aside from certain species of palms. It is the smallest of the veld regions in Nuvania, and aside from the vegetation, has little defining features.
Nuvania shares the Van Horn Strait with Vlissingemond, and much of its western coast immediately faces the eastern coast of Vlissingemond. Known in Nuvania as the West Kust, this area stretches from southwestern Kaap province through Steynland, Arania, and northwestern Suid Arania. It is predominantly flat and either sandy or alluvial in nature as the rivers that cross the central veld region empty into the Van Horn Strait. Like the westveld, there is very little to define it from other parts of the coast aside from the relative aridity. However, the West Kust has significant deposits of phosphates which are economically important to local communities. The southern coast that faces the Sublustrian Sea proper shares much of the same features, but lacks the phosphate deposits.
Nuvania's dominant geographic feature is the Grootreeks, a series of ranges stretching from Vilcasuamanas into northern Nuvania. The Grootreeks form part of an ancient rift system that separated the Asterias millions of years ago, with rift faulting and continental drift still occurring. Because of the nature of the Grootreeks, much of the soil and rock higher up is volcanic in nature, and seismic activity is still present in the mountain chain, although few large earthquakes are recorded. Geothermal activity takes place on both the northern and southern sides of the mountain range, the most famous being the Duiwelsbad Hot Springs near Meyershof. Because of the tectonic nature of the origin of these mountains, the Grootreeks are rich in numerous minerals, including precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum, with the latter being found most abundantly in the southern ranges. The Grootreeks are home to numerous mountain peaks over 4,000 metres in height despite being outside of the primary crustal uplift. The tallest mountain in Nuvania is Mount de Wet at 4,507 metres (14,786 feet) in height, located in the Central Range of the Grootreeks.
A spur from the same mountain range can be found in southern Nuvania, close to the frontier with x. These are known as the Kleine Grootreeks. These mountains are unusual in that they were formed in a similar manner to the Grootreeks, but are much older, and therefore are more eroded and weathered. Scientists have dated the rocks at over two billion years old, and consider the Kleine Grootreeks to have been a part of an ancient rift system which could have been involved in the creation of both Asteria Inferior and Asteria Superior. These mountains contain a number of minerals, but are less mineral rich than the Grootreeks themselves. Rondetop is the tallest mountain in the Kleine Grootreeks at 2,251 metres (7,385 feet) in height.
Most river courses in Nuvania are seasonal or dry, especially in the central veld region. In the north, there is ample rainfall where permanent rivers and streams flow. The longest river in this region is the Bruin at 328 kilometres long. The longest river in Nuvania is the Krige River at 862 kilometres.
Climate
Government
Constitution
The Constitution of Nuvania (Grondwet van Nuwanië) is the supreme law under which the government of Nuvania operates. It outlines the relationship between the head of state and the head of government and powers vested in those offices, the roles and responsibilities of the National Council, and the relationship between the provinces of Nuvania and the state. The constitution does not provide protections for certain rights and privileges, something which has been the subject of considerable controversy.
The Constitution of Nuvania was formally adopted on June 8, 1895 and a provision within the constitution makes June 8 a statutory holiday within Nuvania. The process for the creation of a codified constitution began with the adoption of the Independence Act 1884 two years prior to Nuvania gaining independence, which contained among others a requirement for the House of Commons in the then Nuvanian Parliament to begin the process of drafting a written and codified constitution. Disagreements and delays plagued the creation of the constitution which resulted in its adoption nearly a decade after Nuvania became an independent state.
In its role as the supreme law in Nuvania, the constitution functions as the metric through which government legislation, government decision making, and government policy is measured.
National Council
State President
The State President (Staatspresident) is the head of state of Nuvania. The office was created after independence in 1886 with a provisional office before the first presidential election was held in 1888. Since then there have been an additional eighteen elections for president.
The Office of the State President is a political one. Candidates are required to have served a minimum of ten years in either house of the National Council, are to be a minimum of 35 years old, as well as meet the same restrictions for voters and to be a member of either house of the National Council. Each State President is elected to a term of seven years, and since 1930, has been limited to two terms to be served in succession.
Officially the State President appoints the Chief Minister and each minister within the Cabinet of Ministers, and has the right of refusal to appoint candidates. In practice refusal has never occurred. Cabinet ministers are appointed on the recommendation of the Chief Minister. The State President can dismiss a sitting Chief Minister and sitting cabinet ministers, if the former has lost the confidence of both the General Council and the Legislative Council, and the latter if they have lost the confidence of the Chief Minister.
The State President functions as the executive within Nuvania, and thus acts both as the Commander in Chief of the Nuvanian Armed Forces, and the final authority in Nuvania. Only the State President may declare war. Furthermore all legislation that passes both houses of the National Council must be approved and signed into law by the State President. The State President may refuse to sign legislation into law, and can have legislation reviewed by the Supreme Court.
In addition to these powers, the State President appoints all judges to the Supreme Court and other state courts, signs treaties, accredits ambassadors, and can pardon or commute sentences upon request. Many of these functions often involve the advice of the government, or the Law Commission (Wetskommissie).