Rensselaerswijck
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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) |
| Willem Lodewijk | |
| Hamilton Van Rensselaer Fairfax | |
| Legislature | Rensselaer Parlement van Het Volk |
| Independence from Freijian | |
• Declared | May 21st, 1811 |
| 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.