Wazheganon

Waltch Vanguard Union Valtzer Avantgarde-Unioun (Waltch)
Flag of Waldzenia Flag Emblem of Waldzenia Emblem
Motto: "Ënnert de Trëttoir, d'Strand." "Beneath the pavement, the beach."
Anthem: De Viktorianer "The Viktorian"
File:Political Map of Waldzenia.png Political map of Waldzenia
Capital	Moienrout
Largest city	Viktoria
Official languages	none at the supranational level
Recognised national languages	Waltch
Recognised regional languages	Rosalian Wichasa Maadizidabe Caonaguey Sesanet Ohneka
Demonym(s)	Waldzer (noun) Waltch (adjective)
Government	Libertarian socialist federated semi-direct democracy
• Secretary-General	Marcel Hansen
• Presiding Speaker	Judith Krier
Legislature	All-Union Congress
• Upper house	General Committee
• Lower house	Union Assembly
Establishment
• Discovery by Mirasi	1423
• Wars of Independence	1807
• Violet Revolutions	1973
Area
• Land	21,725,186 km2 (8,388,141 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 census	415,529,968
• Density	19/km2 (49.2/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$11,453,089,830,260
• Per capita	$27,562
Gini (2015)	12.7 low
HDI (2015)	0.887 very high
Currency	bon (𐌱) (WZB)
Time zone	UTC-8; -7; -6; -5;
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+24
Internet TLD	.wz

Waldzenia (Waltch: Valzenjia), officially the Waltch Vanguard Union, is a libertarian socialist supranational union comprising the continent of the same name and the surrounding islands. It consists of 6 federations, which in turn consist of 20 total top-level sovereign states, and 1 union district. Its nearest neighbor is Britannia to the west across the Renerian Ocean. Its population of 415,529,968 is concentrated primarily along the Great Viktoria Seaway and Mëttezian Lakes. The capital of Waldzenia is Moienrout, while the largest city is Viktoria. Other major metropolitan areas include Lenzneuve, Quacete, Zuvierieur, Casier, and Morgarten. At 21,725,186 square kilometers, Waldzenia spans four time zones and is host to myriad climates and environments, with cold deserts in the southwest, subtropical plains in the southeast, mountain ranges in the east, and boreal forests and tundra in the north.

Various indigenous peoples inhabited what is now Waldzenia for thousands of years before Mirasi colonization. Beginning in the 15th century, Eothasi and Austragian expeditions explored and later settled along the coasts of the modern regions of Mossellia and Idreiga. By the early 19th century, various dominions of Eothasi, Austragian, Zimbardic, and revolted as a result of rebellions in the metropoles and gained independence, creating many new, independent states. This period was characterized by the rise of the Nouwalshan Empire and a dramatic expansion inland along the Mëttezian Lakes of Mirasi settlers, aided by a massive influx of immigrants, resulting in the displacement and genocide of many indigenous peoples, and a gradual assimilation of the linguistically diverse continent into a common trade tongue which would develop into the Waltch language. The early 20th century was marred by warfare between and rebellion within the countries of the continent, and by the 1950s most countries had begun a slide into authoritarianism. This culminated in the 1973 Violet Revolutions, a series of internationalist uprisings and revolutions of primarily socialist character that led to the creation of all modern states in Waldzenia and the eventual creation of the Waltch Vanguard Union on July 8th 1979, which is now regarded as Union Day throughout the continent.

Modern Waldzenia has been described as a "pseudo-federation", based in libertarian socialism and communalism. It ranks highly in international rankings of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, and education. It has a high HDI rating and a very low GINI rating. Waldzenia is a highly ethnically diverse and multicultural country, with immigrants making up approximately 20% of the population.

Although all constituencies of Waldzenia operate socialist economies, their organization varies, ranging from left-wing market anarchism, to syndicalism, state socialism, and anarcho-communism. Typically, all economic interactions outside of the Waltch continent are coordinated through ECORAAD in order to reduce inefficiencies and help businesses of capitalist economies navigate an unfamiliar environment. With a GDP of $11,453,089,830,260, Waldzenia is a major global high-income economy based on telecommunications, electronics, food products, wood and paper products, mining, and petroleum.

Etymology

The origins of the name Waldzenia have been historically obscure. A popular belief is that it derives from the name of Nouwalsh, one of the first settled and one of the first historically prominent states on the continent. However, modern linguists are in general consensus that Waldzenia derives from the name of 16th century explorer Dietrich Valza, who was notable for his early inland expeditions. The earliest use of the name seems to be in writings of cartographer Armand Weber from 1581, as Valzia, which then entered into common usage over the next several decades and eventually evolved into Valzenjia, which was then first anglicized into Waldzenia in Weber's popular 1644 atlas.

Before the use of Valzia, there were two names the continent was commonly referred to as: Mossellia, after the 15th century explorer Jasper Mosselle, for whom the Mosselle Sea is named and who explored much of the western coast; and Idreiga, after a mythical lost land said to be the home of dragons the size of mountains.