Woldland
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
Woldland
Waldlond | |
|---|---|
| Federal City of Woldland | |
| Country |  |
| Settled | 1290 |
| Recognised | 1794 |
| Capital designation | 1812 |
| Federal Region | 2015 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Federal Subject |
| • Body | Capital Authority |
| • Mayor-Premier | Tea Koenig |
| Population (2015) | |
| • Proper | 8,123,230 |
| • Rank | 1 |
| Demonym(s) | Woldlander, Capitaler |
| Ethncity | |
| • Multiethnic | 32.3% |
| • Woodsteasian | 20.2% |
| • Ektoret | 19.8% |
| • Kenegans | 8.8% |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Woodstead Standard Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (Woodstead Summer Time) |
| GeoTLD | .wld |
The Federal City of Woldland is the capital city of the Federation of Woodstead in Astyria. It is one of the ten federal cities, enjoying independent devolved government. Woldland was the capital of the Republic of Woodstead and latterly was the Imperial Capital of the Erlenic Empire until 2013. The Federal City of Woldland encompasses the historic City of Waldlond, City of Norsase, City of Waldseaxeburg and over 100 settlements from the ancient counties of Norsaseland and Outer Waldland.
History
Prehistory
Whilst no records show any indigenous peoples before the first modern human migration in AD 230 to the Woodsteasian Isles, a 1924 survey of the land found that a mound was a burial plain at the meander of the Annad River. Up to 3,000 bones were discovered; scientists have dated the bones to have been from around 3,000 BC. A nearby bridge near an oxbow lake has also been dated by dendrologists to have been built 1,200BC when the Annad was much narrower.
Just outside of the current borders is a possible forum-like structure and a collection of 12 circular huts. This is widely thought as a lost civilisation which was possibly swept away by a nationwide flood circa 800 BC. The site known as Human Advent is preserved by the Federal Heritage and Parks Trust.
Halt at Waldlond
In 1143 the second Argholeic pilgrimage was made from Saxony from a resistance against Christianity. Settlement of the new Sasegna state led to the establishment of a temple and fortified city, Norsaseland. During the 12th Century, the distant state of Æadværdtonia - formed by the first pilgrimage of Argholeism, from Scandinavia and the British Isles- also grew and began trading with Sasegna.
A statute was passed in 1302 to link crucial cities and transit hubs with accommodation for mainly high ranking legislators (Wills). Halts were established across the whole main island. Waldlond was founded as a halt between Paxledh (now City of Paxley) and Yledh (now Iley). The journey, essentially one of the longest without a proper halt, allowed Waldlond to become a hub for entertaining the accommodated travellers. The halt later became part of the mining community as the Bheilja Highlands became one of the hubs of Astyrian mining; the Annad River was one of three major ports to export and transport such resources. By 1500, there were 40,000 people living in Waldlond and Norsaseland.
Trade Centre
Between the 1600s and 1630s, the region became a centre of Astyrian prostitution. All types of citizens were allowed to become workers under the regulation of a devoted government trust for the trade. This brought new explorers into the region of the river and great amounts of revenue. Wills Harald of Norsase and Stuard of Waldlond became the first slave merchants after the Erlenic Empire invaded Cezik and Zaerno regions of southern Teudallum (now Cez-Zaeri). With its position on the Annad river, Waldlond became the second largest port of the Ektoret slave trade and the largest one which invited outsiders of the Empire to purchase slaves. The Wills of Waldlond and Norsase in 1732 founded Service Square, an auction site for both cities, on their border. Enclosures and farmsteads became dependent on labour by Ceziks and Zaernos, but later were freed by the Waldlond Statute (1790) which abolished bondage of any persons and forced labour.
Incorporation of Waldlond
Industrialisation of Woodstead was relatively late, but in 1860 mainly British companies moved in with their technologies. By 1872, this industrial hub formed the city-county of Woldland from the cities of Norsase and Waldlond. The city-county became the new capital of the Erlenic Empire, as well as the capital city of the Kingdom of Wodested. Century Palace was built as the seat of the monarchy, as Oppidum became the new migration hub in the west.
Suburban tracts in 1872 became the County of Outer Woldland to the north and east and south western development of the City's metropolitan area became the County of Noresaseland. The Counties and the new City acquired revenue to redevelop the crowded expanses. British, Danish and Italian collectives began to reshape the city into a mixture of Rococo, Georgian, and mock-Gothic styles. Wide streets allowed new tramways which allowed Woldland to connect rapidly with counties for the masses.
Metropolis Status
In 2012, six cities across the nation gained Metropolis status as 8 other expanses became super-counties. Woldland was given, like other Metropolises, its own style of local and city-wide tiered governance. As of September 2015, Metropolis status is on level with provincial powers as part of the new federalist form of national governance. Therefore, Woldland is itself an independent urban centre and federal entity, consolidated.
Divisions
There are two tiers of government in Woldland: there is the city-wide authority and provincial government, Woldland Metropolitan Authority. There are 35 boroughs which are local tier; the original City of Norsase and the City of Waldlond, and City of Woldseaxeburg are directly overseen by Woldland Capital Authority for all functions. Woldland Capital Authority in the 25 boroughs have limited functions unless requested, but as standard budget education, mass transit, main highways, and the environment. Special projects can also be submitted by a Borough to the Authority to undertake.