Æþurheim
The United Republic of Æþurheim Forente Republikken Æþurheim | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: "Gjennom motgang, styrke. Gjennom styrke, ære." "Through hardship, strength. Through strength, glory" | |
| Anthem: "The Path to Valhalla" | |
 Realm of Æþurheim | |
| Capital | Lowellsburg |
| Largest city | Tritonsberg |
| Official languages | Æþurheim Norse |
| Recognised regional languages | Ossorian, Delkoran Nordic, Nordlandisch, Shalumite Acrean, Svinian, Ærickean |
| Ethnic groups (2017) | 85.6% Æþurian 4.1% Shalumite 2.4% Ærickean 1.4% Svinian 1.3% Gylian 5.2% Other |
| Demonym(s) | Æþurian, Azzie (common parlance) |
| Government | Representative Republic Elective Dictatorship |
| Monika Schefer | |
• Council Deacon | Jorge Radmann |
| Axel Rappe | |
| Legislature | Republikanske Kongress |
| High Council | |
| Assembly of Commons | |
| Establishment | |
• Nordic Settlement | 6th June 744 CE |
• Viking Coalition | 12th February 925 CE |
• Iron Unification | 14 October 1086 CE |
| Area | |
• | 640,679 km2 (247,368 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | ~ |
| Population | |
• 2018 census | 144,630,081 |
• Density | [convert: invalid number] |
| GDP (nominal) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | $1,570,311,299,771 |
• Per capita | $10,902 |
| Gini (~) | ~ Error: Invalid Gini value |
| HDI (2015) | ~ Error: Invalid HDI value |
| Currency | Æþurian Merke (mR) and Penngingar (ATM) |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy CE |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +47 |
| Internet TLD | .nra |
Æþurheim (Æþurian: Æþurheim), officially The United Republic of Æþurheim (Forente Republikken Æþurheim), is a nation on the northwestern portion of the continent of Eracura in Tyran. Located in the Northern hemisphere, it lies to the southwest of Shalum, northwest of Svinia and southeast of Ossoria, bordered by the Sanguine Sea and Malian Sea.
A contiguous landmass, Æþurheim is divided up into fifteen states, some of them representing old kingdoms and cultural boundaries and others existing as little more than administrative zones. The capital of Lowellsburg is in Radik state (also referred to as 'kapital state') itself formerly the center of a previous old kingdom while one of its former territories of Dhuria has been broken off into a largely rural state to keep focus in the kapital on Lowellsburg.
History
Geography
Politics
The Supreme Chancellor
A new title, there have only been three Supreme Chancellors of the URA since the establishment of the new government structure in 1991. Since that time, the role of the Chancellor has stayed constant; a position elected by the members of the High Council, the military High Kommand and some elements of the Assembly of Commons, the Supreme Chancellor is granted ultimate power and authority to act as they see fit with no official barriers to their actions. They are the ultimate authority in legislation, the supreme commander of the armed forces and the head of foreign affairs, steering the country according to their will. However, both the military and Kongress have soft power over the Supreme Chancellor, for while no position can refuse to follow their orders, the Chancellor relies on a lot of cooperation and subservience to complete their vision and keep the massive task of running the nation and chains of command in working order. A proviso does exist to remove the Supreme Chancellor by a majority vote from Kongress and High Kommand, though so far this has been unnecessary. The first Supreme Chancellor died in office, the second resigned after a significant military and diplomatic disaster brought shame to the nation. The current Supreme Chancellor is Monika Schefer, formerly the Council Deacon.
The Kongress
The Republikk Kongress is made up of three organizations; the Assembly of Commons, the High Council and the HIGHKOM.
Assembly of Commons
Democracy in Æþurheim does not work the same way as other republics or democracies. As a representative republic, the URA uses representatives from states, political parties and other similar groups to make up the Assembly, a collection of politicians elected by state or party to give their voice in the Rad Hus. The Assembly is also unique in that it also has no set amount of seats, preferring to stay flexible to future needs for greater representation. The Assembly as a body is led by the Council Deacon, who sits at the High Council as the Assembly's voice in higher politics. Issues of national debate are discussed among the Assembly, and those measures that requires higher oversight are pushed to the Council. Proposals for new legislation are also formulated in the Assembly, which is also pushed to the Council for approval. The Assembly also holds the right to veto, allowing the entire group one single vote to stop a measure they view as harmful if proposed by the Supreme Chancellor or High Council.
The High Council
High Kommand
The military, holding much cultural significance and power in the nation, has a voice in politics as well. A panel of senior officers from each branch is chosen to sit in on the High Council, lending their voice and overall representation to government. It is important to note that these officers are not in overall command of their respective branches, but their superiors hold much political power as well. In economic, foreign and domestic affairs HIGHKOM works with the senior commmanders of each branch to ensure equal representation in affairs, as well as make sure no law is unfairly passed to affect the branch in question.
Military
Foreign Relations
Economy
Energy
Æþurheim's primary source of energy comes from coal and hydroelectric power planets, though measures are being put in place to research more sustainable sources of energy generation. Given the failure of atomic theory, the use of hydroelectric dams has so far been seen as the most cost-effective means of large-scale energy production by use of the nation’s large number of fjords and major rivers, but the staggering cost of these dams and the limited availability of suitable locations has led to extreme dependence on coal power plants, lending a major contribution to the nation's pollution issues.
Æþurheim is also a minor oil producer, with drilling platforms in the Malian Sea. Owing to their focus on self-sufficiency, however, the focus is on domestic supply. While this keeps Æþurheim fuel prices low and has given to the prominence of diesel systems, this has also not made trade relations favorable and has hamstring efforts at hybrid vehicle development.
Demographics
Culture
Religion
Sports
Baseball is the nation's national sport, owing to its simple nature and low-cost operations. It needs no extreme equipment nor even the huge diamond fields that dot the nation. Several major cities have professional teams they sponsor, though the average wage of a baseball player in the URA is much lower than that of another nation which has resulted to an unfortunate 'brain drain' as star players transfer abroad to other countries for greater salaries. Regardless, baseball is played by soldiers, factory shifts, children in schoolyards and small towns across the nation, one of the few truly unifying aspects of Æþurheim preserved by all. It is also a source of major strife, as fans of one team will often quarrel with fans from another, sometimes resulting in violence.
Given its background and military prominence in society, combative sports like boxing, MMA, wrestling, competitive paintball and competitive shooting are also prominent. Semi-violent sports such as rugby, hockey and football are also represented, and are popular schoolyard sports.
The URA also has a national car circuit, the Nasjonal Liga av Aksjeløp (NSLA) which specializes in stock car races, as well as a circuit for off-road racing and another for what is affectionate referred to as ‘demolition’ derby.
Universal Armament and Gun Culture in Æþurheim
Due to much of its history of conflict, revolution, counterrevolution, foreign invasion and a pervading sense of need for self-defense, firearms laws in Æþurheim are not only lax, but the ownership of firearms is often encouraged. Whether for home defense, hunting or to serve as part of a militia force, it is not an inaccurate statement to say that every Æþurian household has at least one firearm somewhere in it. Given the amount of nationalist propaganda and the political influence of the military this is hardly surprising, but has also led many to question such a policy. While true that much firearm violence in the nation is dissuaded or stopped by universal armament, this has also led to Æþurian criminal groups being more heavily armed than those from other nations. This has led to high casualties amongst civilians and law enforcement during crimes, as well as a huge outflow of smuggled arms to the criminals of other nations, as well as the higher ratio of armed dissidents in the country that can potentially become a huge threat in the future. While military heavy weapons such as machine guns and explosives are still illegal, many point to the number of weapons that are legal and easy to acquire, and the fact that automatic rifles and submachine guns are obtainable with a simple background check and a short licensing process.