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Esthursia

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Union of Esthursia
Undebau yr Esddŵrsu
The Crown and Cross
Flag
The Forest of the Stags
Coat of arms
Motto: Y Cywmp Gwan
The Weak Fall (Sé Wancol Forwyrd)
The nations of Esthursia, with Osynstry taking up the mainland south and south-east.
Esthursia, upon the west of Auroria.
StatusFederal semi-direct constitutional monarchy
LocationWestern Auroria
Capital
and city
Weskerby
40°15'N, 96°34'E
Official languagesOsynstric, Asthoric
Recognised national languagesOsynstric, Asthoric, Ezhoneg, Consence
Recognised regional languagesLate Cymbrish
Religion
(2019)
Irreligious (68.2%), Church of Athers (28.7%), Messianism (1.0%), Other (2.1%)
Demonym(s)Esthursian, Esthur/Esther
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• King
Arthur VII (1949-, b. 1930)
• Forescealc or Prime Minister of Osynstry
Harold Osborne (2011-, Social Democrat)
• Othrescealc or Second Minister of Osynstry
Jeremy Wilson (2014-, Progressive)
• Astjórn or Prime Minister of Asþorhelm
Ragnar Þorsenn (2022-, Esthur Workers')
• First Minister of Ezhonyth
Perran Trefordh (2019-, Localist)
• First Minister of Meathere
Morwen Llawyseg (2007-, Localist)
• First Minister of Consewent
Hedrek Lanenys (2019-, Localist)
Capitulation of Caerllwyfen to Classical Osþursian Empire 
May 11, 298
• Rising of Elmcæstre, Proclamation of Asynstycg
January 15, 466
• Oswynht Uprising (Grand Revolution)
August 3, 1161
• Democracy Act of Osynstry
November 22, 1303
• Union of Osþursia
June 30, 1568
• Declaration of Chartholme
February 26, 1622
Area
• 
687,011 km2 (265,256 sq mi)Includes rivers and water
Population
• 2020 estimate
131,639,574
• 2017 census
129,684,112
• Density
191.61/km2 (496.3/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate
• Total
5,171,006,526,000 IBU
• Per capita
39,281.55 IBU
Gini (2019)26.1
low
HDI (2019)Increase 0.946
very high
CurrencyEsthursian royal arian (Ꜹ) (EAN)
Time zoneUTC+6, +7 (CWT, WWT)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+7, +8 (CWT, WWT)
First Sunday of March - First Sunday of October
Date formatCE and 3E
Driving sideleft
Calling code+44
Internet TLD.oy

Esthursia, officially the Union of Esthursia (Cymbrish: Undebau yr Esddŵrsu) is a developed sovereign state in the west of Auroria. It is bordered by Weskermere to the east, and Ocean of Consence to the west, with Perran's Channel passing within its borders.

Osynstry, the principal nation of Esthursia, was formed gradually between the fall of Caerllwyfen at the end of the 3rd century, through the Rising in 466, until the Classical Osþursian Empire's recognition of Asynstycg - Osynstry's direct ancestor state - in 514. Thereafter, it slowly grew - especially after the Grand Revolution of 1161 - and unified Osynstry, the fractured Cambrion and Asþorhelm under the Osynstric-led Union of Osþursia thereafter, with this Union cemented and Asynstised in 1622 into the Union of Esthursia.

Esthursia has a long history of infighting that has arguably persisted into the present day, with civil and social unrest in the western extremities continuing, albeit less than in the late 20th century. The nation is renowned for its rich culture, its varied climate which makes it a destination of tourist interest in both summer and winter, and its place in the world stage as an ardent defender of human rights worldwide.

Esthursia is a major member state of the Auronian Economic Alliance, as the previous and current Forescealcs have both pursued for the nation to solidify its place on the world stage.

Etymology

Osynstry is derived from the Old Lower Osynstric "Asynctria" - meaning "synchronised state". This is due to the fact that from a relatively primitive time, Osynstry functioned as a federalised, or localised state under one King. Cymbria is derived from the Cymbric "cwm" - meaning valley - which reflects the terrain that the capital, Yr Gwynydd, resides within. Cymbria ceased to be a homogenous entity between the 1100s - when its final Kings began to lose grip over the external regions - and the 1500s - by which point Cymbrish had more or less lost its mutual intelligibility.

History

Geography

Esthursia is situated in the temperate zone, near Ocean of Consence - from which it receives tropical winds, nicknamed the "Consent Stream" - and between two seas. Weskerby, the capital, is situated on the east peninsula, next to the eponymous Weskermere - and receives a large quantity of rain every year. Apart from the far south, all of the country receives over 500mm of rain a year, with some mountains in the south receiving a smaller amount on some years, distorting the levels and reducing their annual rainfall. The north and south borders are home to the Asthoric and Osynstric mountain ranges respectively. The entire country receives snowfall every year for at least a month, as the rolling hills of the central isthmus provide the perfect climate for snow settling and the Consent Stream weakens from ice melting in the mountains leading to cold water north and south of where it passes during the summer - meaning the temperature often varies, nicknamed the "Frozen" and "Green" winter years.

Regions

Shire and Region Map of Osynstry

Osynstry (south-east) Asthorhelm (north-east) Ezhonyth (mainland, south-west) Meathere (island, south-west) Consewent (island, north-west)

Demographics

General

The population of Esthursia is around 132,000,000, as of January 2022. Population growth has remained steady since the 1990s, driving an equally steady birth rate. 96.9% of Esthursian residents were Esthurs and Esthers (those born within Esthursian borders) at the 2017 census.

Cities

Government

House of Barons

The Prime Minister has been Harold Osborne, a representative from the Osynstric branch of the Social Democrats, since 30 January, 2015. The House of Barons, the upper of two Houses of Berworth, has been a Social Democrat-led coalition of left-leaning parties since the 2011 general election; the House of Members, the lower of the two Houses, is currently held by a Social Democratic majority following the successful re-election campaign in 2018.

The House of Barons has been elected through the "open party list" system since 1934, following reforms to the then-unelected House of Barons by the then-PM Edgar Heresparn amid the general reforms by their Workers' Party governments in the early-to-mid 20th century. Attempts to reverse the reforms in 1947 by PM Elizabeth West of the Conservative Party were unsuccessful after a constitutional standoff between the Workers' Party-held Barons and Conservative-held House of Members.

Prime Ministers are, as per the Constitution of the Union of Esthursia being signed in 1957, the "party leader or independent member able to command the allegiance of the greatest coalition of representative members in the House of Barons." This Constitution also began the precedent of electing both Houses at the same time, to avoid standoffs of the nature that existed over the previous decade. This has typically left the Prime Minister working with coalitions, as no party since 1994 has successfully attained a majority in the House of Barons. Coalitions breaking up and allegiances switching to other party leaders is a rare occurrence, but has happened in the past, such as in 2011 - this usually leads to a snap election, as it did in February 2011.

The House of Barons also has the power to confirm constitutional reforms with three-quarters of members voting, however some sections require a nationwide referendum. The most recent time this has happened was 1996, whereby then Prime Minister Anthony Largan successfully passed Articles 12a through 16b through a referendum in the same year, having sought to draw an end to the Workers' Rising of the late 80s and early 90s. The House also formerly had the power to confirm Aldermen into the Council of Elders, however this power passed to the Electoral Commission in 1999. 401 members are elected to this House each general election, which is held every 4 years snap elections notwithstanding.

House of Members

The Deputy Prime Minister - not to be confused with Second Minister, or the typical name for the upper house coalition second-party leader - has been Brooke Alderney since 11 June, 2014. This House has been held in a fair majority - this meaning between 50 and 100 - by the Social Democrats since the 2018 general election. The Deputy PM leads the House of Members, and is typically from the largest party, however there have been exceptions due to coalition agreements in the past. Unlike the Prime Minister, the Deputy PM usually commands a majority in the House of Members - including as of January 27, 2022 - thanks to the "winner-takes-all" system currently operating for this House. There are 851 members elected to this House.

The House of Members is the House where most legislation begins, although the Barons reserve the power to begin writing legislation to send down to the Members, and they often reach a stage of "ping-pong" between the two Houses before seeking the King's Stamp.

Council of Elders

The Council of Elders is a group of 11 Aldermen, who must be fully qualified judges. They hold selective power over both Houses of Berworth, and preside over multiple roles as impartial judges:

  • Upholding the Constitution, and maintaining the power to strike down laws which do not abide by the Constitution
  • Prosecuting Members and Barons who act against the Constitution, the Berworth Code, or break the law
  • Investigating Members and Barons' conduct
  • Settling disputes between local, regional and national government entities

Until 1957, these Aldermen were elected by the House of Barons, however this power passed to the independent Electoral Commission as a feature of the Constitution.

Composition

House of Barons, as of 27 January, 2022
House of Members, as of 27 January, 2022
Party Barony Leader Barons Members
Barons Share of total (%) Members Share of total (%)
Social Democrats Harold Osborne 130 32.4%
130 / 401
459 53.9%
459 / 851
Conservative Party of Esthursia Stephen Alborough 107 26.7%
107 / 401
166 19.5%
166 / 851
Progressive Group Jeremy Wilson 57 14.2%
57 / 401
113 13.3%
113 / 851
Esthursian Workers' Party Hannah Banbury 29 7.2%
29 / 401
13 1.5%
13 / 851
The Localist Group Morwen Llethan 24 6.0%
24 / 401
47 5.5%
47 / 851
Middle Party John Frampton 20 5.0%
20 / 401
34 4.0%
34 / 851

Economy

The GDP of Osynstry is just over 5 trillion IBU. Economic growth in recent years has remained fairly strong, ranging between 2% and 4%, however some have attributed this to recovering wages from the financial meltdown of 2012-4 coupled with high inflation and a strong arian.

Economic Growth - 2010s

Year GDP GDP per capita GDP Growth Population Population Growth
2015 7,185,528,620,000 45,580.51 -0.9% 157,644,759 +0.19%
2016 7,264,569,430,000 45,989.92 +1.1% 157,960,049 +0.20%
2017 7,286,363,140,000 46,026.63 +0.3% 158,307,561 +0.22%
2018 7,417,517,680,000 46,738.26 +1.8% 158,703,330 +0.25%
2019 7,588,120,590,000 47,689.25 +2.3% 159,115,959 +0.26%
2020 (projected) 7,808,176,090,000 48,959.63 +2.9% 159,481,926 +0.23%

Structure

The Esthrsian economy has long been relatively mixed, with recent trends towards nationalisation over the previous 30 years being rather clear.

Under George Asmont, it became clear that the economy would move to be a "social market economy", as he called it - and the utilities became free of charge. He soon instituted reforms to make water, gas and electric completely free to the taxpayer, and the utilities and later broadband became fully nationalised.

A brief period of co-operative capitalism under Thomas Walston - which was well-received as modernisation - was quickly disrupted by Greenwood's neoliberal capitalism, which proved less popular. The ensuing riots and civil unrest over the next 5 years would firmly cause the nation to go back to social markets and nationalisation. The current President, Edmund Newboke, has promised further nationalised reforms over the following five years.

Culture

See History

Infrastructure

Not completed yet