Nouveaurich
City-State of Nouveaurich | |
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Flag | |
Motto: "We’re all stories, in the end…just make it a good one." | |
| Location of Nouveaurich | |
| Capital | Novel |
| Largest city | Harbour City |
| Official languages | English |
| Recognised national languages | English |
| Demonym(s) | Nouveauriche |
| Government | Parliamentary Republic |
• Chief Executive | Nina Rubik |
| Legislature | Nouveaurich Legislative Council |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 12,780,000 |
| Currency | Quasa |
| Driving side | left |
Nouveaurich, officially the City-State of Nouveaurich, sometimes referred to as the "Little Orange Dot", is a sovereign city-state in Mortavia. Nouveaurich is an Anterian commerce, finance, and transport hub. As of the latest WA census, Nouveaurich has the happiest population, has the most extensive civil rights, has the third most intelligent citizens, has the third highest income per capita, is the third most developed country, is the third most scientifically advanced country, and has the fourth longest average lifespan in Anteria. The city-state also often ranks within the top ten for inclusiveness, culture, political freedom, and integrity. The country has also been identified as a tax haven. Nouveaurich is a member of the Dokodo Union.
Territory
Geographically, lies at the northern tip of the Hofflandian Union. Nouveaurich's territory consists of the Novel and Haecu peninsulas, the main islands of Harbour and Sky City, along with numerous small islets. Despite its tiny size, its hardworking population, welcoming foreign policy, and safe harbours make it an attractive trading stop.
Nouveaurich is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which enables ready access by international cargo ships, and its skyline, with a very high density of skyscrapers. Extensive land reclamation has increased its total size, and its greening policy has covered the densely populated island with various flora, parks, and gardens.
The nation's capital, Novel, can be found near the peninsula's coast.
Harbour city, which is Nouveaurich's largest city by population, encompasses the smaller of the two main islands.
The third island contains Sky City, the nation's international airport, and is rather uncreatively named Sky City.
While part of the Novel peninsula, Haecu, a major gambling destination, is considered a separate city.
Nouveaurich recently completed the purchase of a large plot of land from Tekkasland, which was used to create Equality Park, a special administrative region.
- NouveaurichNovelCity.jpg
- HarbourCityNouveaurich.jpg
Harbour City
- NouveaurichSkyCity.jpg
Sky City
- Haecu.jpg
Haecu
History
A very young nation, Nouveaurich takes its name from the nation's rapid economic and cultural development, spurred by cross-border trade. Prior to its inception as a trading stop, Nouveaurich was a small fishing village in Northeast of the continent of Parthonia, with very few inhabitants.
It is said that the name Nouveaurich, a misspelling of the phrase nouveau riche, was first used in its written form in an angry letter from an Idlander trader named Buck Hickley to a local businessman named Arthur Tang, after the latter drove the former out of the fishing business, which Hickley claimed should be off limits to non-whites. Tang replied "I'd rather be Nouveaurich than a bigot like you. I'm a proud Nouveaurich."
Legend
There is a urban legend circulating about how Nouveaurich was founded:
But then again, Sir Brighton had once read that, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of more," or something like that, he wasn't really paying attention in prep school most days.
And so, with the same brave, pioneering spirit as his grandfather, Commander Leigh Denbeigh, who, in the second world war, earned a medal for shooting dead the most number of deserters (his ill-treatment of his regiment guaranteed that he had the highest desertion rate), Sir Brighton announced to the Kingdom's Regent, via text message, that he was separating from the Kingdom and forming his own nation with his resort island, named "Nouveaurich", and with his staff and employees as his subjects.
The Regent, whose family had taken over the Kingdom decades ago as part of a foreign invading force without bothering to learn the local language, feigned understanding and awarded Sir Brighton a second knighthood.
The early days of Nouveaurich were marked with zero tax rate, no government restrictions, and wild parties. It was equal parts capitalist paradise and anarchy.
Soon, however, the need for a more sensible approach was painfully obvious.This anecdote, while undeniably entertaining, is patently untrue. Historians believe that this story originated from a comedy routine of an unknown stand up comedian in the 1960s.
Flag
Today's Nouveauriche flag was chosen by public referendum after the government opened up a design competition to change the national flag.
The Nouveauriche flag sports a golden light bulb on a field of cyan and red. The light bulb symbolises how Nouveaurich's greatest treasure is its people's ingenuity. The cyan and red symbolise wisdom and passion, respectively. The diagonal line that bisects the flag rises from left to right to symbolise progress through hard work and the Nouveauriche culture of continuous improvement.
Demographics
Because of rapid globalization, very few pure native Nouveauriche remain (>0.01%). Physical features of native Nouveauriche include light skin, dark hair, and short stature.
Nowadays, Nouveaurich is home to citizens from nearly every ethnicity.
Language
Nouveaurich's official language is English, for easier cross-border trade.
Government
Main article: Nouveauriche Government
The Nouveauriche government balances the competing demands of Education and Industry.
Transparency in governance is paramount. The Finance Ministry posts hourly updates on where taxpayer money is spent.
In a drive for decentralization, special administrative regions have been founded, leading to greater independence of individual communities.
Economy
The Nouveauriche economy is broadly diversified and dominated by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism, Retail, and Book Publishing.
Major corporations include the Harbour Novel Banking Corporation (HNBC), Squire Holdings Limited, Novel Pacific, and the Novel Jockey Club.
Because of the government's commitment to protecting the free market and open borders, Nouveaurich has developed into one of Anteria's top financial hubs.
The combined effect of rising incomes and abolition of luxury tax has stimulated sales of luxury goods, driving the retail industry. The tiny nation is considered as one of Anteria's shopping and fashion capitals.
The Nouveauriche government has expressed interest in developing its technology sector with programmes to promote technological innovation. Nouveaurich has one of the largest information technology industries in Anteria.
Architecture
In an effort to improve city infrastructure without damaging the environment, the Nouveauriche government tapped into local universities' architectural colleges to design environmentally-friendly buildings, with generous subsidies from the government. Nouveaurich's futuristic-looking architecture attracts scores of foreign film directors who wish to use the city as a sci-fi backdrop.
Notable buildings include the Nouveaurich Opera House (designed by Magnus Shahi, professor emeritus of architecture at The University of Nouveaurich), the International Finance Tower (designed by Luke Tsang, dean of architecture at Novel University), and the Sky City airport (designed by Antoinette Chen-Valjean, professor at Harbour University's colleges of architecture and engineering).
Science and Technology
Although still a relatively young nation, government support for scientific research and technological infrastructure mean that Nouveaurich does not lag behind much more established nations when it comes to science and technology.
Nouveaurich boasts cutting-edge research in the areas of computer science, biotechnology, and rocket engineering.
Government subsidies into the game development industry have produced AAA title games and the data collected from these games has paved the path towards some companies' transition into the field of artificial intelligence through machine learning.
Sports
Nouveaurich does not have a strong sporting culture, but its significant gambling industry means that locals are interested in the outcomes of sporting events, if not the sports themselves. Association football gets the largest share of bets.
The Nouveaurich do have two sports where they excel: chess and gymnastics.
Association Football
Association football broadcasts from other countries have high viewership. The local football league offers little excitement but high levels of corporate sponsorship.
The Nouveaurich national football team has seen mixed results. Recently, however, the appointment of Marcelo Foucault, an economist who had little prior knowledge of football, as the national team coach, has spiked an interest in the national team due to Foucault's unorthodox tactics which include high-intensity pressing, defensive midfielders being played as central defenders, and an unusual 3-1-2-1-3 formation. Naturally, such creative tactics drove interest and betting on the national team's results. Foucault's first string of games as manager were a series of embarrassing losses, including a 3-0 drubbing by Bigtopia. Foucault's first win came against Idland, a hard fought 4-3 win. The Nouveaurich national team has not lost in the six games since then, even beating powerhouse Burning Man Refugees 7-1.
Chess
In chess, Harbour city native Sophie Evans briefly held the record for youngest female chess grandmaster at 15 years, before it was broken a few months after her retirement to enter the field of investment banking, then politics. Other notable Nouveaurich chess players include Angelo White and Sergei Chang.
Gymnastics
Nouveaurich's first Olympic gold medalist is the gymnast Mirreille Cixous. Since then, scores of young Nouveauriches have been inspired to enroll in gymnastics, with several new star gymnasts being discovered.
Culture
Nouveaurich is a decidedly multicultural nation. Not particularly blessed with a colorful history of tradition, the Nouveaurich have historically looked to other lands for inspiration. Nouveaurich's status as a trading stop quickly turned the tiny nation into a melting pot of cultures.
Film
Because of its futuristic architecture and loose tax laws, Nouveaurich is a favourite filming location for directors from more developed nations.
There have been attempts to boost the local film industry, to mixed results.
Music
The local Nouveaurich music scene is dominated by the neo-classical, post-rock, and shoegazing genres. The local music industry pales in comparison to other nations: foreign artist album sales outnumber local artist album sales by fifty to one. Because of this, no large music production companies exist, although the Nouveauriche indie music scene is vibrant. Nouveaurich musicians rely on non-tradition means of distribution, such as through online album sales or music streaming.
Performance
Nouveaurich's interest in gymnastics has led to what is probably the nation's oddest export: Le Cirque Nouveau. Retired gymnasts, medical research, and special effects combine to push the limits of the human body, to foreign audiences' delight.
Le Cirque Nouveau began as a street performance troupe consisting of ex-gymnast Svetlana Moreau and stage magician Vincent Shepard.
Today, Le Cirque Nouveau has sold-out shows in Maxtopia, Bigtopia, Burning Man Refugees, and countless other countries.
Cuisine
Like many things in Nouveauriche culture, Nouveauriche cuisine is an amalgamation of appropriated dishes from other cultures. Nouveauriche cuisine includes dishes from Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Indian, and Japanese traders who have called Nouveaurich their home away from home. The Nouveauriche diet is very rich in protein and fats.
A good example of a dish that is undeniably Nouveauriche would be Nouveaurich-style baked rice, which has Chinese (Yeung Chow fried rice), Italian (meat and cheese sauce), and Indian (curry flavouring) influences.
Military
Main article: Nouveauriche Armed Forces
Being a neutral country, Nouveaurich does not historically have enemies and military spending is frowned upon by the general populace. However, the government is investing large amounts of money into military technology research with potential commercial applications. While these military moonshots tend to miss, the resulting research creates a positive externality on the technology industry.
The NF-1 Crane drone, Nouveaurich's unmanned combat aerial vehicle is one example of a successful military project that has boosted scientific research while bolstering the nation's defense capabilities. Because of advancements in avionics and radio technology, the NF-1 can either be flown remotely from halfway across Anteria or the unit's advanced autopilot system can be pre-programmed to meet user-specified objectives.
As a matter of policy, direct military engagement is avoided in favour of more surgical moves that will cripple enemy forces while minimising loss of life. This makes the NF-1's advanced autopilot especially useful since the system can automatically compute for the optimal plan of attack.
Despite this reliance on computer systems, the nation of Nouveaurich is virtually immune from cyberthreats, largely thanks to its many sophisticated cyber warfare agencies. These agencies work hand in hand with the strong white hat hacker network in Nouveaurich's private information technology industry to protect the nation and its citizens.
The Nouveaurich Navy ORCA (Operational Reconnaissance Command Arm) is the Nouveauriche Armed Forces' premier special operations force.
The Nouveaurich military does not discriminate against LGBT members.