Greater Normark

Kingdom of Greater Normark Större Normark
Flag
Motto: Mother Nature smiles at its sons and daughters
Anthem: Past the seven rivers and the seven valleys, seven kings rest for seven eras
Capital	Oskarsviik
Official languages	Normanish, Lojka, teuqepp
Ethnic groups (2016)	Normarkians, Sunuuts, Vaali
Demonym(s)	Normarkian
Government	Parliamentarian Monarchy
• King	Valdemar VII
• Prime Minister	Dan Haugen
Establishment
• Kingdom of Normark	January 15, 1604
• Kingdom of Normark and Vapmi-Nuunusaq	September 2, 1886
• Kingdom of Greater Normark	February 27, 1945
Area
• Total	2,093,190 km2 (808,190 sq mi)
• Water (%)	8.92
Population
• 2020 estimate	8,582,079
• Density	4.1/km2 (10.6/sq mi)
Currency	Normarkian Crown (NMK)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy

Normark, officially known as the Kingdom of Greater Normark (Norwegian: Rike av Større Normark) is a democratic constitutional monarchy located on the continent of Nortua in the Coalition of Crown Albatross. It is bordered by New Anea to the east, Bikal, Norlansia and Mobina to the south and Sprotavia to the west. It is also bordered to the north by the Northern Ocean. By geographical area, it is one of the largest countries in Nortua with an area of 808,190 square miles and one of the least densely populated countries on the planet Iearth with a population of 8.6 million. The administrative capital and largest city is Oskarsviik, and with a population of 1.72 million it has a fifth of the normarkian population. 90% of the population inhabits the southern and southeastern parts of the country, due the inhospitable and close to inhabitable very cold permafrost and tundra climate of the northern and northwestern parts of the country.

Normark was first inhabited by adulan folks migrating from northeastern Adula to southwestern Beatavic and then continued migrating northeast when the ice sheets began to slowly retreat until they reached Lake Presyk and the area around modern Bikalian and Normarkian borders around 9000 years ago. These adulan migrants would later migrate east and south, roaming around as smaller nomadic tribes. It wasn’t until around 7000 years ago that the earliest agricultural settlements appeared east of Lake Presyk and around the river Bjurå where the towns of Bjure and Veiranger are now. Nomadic vaali tribes migrated from the east and had their reindeer driven livestock in the central parts of modern Normark around 7000 years ago. Around 5000 years ago were the first vaali agricultural settlements created around the Golden Valley, and over the next thousand years different vaali tribes migrated east and south, creating their own cultures, chiefdoms and ways of sustaining themselves. Many different tribes, kingdoms and chiefdoms were formed where Normark now is, after the migration and expansion of the Bjurå settlers. Around the 7th century was the Kingdom of Nor created, by Norfolk and the legendary King Sveinir the blind around the river Bjurå, which would become the predecessor to Normark.

Around the early 17th century the Kingdom of Nor expanded from just around Bjurå westwards toward Lake Presyk and eastwards toward the modern norlansian border. During this period were the southern parts of modern day Normark consisting of several smaller kingdoms, with Nor being the largest of these ones. During a period of four years were the other kingdoms either annexed by Nor or joined as a vassal under King Oscar the prosperous to defend their own people from a rising threat from the south. The Kingdom of Normark was created 1604, when the kings of Østerdaal, Brekket, Nor and Sunnerland signed the treaty of Oskarsviik, integrating the former kingdoms as vassals under the kingdom of Nor and with Oscar the prosperous as the king. The kingdom changed name from Nor to Normark, to encompass that the kingdom was the land of the northern people, not only the norfolk. During the next centuries the kingdom expanded both east and north, and by the 20th century Normark encompassed an area stretching from the border of Mobina in the south, to the new Anean border in the east, Lake Baffan in the west and the ocean in the north. 1886 was the constitution rewritten and the name changed, to encompass the creation of two normarkian protectorates in the form of the vaali inhabited state of Vapmi and the sunuuti inhabited state of Nuunusaq. During the world war was normarkian nationalism rising and the normarkian government worried that neighbouring states would try to land grab or start rebellions in their protectorates, so they rewrote the constitution to integrate Vapmi and Nuunusaq into Normark and to create a more unified normarkian integrity. The former protectorates became normarkian regions but they still kept some autonomy, for example they were allowed stronger juridical power over certain regions were their respective ethnicities were a majority. The state also changed its official name to Greater Normark, to include Vapmi and Nuunusaq, not only the original normarkian region.

Normark has advanced rapidly in the fields of technology while maintaining the steady economic gains of mining, logging, and fracking. Normark is known for its cultural diversity, stunning natural beauty, and social liberties. Same-sex marriage was legalized in 1979, and marijuana has been legalized since 2011. Tax rates tend to be high thanks to public healthcare and a strong welfare system. Normark is a highly developed nation, with high standards of living, a relatively strong military and a strong government relatively free of corruption.

Etymology

The Etymology of Normark comes from the normarkian words Nor for north and mark for land. Normark means the land of the northern people, and its name translated literally means Northern Land. The name Nor also comes from the kingdom of Nor and the people of Norfolk that were highly active in the creationg of the Kingdom of Normark. Norfolk stood for the folk of the north and Konongariket Nor meant the Kingdom of the North. The name Normark could therefore also be read as the land of the norfolk, which would be read as the land of the northern people.

History

Normark was first inhabited by adulan folks migrating from northeastern Adula to southwestern Beatavic and then continued migrating northeast when the ice sheets began to slowly retreat until they reached Lake Presyk and the area around modern Bikalian and Normarkian borders around 9000 years ago. These adulan migrants would later migrate east and south, roaming around as smaller nomadic tribes. It wasn’t until around 7000 years ago that the earliest agricultural settlements appeared east of Lake Presyk and around the river Bjurå where the towns of Bjure and Veiranger are now. Nomadic vaali tribes migrated from the east and had their reindeer driven livestock in the central parts of modern Normark around 7000 years ago. Around 5000 years ago were the first vaali agricultural settlements created around the Golden Valley, and over the next thousand years different vaali tribes migrated east and south, creating their own cultures, chiefdoms and ways of sustaining themselves. Many different tribes, kingdoms and chiefdoms were formed where Normark now is, after the migration and expansion of the Bjurå settlers. Around the 7th century was the Kingdom of Nor created, by Norfolk and the legendary King Sveinir the blind around the river Bjurå, which would become the predecessor to Normark.

Around the early 17th century the Kingdom of Nor expanded from just around Bjurå westwards toward Lake Presyk and eastwards toward the modern norlansian border. During this period were the southern parts of modern day Normark consisting of several smaller kingdoms, with Nor being the largest of these ones. During a period of four years were the other kingdoms either annexed by Nor or joined as a vassal under King Oscar the prosperous to defend their own people from a rising threat from the south. The Kingdom of Normark was created 1604, when the kings of Østerdaal, Brekket, Nor and Sunnerland signed the treaty of Oskarsviik, integrating the former kingdoms as vassals under the kingdom of Nor and with Oscar the prosperous as the king. The kingdom changed name from Nor to Normark, to encompass that the kingdom was the land of the northern people, not only the norfolk. During the next centuries the kingdom expanded both east and north, and by the 20th century Normark encompassed an area stretching from the border of Mobina in the south, to the new Anean border in the east, Lake Baffan in the west and the ocean in the north. 1886 was the constitution rewritten and the name changed, to encompass the creation of two normarkian protectorates in the form of the vaali inhabited state of Vapmi and the sunuuti inhabited state of Nuunusaq. During the world war was normarkian nationalism rising and the normarkian government worried that neighbouring states would try to land grab or start rebellions in their protectorates, so they rewrote the constitution to integrate Vapmi and Nuunusaq into Normark and to create a more unified normarkian integrity. The former protectorates became normarkian regions but they still kept some autonomy, for example they were allowed stronger juridical power over certain regions were their respective ethnicities were a majority. The state also changed its official name to Greater Normark, to include Vapmi and Nuunusaq, not only the original normarkian region.

Pre-history of Normark

Normark was first inhabited by adulan folks migrating from northeastern Adula to southwestern Beatavic and then continued migrating northeast when the ice sheets began to slowly retreat until they reached Lake Presyk and the area around modern Bikalian and Normarkian borders around 9000 years ago. These adulan migrants would later migrate east and south, roaming around as smaller nomadic tribes. It wasn’t until around 7000 years ago that the earliest agricultural settlements appeared east of Lake Presyk and around the river Bjurå where the towns of Bjure and Veiranger are now. Nomadic vaali tribes migrated from the east and had their reindeer driven livestock in the central parts of modern Normark around 7000 years ago. Around 5000 years ago were the first vaali agricultural settlements created around the Golden Valley, and over the next thousand years different vaali tribes migrated east and south, creating their own cultures, chiefdoms and ways of sustaining themselves. The first ethnic and cultural split is hypothesized to have happened around this time. The so-called Urvaali split into three major ethnic divisions. Those who stayed as reindeer herders around the Aroukoska region became the Nordvaali. Those who traveled westwards became the Storvaali, and this ethnic group split into several ethnicities in turn. Those who stayed around the Golden Valley and Gudavaggan and became settlers dependent on forestry and hunting in the forests are known as Skogvaali, those who traveled further westwards and became nomadic hunters and warriors are known as Divaali and those who traveled to Lake Presyk and mostly focused on agriculture and fishing became known as Västvaali. Those who traveled south and later east are called Östvaali, but they were and still are much fewer in number compared to the other groups. The ethnicities weren't and aren't bound to their lifestyles or their work, but thanks to several hundred years of isolation from each other led to different languages or dialects, different cultures, different physical features and even different religions.

Around 3000 years ago it is hypothesized that a few tribes of Nordvaali migrated north past the mountains when the climate became warmer, and inhabited the northern parts of Normark. When the weather later became colder again and these parts got the permafrost back and got put below snow, most of these tribes died but those who survived adapted and would become the ancestors of the inuit people. They would continue migrating north until they reached the ocean, and they would populate northern Normark and the southern tips of the islands. Stone Tools and symbols that have been found in Aroukoska have also been found in the home regions of the inuit, and a vague trace of archeological findings related to the nordvaali has been found leading from Aroukoska to northern Normark.

Age of Chiefdoms

Around the 4th and 5th century the first scripts naming any type of kingdoms or people in southern Normark appeared. These scripts name the existence of many different earldoms, chiefdoms and petty kingdoms that were said to be inhabited by “the barbaric people of the mountains and the north”. These different chiefdoms were inhabited by the people that would later be known as normarkians and most of these chiefdoms would later, at least the geographical areas they were in, become a part of the Kingdom of Normark. The number of different chiefdoms, and the similarity of their language and cultures, has dubbed this period of history as the age of chiefdoms for the country of Normark. This period is dated from the 4th or 5th century, when the first script named the existence of any folk in the region of modern day Normark, to the 10th century when the medieval period began. The Petty Kingdom of Nor was formed around the river Bjurå during the 7th century by legendary King Sveinir the blind, and around the 9th century is the town of Viik, which would later become Oskarsviik, noted in any type of scripture. Many scriptures name the town of Bjure, centered around Fort Bjure, as the trade and power center of the north. The age of chiefdoms ended around the 10th when the smaller city states, petty kingdoms and earldoms were absorbed by larger Kingdoms and a more distinct culture, language, religion, political system and feudal system were created. A more defined political, economical and religious stability ensued, becoming the end for the small individualistic forts and town-states. This process began around the late 9th century when several forts and villages around Bjurå from south of Viik down to Lake Presyk were taken over by the Kingdom of Nor, which began the unifying of one distinct norfolk identity. Several kingdoms would follow the next decade after smaller forts and villages expanded by taking over several neighbors, with the biggest ones of these newly formed kingdoms being the kingdom of Brekket, Sunnerland and Lovanger. The official ending of the age of chiefdoms is a very discussed subject, but most historians date it to the event known as the banquet of blood, which was when King Heigr the bloodthirsty of Nor invited a bunch of mercenaries, chiefs and jarls to his castle for a banquet, which ended with King Heigr the bloodthirsty and his men killing all guests. This event would allow King Heigr to take control of a bunch of forts and villages to the east, south and west of his kingdom.

Demographics

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1830	2,279,005	—
1840	2,498,165	+9.6%
1850	2,673,483	+7.0%
1860	2,896,244	+8.3%
1870	3,049,734	+5.3%
1880	3,526,384	+15.6%
1890	3,628,190	+2.9%
1900	4,003,776	+10.4%
1910	4,543,823	+13.5%
1920	5,109,437	+12.4%
1930	5,739,745	+12.3%
1940	6,203,567	+8.1%
1950	6,735,103	+8.6%
1960	7,345,876	+9.1%
1970	7,456,202	+1.5%
1980	7,394,662	−0.8%
1990	7,580,321	+2.5%
2000	7,951,009	+4.9%
2010	8,337,121	+4.9%
2020	8,582,079	+2.9%

The 2020 Normark Census enumerated a total population of 8,582,079, an increase of around 2.9 percent over the 2010 figure. Between 2010 and 2020, Normark's population grew by 230 thousand people. Between 1980 and 2010, the population increased by a little more than 1 million, equivalent to 13.9 percent overall growth. The main drivers of population growth since the population and emigration crisis of the 1970s are immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth.

The most densely populated part of the country, accounting for nearly 90 percent, are the southern regions bordering Norlansia. Around 7 percent live around Lake Bikal and east towards the Golden valley, and only 3% live north of the polar circle. In common with many other developed countries, Normark is experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2002, the average age was 39.5 years; by 2020, it had risen to approximately 40 years. As of 2020, the average life expectancy for Normarkians is 83 years.