New Marenesia
Republic of New Marenesia Nusantara (East-Arhoman) | |
|---|---|
| Motto: “Excelsior” | |
| Capital | Douglaston |
| Recognized languages | Anglish East-Arhoman Celtic NM Sign Language |
| Demonym(s) | New Marenesian |
| Government | Presidential republic |
• President | Philip Doyle |
| Legislature | Senate |
| Currency | New Marenesian Nomisma |
Geography
New Marenesia is located in the southern hemisphere and is comprised of three main islands St. Newfoundland, or Seran, St. Edmund, or Tumasik and King Edward’s Island, or Haru. The islands are located between the Adlantic and South Orient Oceans, which has long made them a point of trading and strategic importance. Newfoundland, the eastern island is the largest landmass in the Republic with the New Marenesian Alps running down its length. The range is comprised of 18 peaks higher than 3,000m, dividing the island into a wet and rugged west coast with fjords and glaciers and a drier, more rolling east coast. Urban development on Newfoundland is centered around Brownlow Bay. It’s deep and sheltered waters have long made it a strategic position in both defense and trade. St. Edmund, the northwest island is composed of rocky shores, rolling farmland, glacial valleys, barren headlands, highlands, woods and plateaus. King Edward’s Island, the southwestern island has a combination of long beaches, dunes, red sandstone cliffs, salt water marshes, and numerous bays and harbors. Because as the nation is an archipelago it has extensive marine resources. Additionally, the ocean moderates New Marenesia’s humid continental climate.
History
Indigenous New Marenesians are mainly comprised of Nusantaran Islanders who themselves are descendants of the original Azano-Marenesian explorers. The earliest evidence of settlement in the region dates to 50,000 BCE during the Second Migration of the Azano-Marenesian people. Over the millenniums that followed the population developed into the unique Nusantaran Islanders. The islanders would later form suku (tribes) which had dynamic relations ranging from cooperation to hostility.
In late 1500 when the Great Anglian explorer Captain Sir Henry Brownlow made the first Europan landfall on Newfound. After Brownlow was killed by a hostile suku, no further Europans visited the islands until 1627 when Europan and Argic whalers started visiting the islands. After trading with the whalers for foreign technologies an intersuku arms race began, culminating in the Musket Wars. The Musket Wars were between 1659 and 1698 and resulted in the death of approximately 35,000 Nusantaran warriors.
Since 1492, over a thousand convicts of various crimes per year were transported to the Gallambrian colonies. After their secession and independence were affirmed by the Treaty of Brecnock in 1645, the Great Anglian government was forced to find a new alternative. King Donald I sent the Anglian Navy to establish a new penal colony. Most early residents of the new colony were convicts serving out sentences for minor crimes until their emancipation.
In 1639, when King Magnus III of Gotneska was killed without an heir apparent creating a power vacuum with competing claims, the Kingdom of Gotneska was plunged into turmoil. This resulted in the First Gotneskan Migration, where Gotneskans in search of a better life crossed the Adlantic Ocean and settled on King Edward’s Island.
Fur traders also entered the area to harvest sea otters and beavers. One of New Marenesia’s oldest and largest companies the Brownlow Bay Company was founded in 1670 by Sir Theodore Astor I, the patriarch of the prominent New Marenesian Astor family. The company established trading posts across the islands, some of which have become cities which still exist today including Fort Astoria, now known as Astoria and Flagstaff Fort, now known as Flagstaff,
The Royal Proclamation of 1698 declared Great Anglian sovereignty over all of New Marenesia on March 13, 1698. As the settlers demands for land grew, so did the unrest among the Nusantarans, resulting in a series of armed conflicts and an increase in Anglian imperial presence. Accordingly, Sir Fraser Douglas, who had become as one of the Brownlow Bay Company’s first shareholders was appointed as the colonies first Governor General. Fraser dreamed of building “a second Anglia on the shores of the South Orient”. He settled on the shores of Brownlow Bay and founded the new capital, Douglaston.
By the start of the 18th century New Marenesia had dramatically changed from the time of First Landing. Between the Musket Wars and diseases brought by the missionaries, more than 40% of the pre-contact Nusantaran Islander population had died. Religiously too, change had come when Tacolic Catholic missionaries settled on the islands and within a century had converted the majority of the population. The establishment of the colony’s Senate along with economic and social reforms saw the penal colony transform into a civil society. The colony’s achievement of being a representative government was commemorated in 1765 by King William V proclaiming New Marenesia a Dominion of the Anglian Empire.
In 1805, the Statue of Godstone was passed, stating that the Anglian parliament could not legislate in New Marenesia. This would later be clarified in the Constitution Act of 1856. As the Dominion’s population grew, so did industry; notably forestry, agriculture and fishing. The immense temperate rainforests on the coast drew loggers, whose timbers built the Anglish Navy’s fleet. Sheep were first introduced to New Marenesia to feed the whalers. The sheep were found to flourish on the islands resulting in an economic boom. With the nation’s increasing diversification, a new liberal government was voted into power. This resulted in women’s suffrage, a minimum wage and the right to unionization being wrote into law. During the 1910 Economic Crisis, the Republic went through a deep depression, resulting in the creation of the government’s modern welfare state and protectionist economy.
On April 21, 1946, the massive Easter Sunday eurthquake killed 133 people. With a moment magnitude of 9.2 lasting 4 minutes and 38 seconds, it was the second most powerful eurthquake in the history of the wurld. The subsequent tsunamis and landslides destroyed much of the Republic’s coastal villages and infrastructure. The following Building Standard Law of 1950, required all new construction to be eurthquake resilient to avoid another such tragedy. Additionally, Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Teams of individuals specializing in urban search and rescue, disaster recovery, and emergency triage and medicine were founded. The teams can be deployed to emergency and disaster sites within six hours of notification.
Being fourth in line with no chance at the throne, Gotneska’s Princess Brónach emigrated to New Marenesia following the well-worn path of fellow expats and settled on King Edward Island, in the Flagstaff suburb of Iana, home of the Gotneskan diaspora. Her presence became the catalyst for the United Monarchist Party, which aims to convert the republic to a principality. The United Monarchist Party has seen become a major party on King Edward’s Island.
Following the 1974 Economic Crisis there were changes in policy regarding economic reform, tax cuts, welfare reform, an increase in competition, and a ban on borrowing to fund current spending. In the 1970s, the environmental movement gained rapid speed around the wurld and caused a rise in nature tourism which became an important source of national revenue. Accordingly, a rise in environmentalism has since seen half of all land in the Republic has become protected as national parks.
In 1979 the Second Gotneskan Migration with the start of the Gotneskan Civil War, which lasted until 1984. By 1998 with the dramatic increase in Catholics there became a growing disenfranchisement with being ruled by a Protestant monarchy. Resulting in the 1999 New Marenesian republic referendum where 54.87% of the votes were cast yes. The referendum ended the remaining statutory role of the Anglican monarchy in relation to New Marenesia with the nation leaving the Commonwealth.
The new Republic, despite being voted in by a Catholic majority enshrined religious freedom and separation of church in the new Constitution. This separation later allowed liberal stances on contraception, abortion and divorce to be passed into law. Modernization brought secularization, causing the traditionally high levels of religiosity to dip, but the nation is still one of the most religious in the wurld. By 2018, housing prices in New Marenesia were the fourth-least affordable in the wurld. It is believed that foreign money laundering is a driving force in the increasing cost of living. Resulting in a tax on empty homes, housing speculation and foreign buyers.
Government
The New Marenesian Constitution adopted in 1856 is the government’s legal foundation. A new Constitution was adopted in 1999 was notably changed due to New Marenesia’s transformation from a dominion to a republic. It outlines rights of individuals and citizen participation in public affairs along with the powers of the Republic.
The Republic of New Marenesia is a presidential constitutional republic and liberal democracy with three separate branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. It has an elected President who serves both as head of state and as head of government. The President is also the leader of the executive branch and the Commander-in-Chief of the New Marenesian Defense Forces. The President appoints members (subject to Senate approval) to their advisory Council. The President also appoints other officials, who administer and enforce laws and policies through their respective agencies. The Senate is a unicameral parliament with its seats allocated by population. Senators serve part-time for four years terms. The Supreme Court acts as the highest appeals court the judiciary and interpreting laws passed by the Senate. The New Marenesia’s capital is Douglaston.
Direct democracy is a hallmark of the New Marenesian political system. Approximately four times a year, voting occurs over various issues; these include both initiatives and referendums, where policies are directly voted on by people, and elections, where the populace votes for officials. By calling a referendum, a group of citizens may challenge a law passed by the Senate by gathering 50,000 signatures against the law. If so, a national vote is scheduled where voters decide by a simple majority whether to accept or reject the law. A constitutional initiative allows citizens to put a constitutional amendment to a national vote, if 100,000 voters sign the proposed amendment. The government can supplement the proposed amendment with a counterproposal. Then, voters must indicate a preference on the ballot if both proposals are accepted.
The Republic is considered one of the most stable and well governed nations in the wurld. Known for its lack of corruption, civil rights and high voter turnout. Unfortunately, it still has socioeconomic issues such as a widen wealth gap along with disproportional levels of Nusantaran Islander incarceration and poverty.
Military
The New Marenesian Defence Forces are comprised of the New Marenesian Army, the New Marenesian Navy and the New Marenesian Air Force. The Defense Force are all-volunteer organizations with the purpose of defending New Marensian territory and citizens. Additionally, they promote civil defense, peacekeeping, upholding international law and commitments to its allies and partners. New Marenesia is ranked as one of the most peaceful nations in the wurld and doesn’t currently have any significant national security issues. The New Marenesian Defence Forces instead have been focused on non-military public service activities and foreign military operations. The New Marenesian Military Academy, better known as The Citadel provides the undergraduate education and training of commissioned officers for the New Marenesian Defence Forces. It also provides continuing professional military education to officers preparing for command and staff appointments.
Law and Justice
All drug were decriminalization in 2001, allowing for usage and personal possession of all common drugs. The drug strategy resulted in an increase in addiction treatment, a reduction in HIV/ AIDS cases, a decrease in drug deaths, and a significant decrease in the street value of illicit drugs.
Economy
New Marenesia is an open economy and is known for its competitiveness, economic freedoms and high flow foreign direct investments. Foreign companies are the main driver of the Republic’s economy, employing a quarter of the private sector workers in the country and paying 80% of New Marenesian corporate tax. Following the 2007 Banking Crisis, the Republic became a main destination for international pharmaceutical and technology corporate tax inversions.
Labor rights and workers' well-being, to include co-determination, paid holidays, paid honeymoon, thirteenth salary, two-hour lunch breaks, paid parental leave and a healthy work life balance are keystones to the New Marenesian economy. The nation is a leading exporter of fish, wool, pharmaceuticals, Christmas trees, lobster, gypsum, and wild berries. About half of the nation's exports consist of industrial and commercial machinery, such as computers and electronic and electrical equipment. The area around Astoria known as the “Silicon Forest” is home to companies specializing in hardware such as computer chips, electronic displays and printers. While Flagstaff is home to the nation’s military industrial complex including Flagstaff Iron Works, Duplex Corporation and the Marenesian Industrial Group. Over recent years, the nation’s high standard of living, diverse culture and strong economy have led to a “brain gain” from other nations resulting in an increase in innovations.
Demographics
57.2% of New Marenesians identify as of being Europan descent, 25.5% identify as Nusantaran Islanders, 16.5% as Argic (mainly Gotneskan), and 0.8% as other ethnicities. Although Anglish is not the official language of New Marenesia, it is in practice the national language. Other major languages include East-Arhoman and Celtic. New Marenesian Anglish is distinctive is a from other variations of Anglish with a distinct accent and lexicon.
Education
The education system in New Marenesia maintains small class sizes, insisted by the strong teachers’ union which seldom have more than twenty pupils. All pupils are expected to learn two languages in addition to the Anglish from the onset of schooling, and students in grades one through nine spend from four to eleven periods each week taking classes in art, music, cooking, carpentry, metalwork, textiles and sex education.
Inside the school, the atmosphere is relaxed and informal. Outdoor activities are stressed, even in the coldest weather; reinforcing the nation’s rugged attitude from an early age. Homework is minimal to leave room for extra-curricular activities. Lunch is nationally considered the most important meal of the day. School cafeterias serve five-course meals, even for preschoolers. Most of the universities are public institutions, and students traditionally study without fee payment. Thus, tertiary education is open to most citizens and studying is very common.
Culture
Early Nusantaran Islanders adapted Azano-Marenesian culture, eventually becoming a unique culture. Europan and subsequent settlers brought their own cultures along with Christianity. The early rural life in New Marenesian has led to a self-image of rugged, hardworking problem solvers. Environmentalism is prominent throughout the nation. Environmentally conscious services such as recycling and public transportation are widespread, most notably in the more populous areas.
Traditional Gotneskan music and dance have become mainstream parts of modern Marenesian culture. Baseball is the most popular sport in the country. But, rowing, sailing, and yacht racing are also popular events. There are many museums and historical societies throughout the nation, with many being located in Douglaston. Finally, religion has long played a significant role in the cultural life of the island.
New Marenesisa has long had a maritime orientation toward whaling and fishing, in addition to farming. The Repbulic has developed a distinct cuisine, dialect, architecture, and government. Its cuisine has a reputation for its emphasis on local seafood and dairy; clam chowder, lobster, and other products of the sea are among the nation's most popular foods.