Ultima Borealia

United Provinces of Atlantica

*Atlantika*
ᛆᛐᛚᛆᚿᛐ ᛁ ᚴᛆ
United Provinces of Atlantica; Atlantika; ᛆᛐᛚᛆᚿᛐ ᛁ ᚴᛆ
821–1657
	Flag of Atlantica Flag
	Motto: "ég Standa"; "I stand"
	Anthem: Blóð ok Dýrð!
Status	Federal directorial parliamentary republic and classical democracy (821-1016); Unitary directorial parliamentary republic and classical democracy (1016-1407); Unitary directorial parliamentary elective constitutional monarchy and classical democracy (1407-1657)
Capital	Stórkostlegurborg
Common languages	Atlantican
Religion	Atlantikanisma Hof
Government	Mix of a Parliamentary and directorial systemand Classical democracy
Lawspeaker of the Althing
• 792-804	Geir Svensson
• 1653-1657	Eysteinn Jóhannsson
Lawspeaker of the Hirds
• 792-798	Danr Vilhjalmsson
• 1655-1657	Emil Robertsson
Legislature	Althing
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Unification	821
• End of Federalism	1016
• Creation of Monarchy	1457
• Personal union with Vjaarland	1657
	Succeeded by
Atlantica (country)#Collapse of the Lagian League and Vjaarlandic Rule

Most Serene Jarldom of Ultima Borealia

Template:Runic
Flesturlygn Jarldæmi af Ultima Borealia
Most Serene Jarldom of Ultima Borealia; Template:Runic; Flesturlygn Jarldæmi af Ultima Borealia
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: "ég Standa"; "I stand"
	Anthem: Vandraren
Capital; and largest city	Stórkostlegborg
Official languages	Borealian; Kalaallit
Recognised regional languages	Enciw; Inuktun; Tunumiit language
Ethnic groups (2015)	65% Borealians; 21% Kalaallit; 9% Enciw; 5% other
Religion	Sannandism
Demonym(s)	Borealian
Government	Federal directorial popular elective ceremonial monarchy with elements of direct democracy
• High Jarl of the Presidium of Jarls	Þorleif II
• Presidium of Jarls	Freja Adlerberg; Akiyasu; Bjarni Agnarsson; Dómaldur Þjóðólfursson; Salka Finnviðursdóttir; Valý Sólbjörnsdóttir; Aigssiarssuk Angutivdluarssugssuaksdóttir
• Triumvir of the Curia of Electors	Matteus Gunnlaugsson
• Triumvir of the Signoria	Bjarni Árnason
• Triumvir of the People	Brynheiður Bjarnfreðursdóttir
• Consul for Diplomatic Affairs	Mequssuk Nunataqsdóttir
• Consul for the Defence of the Most Serene Jarldom	Eyvindur Baldursson
• Consul for Trade	Menkakush Resaksson
•	TBD
Legislature	Althing
• Upper house	Holy Diet; Senate of the Nobility; Chamber of the Higher Castes
• Lower house	Lögrétta; Senate of the Citizenry; Curia of Electors
Establishment
• Norse Settlement	782 C.E.
• Enciw Settlement	1114 C.E.
• Founding of the Most Serene Jarldom	1155 C.E.
• Glorious Reforms	1377 C.E.
• Vjaarlandic Annexation	1681 C.E.
• Elfráður's Reforms	1795 C.E.
• Borealian Revolution	1877-1879 C.E.
• Current Constitution	1925 C.E.
Population
• 2016 estimate	6,136,291
• 2016 census	6,136,291
GDP (PPP)	2016 estimate
• Total	$370.761 billion
• Per capita	$60,421
GDP (nominal)	2016 estimate
• Total	$404.602 billion
• Per capita	$65,936
Gini (2015)	24.5; low
HDI (2015)	0.930; very high
Currency	Ice dragon (AK)
Time zone	UTC-7:45 (Borealian Time)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+963
Internet TLD	.ub

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Ultima Borealia (Borealian: Template:Runic), officially the Most Serene Jarldom of Ultima Borealia (Borealian: Template:Runic or the Flesturlygn Jarldæmi af Ultima Borealia), is a federal directorial popular elective ceremonial monarchy with elements of direct democracy located east of Tuthina, west of Fjalland and southwest of Sceathaney in the Hyperborean Sea in Northwestern Esquarium, with Stórkostlegborg the country's capital and largest city. An island nation, the nation's interior is largely in the south alpine forest, in the central part of the island tundra or far north of the country ice caps, with the southern coast largely taiga, and the northern coast ice caps.

The Most Serene Jarldom of Ultima Borealia is often known for unique governmental system. The state, outlined in the Constitution, is a combination of directorialism and direct democracy; this combination is known as the Borealian system. The government depends on multiple power bases, including the Tribune of Censors (a body solely for monitoring corruption and government waste, although some have called into question the efficiency of the Censors), the Council of Examination, which oversees the civil service and the public sector, the College of Magistrates, a body elected by lawyers that elects the judges of the High Court (the court of last resort) and confirms the Constitutional Court, with procedures and other elements of the Magistrates inspired by the Lutheran Catholic College of Cardinals, the Thing of All Borealians (a body of the people, as direct democracy plays a central part in the Borealian system), the Curia of Electors, a traditional legislature (albeit one that solely deals with domestic policy), the Senate of the Citizenry (the legislative body that deals solely in foreign/military policy) and the Holy Diet, a ceremonial body of the nobility and much of the clergy. The three highest leaders in domestic policy, the Triumvirs of the Curia of Electors, the Signoria, and the People respectively, are elected via the groups they officially represent in their titles, and all three jointly function as a primus inter pares, in a system heavily inspired by the ancient system of consuls of the Latin Republic. The country also incorporates additional directorial features into the crowned republic via the immense powers of the Consulate (three leaders in diplomacy, military and trade, all elected by the Senate of the Citizenry), the Signoria (Ultima Borealia's cabinet) and the Regional Council, a body of various members (referred to as Regional Councillors) elected from the semi-autonomous Borealian regions.

The Borealian religion (known as Sannandism, referring to the Old Norse word for truth) and culture is heavily syncretised between the Kalaallit, Enciw, Lyonese, and Norse influences that have historically settled the island, Sannandism incorporating the shamanistic elements of the Kalaallit religion, the Animistic elements of the Enciw religions, as well as incorporating many deities, magical species, and demons from Norse and Celtic polytheism. Sannandism also includes several unique deities beliefs that are not part of the Kalaallit, Enciw, Norse, or Celtic religions. The Borealian language is generally considered to be a solely North Germanic language, however, as Celts were linguistically assimilated (having been brought over as thralls) into Borealian culture and the Kalaallit and Enciw peoples of Ultima Borealia generally keeping their own culture.

The Borealian economy was, until the end of the Template:SGWE, largely based around the primary sector of the economy, most notably the extraction of natural resources, logging, and fishing (including, controversially, whaling), although papermaking had become an increasingly key part of the Borealian economy since the industrialisation of the 1880s. Since the end of the Second Great War, however, tourism has become an increasingly important part of the Borealian economy, almost universally as a form of ecotourism and to a greater extent wildlife tourism, with some visiting either Ultima Borealia's famous glaciers, fjords, or mountains, and others seeing Ultima Borealia's endemic megafauna, most prominently the woolly mammoth, mastodon, and smilodon (the most prominent type of the saber-toothed cat); many species that went extinct in others areas during the Quaternary extinction survived in some parts of Ultima Borealia. This has contributed to a major shift in Borealian culture and general economic state, and the Borealian miracle is often attributed to this growth in tourism.

Today, Ultima Borealia has an economy based off both the Nordic model, socialism, integralism and corporatism in what the Borealian government officially refers to as Socialist technocracy, combining extremely high rates of unionisation, use of various planning committees (all brought together by the Borealian Planning Commission) tasked with mediating labor disputes, establishing codes of regulation, controlling prices and planning the economy, a large public sector (at around 45% of the Borealian workforce), and a cradle-to-grave welfare state, with the Borealian government granting single-payer healthcare, free tertiary education, a retirement age of 55 as the Borealian Government grants generous pensions to all Atlanticans at and above that age (nearly all unions additionally give out pensions to retired workers in pensions paid for by the Government), a basic income, and other welfare measures. Ultima Borealia is an active member of the international community and is a member of the Tengkong system and a founding member of the Nordic Alliance, the Nordanian League and Esquarian Community. Borealians are also renowned for their social and cultural liberalism, with all drugs, same-sex marriage, and abortion (up until labour) all legalised by the Borealian government; the Abortionplex in particular is world-famous for its reputation as a place of extremely liberal cultural and social mores, although the Abortionplex itself was largely built as a tourist attraction in order to strengthen the Borealian economy, and was not designed to be used by Borealians themselves.

Etymology

The term Ultima Borealia was first used when the country was first politically organised in 1155, with the founders of the nation ultimately choosing the name "Ultima Borealia" for its Latin origins, wishing not to favour any of the cultures living in Ultima Borealia. The name was furthermore chosen for its symbolic nature, with the term Ultima Borealia roughly translating to "Beyond the North", signifying Ultima Borealia's northerly location. This choice of Latin names has also been used in Borealian government, including the use of the titles of Magistrate, Consul, Patrician, Praetor, Censor, Aedile and Tribune, as well as the use of names typical of the maritime republics of Conitia, most prominently Signoria; the last being understood in the lesser-used definition of the term as a cabinet.

History (WIP)

Prehistory

A flake axe, crated circa 6000 BCE.

Humans are believed to have started inhabiting Atlantica at around 25000 BCE. Originally, like all other early humans, they were nomads and hunter-gatherers. However, agriculture was discovered in around 6000 BCE, and several settlements began to be created (mostly in the relatively warm, coastal areas in the Southeast), the most notable of these being what would become Stórkostlegurborg, and the much colder areas to the west and north remained largely uninhabited until around 300 CE, which was around the same time the first and most notable settlement was created in the North, Fjordhavn. However, writing, in the form of Runes (this would only later develop into Atlantican runes in the 1300s) was developed in around 5500 BCE in the Southeast, marking the end of Atlantican prehistory and the beginning of Atlantican history.

Early History

City-State Period

Around the time that writing was being developed, the first states were being formed in the Southeast of Atlantica. All of these states were city-states, the largest and most notable of these city-states being Stórkostlegurborg, although smaller city-states such as Skagafjörðurborg and Kópavogsbær were also being developed. All of the original city-states had classical democracy as their form of government, although only free (non-slave, whether enslaved via chattel slavery or debt bondage) males could participate in the things of the city-states. These city-states shared a common language, religion and culture, but mostly considered themselves as Stórkostlegurborgers, Skagafjörðurborgers, etc. During this period (from around 5500 BCE - 300 CE), War was uncommon, though not unheard of. This all changed, however, at around 300 CE, when Fjordhavn was founded in Northern Atlantica. Unlike the original city-states, Fjordhavn was an oligarchy instead of a democracy, and was largely controlled by two families. Additionally, Fjordhavn was much more warlike than their more peaceful Southern counterparts. War became quite common, as Fjordhavn (and their respective allies, mostly in the North) and Stórkostlegurborg (and their respective allies, mostly in the South) were almost constantly at war each other from around 300 CE - 750 CE, when war became less common, although Atlantica was not nearly as peaceful as it was before the founding of Fjordhavn. This relative peace would be crucial for Atlantica's survival in the upcoming years.

Atlantican Crusade

In 771 the Principality of Strendhavn, which followed Christianity launched a Crusade to convert the Atlantican peoples to their east, who followed Norse paganism. Stórkostlegurborg and Fjordhavn (both of which were Norse pagan), which had been at peace since 754, formed an alliance to fight against the invading Strendhavner forces. Afterwards, all other Atlantican city-states united with Stórkostlegurborg and Fjordhavn in opposition to the Strendhavner forces. The Prince of Strendhavn was overconfident in his abilities as he believed that the various Atlantican city-states would be divided in their opposition to the invading forces. As such he did not expect the united opposition the Atlantican forces had.

This overconfidence would prove disastrous to the Strendhavner forces. Multiple strategic blunders were made by the invading Strendhavner forces. As a result of these blunders, the Atlantican forces were able to secure a victory over the Strendhavner forces in 775, who left Atlantica and returned to Strendhavn.

Historians believe that the victory of the Atlantican forces against the Strendhavners reinforced Norse paganism within Atlantica, as Christian crusaders did not attempt to convert Atlantica again as a result of their decisive loss. Additionally, many Atlanticans viewed the victory of the Norse Pagans against the Christians as a sign of the superiority of Norse paganism and divine help sent by the Gods.

Unification

After the Crusade, many Atlanticans, especially Stórkostlegurborgers, felt a common Atlantican identity and believed that Atlantica must unify in order to protect itself against threats in the future. In reaction to these drives for unification, Stórkostlegurborg and its allies formed the Atlantican League, essentially a Confederation. In reaction to the formation of the Atlantican League, Fjordhavn (which was still recovering from the Atlantican Crusade and had borne the brunt of the Atlantican casualties in the Crusade) and its allies formed the Fjordhavn League, essentially a Fjordhavner Empire. By 780, all of Southern Atlantica had been united by Stórkostlegurborg and the Atlantican League, while all of Northern Atlantica had been united by Fjordhavn and the Fjordhavn League. An uneasy peace ensued for nearly a score, waiting for the proper spark to light a fire.

This spark would occur in May 789, as the monthly Kópavogsbær Thing was attacked by a gang of roving bandits, leading to the deaths of 17 Kópavogsbærs. The Atlantican League was angry and soon declared war on the Fjordhavn League, accusing it of attacking Kópavogsbær. Both the Navy of the Atlantican League and the Army of the Atlantican League, which were far larger than the Fjordhavner counterparts, surrounded and besieged Fjordhavn for three years until Fjordhavn finally gave unconditional surrender to the Atlantican League on 9 May 792, as the United Provinces of Atlantica was declared and all of Atlantica was unified under a federal state that was a mix of a representative and direct democracy, with three equal leaders, each with separate sources of power so as to prevent one from becoming too powerful. Today this mix is known as Atlantican democracy or more commonly Þrírskapur (three-ship).

Golden Age

The Stórkostlegurborg Hof was constructed from 1393-1457 and is a monument to Atlantica's Golden Age.

The Unification of Atlantica happened at the same time Nordanian Vikings began to raid and trade with and settle (most notably in Inleda and Geadland) places outside of Nordania. Atlantica was not an exception to this Viking activity, with the first Atlantican raid being on the Vjaarlandic monastery known as Helligeøya (Vjaarlandic for Holy Island) in 779 as vengeance for the Atlantican Crusade, generally taken to be the beginning of the Viking Age). Although the first raids, since they occurred before Atlantica came into existence as a nation, were largely private ventures, without the official support of the Atlantican government, some later raids become government-led, with the Atlantican Navy leading numerous raiding and trading efforts well into the 1200s, considerably later than most Viking activity ended. During this time, approximately half of Atlantica's economy relied on raiding and trading, and Atlantica grew incredibly wealthy (for a medieval nation) thanks to this raiding and trading.

Not only did Atlantica merely raid, siege, and sack, beginning in the early 800s it engaged in massive wars of conquest across Eastern Nordania, in 805 creating is is commonly known as the Great Heathen Army to conquer most of Korbathia, western Arkiasis, and northern Lyonsland. Unlike previous hit-and-run-style raids, the purpose of the Army was to conquer; formed by the five sons of Ragnar Ubbasson (as vengeance for his execution at the hands of Korbathians whilst leading a raiding party on a monastery), Halfdan the Berserker (named as he was famed as a legendary berserker), Sibbi the Good (named by his enemies, who recognised him for being far less zealous than the other sons, but still a zealot), Ivar the Boneless (named for being, according to legend, carried on a shield by other Vikings, but a master archer and brilliant strategist, with his disabilities leading for many modern scholars to suspect that Ivar had Brittle bone disease), Guðrum of Vesperia (according to legend the first king of Vesperia), and Sigurd of Lyonsland (according to legend the first king of Northern Lyonsland), the war had a tremendous effect upon Eastern Nordanian history, directly leading to the Atlantican minority in Korbathia, the emergence of the Vesperians and <Norse minority in Lyonsland>. The conquest of Eastern Nordania also directly resulted in thousands of Thralls from Lyonsland being taken by Atlantican Vikings, most of them sold back as slaves to Atlantica; Thralls were estimated to have composed nearly half of the Atlantican population at the peak of the Atlantican slave trade in 900, with the Thralls and Vikings later merging as one people, the Atlanticans.

Also prominent among Atlantica's Viking era was the establishment of the settlements of Frábærtáin and Góðavon, what is known as the Atlantican colony of Sólaruppráseyja. Created in 985 following explorer Áleifr Folkesson being blown off course while going to a long term raiding mission in Mahasamutsburg's ports in Phaazayazk and thus discovering the island for Atlanticans in 979, the settlements were initially highly successful and prosperous in the 900s and 1000s, attracting numerous Atlanticans to them, although heavy raiding from natives, referred to by the settlers as Skrælings in the 1100s eventually lead to Góðavon's residents leaving the island to Phazayazk in 1151 and Frábærtáin's residents becoming assimilated by natives after 1178 (when Atlanticans last visited the settlement) and before 1181 (when Atlanticans visited the settlement and discovered it abandoned).

Although by 1200s Viking activity had largely ended, in 1283 the Lagian League was established. Both the Atlantican cities of Stórkostlegurborg and Fjordhavn quickly became member cities, whilst Skagafjörðurborg joined in 1307. The percentage of Atlantica's economy that relied on trading ballooned to 70%, as the Little Ice Age meant that Atlantica could no longer produce nearly as much grain as it could before the 1300s thanks to the Medieval Warm Period; many Atlantican farmers became up fishermen, lumberjacks and papermakers instead of farmers; Atlantica soon became a major exporter of these products, especially timber and paper (primarily to cities in the Lagian League and Vajorr), whilst Atlantica increasingly began importing grain from warmer nations, mostly warmer nations whose cities were in the Lagian League, as well as Vajorr. During the height of the Lagian League in the 1400s and 1500s, Atlantica became ever-wealthier as the invention of the printing press in 1440 led to great demand for Atlantican paper. During this time, Atlantica was renowned a centre for the arts. In particular, Atlantica and Stórkostlegurborg became well-known centres of Gothic architecture.

The Golden Age was additionally a period of great change as, in 1407, after the Vjaarlandic government indicated that it would only allow importations of Atlantican paper if Atlantica became a monarchy (it had always been a republic up until that point despite nearly every other state in the world at that point being a monarchy), as it was thought that, considering other methods of Christianisation of Pagan lands, Christianising Atlantica would be substantially easier as converting a monarch, who would then force Christianity upon the population. Seeing that this was of major importance to the Atlantican economy at that point, the Althing reluctantly made noted elder statesman, retired politician former Lawspeaker of the Althing Ásbjörn Þórirsson the first Jarl of Atlantica, although they both deliberately made the Jarl a powerless position (making Atlantica a crowned republic) and one elected by the Althing from the royal family, in order to choose royals who would be least likely to assert powers; this was additionally made in order to prevent the Christianisation the Vjaars desired. To this day, the descendants of Þórirsson continue to serve as elected Atlantican monarchs as Co-Jarls.

Collapse of the Lagian League

However, this Golden Age did not last. The Lagian League collapsed and dissolved in the mid-1600s and Atlantica's exports as well as international trade among the nations in the Northern Sea cratered around this time, leading to the complete collapse of Atlantica's economy as Atlanticans were unable to afford food. Numerous food riots occurred throughout Atlantica, the most notable of which was the Great Bread Riot of 1656 which involved roughly half of the entire population of Stórkostlegurborg at the time and lasted for two weeks. Additionally, during this time the Atlantican Government owed massive debts to Vjaarland. In 1657, recognising the massive problems Atlantica faced, the Vjaarlandic Government offered to provide much-needed grain to the Atlantican people and forgive all debts owed by Atlantica to Vjaarland in exchange for Atlantica becoming an executive monarchy instead of the traditional crowned republic and the Grand Duke of Vjaarland becoming the monarch of Atlantica (although on Atlantican insistence, the existing Jarl of Atlantica was made Co-Jarl along with the Grand Duke, although the Atlantican Co-Jarl remained powerless, although the Grand Duke of Vjaarland had considerable powers), in what was essentially partial annexation of Atlantica by Vjaarland. Soon after Vjaarland offered the deal, Atlantican Lawspeaker of the Althing Eysteinn Jóhannsson accepted, starting a new era for Atlantica.

Vjaarlandic Rule and Industrialization

Hinrik Jóhannsson established the Atlantican central bank, the National Bank of Atlantica, abolished slavery in Atlantica and is considered the architect of the Atlantican System.

After Eysteinn Jóhannsson accepted the Vjaarlandic offer, Atlantica's economy, destroyed during the mid-1600s, began to recover and rebuild, as Vjaarland, as promised, forgave the debts and provided much-needed grain and Atlantica began to export high amounts of Timber and paper to Vjaarland and, starting in the late 1600s, the new Vjaarlandic colony of Vestmark. However, during this time all opposition to Vjaarlandic rule over Atlantica was banned, and Atlantica essentially became a police state and totalitarian democracy. Additionally, many Vjaars settled Atlantica and became a new wealthy ruling class over Atlantica, as many Atlanticans also became trapped in perpetual debt bondage to both wealthy Atlanticans and Vjaars. The Vjaars also introduced the Latin alphabet to Atlantica (which had previously used Runes), although the Latin alphabet used the slightly unique Atlantican orthography and to this date, both Runes and the Latin alphabet are used in Atlantica. The Vjaars also attempted to convert Atlantica to Christianity in a third attempt, but to no avail as many Atlanticans viewed the now-ancient Atlantican Crusade as proof in the innate superiority of the Norse Gods, whilst the Atlantican Government refused to change the state religion of Atlantica from Norse paganism to Vjaarlandic Catholicism. Additionally, a constitutional amendment in 1671 made the leader of the Atlanticanist Temple, the Allsherjargoði of the Atlanticanist Temple, the country's third monarch (although the monarch was entirely powerless) in order to prevent changing the state religion to Vjaarlandic Catholicism, something feared by many Atlanticans.

During this time, Atlantica also began to industrialise. Radical Party Lawspeaker of the Althing Hinrik Jóhannsson (serving from 1815-1833) gradually stripped the once-powerful Atlantican Guilds of their power, implemented the Atlantican System to successfully encourage industrialisation in Atlantica, abolished slavery, implemented a land reform that had former slaves take large portions of their former master's plantations (known as forty acres and a mule), established freedom of speech, the press, religion and assembly and allowed for non-Atlanticanist and non-Vjaarlandic Catholic men to vote in 1821, and built the Stórkostlegurborg-Fjordhavn Railroad in 1826 is commonly ranked as one of the best Allsherjargoðar Atlantica ever had and is widely viewed as the architect of modern Atlantican democracy and Atlantica's rapid industrialisation in the 1800s.

As a consequence of this rapid industrialisation, the population of Atlantican cities boomed, and by 1850 more Atlanticans lived in cities than in the countryside. However, the cities were often dirty and workers worked for long hours for little pay. To remedy this situation, workers formed into unions (originally known in Atlantica as Journeyman's Associations) in increasing numbers in the 1820s and 1830s. Unlike in many other nations, the Atlantican Government did not ban strikes or labour organisations, leading to a stronger labour movement in comparison to other nations at the time; in 1837, at the time of the formation of the Atlantican Journeyman's Association, the union density of the Atlantican workforce was 10%, considerably lower than in most modern nations but still much higher than in most other nations at the time. The AJW (now known as the Atlantican Federation of Labour, or ASA) campaigned for banning yellow-dog contracts (achieved in 1881), an 8-hour day (achieved in 1912) and abolishing child labour and free and compulsory primary education (achieved in 1851). By the 1860s, the industrialisation of Atlantica was in full swing, but discontent of Vjaarlandic Rule was bubbling at the surface, as many looked towards the new Vestmarkic Independence Revolution as a model to repeat in Atlantica.

Independence

By the 1860s, most were viewing Vjaarlandic Rule over Atlantica as completely unnecessary as the much-needed grain Vjaarland provided to Atlantica was now unneeded, as Atlantica's industrialisation meant that Atlantica would be able to export enough goods to pay for grain, and the end of the Little Ice Age meant that Atlantica could begin produced much more grain. After the Vestmarkic Independence Revolution of 1863 many viewed that achieving independence was not only desirable but achievable, especially as Vjaarland was beginning to have economic problems of its own and food shortages not unlike those of Atlantica in the 1600s. Both the emerging labour and socialist movements were tied to the independence movements; in 1870 the newly-founded Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party openly called for independence from Vjaarland and the Atlantican Federation of Labour called one-day general strikes on 9 May (Atlantican Unification Day) in support of Atlantican independence, whilst the growing Atlantican Independence Movement had open ties to both the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party and the Atlantican Federation of Labour. Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, the Althing also passed numerous constitutional amendments that removed some powers of the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl of Atlantica, such as the Royal Assent Amendment (1864) that allowed the Althing to override the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl vetoing legislation by a three-fifths vote, and the Parliamentary Dissolution Amendment (1875) that removed the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl from the power to dissolve the Althing without the request of both the Lawspeaker of the Althing and the Lawspeaker of the Hirds. However, the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl still had considerable power.

This state changed, however, in 1879, as the Vjaarlandic Revolution swept Vjaarland, and on 5 September 1879 a new Constitution of Vjaarland was issued and Vjaarland essentially became a crowned republic. Seeing the opportunity to also become a crowned republic, on 6 September, one day after the new Constitution of Vjaarland, the Atlantican Government declared a constitutional convention. After one day of proceedings, on 7 September a new Atlantican Constitution was issued, which both legally and formally stripped the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl of all of his powers, leading to the end of Vjaarlandic rule over Atlantica.

Rise of the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party

A photo of the 1924 Atlantican General Stike.

The creation of a true liberal democracy in Atlanica should not be understood to mean an end to social tensions and conflict in Atlantica; if anything, social tensions and conflict in Atlantica increased following independence as groups that had previously united in support of independence and democracy were now divided on which path to take. In the 1880 parliamentary election held shortly after Atlantican independence, neither the Blue Party nor the Radical Party gained a majority and the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party got their best result ever, showing the deep divides in Atlantican society at the time. After that election, the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party agreed to support the Radical Party on confidence motions and to vote for the Radical Party's proposed budgets until 1883 (the next scheduled parliamentary election) if the Radical Party voted for a bill proposed by the Socialists banning yellow-dog contracts and the use of strikebreakers, as well as mandating collective bargaining and requiring employers to recognise a specific trade union if the majority of workers in a secret-ballot election voted to recognise that specific trade union, which the Radical Party agreed to do. This law (the Atlantican Labour Relations Act) had its intended effect of massively increasing the union density of Atlantican workers---by 1900, approximately 41% of all Atlantican workers belonged to a trade union. In both the late 19th century and today, the vast majority of Atlantican workers in a trade union were affiliated with the Atlantican Federation of Labour (ASA), which is affiliated with all left-wing political parties and the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party. To a large extent a result in this boom in ASA membership, more and more Atlanticans began to support the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party, and for the first time in 1908 the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party became the second-largest party in the Althing, ahead of the Blue Party, though behind the Radical Party. As a result of these Socialist-Farmer-Labour successes, in 1908 the Blue Party agreed to enter a coalition with the Radical Party, forming what is today known as the Moderate Alliance, which continues to exist until today; the Moderate Alliance governed until 1925 as Radical Lawspeaker of the Althing Guðmund Geirsson presided over a period of progressive reforms in order to attempt to, in his own words in private letters, "Steal the Socialists' Thunder" by engaging in trust busting, creating disability insurance, workplace compensation, unemployment insurance and an old-age pension system, as well as legally mandating an 8-hour workday. These popular progressive reforms temporarily stunted the growth of the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party, attributed both to this progressive legislation and an economic bubble in the 1910s associated with the First Great War, as the war meant high demand for Atlantican products, and dozens of new factories were built and unemployment dropped to nearly zero as Atlantican goods were exported to both the Entente and Concorde powers as a result of Atlantica's neutrality in the War.

This economic bubble suddenly ended, however, in 1917 as the First Great War drew to a close meant that demand for Atlantican products dropped dramatically, and unemployment, which stood at 1% in January 1917 skyrocketed and stood at 30% in January 1925. In order to prevent Atlantica from defaulting, the Geirsson Ministry began enacting an unpopular Austerity program in January 1920 (shortly after Geirsson was re-elected in 1920, as although the economy was in a recession, unemployment stood at 'only' 10%), abolishing his unemployment insurance, disability insurance, workplace compensation and old-age pensions programs. This led to gain after gain for not just the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party, but also the more radical Communist Party and semi-fascistic Social Credit Party. Although in 1923 Geirsson was barely re-elected, in 1925, Geirsson's Government fell as a general strike by the ASA had been raging since winter and Atlantica seemed to be one move away from revolution. And in 1925, during the depths of the Atlantican Depression as it came to be known, the world watched as Gunnar Ólafursson of the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party achieved a plurality and formed a coalition with the Communist Party (and later numerous political parties that had split off from both the Socialists and the Communists, such as the Socialist Left Party, leaving the SFL in the 1920s as the SFL dropped its commitment to the ideas Indriði Steinsson, and the Social Democratic Party, leaving the SFL in the 1930s after the introduction of a bill establishing Codetermination, although the SDP today supports that program), promising to recover from the Atlantican Depression, end Austerity, implement single-payer healthcare and a basic income and nationalise dozens of companies and establish a state monopoly on a multitude of industries.

Ólafursson was elected in 1925 promising an economic recovery, sweeping nationalisation, an end to Austerity and the creation of a craddle-to-grave welfare state, and that's just what he did. Following a new Constitution in 1925 which declared all utilities and natural resources "beneath the land" to be property of the State and declared that all Atlantican citizens have rights to food, water, housing, and healthcare and notably restored the system of referendums and direct democracy used in Atlantica before Vjaarlandic Rule, Ólafursson reversed all Austerity programs and implemented a massive stimulus and created a massive new railway system as part of that recovery, and by 1928 it was clear Atlantica had exited the Atlantican Depression, and another massive stimulus program in the 1930s weathered Atlantica from the Great Depression, whilst the new ghent system meant that Atlantica's union density boomed to the rate that it is today. By the end of the 1930s Atlantica was back on its feet, while in the Second Great War Atlantica, like in the First Great War remained neutral, but in order to prevent an economic bubble like in the 1910s in the 1940s the Atlantican Government severely restricted the activities and growth of most industries and implemented a temporary export tariff in 1941, though it and the temporary regulations were repealed in 1944 at the end of the Second Great War, which signified a new dawn for Atlantica.

Recent History

Public housing under construction in Stórkostlegurborg in 1967.

Following the end of the Second Great War, a newly-emerged middle class in many developed nations began to have enough money to begin touring across the world, and in the 1940s and 1950s tourism in Atlantica boomed as unemployment dropped to below 1% and economic growth went higher and higher as Atlantica's national debt was almost entirely paid off an income inequality recahed record-low levels. This boom only increased as in 1963 oil was discovered in Atlantica, and during the 1960s and 1970s both the oil and tourism industries boomed, and women entered the workforce in record numbers as more and more jobs became available. However, social tensions were also present, with a major economic and military confrontation (the only military confrontation in Atlantica's history) with the very left-wing government of Sigmundur Gunnarsson (the leader of the Socialist Left Party) and Hjörtur Þórirsson (the leader of the Communist Party) that at the time governed Atlantica and Vajorr, then home to a rising far-right movement, leading to the, against all expectations (as before then there were no notable social conflicts and the Atlantican economy was booming with an unemployment of below 1%), election of the right-wing, Moderate Alliance government of Kristján Hilmarsson and Ólafur Leifsson, and during this period (the 1960s and 1970s) the majority of Atlantican paper mills closed their doors and Timber became a secondary force in Atlantica's economy, whilst in 1967 massive protests and a general strike in protest of the centre-right Democratic Party (then known as the Social Credit Party, not to be confused with the modern-day Social Creditors formed in 1969 after a minority faction split from the Democrats following its complete abandonment of Social Credit) government's (ultimately successful) plans to close down paper mills that had been nationalised during the 1950s and instead replace them with oil wells. In the 1968 the Democratic Party was wiped out and has never been a strong force in Atlantican politics since it's brief time in the sun from 1965-1968, with the new radically left-wing government of Communist Party Leafer and radical anarcho-communist Hjörtur Þórirsson and radically left-wing Domianist and Socialist Left Party leader Aðalbjörg Robertsdóttir passing numerous radical laws, including the Unemployment Reduction and Economic Democracy Act (later repealed in 1989) and the Iðnaður Vernd Lögum, the latter of which still stands to this day and is largely credited with protecting Atlantica's Timber and Paper industries. The discovery of oil and the resulting boom meant that Atlantica was able to avoid both the stagflation of the 1970s and the Recession of 1980, although Atlantica's 'Golden years' in the 1960s and 1970s were over in the 1980s as economic growth became more average for an average developed nation and the unemployment rate went from below 1% to usually hovering in between 3% and 4%.

Due to this stagnation (commonly known as the Atlantican Stagnation) in the 1980s, the long-term ruling Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party and more particularly the Red-Green-Socialist-Alliance was narrowly voted out in the parliamentary elections of 1989 and a Radical-led coalition of all members of the [[Moderate Alliance (Atlantica)|Moderate Alliance (the name is a misnomer; the MA is Atlantica's main right-wing political coalition) and Radical Party Leader Ragnheiður Agnarsdóttir became Lawspeaker of the Althing. Agnarsdóttir soon made the Atlantican public sector union shop instead of closed shop, began a partial privatisation of AtlanticaOil, the Atlantican Railway Corporation and attempted to remove the monopoly Atlantican Post had enjoyed and attempted to allow companies other than Atlantican Airlines to be able to provide domestic flights within Atlantica (previously Atlantican Airlines enjoyed a monopoly on all Atlantican domestic flights, but other companies were allowed to have flights in and out of the country); the stated aim of these reforms were to implement an Atlantican version of Merkatregneng and to make Atlantica more competitive abroad. She also led Atlantica to join the newly-formed Esquarian Community in 1991, although this bill was supported by both the left and the right. Agnarsdóttir was narrowly re-elected in 1992. After she was was narrowly re-elected, Agnarsdóttir began what she regarded as the cornerstone of her term; attempting to take on Atlantica's unions. She attempted to almost entirely repeal Atlantica's then-strict labour laws, laws that banned all discrimination against unions and union membership, and have the state fund only 75% of the union's unemployment funds (previously the number was 100%). In 1994, tired of these policies, on 1 May the Atlantican Federation of Labour declared a general strike, including the "essential services" that were not granted the constitutional right to strike under the Atlantican Constitution (although before Agnarsdóttir's term as Lawspeaker of the Althing some of the "essential services" were, in fact, allowed to strike, although strikebreakers were commonly used. The workers in the essential services, however, lost the right to strike under Agnarsdóttir), and on 1 May over 600,000 Atlanticans demonstrated, a record high. The general strike continued after 1 May, although the workers in the essential services did return to their jobs after 1 May. The strikes led to a massive loss of support for Agnarsdóttir's Government, and on 17 May the Democratic Party dropped its participation in the Government and voted with the opposition on a confidence vote and new elections were held, which returned a Government of the Red-Green-Socialist Alliance, the main left-wing coalition. However, the newly-elected Social Democratic Lawspeaker of the Althing Katrin Árnisdóttir quickly reversed all of Agnarsdóttir's union laws and reinstated the monopolies Atlantican Post enjoyed, renationalised the partially privatised shares of the Atlantican Railway Corporation and reinstated the monopoly on domestic flights Atlantican Airlines enjoyed; however, Árnisdóttir, as a Social Democrat, still reformed the labour laws and implemented a flexicurity system, although the strict laws on union membership remained, and refused to renationalise the privatised shares of AtanticaOil. This drew the anger of the ASA, although ASA General Secretary Matteus Gunnlaugsson signed an agreement with Árnisdóttir that allowed for the reform of the labour laws in exchange for closed shop for the entire public sector, lowering the working hours from 37 hours a week to 35 hours a week and allowing some workers in the essential services to strike.

By the 1990s, it was clear that the Atlantican Stagnation had ended as economic growth increased to to higher levels and unemployment was around 3%. In 2003, now-Lawspeaker of Labour, Health, and Welfare (a massive Atlantican department that handles most of Atlantica's welfare state) and Laspeaker of the People Matteus Gunnlaugsson successfully challenged Árnisdóttir and obtained a modification of RGSA internal rules that allowed him to become the Lawspeaker of the Althing, renationalised the partially privatised shares of AtlanticaOil (as implemented by Brynjar Stefánsson) and lowered the working hours from 35 hours a week to 34 hours a week. In 2004 and 2007, Gunnlaugsson was re-elected Lawspeaker of the Althing but was defeated in 2010 as a result of the financial crisis and Radical Party Leader Johanna Gunnarsdóttir was elected Lawspeaker of the Althing. However, Gunnarsdóttir was unable to end the recession and implemented an unpopular Austerity program. In 2013, Gunnlaugsson was elected Lawspeaker of the Althing again on the back of a "Three-Point Program" of closed shop for the public sector (as Gunnarsdóttir had switched the public sector from closed shop to union shop), a 30-hour workweek and a minimum wage; he implemented the first and second policies in 2013, and the third policy in early 2015.

Geography

Ultima Borealia is often defined simply by its largest island, also named Ultima Borealia, which also contains the vast majority of Ultima Borealia's landmass, but the nation also includes numerous islands, both large and lilliputian, as well as islets scattered off the coast of Ultima Borealia, although many smaller islands and islets remain uninhabited due to numerous factors. Larger islands, howeve, are largely inhabited and are often thriving centres of trade and fishing and have frequently been used as military and research bases as well. Nearly all smaller islands and islets were once inhabited as centres of smuggling and piracy, but their inhabitants were relocated in the 19th and 20th centuries in anti-smuggling and piracy operations; today, it is strictly illegal to even enter the majority of these islands and islets without a proper permit.

The island of Ultima Borealia itself is almost entirely mountainous, with parts of the island's interior considered to be some of the highest points on Esquarium; Mount PLACE is even considered to be the second-tallest point on Esquarium. The sole areas that are not mountainous are on the coasts and in the Raðborg Valley, a valley to the northwest of PLACE Mountain. Much of the nation's northern interior is barren and composed of glaciers, but many other parts, particularly in the Raðborg Valley, closer to coastal areas, or in the south, are in fact thriving forested taiga, home to various disparate peoples and animals, most prominently the nation's famed megafauna. Other, colder, parts are instead tundra and this vast open land, although largely depopulated, was until modern times home to various steppe-esque nomads and is still home to various megafauna, and other areas, remnants of the once-vast Mammoth steppe, are home to thriving woolly mammoths, mastodons, and other exotic species that once roamed vast areas but are now confined to Ultima Borealia. In recent years, however, discoveries of plentiful rare earth minerals, uranium and precious metals have resulted in many of these once-pristine and depopulated mountains to be home to thriving and populated boom towns.

The nation is geologically considered to be a part of Lahudica, being located on some of the easternmost portions of its tectonic plate, but is culturally and linguistically considered to be a true syncretism between Lahudican and Nordanian cultures (even though Nordania is held to be a subcontinent of Artisia, referred to in Ultima Borealia as Suevia, although its proud and independent traditions differ it from the rest of Artisia), as evidenced by the numerous cultural, linguistic and religious connections with the North Germanic and Celtic cultures that dominate much of Nordania. Despite this, however, Ultima Borealia's notorious nationalism has made many, if not most, of its citizens to consider the nation its own separate and unique geographic region; indeed, the wholly unique Kalaallit influence on Borealian culture is tied to neither Lahudica nor Nordania.

A glacier located in an ice cap in Ultima Borealia.
Mountains in the far north of Ultima Borealia.
The frigid northern coast of Ultima Borealia.
PLACE Mountain and Lake PLACE in north-central Ultima Borealia. PLACE Mountain is the second-tallest mountain in Atlantica and some have called it the most beautiful mountain in Atlantica.
Vast open Tundra in inland Ultima Borealia.
Mount PLACE, the tallest mountain in Ultima Borealia and the second-tallest mountain in the world.
The vast taiga that stretches across most of the warmer points of Ultima Borealia.
A remnant of the once-mighty mammoth steppe, now confined to Ultima Borealia, home to the last mammoths and mastodons in the world.

Climate

Parts of Ultima Borealia have some of the harshest and coldest climates on Esquarium, the great Borealian mountain range resulting in cold and desolate landscapes of the northern interior, some areas considered to be some of the coldest points on Esquarium, resulting in these areas usually classified as a Polar and Alpine ice cap climate. Despite being located to the southwest of Sceathaney, many northern parts of Ultima Borealia are even considered to be colder than that archipelago, as the island has neither volcanoes nor a southerly current to warm the isle. The middle of the country has a tundra climate, allowing for both the tundra and mammoth steppe to exist, and the south of the country enjoys a subarctic climate, allowing for the taiga biome to exist in the southern part of the country. The existence of precipitation in the nation wildly varies amongst the isle's various climates, snowfall frequent in the south of the country below the tree line, scarce in the middle of the country below the tree line and the south above it, and nonexistent in the entire north of the country or the middle of the country above the tree line. Rainfall is unheard of in Ultima Borealia, even in the summertime.

Flora

Flora is somewhat barren and scare in Ultima Borealia when compared to other, warmer and more southerly, nations. Despite this barren nature, however, the southern parts of the island are nevertheless extensively forested. Borealian forests are, much like other taigas, almost universally coniferous; larch trees dominate much of the landscape and sometimes even grow in the middle of the country, although spruce, pine, and fir trees are nevertheless common sights in southern Ultima Borealia. The deciduous Salix herbacea is common as well (and has even adapted to grow in the middle and north of the island), however, and birch, aspen, rowan and other willow trees are occasional sights on the southern coast of the nation. Mosses and lichens are an extremely common sight throughout the country, and some flowers bloom during the summer in the tundra, with the nation's Hyperborean vegetationhaving long-adapted to the cold climate of Ultima Borealia.

Larch trees grow throughout the south and middle of Ultima Borealia.
Pines are a common sight in the south of the island.
The Salix herbacea long ago adapted to the Borealian climate.
Lichens grow throughout the land.
Mosses, in addition to lichens, cover the trees throughout Ultima Borealia.

Fauna

A Borealian tiger.

File:Mikmar.jpg

A snow leopard.

Ultima Borealia is perhaps most famed for its fauna, particularly its megafauna. Although few species are considered to be truly endemic to Ultima Borealia, the nation is renowned across the globe as the last land of mammoths, mastodons, and smilodons; indeed, the island was relatively unaffected by the Quaternary extinction. This is largely attributed by environmental scientists to the nation's frigid nature and climate, as Mammoths, Mastodons, and Smilodons are all naturally suited to a cold climate (and even more particularly the mammoth steppe, remnants of which exist solely in parts of Ultima Borealia), a climate existing in Ultima Borealia since time immemorial (all three species were already relatively suited to Ultima Borealia's ice age climate, and even more suited to Ultima Borealia's modern climate), and perhaps even more particularly the late human settlement of Ultima Borealia, and these early human settlers being largely confined to the coasts thanks to the inland's relatively inhospitable nature to humans, rarely hunting and often instead taming various megafauna; these settlers' diets were instead based on fish and whale; by the turn of the first millennium, when this megafauna was widely hunted for its fur and ivory (largely exported to other nations, most notably Tuthina), these species were already well-established, their sheer size allowing them to avoid extinction, and by the time of large-scale human settlement in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, strict regulations were established in order to allow for the continued survival of the last of the Ice Age megafauna.

Ultima Borealia's land-based fauna, or even megafauna, is not merely restricted to the last of the Ice Age megafauna, however. Snow leopards and Borealian tigers are additional megafauna that inhabit the isle, and species such as the argali, brown bear, and muskox, all of which commonly inhabit the nation. Indigenous horse-like creatures, such as the Amerhippus, also survived the Quaternary extinction, many of which today survive in the last remnants of the Mammoth steppe, some of which have even been domesticated and were integral to the survival of many nomads in the Mammoth steppe. Today, however, the predominant horse breed is the domesticated Borealian horse, introduced by Norse settlers.

Ultima Borealia is also home to many birds. Many birds are seabirds, and often exist in nearby Sceathaney as well. The most prominent endemic birds are the steppe eagle and the black stork; birds such as the Hyperborean tern, skuas, puffins, kittiwakes, auks, snow bunting, ptarmigan and the snowy owl are known to breed in Ultima Borealia. In stark contrast to nearby Sceathaney, however, the island is not well-known for its birds, instead better known for its endemic megafauna and horses.

Although indubitably not renowned by citizens of other nations for its sea life, aquatic animals are an integral aspect of Ultima Borealia's environment, culture and even religion (oysters are worshipped in the religion as the Wizard's, the Borealian god of magic, physical form; consuming oysters are believed to give one magical powers, whilst other sea life is still believed to be holy and to be the incarnations of various angels). The Grey seal and Harbor seal are common sights off the shore of Ultima Borealia, as are dolphins, whales (particularly narwhals), porpoises and walruses. Fish are also a key part of the Borealian ecosystem, with species such as the cod, salmon, Borealian halibut and seawolf common fish in the seas around Ultima Borealia. Due to the Borealian climate, seafood has historically served as an extremely important part of the Borealian diet and even in modern times the Borealian fishing industry is a key part of the nation's economy. Ultima Borealia has also controversially engaged in whaling and has refused to prohibit commercial whaling, a position heavily criticised by other nations and environmental groups.

A woolly mammoth in the mammoth steppe of Ultima Borealia.
The recreation of a Borealian mastodon by an artist.
A smilodon attacking its prey.
A family of Muskox.
A steppe eagle mid-flight.
A pod of narwhals.
A Borealian horse in northern Ultima Borealia.
Two Ptarmigans beginning their flight.
A group of fishers with their caught halibut.
A walrus on an iceberg.
A seawolf on the seabed.

Government

The Borealian government is a unique combination of various elements of political systems, most prominently federalism, directorialism, direct democracy, aesthetically, monarchism and Latin and Medieval Conitian republicanism, and even some elements of democratic versions of technocracy and meritocracy. The Borealian government is also unique in its modern use of six (rather than three) branches of government, with all six significantly blurred with one another, in contrast to both parliamentarism, where traditionally only the executive and legislative are blurred, and presidentialism, where separation of powers is held supreme, with the blurring of no branches.

The six branches of government are the traditional legislative, executive, and judicial, as well as the unique economic (sometimes referred to as the corporatist or technocratic, or, to its critics, the "fascist") and monitoring and examination branches of government, although all six branches are heavily blurred and it is at times difficult to distinguish some. The economic branch is inherently tied to the Borealian economy, at its core functioning as a group of independent economic planning commissions composed of representatives of both workers' and employers' unions and government officials, with various industries being divided into their own planning commissions (officially known as Functional Sequences, although often simply referred to as Sequences), and those particular Functional Sequences themselves divided by region into Regional Sequences. The monitoring branch of government is headed by the Tribune of Censors, a 40-member body tasked with auditing and monitoring the other branches of government for corruption and disregard for the rule of law or the Constitution, as well as reducing government waste. The examination branch is led by the Council of Examination, which heads negotiation with all public sector workers, particularly civil servants, and is tasked with overseeing, modifying and creating all civil service and public sector examinations.

The Borealian Monarchy and Nobility

The Borealian monarchy is an undoubtedly ceremonial one, and the state has thus been referred to as a crowned republic. The monarchy is unique across the world in that it is not occupied by a single individual, the position rather being occupied by the Presidium of Jarls, an 8-member body head by the High Jarl of Ultima Borealia. The Presidium is composed of the Emperor of Tuthina, the President of Vjaarland, the Eldest Druid of the Sacred Circle of Druids (the religious leader of the formal body that heads the majority of Sannandism) and the five Jarls of the four regions and the Free City of Ultima Borealia. These figures were chosen for the Tuthinan and Vjaarlandic influence on Ultima Borealia (influence that remains to this day, such as Borealian membership in the Tengkong system), the strong influence Borealian paganism has had on Ultima Borealia and concessions the first High Jarl of Ultima Borealia was forced to make when he first united the island. The Presidium of Jarls was, however, temporarily abolished from 1601 (in a series of reforms referred to as the Magisterial Reforms, as the reforms created the College of Magistrates) to 1879, when it was restored and the position of Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl added as the role of the monarchy was reduced to a ceremonial one.

The Presidium of Jarls is chaired by the High Jarl of Ultima Borealia, an elected position required by constitutional law to be held by one of the five Jarls of Ultima Borealia and elected by the five Jarls and the Eldest Druid of the Sacred Circle of Druids. The right of election by the Jarls and the Eldest Druid was instead placed from 1377 to 1601 in the entire Holy Diet, and from 1601 to 1879 in the Chamber of the Higher Castes. Since 1879, when the power of the Borealian monarchy was severely reduced, the High Jarl has essentially evolved into a de facto rotating position amongst the five Jarls. The Borealian monarchy is also a popular monarchy, the High Jarl being formally titled High Jarl of the Borealians and Jarls being titled Jarls of the people of their respective region and the Constitution of Ultima Borealia declaring that sovereignty is held by the people and that supreme executive power is granted by the mandate of the masses through the social contract who choose to place at the supreme head of their nation the Presidium of Jarls led by the High Jarl of Ultima Borealia.

All Jarls are the monarchs of their constituent region due to Ultima Borealia's status as a federal monarchy, and are elected through tanistry (a prominent Celtic influence on Borealian culture), with their Þegns (the closest English equivalent for this term being Counts) electing an heir (referred to as a Tanist) to the Jarldom from the Jarl's family (defined by the Constitution as "a sibling, first cousin no times removed, aunt, uncle, parent, grandparent, niece/nephew, son/daughter, grandson/granddaughter, great-grandson/granddaughter and so forth"). The position of Þegn/Patrician (the official monarchs of a Hundred/Prefecture, respectively), however, is a purely hereditary title, with the Þegns utilising a unique form of primogeniture where the eldest child born to the Þegn during their reign serves as the next Þegn. Before the 1925 Constitution, bastardy disqualified one from the nobility or royalty and heirs utilised agnatic-cognatic laws, but since the 1925 Constitution bastardy is no longer disqualifies one from the line of succession and absolute cognatic primogeniture has been used.

Executive Governance

Ultima Borealia's status as a directorial state creates the fact that there is no single head of government, with the most basic foundations of the executive existing in the form of the Triumvirs, with one elected by the Curia of Electors, one by the Signoria and one by the people, all via instant-runoff voting. The Triumvirs all have powers of veto over one another (as the system was heavily inspired by the ancient system of Latin consuls) but effectively function, however, as a joint primus inter pares, their powers significantly limited by the Regional Council and to a lesser extent the Signoria; their most notable individual power is the right to appoint all government representatives to the Borealian Planning Commission and the national-level Functional Sequences, although these appointments must be confirmed by the Curia of Electors. The other prominent power of the Triumvirs is that they may jointly move to dismiss and appoint a Signore, although this reshuffle must be approved by (in chronological order of approval) the Signoria itself, the Curia of Electors, or the people.

The Consulate is also considered to be a powerful executive body, and is believed by a substantial portion of scholars to be the most powerful executive body after the Triumvirate. The Consulate is divided into three positions; the Consul for Diplomatic Affairs, who manages diplomacy and is believed to be the Borealian equivalent for a foreign minister; the Consul for Defence of the Most Serene Jarldom and the Constitution, who serves as the chief commander-in-chief of the Royal Borealian Armed Forces and is believed to be the Borealian equivalent of a defence minister; and the Consul for Trade, who manages international trade and is generally believed to be the Borealian equivalent of a commerce minister. All of the Consulate is elected by the Senate of the Citizenry via instant-runoff voting; the Senate of the Citizenry is an independent legislative house that enjoys sole legislative power over foreign, military and trade policy. The strongly-independent nature of the Consulate in comparison to other Borealian executive positions has allowed the Consulate to become a significant power in its own right. Consuls manage entire aspects of government policy and largely overseen only by the Senate of the Citizenry, a level of oversight that, although normal in a traditional directorial system, is far less oversight than in the Borealian system.

Another body often believed by scholars to be the most powerful executive body after the Triumvirs is Regional Council. The Regional Council is a body of twenty, elected by the four regions (as well Stórkostlegurborg), all of whom all entitled to a minimum of councillor; the other representatives are distributed proportionally after the Borealian Census (which occurs every five years). If a region has only one representative, the election is decided via instant-runoff voting; in all other instances, the election is decided via single-transferrable vote using the Droop quota. Members of the Regional Council have oversight of all functions of the executive in their respective regions, jointly appoint the government representatives of the various Regional Sequences in their respective Regions (with confirmation by the Curia of Electors), together can with a two-thirds majority, veto a pardon or contract granted by the Triumvirs, the Signoria or the Consuls, and have partial powers of veto on federal legislation affecting their respective regions; federal legislation affecting all regions is debated and voted on by all members of the Regional Council.

The power of veto on federal-level legislation approved by both the Curia of Electors or the Senate (depending on what policy a bill effects) and the people is jointly exercised by either the Triumvirate or the Consulate as well as the specific members of the Regional Council who represent the regions affected by the proposed legislation. The Triumvirate/the Consulate enjoys having half of the vote whilst the specific members of the Regional Council also enjoy half of the vote. The veto cannot be exercised, however, if both the Curia of Electors/the Senate of the Citizenry and the people vote in favour of the proposed law by more than a three-fifths majority, which is also the majority required to override a veto, with this overriding only required to be conducted by either the Curia of Electors/the Senate of the Citizenry or the people.

The Signoria, Ultima Borealia's cabinet for all non-military domestic affairs, is elected by the people (IRV), but must be confirmed by the Curia of Electors via a simple majority; if the Curia of Electors declines to confirm a nominee, a second election is held; if the nominee that had previously been elected is then elected via at least a three-fifths majority, the candidate is then immediately confirmed as a member of the Signore; if the candidate was not elected via at least a three-fifths majority, then the Curia of Electors again holds a confirmation vote, but the candidate only needs at least the percentage of votes cast against said candidate to be confirmed (e.g., a candidate with 57% of the votes would only need 43% of the Curia of Electors to be confirmed). If the nominee is once again not confirmed, a third election is held, in which at least three-fourths of the Curia of Electors must vote against the people’s nominee (and, as before, if the candidate achieves at least three-fifths of the vote, the nominee is automatically confirmed). If the nominee is yet again not confirmed, members of the already-elected Signoria and Regional Councillors together have the power to elect whomever they wish. The Signoria otherwise generally functions as a typical cabinet, with the notable exception of the Signoria's election of the Triumvir of the Signoria from their own, granting the Signoria a significant boost in their power. The process for reshuffling the Signoria also makes it so that the removal of a member of the Signoria considerably more difficult than in a parliamentary or presidential system.

Legislative Governance

Ultima Borealia is unique amongst the world in that its legislature, the Althing, is officially tetracameral, officially comprised of four bodies: the Senate of the Nobility, the Chamber of the Higher Castes, the Senate of the Citizenry and the Curia of Electors. In reality, however, most political scientists agree that Ultima Borealia is a de facto bicameral state, as the Senate of the Nobility and Chamber have been reduced to ceremonial bodies as the Senate is a hereditary body and the Chamber is only composed of members of the higher castes (the nobility, the clergy, yeomen, or landowning farmers, and burghers), with the powers of both houses eliminated because of these facts. In addition to the Althing, the Borealian Planning Commission, the Tribune of Censors, and the College of Magistrates all contain some legislative components, although none are considered to be a part of the Althing. The Senate of the Nobility and the Chamber are also collectively referred to as the Holy Diet of the Most Serene Jarldom, whilst the Senate of the Citizenry and the Curia of Electors are collectively referred to as the Lögrétta. Together the Althing, the Borealian Planning Commission, the Tribune of Censors and the College of Magistrates are sometimes referred to as the Borealian General Court.

The Curia of Electors is universally considered to be the by far the most important legislative body in Ultima Borealia, as the Curia functions in most respects as a typical legislature legislating and repealing laws in all subjects pertaining to non-military to domestic policy. In these matters, the Curia effectively functions as a unicameral body, as its proposed legislation is not required to be approved by any other legislative body. Established in 1879, the Curia is uniquely stronger than its presidential counterparts, but weaker than its parliamentary ones, as although it does have the power of electing one of the three Triumvirs, it does not elect the other two, although it does have a large role in the selection of members of the Signoria. A significant feature of Borealian direct democracy is that a great deal of power that would normally, in a typical representative democracy, be vested in the Curia, is instead vested in the citizenry as a whole; the citizenry have full and complete powers of initiative to create any new law, and must approve any law passed by the Curia in a referendum. Ultima Borealia's technocracy further limits the powers of the Curia as well, as the Borealian Planning Commission and to a lesser extent, the various Functional and Regional Sequences, have powers over the issuance of various economic regulations, regulations that would normally have to be passed by the Curia; it should be noted, however, that the Curia, if it so chooses, can exercise an absolute veto on regulations or policies implemented by the Planning Commission or its Sequences; this is a power solely vested in the Curia. This power has been frequently used in Borealian history to limit the power of the Economic branch of government, and has firmly established the ultimately supreme nature of the Curia of Electors in all domestic matters.

The Senate of the Citizenry was first established in 1925 as a body granted the power to legislative in all affairs related to the military, foreign relations and trade. The Senate of the Citizenry is closely tied to the Consulate (also established in 1925; the previous positions of Consuls were hitherto Signores), which reflects the Signoria/the Triumvirate the same way the Senate of the Citizenry does to some extent reflect the Curia of Electors. Like the Curia of Electors, the powers of the Senate of the Citizenry are qualified by the Borealian electorate, although the powers of the Planning Commission or its Sequences do not qualify the powers of the Senate of the Citizenry, for the powers of those two respective bodies are wholly separate. The parliamentary procedures of the Senate of the Citizenry are identical to those of the Curia of Electors, and the Senate was almost entirely modelled after the Curia of Electors.

The Senate of the Nobility was traditionally composed of all Borealian nobles, Prince-Druids, (abbots or abbesses of Borealian monasteries or temples granted Þegn status, essentially allowing them representation in the Holy Diet and the right electing their Jarl) and Lord Mayors (Mayors of the Free City of Stórkostlegborg or the Autonomous Cities). Although the body was once very powerful, in modern times the Senate of the Nobility only has the power to delay passage of bills and is only required to approve the invocation of a state of emergency across Ultima Borealia. The Senate of the Nobility is instead designed partially as a constitutional safeguard against the tyranny of the majority, and has the power to require a proposed bill to first be reviewed by the Borealian Constitutional Court if the Diet considers its constitutionality to be dubious as well; a bill would normally have to be challenged after its implementation, although the Senate of the Nobility does instead primarily function as a vestige of the legal power noble families had under the Pre-Revolution Jarldom, as Ultima Borealia did at the time function as an oligarchy. The vast majority of members of the Senate are still either Borealian nobles (referred to as Nobles if the nobles are Jarls or Þegns of Hundreds or Patricians if the nobles are Particians/Þegns of Prefectures), Prince-Druids (referred to as Aediles or Lord Mayors (who are also referred to as Patricians), but all Borealian judges (referred to as Praetors), as well as many members of the College of Magistrates also sit on the Diet's benches; these judges are referred to as Magistrates, and their right to serve on the benches of the Senate is a vestige of a time when Magistrates and Praetors were once a fully-fledged caste. It is presided over by the High Jarl.

The Chamber of the Higher Castes was established in 1377 by Sigurnýjas the Great in his Glorious Reforms that changed the systems of election for monarchy. The Chamber was traditionally elected by all nobles, members of the clergy (essentially members of ecclesiastical castes, most famously the Guðdómlegur Konur), the scholar-officials (defined as descendants of holders of civil service positions in the 1876 Census), a non-military based caste that often overlapped with the nobility but relied on positions in the civil service (subjected to an examination similar to the Imperial Examination) rather than the inherited noble titles and lands of the nobility in preserving wealth, magistrates, a small and unique caste of judges and their families that developed from Ancient Germanic lawspeakers, and burghers, today defined as the descendants of taxpaying inhabitants of the Autonomous Cities or the Free City in the 1921 Census. Since the 1795 Constitution, however, suffrage for the Chamber was expanded to yeomen, defined as descendants of landowning farmers as listed in the 1921 Census that continue to till the land, and the Frjálsmenn, a unique caste of highly independent and democratic military communities. The Chamber gradually came to become far more powerful than its Senatorial counterparts, as a series of High Jarls strengthened the powers of the Chamber (and particularly the non-noble classes), although these reforms often came at the expense of various increases in the Template:Szlachta privileges, most prominently the pacta conventa and culminating in the disastrous liberum veto instituted in 1601, a right that was only abolished with Vjaarlandic aid in 1681. The powers of the Senate were eventually all but abolished in the 1795 Constitution in what is commonly referred to as Elfráður's Reforms (Elfráður the Enlightened being the Borealian High Jarl at the time) and the Chamber's powers reached a height from 1795-1879, but were essentially abolished in the 1879 Constitution which placed powers in the newly-elected the Curia of Electors, then-elected by universal male suffrage and now elected by universal suffrage.

The College of Magistrates and the Tribune of Censors, meanwhile, are rarely considered legislatures, but are agreed by most scholars to have some legislative elements. The College of Magistrates, an ancient and arcane body elected by all Borealian lawyers, is tasked with electing all Judges of the High and Constitutional Courts using procedures inspired by the Lutheran Catholic College of Cardinals, and was additionally named the Functional Sequence for lawyers when Socialist technocracy was first introduced in 1925. The College of Magistrates is presided over by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. The Tribune of Censors is a Examination Yuan dedicated to monitoring corruption and government waste, and is granted various powers as a result of that fact.

Legal System

Ultima Borealia's legal system is usually categorised as a highly unique mix of various legal systems and ideas, including Ancient Germanic law, Latin law, restorative justice, and civil law, as well as various unique indigenous ideas only applied in Ultima Borealia. Ultima Borealia is usually categorised as a civil law jurisdiction, however, due to its use of an inquisitorial system and the fact that the law is solely based off of statutes, the two primary elements of civil law. Borealian jurisprudence, however, is generally described as a form of civil law, but not without use of other legal principles in other fields of law, such as restorative justice.

The sole feature of Borealian law based off common law is that it uses juries for almost all criminal and civil cases at the level of the Courts of the Hundreds (the trial courts of original jurisdiction in Borealian parlance). The appellate courts of Ultima Borealia, however, known as the Regional Courts (as they are divided by region, or, in the case of Stórkostlegurborg, the Free City), use lay judges as an intermediary system between juries and bench trials, whilst the High Court, the Borealian court of last resort, uses bench trials. All Courts of the Hundreds have one Judge presiding over the court (referred to in Ultima Borealia, however, as a Praetor), the Regional Courts have six Praetors presiding over six simultaneous courts, and the High Courts has eleven different Praetors together deciding a single case. Ultima Borealia utilises a constitutional court and thus all cases relating to constitutional law involve the Borealian Constitutional Court, which is the sole institution in Ultima Borealia that has the power of judicial review, and likewise has eleven Praetors. The appointments of the Praetors of the High and Constitutional Courts are both staggered so that there is one new appointment made each year, with Praetors serving eleven-year terms.

Perhaps the most notable unique feature of Borealian jurisprudence is that it is officially focused on restorative justice; this, combined with heavy ties to Ancient Germanic law in the Borealian legal system, which focus heavily on monetary compensation to victims, particularly for nonviolent crimes, as well as the unique and indigenous Borealian feature of a "Victim's Pardon" system, where victims may reduce the sentence of, or completely remove (although all crime trials are initiated by victims; if a victim chooses not to prosecute, an individual accused of perpetrating a crime is never arrested nor prosecuted) the sentences of the person(s) that committed a crime against them.

The Borealian legal system is perhaps, however, most renowned for its completely unique and, to outsiders, alien and bizarre system of selecting Praetors. The Praetors of the Courts of the Hundreds are elected by all lawyers in that respective Hundred (or in the case of Stórkostlegurborg, Prefectures) via instant-runoff voting, as are the Praetors of the Regional Courts, elected by all lawyers in their respective region via single-transferable vote. The College of Magistrates, meanwhile, elects both the High and Constitutional Court, votes on impeachment charges, and is tasked with accrediting law schools, creating ethical guidelines for lawyers, and more generally managing the legal profession. The College is composed of 600 Magistrates (the number chosen as it was the same number of members of the Latin Senate), all of whom are divided into various districts of five to nine seats and also elected via single-transferable vote. The College elects members of the High and Constitutional Courts via a Conclave, and serves as the Functional Sequence for lawyers. All Praetors and Magistrates are required to be lawyers, all members of the High and Constitutional Courts are required to be either Magistrates or Praetors, and all members of the Constitutional Court are additionally required to be constitutional lawyers. All Praetors are automatically Magistrates.

The Borealian Planning Commission and the Sequences

What is indubitably by far the most renowned and unique feature of Borealian governance is its technocratic and corporatist Functional Sequences. Bringing together government, business, and labour in tripartite agreement, the system, typically referred to as the economic branch, directly incorporates the economic planning (both centralised and, since the 1960s, indicative) of state socialism and the corporatism of fascism whilst at the same time retaining many elements of a mixed economy in the apolitical sense of the term and remaining a highly democratic state with strong rights and freedoms. As the system was devised by the socialist-technocratic coalition of the 1920s, it is officially referred to as Socialist technocracy, despite divulging from these two ideologies in many respects.

The system directly incorporates the technocratic idea of Functional Sequences, essentially planning commissions for a particular profession. Due to Ultima Borealia's federal nature, however, these Functional Sequences are themselves divided into Regional Sequences, who do most management, planning, and regulating of the industry they represent. Due to corporatist influences on the original technocracy movement, these Regional Sequences are composed of labour union representatives elected by the workers (labour union membership is compulsory in Ultima Borealia), who comprise 35% of the total membership of a Regional Sequence, employers' union representatives (all corporations are likewise required to join an employers' union, the Borealian Employers' Union), who comprise 30% of the total membership, and government representatives (as appointed by the specific members of the Regional Council who represent the Sequence's region, although not without advice from the Regional Signore of Labour), who comprise 35% of the total membership. These Regional Sequences are primarily tasked with establishing regulations for that profession in their particular region, managing the day-to-day affairs of that profession in their particular region, and mediating disagreements between capital and labour, although strikes are nonetheless not an uncommon sight in Ultima Borealia. All Regional Sequences operate under consensus decision-making.

The specific capital and labour representatives on these Regional Sequences then elect their respective representatives on the national-level Functional Sequences in an example of Soviet democracy. These Functional Sequences are then tasked with mediating national-level disputes between trade unions and capital, issuing overall regulations for the industry, and planning various goals and research for the industry. They likewise operate on consensus decision-making. The overall body above all Functional Sequences is the Borealian Planning Commission, an economic planning committee tasked with creating Three and Twenty-one-year plans, issuing regulations impacting all industries, mediating negotiations to avoid general strikes, and in general managing the long-term status of the whole economy. Both its government representatives and the government representatives of the Functional Sequences are appointed by the Triumvirate, whilst its capital and labour representatives are elected by the companies and workers, respectively.

Another notable feature of Socialist technocracy is that within the Sequences and the Borealian Planning Commission, unions have morphed into de facto political parties, advocating for various stances in regulatory behavior, negotiations, and other various powers of the Sequences and the Borealian Planning Commission. Various factions in employers' unions have formed as well, with private employers' unions forming organised factions within the Borealian Employers' Union; factionalism within the Borealian Employers' Union is largely based on the size of businesses and the amount of worker control over a business, as businesses that employ less than twenty workers do not require any worker ownership of the enterprise, whilst businesses with 20-100 workers require a minimum 25% worker ownership of the enterprise, businesses that employ 100-1000 workers require a minimum 50-1% control over the enterprise and businesses that employ over 1000 workers require majority worker control over the enterprise; codetermination and works councils are used throughout Ultima Borealia as well. Public-sector industries are exempt from worker control regulations. This partisanship has, however, been significantly cooled by the requirement of a consensus, forcing groups to compromise and work together in decision-making.

The Tribune of Censors

The Tribune of Censors functions in many ways as an ombudsman agency that monitors the other branches of government of the Most Serene Jarldom. This power of monitoring is not unique to Ultima Borealia, although the immense independence, prestige and power of the Tribune of Censors as an independent branch of government is. The Tribune's most prominent feature that separates it from other government monitoring agencies is that the Tribune functions as a joint body tasked with finding and uncovering government corruption and waste as well, and the Censors themselves as well as the agencies below the Tribune frequently publish lengthy reports on government waste, corruption and disregard for the rule of law, human rights and the Constitution on all levels of government, from the Curia of Electors to a small police department, ruthlessly investigating corruption and government waste in such brutality that makes the Tribune of Censors a force to be reckoned with all on its own. The tribune is also tasked with publishing international indexes and reports on corruption and transparency in various countries.

In order to fully achieve its goals, the Tribune is given the powers of censure of members of the Curia of Electors it believes are corrupt, beginning an impeachment trial of any Elector, Magistrate, Regional Councillor, Signore or a Triumvir in the College of Magistrates, and beginning a trial on the constitutionality of a law in the Constitutional Court; it is also granted the power of issuing a warrant for search of any member of any public office or worker in the public sector on suspicions of corruption or disregard for the Constitution, the rule of law and human rights. The Tribune is also empowered to make recommendations to reduce government waste or curb corruption, recommendations that are almost always accepted by the Regional Council, the Signoria, the Curia of Electors, the Council of Examination and the Functional Sequences.

The Tribune of Censors also enjoys a level of political independence from the other agencies that, although certainly not absolute, is significantly more than many other agencies. This is almost entirely because the Tribune is designed to monitor the other branches of government, and the creators of the Tribune thus thought it wise to make the Tribune directly accountable to the people, rather than the branches of government that the tribune is supposed to monitor. Twenty-six members of the Tribune (a fifty-one-member body) are elected by the people, fifteen are elected by the College of Magistrates, five by corruption watchdog groups and five by the Council of Examination. The status of "corruption watchdog group" is managed by the Functional Sequence for Non-governmental Organisations; applications are analysed by teams of experts on corruption, although the Tribune of Censors or existing corruption watchdog groups are not involved in the application due to fears of a conflict of interest.

The Council of Examination

The Council of Examination is a body tasked with overseeing the public sector and particularly the civil service, and was historically created to creates and modify all public sector and civil service examinations, a power that is still the responsibility of the Council of Examination today. Today, the Council of Examination is also tasked with negotiating with and supervising public sector workers, particularly civil servants. The Council of Examination itself is a fifteen-member body that today functions as the Functional Sequence for the civil service, with four members elected by the Tribune of Censors, four (including the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Council) elected by the Signore and seven elected by civil servants themselves. The Council of Examination was heavily inspired by the Imperial Examination used in Tuthina, and its creation in the 11th century was a direct inspiration from the Tuthinan system, and the Borealian Examination was initially identical to the Imperial Examination, although a millennia of changes in both Examinations have resulted in the two divulging from each other in countless aspects.

Within the Council of Examination there are numerous departments that are tasked with creating examinations (the Examination Department), managing relations with labour (the Labour Affairs Department), managing information and research relating to the public sector (the Information and Research Department), managing legal affairs (the Law Department), accounting and the budget related to the public sector (the Budgetary and Accounting Department), and countless more departments related to all facets of the civil service.

Administrative divisions

The Regions

There are four levels of government in Ultima Borealia – The national-level Most Serene Jarldom, the Regions, the Hundreds and finally the Cantons. The Borealian system is a federal one, and significant autonomy is granted to the Borealian regions, which includes the right to declare their own languages in addition to Borealian and Kalaallit. The region's right of self-governance is, however, partially compromised by the large powers granted to members of the Regional Council, who function as the executives for their respective regions, although the powers of the Regional Council would be more accurately understood as an extension of the regional executives to federal decision-making. The regions also have the right to declare their own constitutions that establish their own symbols and rights, although their branches of government are outlined in the federal Constitution. Certain regions, however, have certain unique features or autonomy as designated by the Constitution in recognition of their unique cultural and/or religious natures. Regions themselves are formally headed by their Jarl, which is a purely ceremonial position.

The city of Stórkostlegborg, which has since the formation of the Most Serene Jarldom been Ultima Borealia's capital and largest city, is granted the status of a "Free City", essentially granting Stórkostlegurborg regional status, with notable exceptions. The most notable divergence from the regions is that the Free City functions not on the basis of representative democracy with direct democratic elements but on the basis of direct democracy itself, with the city's legislature essentially being the whole mass of citizens. Another notable divergence from the traditional Regions is that the member{s) of Stórkostlegurborg's Regional Council are not its executive; the executive (which essentially manages day-to-day affairs) is known as the Free City Council and like the various Sequences operates on consensus decision-making. Half of its members are elected via the Schulze method, and the other half are appointed via sortition. The Free City Council is nonpartisan. The Free City Council also elects a presiding officer, who is referred to as the Lord Mayor of Stórkostlegurborg.

The Hundreds

The Hundreds are a further division of governance, almost always correlated with the counties of other nations, such as Geadland. Their powers are largely unspecified under the national-level Constitution (their specific powers largely being left to the Regions' Constitutions), but usually involve some sort of management of public utilities under their jurisdiction, and are universally tasked with establishment of public libraries, zoning, parks, establishing local roads, and assuming many powers normally vested in other nations to municipalities, these additional powers being granted due to the general size of the Hundreds. The Borealian Constitution, however, grants Hundreds rights to nationalise or mutualise (provided the business's employees agree) regulate businesses as they see fit, a provision that has only been exercised a few times throughout Borealian history but was added by the largely socialist authors of the 1925 Borealian Constitution. Regions also have the power to declare specific parts of a Hundred an Autonomous City, essentially granting the status and powers of that Hundred and additional powers and responsibilities sometimes vested in the Regions. In Stórkostlegurborg, the equivalent to the Hundreds would be the Prefectures, which are essentially Boroughs. All Hundreds (including the Prefectures) operate under direct democratic town meetings, with day-to-day affairs being handled by a 9-member executive selected via sortition, a requirement specified in the Borealian Constitution. Hundreds are formally headed by a Þegn, although his/her position is entirely ceremonial.

The Cantons

The lowest level of government is that of the Cantons, referred to in Stórkostlegurborg as Wards. Although usually described as an equivalent to towns, the size of Cantons makes them more similar to villages or even hamlets, with their powers often very mundane, ranging from maintaining local roads and signs to establishing communal pools, hockey rinks, and other recreational facilities, although in Autonomous Cities they are usually granted substantially more power, often having the same rough power as the Prefectures of Stórkostlegurborg. All Cantons are based off of town meetings that utilise consensus decision-making and do not even have an executive to oversee day-to-day affairs; Cantons can assemble from times ranging from weekly to daily, those assembly dates themselves decided at town meetings.

Government in Kilivfak Nunaat

Kilivfak Nunaat is the sole majority-Kalaallit region in Ultima Borealia, and during the Constituent Assembly of 1925, representatives from the region implored for recognition of traditional system of governance used in Kilivfak Nunaat in parliamentary procedure and local government, and the Constituent Assembly responded by making Kilivfak Nunaat a nonpartisan consensus government as the Kalaallit representatives requested, and granted the Kalaallit representatives almost complete power to draft a system of local government for Kilivfak Nunaat. Instead of using the traditional system of Hundreds and Cantons, representatives from Kilivfak Nunaat chose to organise municipalities in the region on primarily tribal lines, choosing to grant the traditional lands of various tribes to them in the creation of "Tribes", areas typically larger than Hundreds.

Tribes are granted the powers that are largely given to Hundreds but are furthermore given powers over all tribal and cultural affairs within the area, although most powers typically associated with Hundreds are generally shared or devolved due to the fact that they are only three Kalaallit tribes; the Kalaallit themselves, the Inughuit and the Tunumiit, essentially rendering widespread. Tribes are, like Hundreds, largely based on a directly democratic system, but under the framework of a consensus democracy as well due to the traditional consensus-based system of the Kalaallit, with day-to-day affairs being handled by a consensus-based body elected by members of the Council of the Hundreds, the Tribal Council, whilst major policy decisions are made via referendum. Tribes, as a unique creation of the 1925 Constitution, are not represented by a ceremonial monarch.

Hundreds and Cantons are also used in Kilivfak Nunaat, but as their powers are not specified in the Constitution of Kilivfak Nunaat, their powers can officially be revoked at any time by the Tribal Council, although this has never been done. The powers of Hundreds are usually shared (in the case of the Inughuit and Tunumiit Tribes) or devolved (in the case of the Kalaallit Tribe). Hundreds are required to use consensus decision-making and are, like the other Borealian Hundreds, required to operate under town meetings and day-to-day affairs are also run by a 9-member body, although this body is selected not through sortition but rather through election at town meetings, this system largely being used as Hundreds in Kilivfak Nunaat are typically smaller than other Borealian Hundreds. A single Autonomous City, [Nuuk], which is likewise the capital and largest city of Kilivfak Nunaat exists in Kilivfak Nunaat and is independent from all Tribes, Hundreds and Cantons. The governance of Cantons is identical in both Kilivfak Nunaat and the rest of Ultima Borealia. Þegn ceremonially head the Hundreds of Kilivfak Nunaat, but are instead referred to as Chieftains.

Direct democracy

A town meeting, often called a thing in [PLACE]. The thing is the system of municipal governance used in Ultima Borealia.

Ultima Borealia's governance has been noted for its nigh-ubiquitous use of direct democracy, using direct democracy for nearly, if not all, elements of administration in the Hundreds and the Cantons (and even Stórkostlegurborg itself), granting its citizens the rights of initiative, referendum and recall, and even requiring the citizenry to approve in the enactment of a new law, a level of direct democracy only exceeded by that of Montecara. The citizenry's right of initiative to propose a new law or constitutional amendment requires at least 10,000 signatures (a number that is not fixed by the Constitution, but can rather be altered at will in standard law), but must still be approved by the Curia of Electors afterwards, except if said initiative gains at least 50,000 signatures; this ratio of five to one is set in the Borealian Constitution. A constitutional amendment, however, requires at least two-thirds of voters/Electors to approve of the proposed amendment, in contrast to the simple majority required for all other laws.

The process of recall is in many respects similar to initiatives, although proposers of a recall must garner at least 75,000 signatories for s vote on the recall to occur, a number set by the Borealian Constitution and frequently altered after a new Census. However, due to the lack of constituencies in the Curia of Electors, proposers of a recall may only initiate a vote on members of the Cabinet, the Triumvir of the People, members of the Regional Council, or the Curia of Electors or a specific Functional or Regional Sequence as a whole. Referenda on regulations established by the National Planning Commission, however, are not mandatory, but instead may be forced via an initiative; initiatives on particular legislation may also be proposed.

Due to the quantity of laws, referenda on already-passed legislation as well as initiatives and recalls are voted on on the first Saturday of every month in bulk. Voting in Ultima Borealia is compulsory for all votes, i.e., elections for both representatives and various referenda, with fines imposed for not voting. Numerous studies have suggested, however, that the rate of general civic participation in Ultima Borealia is still very high even without compulsory voting, in no small part due to the sense of national decision-making felt by the people thanks to Borealian direct democracy.

Politics

Ultima Borealia has a multi-party system with [a lot of] political parties in the Curia of Electors, more than in any other country in Esquarium, considerably more than the second-placed finisher, Nevanmaa, with seventeen political parties; this results in several political parties usually participating in the Government and no political party holding more than 15% of all seats; however, the Atlantican political system has converged into three notable coalitions of which all political parties agree to work together to form a government. Rather than being divided on a left versus right basis, however, all three coalitions are catch-all, with the two largest coalitions divided on support for versus opposition to populism, nationalism and the role of the Sacred Circle of Druids (Ultima Borealia's state church and the largest religion in the Jarldom); the People's Revolutionary Nationalist Front is a strong supporter of populism, nationalism and increasing the power of the Sacred Circle, whilst the United Borealian Democratic Movement opposes populism and nationalism, and is in general a supporter of separation of church and state. The third coalition, the Regional Alliance, is an alliance of regionalist parties, and is substantially smaller than the other two coalitions, and has always either sat on the crossbenches or functioned as the junior partner in an UBDM-RA coalition, as the UBDM has consistently proven more sympathetic to the ethnic and religious minorities represented by the RA. Some parties, almost always more ideological ones, however, have chosen to either form their own, more ideological, coalitions, or to not participate in any coalitions at all.

Due to Ultima Borealia's economic structure and its highly liberal and socialistic laws, Ultima Borealia is almost always considered to be a left-leaning country, with most parties (particularly those in the PRNF) advocating for a technocratic, planned, but truly mixed economy, with the state owning key sectors of the economy and economic planning handled by agreements between the state, employers, and omnipresent labour unions, with most other parties advocating for pure socialism in the form of syndicalism. Nearly all parties also support Ultima Borealia's cradle-to-grave welfare state, and most agree on the extremely liberal social laws existing in the country. This leftism is, however, perhaps most exemplified by the mainstream and widespread popularity of the Communist Party, although the Communists (members of the UBDM) are often considered to be relatively moderate, due to their willingness to compromise against what they see as the PRNF's alleged fascism.

The Althing is elected via the D'Hondt method, with no electoral threshold in a national-level constituency, an electoral system most often credited with producing the Borealian system of dozens of political parties. This multi-party system has also resulted in governing coalitions including wide ranges, variety, and numbers of political parties, with cabinets sometimes even expanded to accommodate for additional political parties. The Borealian directorial system has also resulted in the frequent formation of grand coalitions between various parties, typically stemming from wildly different issues, although more radical opponents of other coalitions, most notably the Communists, have usually opposed these grand coalitions.

Campaigns

A Communist Party rally encouraging people to vote Communist in the election of 1989.

Political campaigning in Ultima Borealia, for both referendums and especially elections for representatives is almost always a heavily spirited affair, as political parties and unions mobilise voters and encourage them to vote for a certain political party (or union in the Sequences) with door-to-door campaigns where Electors, party candidates and union officials often personally meet voters, encouraging them to vote for the political party/union that the Electors/Candidate/Union official supports, massive parades and demonstrations, second in size only to Ultima Borealia's May Day rallies are led by political parties and unions encouraging people to vote for a certain political party and build enthusiasm, as party leaders, almost always charismatic populists, stump around Ultima Borealia, encouraging people to vote for their political party/union, while political parties and unions often almost always mobilise against their opponents in general elections, accusing them of disrespecting Borealian democracy and catering to special interests instead of the Borealian people, with these accusations backed up by newspapers (which remain the largest form of media in Ultima Borealia), who are almost always heavily tied to a particular political party, generally reporting neutral, truthful coverage except during election season, when almost all coverage is used to support the political party/union federation that newspaper supports. The only notable exception is of newspapers owned by the Borealian Broadcasting Association, the state-owned broadcaster which is required by law to be politically neutral. BBA's news channel is essentially the only prominent news channel in Ultima Borealia, whilst its newspapers remain quite large. Even referendums tend to be heavily spirited affairs, with massive and spirited demonstrations and rallies held by various political parties and unions which either support or oppose those referendums, while party and union officials even personally meet voters in door-to-door campaigns, asking them to vote yes or no on a referendum.

Unlike in most electoral democracies, stumping, parades, rallies and door-to-door campaigns are essentially the only major campaigns during elections, with political advertisements incredibly rare, largely attributed to the fact that Television barely contains any advertising in Ultima Borealia as approximately 90% of Borealian television channels are owned by the Borealian Broadcasting Association, which is prohibited from broadcasting advertising and receiving any funding not from general taxation and anonymous donations (although donations are only about 5% of BBA's funding), while Newspapers generally do not have any political advertising during election season, except for political advertising supporting the political party that newspaper is affiliated to. Almost all of a political party's resources during an election campaign are directed towards moving Electors and candidates across the country and organising rallies and parades. Public financing is the only legal form of campaign financing in Ultima Borealia.

Law Enforcement

The headquarters of the Borealian Police Administration in Stórkostlegborg.

Law enforcement in Ultima Borealia is split between the federal-level Borealian Police Administration and the police administrations in the Regions, with the Borealian Police Administration, a police service ran by the Ministry of Justice, an agency of the central government, and is the parent agency of the Economic Crime Agency, which is focused on white-collar crime, the Nationaal Parks and Land Agency, which enforces laws related to national parks and other public land owned by the national government, and the National Highway Patrol Agency, which patrols highways and protects public facilities. The Borealian Police Administration also manages the Borealian Police Academy, which is responsible for training both federal and regional police officers. All police officers keep their firearms in their police cars and must study at the Borealian Police Academy for two years before they may report for duty, which has led to very low rates of shots fired by the police.

Regional-level Police Administrations are funded through block grants by the Borealian Police Administration and manage the majority of law enforcement; this system of federal funding of regional police agencies was inspired both by concerns of centralisation of law enforcement by an authoritarian government and concerns that the wealth of particular regions would lead to certain regions having lower-quality law, a situation that was deemed unacceptable by the creations of the modern Borealian police system. All Regional-level Police Administrations are divided into Police District based on the Hundred/Prefecture of each police agency, The Borealian Police Administration directly reports to the Signore of Justice. Although the Signore of Justice, as a cabinet-level position, is a partisan one, the Borealian Police Administration is strictly non-partisan and each District and the Economic Crime Agency's administrators may not be a member of any political party or association. Regular police officers, however, may join any political party or association they choose, but political associations may not interfere with police work

Prison systen

All prisons in Ultima Borealia are managed by the Borealian Rehabilitation Service, which is world-renowned for the humanity of its prisons. Ultima Borealia has the world's lowest incarnation rate, which is caused by both a judicial system that solely incarnates violent criminals due to a focus on restorative justice, a legalisation of all drugs, and extremely low rates of poverty. Due to this extremely low incarnation rate, the Borealian Rehabilitation Service only operates two prisons, the Fjarðabyggð Prison, which is located on an island off the coast of Ultima Borealia, and Reykhólar Prison, which is a maximum-security prison located on the mainland; both are well-known as some of the most humane prisons in Esquarium. The prison system is entirely based on rehabilitation, rather than punishment or labour. The maximum prison time is 15 years, and solitary confinement and the death penalty are illegal. Ultima Borealia is well known for its humane prisons.

Military

The Borealian military is referred to as the Royal Borealian Armed Forces, which is divided into three branches; the Royal Borealian Army of Danu, the Royal Borealian Navy of Sedna of (which includes the Royal Borealian Coast Guard) and the Royal Borealian Forces of Týr, which functions as the Borealian air force; the RBAF's three branches are named after the Borealian deities of Earth, Water and Air, respectively. The RBAF has not seen combat for decades due to the Borealian government generally choosing to use diplomacy as an alternative to military action. The RBAF has total of approximately 30,000 soldiers, which is a relatively low amount but is quite high considering Ultima Borealia's population. All able-bodied Borealians must serve in the military from their 25th birthday to their 25th-and-a-half birthday, unless if they have a conscientious objection, in which case they may serve their legally-required National Service doing community service instead. The RBAF id unique in that it is technically a union shop, with all members of the Borealian military required to enlist in the United Soldiers' and Sailors' Association, although in reality the Association is more of a fraternal order of members of the Armed Forces than a union, although the USSA is a formal member of the Atlantican Federation of Labour and did illegally go on strike on 1 May 1994 during the beginning of the 1994 Borealian General Strike.

Foreign Relations (WIP)

Country (Feel free to add your own country here)	Status	Current state of relations	Mutual embassies	Visa Requirement
Template:Country data Crolacia	Relations are good.	Crolacia and Atlantica are trade partners and have had good relations historically.	Yes	No
Luziyca	Relations are neutral.	Okay relations, I guess	Yes	Partial (one country has visa requirement, other does not)
Template:Country data Phazayazk	Relations are poor.	Relations between Phazayazk and Atlantica are universally negative as the Atlantican government heavily criticises the Phazayazki Government for its Genocide against "impure ethnic groups" and its complete lack of civil rights (and to a very slightly lesser extent political rights), whilst the Phazayazki Government attacks Atlantica as a "Social fascist [social democratic] and degenerate capitalist nation". The two nations have no diplomatic relations or trade with each other.	No	Yes
Template:Country data Sæxland	Relations are good.	its all good and stuff (placeholder)	Yes	No
Template:Country data Shibdan	Relations are good	Close friends, but some issues	Yes	No
File:Flag of West Cedarbrook.jpg West Cedarbrook	Relations are good.	Relations between West Cedarbrook and Atlantica are good, dating to the establishment of both states in the 1870s. Trade is negligible due to distance, tariff and quota restrictions, and preference for domestic products and services or those of neighboring countries.	Yes	Yes

Economy (WIP)

An oil rig off the coast of Atlantica operated by AtlanticaOil. Oil production is a major Atlantican industry and is Atlantica's largest export.

Atlantica's economic system is unique. It supplies a generous social democratic welfare state, including single-payer healthcare, generous government-paid pensions (starting at age 55), free higher education, a basic income guarantee (largely funded by oil revenues), 1 full year of paid maternity and paternity leave, a negative income tax scheme, as well as traditional welfare for the poor. There is also a low level of regulations, with most regulations focused on consumer protection legislation, environmental regulations, legislation protecting collective bargaining with incredibly strict punishments for union busting, and a government-mandated 30-hour week. This all occurs under a country where 45% of the workforce is employed by the government, as industries like petroleum, all public utilities (including energy, telecommunications, water, and railroads), and healthcare are owned by the government, whilst the government uses indicative planning under a system of dirigisme in which the Government specifically encourages the growth of certain sectors of the economy that it deems to be healthy to the whole of the Atlantican economy. This combination of both a generous social safety net, nontraditional welfare system (like the basic income guarantee, negative income tax, and Ghent system), low regulations, high public sector and use of indicative planning and dirigisme is known as the Atlantican Model.

Atlantica is also known for its extremely high rates of union membership, with Atlantica's union density being the whopping percentage of 98%. This is because Atlantica uses the Ghent system, and several laws have been passed which are designed to strengthen union membership, including closed shop for the public sector. Additionally, there are almost no restrictions on the activities of unions, and punishments for union busting are harsh. The largest union in Atlantica is the Oil Workers' Union, and the largest national trade union centre is the Atlantican Federation of Labour.

Economic sectors

The main sectors of Atlantica's economy are Petroleum production and Tourism, while Timber and the pulp and paper industry are secondary roles of the Atlantican economy, being a major Atlantican export, while Fishing, and Hydropower provide tertiary roles for Atlantica's economy. Indeed, Petroleum is by far Atlantica's largest export (timber, paper and fish are second, third and fourth, respectively), while Tourism is also an important driver in Atlantica's economy, primarily sightseeing, skiing, and hiking, as well as drug tourism and sex tourism, due to Atlantica's very liberal stances towards drugs and prostitution, as exemplified by the Abortionplex.

Energy

All of Atlantica's electricity comes from the state-owned Atlantican Electricity Agency. Approximately 67% of Atlantica's electricity is produced via hydroelectric dams, whilst around 30% of Atlantica's electricity is produced via nuclear power. The rest of Atlantica's electricity is produced via wood (2%) or other methods of energy production.

A great portion of Atlantica's economy is via petroleum production. Atlantica was discovered to have considerable oil reserves in 1963, and a boom related to oil has been existing ever since. All petroleum and natural gas production, transportation and distribution in Atlantica is done via the entirely state-owned company AtlanticaOil. The vast majority of this oil is exported, thanks to low consumption for oil within Atlantica, especially relative to other developed nations and high amounts of oil relative to Atlantica's low population. Approximately half of annual oil revenues are put into a sovereign wealth fund, the Atlantican Oil Fund, and half are directly given to help fund the government, which the government uses to fund a substantial portion of Atlantica's welfare.

Demographics and Welfare (WIP)

Atlantica is ethnically and linguistically homogenous, with over 85% of Atlanticans speaking Atlantican and being Native Atlanticans. This is attributed to the historic lack of other ethnicites and languages in the Jarldom of Atlantica, as well as low levels of immigration in both the past and present. However, small minorities of Vestmarkers, Vjaarlanders and Mburis exist. Most Vestmarkers migrated to Atlantica due to political persecution following the Independence Revolution, as their views (mostly Socialist and Monarchist) were strongly opposed by many Vestmarkers, most Vjaarlanders migrated during Vjaarlandic Rule of Atlantica, whilst most Mburis migrated to Atlantica from the 1880s to the 1970s, originally during the era of the Second Vjaarlandic Empire, and later after Kinzerian independence in 1962. Vjaarlanders and Vestmarkers both comprise about 4% of the population and mostly speak Vjaarlandic and Vestmarkic, respectively, whilst Mburis comprise around 3% of the population and speak both Mburi and to a lesser extent Vjaarlandic.

Religion

Religion in Ultima Borealia
Religion			Percentage
Sacred Circle of Druids			68.4%
Assembly for Philosophy and Enlightenment			11.7%
Other Sannandist groups			10.3%
Kamist groups			5.2%
Vjaarlandic Catholic Church			3.2%
Non-Sannandist Pagan Groups			0.8%
Other			0.4%

Ultima Borealia is generally considered to be unique among nations in its religious composition. The vast majority of Borealians are members of the Sacred Circle of Druids, which is Ultima Borealia's state religion and the largest variant of Sannandism, the traditional religion of Ultima Borealia. Other Sannandists instead continue to practise Sannandism as a folk religion, primarily in the region of Nóttfron, which is located in the far north of Ultima Borealia. However, despite this high level of membership in the Sacred Circle of Druids, a large portion of members of that organisation are irreligious and do not believe the tenets of Sannandism, but rather continue their membership in the Sacred Circle of Druids due to their desire for the communal experience of attending weekly services and other views of the Sacred Circle of Druids as being essential to Borealian society and social experiences as a whole. Due to these desires for the communal experience brought about by the Sacred Circle of Druids, weekly church attendance, when factoring in all organised religious groups in Ultima Borealia, tends to hover at around 95%. Most Borealians not attending any religious service on a weekly basis largely do so due to belonging to a variant of the folk religion practised in Nóttfron that rejects even independent places of worship and instead stresses independent spiritual contemplation, usually by a household shrine.

Scholars and other observers of Borealian cultural and religious traditions unanimously stress the existence of Ultima Borealia's independent secular church, the Assembly for Philosophy and Enlightenment. The Assembly for Philosophy and Enlightenment (usually simply referred to as the Assembly) was originally created during the Borealian Revolution in 1878 as a replacement for the Sacred Circle of Druids, although it failed to eradicate religion in Ultima Borealia as the domination of the anti-clerical Radical Party over government was soon ended in the 1881 Battle of the Palaces. However, the Assembly did succeed in ushering a new area of atheism amongst large portions of the Borealian citizenry and survived these initial events and has today grown to serve as the alternative to the Sacred Circle of Druids for Borealian atheists, who tend to join the Assembly out of a sense of duty to participate in some sort of weekly service and a desire for the communal experience of participating in weekly services. The Assembly has grown in recent decades, almost entirely due to a growth in irreligion and atheism amongst the Borealian citizenry.

The largest religious group after the various Sannandist groups and the Assembly are various groups adhering to Kamism. This truth is almost entirely due to considerable emigration from Tuthina, predominantly of the Enciw. Enciw immigrants have continued their religious traditions and have created their own Kamist places of worship; many also continue to follow the Imperial Cult, a fact that has resulted in considerable controversy over the years and has been heavily criticised by nationalist politicians. A lasting legacy of Vjaarlandic immigration during the Vjaarlandic Empire has also led to a not-insignificant Vjaarlandic Catholic population within Ultima Borealia. Some minor religious groups have refused to part with heir various religious traditions from ages past, amongst them Germanic Celtic paganism. Due to the minuscule size of these various groups, the Borealian Census has lumped them under the category of "Non-Sannandist Pagan",

Education

Atlantica's education system is considered to be of incredibly high quality and to be well-funded, with a literacy rate of over 99%. Education is universal, mandatory, and free from the ages of 6 to 16. Education from the ages of 16 to 24 (mainly tertiary and postgraduate education, including medical schools) is also free (including textbooks and living expenses), but is not mandatory and as such, is not universal. Additionally, preschool education from ages 3 to 6 is also free, but is not mandatory and isn't universal. It is estimated that around 70% of Atlanticans have attended preschool education, 55% of Atlanticans have attended tertiary education, and 30% have attended postgraduate. Children go to school from February to June, and from September to June, and take breaks in December, January, July and August. This is mainly because December and January are usually too cold to attend school anyways. This is also designed as it is believed that children will get enough long breaks to not be worn out, but also so that children won't forget too much information over the school breaks, as they aren't as long as in some other countries (which usually only have one, very long break). In accordance with Atlantican law, all Atlantican teachers and staff belong to teachers' unions.

Private schools, charter schools and school vouchers are prohibited by law, whilst homeschooling is only available to parents whose students have severe behavioural or learning difficulties, and parents are required to pass a series of exams to be able to homeschool their children. This law applies to both preschool, primary education, secondary eduction and tertiary education; all educational institutions are run by the Government.

Tuition fees were not charged for any students from 1925 to 1989, but with in 1989 a new government stopped offering courses not taught in Atlantican (besides language-learning courses) for free to foreign students. The tuition fees remain considerably lower than in several other countries. The tuition fees range from ∑1000 Krónur (2500 USD) to ∑2000 Krónur (5000 USD) per year. The most prestigious and oldest schools include the University of Stórkostlegurborg and the University of Fjordhavn, which were founded in 1126 and 1177, respectively, and as such are among the oldest schools in the world, currently ranked as the best two schools in Atlantica. All academic universities in Atlantica are connected via the University of Atlantica which itself is not a university, but rather a federation for all Atlantican universities, whilst polytechnic universities are connected via the Atlantican Institute of Technology.

Healthcare

Atlantica has a single-payer healthcare system via the Atlantican Health Service (known in Atlantican as the Heilbrigðisþjónusta Atlantikska), which provides all care, as well as pharmaceutical drugs, free of charge to all Atlantican citizens and permanent residents. The HÞA (its abbreviation in Atlantica) was created in 1925 (making it the oldest single-payer healthcare service in the world) following the election of Gunnar Ólafursson as Lawspeaker of the Althing, with one of his key promises being the creation of a single-payer healthcare service, which he did shortly after he was elected. Most of the HÞA's functions are enshrined in the Constitution of Atlantica as that document declares that all Atlantican citizens have a right to universal healthcare free at the point of use and declares all hospitals, clinics, doctor's offices and pharmacies to be to be property of the State. However, the vast majority pharmaceutical drugs are privately manufactured and imported by the Atlantican government thanks to the small size of Atlantica. All private healthcare is prohibited, although cosmetic surgery does not qualify as healthcare and is privately operated.

Atlantica devotes a considerable amount of its resources on healthcare, with Atlantica having approximately 4.1 doctors per 1,000 people, and 15.7 nurses per 1,000 people, an incredibly high amount. Additionally, this figure has been achieved with only around 8% of the nation's GDP being spent on healthcare, which is low when considering the amount of resources Atlantica spends on healthcare, although Atlantica's very high GDP per capita means that the devotion of resources to healthcare is still very high. This is to some extent attributed to the fact that doctors' wages are lower than in most developed countries (but still very high), due to the fact that medical school in Atlantica is free. The resources Atlantica spends on its healthcare means that the HÞA is renowned for an extremely high quality of healthcare and low waiting times (especially for emergency services). This extremely high quality means that Atlantica's infant mortality is 0.8 per 1,000 births (one of, if not the lowest in the world), and a very high average life expectancy of 84.1 years for males and 85.9 years for females, or an average life expectancy of 85 years. This is mostly attributed to the high-quality care the HÞA gives out, as well as a very low obesity rate with only around 5% of Atlantican adults being obese, and only around 23% of Atlantican adults being obese or overweight. This number is largely attributed to Atlantican cuisine, which is quite healthy and is not particularly high-calorie, and Atlantican culture, which puts a strong emphasis on personal health and heavily looks down upon foods that are generally considered to be unhealthy and high-calorie, such as fast foods.

Housing

The average cost of a house (usually a flat/apartment) in Atlantica is around ∑175,000 ($437,500), one of the most expensive in Esquarium, while an average rent is around ∑24,000 a year, also one of the most expensive in Esquarium. However, it should be taken into account that around 45% of homes are owned by either the central government or local government, giving rise to the term thing house, and around 30% of homes are owned by their owners, 45% by the government, 20% by a landlord or landlady and 5% being cooperatives or communes. Thing homes are designed as affordable housing for working-class and lower middle-class Atlanticans., with prices ranging from being free (for the poorest) to ∑5000 Krónur a year (for the middle class who can't afford regular homes). Heavily built in the 1940s-1980s and more recently since the 2000s, many have attributed their particular style of six floors in a building - designed to both "Keep out the antisocial behaviour of suburbs and high-rises", in the words of the late Lawspeaker of the Althing Sigmundur Gunnarsson as having both prevented the growth of suburbs in Atlantica and heavily urbanised and built-up city centres. The social housing projects are also notable for having the majority of the social homes be built in the traditional Atlantican Gothic style. Unlike in many other countries, social housing has not experienced a decline, although during the 1990s there was a temporary stagnation in the creation of thing homes.

Culture (WIP)

Atlantica is considered by most observers to be a highly collectivist and communitarian culture focusing on a sense of community, interdependence and mutual aid and sharing and is considered to highly commend cooperation and working together whilst heavily looking down upon competition, seeing it as useless and the single greatest threat to the community and thus the people in the community. Atlantican culture also places no value towards self-reliance, seeing it, like selfishness and competition, as highly antisocial behaviour. This is largely attributed to the fact that historically Atlanticans have had to work together and help each other in order to survive during harsh winters. Atlantican culture is also considered to be highly Egalitarian, placing emphasis less on who is superior to another or not based on birth but rather if one is willing to cooperate and help others; essentially, Atlantican culture places less of an emphasis on the situation you were born in and more if you are willing to abide by Atlantica's highly collectivistic social rules.

Despite this high level of collectivism, however, Atlantica is considered to be quite culturally liberal with a "live-and-let-live" attitude; as Atlantican thinker Lúðvík Tómasson put it: "We [Atlanticans] don't care what you do personally; that's your business and not ours, just so long as you make sure to cooperate, not compete, and help and share with others."

Architecture

The Stórkostlegurborg Hof is widely considered to be the most famous and extravagant of all of Atlantica's Gothic buildings and is the most-visited building in Atlantica.

Atlantica (particularly Stórkostlegurborg) is well-known within the architectural world for its elaborate Gothic architecture. The Palace of the Jarls, Stórkostlegurborg Hof and Old Stórkostlegurborg are all some of the most elaborate, prominent and famous Gothic buildings in Esquarium. In the words of Vestmarkic traveller and intellectual <TBD>, in an account of his travels in Atlantica in 1754: "The cities of Atlantica are not modern and are not built in the Baroque or Renaissance or Neoclassical as most cities today are. Indeed, it is as if the cities of Atlantica are in another time, during the Middle Ages, for the roads in the cities are lined with Romanesque and Gothic buildings built hundreds of years ago. Even the newest buildings built under the current Vjaarlandic rule are just as Gothic and Romanesque as they were during a time when Viking raids were common and the Lagian League on top of Nordania. There is no Gothic Revival or Romanesque Revival here as there is in other countries; indeed, the Romanesque and especially the Gothic never died but have thrived here."

The words of <TBD> have held true since he spoke them in 1754. Gothic architecture has continued to thrive in Atlantica. Today most buildings in Atlantican cities are still mostly Gothic, even as industrialisation meant that skyscrapers have become more common; most skyscrapers in Atlantica are built in the Gothic revival or to a lesser extent Romanesque revival styles. Rural buildings, however, have and are almost always built in the more simple chalet style instead of the grandeur of the Gothic and to a lesser extent Romanesque of the cities; these chalets have spawned the Atlantican chalet style of architecture.

Art

The rose window of the Stórkostlegurborg Hof is considered (along with the hundreds of other works of art in the Hof) to be one of the finest examples of Atlantican art.

Atlantican art has had a history almost as long as the time humans settled Atlantica. There is evidence of art in Atlantican caves dating over 20,000 years old. Atlantican art is usually quite religious in nature, and Atlantican paintings and sculptures depict wild paintings of a mythological time of Gods and heroes. In both the Old Stórkostlegurborg Hof and the Stórkostlegurborg Hof, elegant and massive golden statues of the Norse Gods are ever-present, whilst beautiful paintings and stained glass depict various Norse gods and heroes in legends adorn the Hofs, especially the Stórkostlegurborg Hof, and mosaics cover the floors. Today Atlantican art is still as elegant and fantastical as ever, and Atlantican art has largely stayed the same throughout the millennia.

Cuisine

File:Raclette2.jpg

Raclette being served on a plate. Raclette is the Atlantican national dish.

Atlantican cuisine is strongly associated with cheese and fish, due to the fact that fish is highly abundant in Atlantican waters, as well as the fact that domesticated cows can live in Southern Atlantica, which is often known as the "Atlantican breadbasket", as it's easily the warmest part of Atlantica. Nowadays, most food in Atlantica is imported due to Atlantica's cold climate, although Atlantica is an exporter of fish (especially cod) and cheese. The hundreds of Atlantican cheeses are famous for their delicacy and variety, and are exported throughout Esquarium. Traditional dishes reflect this reliance on cheese and fish, with the three most famous and popular Atlantican dishes (as well as some of the oldest) being raclette (the national dish), fondue and smoked salmon. These three dishes are heavily consumed by Atlanticans. Additionally, bread is heavily imported in Atlantica (mostly from Vestmark), mostly to be used in fondue, although wheat can be occasionally grown in the warmest parts of Southern Atlantica. Another notable fact in Atlantican cuisine is that unlike most other Nordic countries, tea is much more popular than coffee. Most tea is imported from Namor.

Unlike countries such as Luziyca, fast food has yet to gain popularity in Atlantica and nearly all attempts at fast food restaurants in Atlantica fail after a few years. This is often attributed to Atlantican culture, which looks down upon fast food as removing pleasure and purpose from eating, and turns eating into a chore rather than a process.

Atlantica is also notable for being one of the only nations in the world where mead retains the level of popularity it once had in other nations; the vast majority of alcohol consumed in Atlantica is mead; other alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer, though available in most places in Atlantica, are not nearly as popular as mead is and have yet to gain popularity in Atlantica.

Literature

Snorri Gunnlaugsson was the author of dozens of Atlantican sagas and the Lawspeaker of the Althing from 1122-1128.

Atlantica's rich history of literature begins with the Atlantican Sagas, largely written in the late 1000s and early 1100s. These sagas, largely written in Old Norse and in Atlantican runes, both describe the vast Atlantican/Norse religion and today are largely used as the holy texts of the Atlanticanist Temple and were used to describe Atlantican history, all the way from Antiquity to when they were written. The Sagas were almost entirely written as eddaic poetry or skaldic poetry. The most famous of the Atlantican Sagas are the Creation Edda, which details the Völuspá, and the Crusade Edda, which details the Atlantican Crusade. To this date, the Atlantican Sagas are widely considered to be the most famous works and important works of Atlantican literature.

After the creation of the great Atlantican Sagas, the first Atlantican novels began to be created during medieval times, but the vast majority of Atlantican literature was eddaic poetry or skaldic poetry well into the 19th century, when more traditional forms of novels started to become popular. Today, the majority of new Atlantican literature is neither eddaic poetry nor skaldic poetry, but the Atlantican Sagas and eddaic poetry and skaldic poetry are still extremely popular. Science fiction and fantasy have become the most popular genres of novels in Atlantica today. It is also estimated that, on average, Atlantican adults read approximately 11 books a year, which is considered to be a relatively high amount.

Media

Atlantica is notable for having strict regulations of its press, known as the Quality Press Code, which bans tabloid newspapers, yellow journalism and newspapers from discussing gossip about figures personal lives unrelated to subjects at hand (e.g., an Atlantican newspaper may not accuse a politician or celebrity of having an affair), although the Atlantican Constitutional Court has ruled that any regulations on newspapers from discussing political speech is unconstitutional. The largest Atlantican newspapers are, in order of circulation: The Atlantican Daily (owned by and supportive of the SFL), The Times (nonpartisan), The Investigator (owned by and supportive of the Radicals), The Real Story (supportive of the Democratic Party), The Revolutionary (owned by and supportive of the Communist Party), The Atlanticanist (owned by and supportive of the Blue Party (Atlantica) and lastly The Strangely Soft Pinecone (a satirical newspaper). All major Atlantican newspapers are broadsheet, have both paper and online editions and, thanks to the Quality Press Code would considered to be part of the quality press in other countries.

Around of 80% all Atlantican TV traffic is done via the state-owned Atlantican Broadcasting Association, which broadcasts both news (subject to the same Quality Press Code and required to be nonpartisan and bias-free). educational programs and entertainment programs. ABA is largely independent of the government, although is entirely owned by the government, receives 95% of its funding from general taxation and is subject to certain regulations beyond the Quality Press Code, most notably a regulation that bans reality television, a regulation that many have said means that unlike in many nations, reality television has not become popular in Atlantica.

Music

Atlantican singer and guitarist Aðalbergur Baldursson won the 1975 Esquarivision Song Contest.

Atlantica has a long and vibrant tradition of music. The traditional Atlantican Rímur are among the oldest and best known Atantican songs. Related to the traditional poetry of Atlantica, Rímur often date from over a millennium ago and are alliterative, rhyming ballads and are usually sung a cappella. The Rímur deal with a wide range of topics, from epic, religious tales of mythological creatures and the Norse gods to secular and more Earthly topics. And although many Rímur were first sung over a millennium ago, the Rímur have been thriving for centuries and still continue to be composed and sung today.

Contemporary Atlantican music is in stark contrast to the traditional Rímur, although the influences of Rímur remain in contemporary Atlantican music. Rock music, particularly heavy metal has become very popular in Atlantica. Most Atlantican rock music is actually sung in English, but the titles of songs actually in Atlantican. Atlantican Heavy metal singer and guitarist Aðalbergur Baldursson won the 1975 Esquarivision Song Contest, considered to be the crowning achievement of Atlantican heavy metal.

Sports

Ice hockey is the Atlantican national sport.

Unlike in many Esquarian countries, sports like association football and baseball are not popular, largely attributed to Atlantica's cold climate. Ice hockey, however, is the most popular sport in Atlantica and has been legally-designated as Atlantica's national sport since 1881. Atlantica's 60 professional hockey clubs (all of which are fan-owned) compete in the Atlantican Hockey League and the Second League, with the best 30 hockey clubs competing in the AHL and the worst 30 clubs competing in the SL. A system of promotion and relegation is used to determine which clubs go into the AHL and which clubs go into the SL. Stórkostlegurborg H.C. and Fjordhavn H.C. are considered to be the two best teams in the AHL. The last time a club that wasn't Stórkostlegurborg H.C. or Fjordhavn H.C. being the best team in the AHL was in 1996 (when Skagafjörðurborg H.C. was the best team in the AHL), and Stórkostlegurborg H.C. and Fjordhavn H.C. are notable as being the only two Atlantican hockey clubs to have never been played in the Second League and have played in the AHL since the AHL's formation in 1874. There exists an incredibly fierce rivalry between Stórkostlegurborg H.C. and Fjordhavn H.C., which has occasionally led to violence between the fans of the two teams.

Theatre

Atlantica has a long and storied tradition of theatre. During both medieval and early modern times, Atlantica had unparalleled levels of freedom of speech and of the press when compared to other Esquarian countries, and this allowed a unique environment to set up, as dozens of plays and musicals were created during this time that were essentially political and religious satires, although hundreds of plays and musicals unrelated to political and religious satire were also created. Most apolitical Atlantican plays and musicals were in a very real way renditions of Atlantican skalds and edda, as actors played the roles of the characters in skalds and edda, often playing the roles of legendary gods, goddesses and heroes.

Most early Atlantican films were simply recordings of the traditional Atlantican plays and musicals, but Atlantican films quickly became more elaborate and more like traditional films, and new ideas and storylines were created. Atlantican cinema is notable for being particularly conservative in many of its ways; the majority of its films were in black-and-white well into the 1990s, most Atlantican films are still musicals, and Atlantican cinema has largely refused to adopt CGI animation and has adopted very few special effects. Most Atlantican cinema is notable for being deeply philosophical and questions almost everything. The majority of Atlantican films are independent films.

Holidays

Numerous holidays are celebrated in Ultima Borealia; the vast majority are religious/cultural holidays and most stem from Germanic or Celtic pagan tradition, as both of those religions heavily influenced the Borealian religion of Sannandism. Most Borealian holidays are seasonal festivals of some sort, as they tend to mark either the beginning or middle of a season. Ultima Borealia celebrates an unusually high number of holidays, largely due to the fact that both Celtic and Germanic pagan holidays became celebrated by all Borealians during a period of cultural syncretisation in early Borealian history. Holidays are officially set by the Holidays Act but were celebrated long before that legislation was passed.

Date	Name	Notes
1 February	Imbolc	A Gaelic holiday held to mark the beginning of Spring. In Ultima Borealia, Imbolc is also influence by Germanic pagan taditions as a Blót is held on this day in accordance with the tradition of Þorrablót.
variable	Dísablót	Dísablót is held at the Vernal equinox and is sometimes referred to as Midspring.
30 April/1 May	Beltane	The holidays of Walpurgis Night and Beltane are together often held to be the most important ones in Ultima Borealia after Yule and Midsummer. The two holidays are today fused into one celebration of the beginning of Summer and like most other Borealian holidays carry religious connotations as well. International Workers' Day coincides with these two holidays and is marked by demonstrations and marches by trade unions and leftist groups.
	Walpurgis Night
	International Workers' Day
variable	Midsummer	Midsummer is generally considered to be the second-most important holiday in Ultima Borealia after Yule and is held on the Summer Solstice. The Sigrblót is held on this day.
17 July	Unification Day	Unification Day celebrates the unification of Ultima Borealia and serves as its national day.
1 August	Lughnasadh	A traditional Gaelic holiday marking the beginning of Autumn. Ultima Borealia's Harvest festival, Lughnasadh is also marked with a ceremonial Blót and horse sacrifice.
1-3 November	Samhain	Samhain is a traditional Gaelic holiday marking the beginning of Winter as is the traditional Germanic holiday of Winter Nights. Most celebrations occur on Samhain, whereas sacrifices occur on the other two days of the Winter nights in what is referred to as the Álfablót.
1-3 November	Winter Nights
variable	Yule	The most-important holiday in Ultima Borealia, Yule commemorates the Winter Solstice and the rebirth of the Sun. Yule consists of the greatest Blóts in the whole year and is twelve days of these sacrificial feasts and other celebrations beginning on the Winter Solstice.

Transport (WIP)

Unlike in most developed countries, cars are hardly used in Atlantica. This can be attributed to excellent rapid transit networks in Stórkostlegurborg and the Stórkostlegurborg Metropolitan Area (Stórkostlegurborg Metro) and in Fjordhavn and the Fjordhavn Metropolitan Area (Fjordhavn Subway), which serve all neighbourhoods in those Metropolitan Areas, including in both urban areas (where a majority of the Atlantican population is located, as Atlantica's mountainous topography means that the possibility of a sprawled-out city is quite limited) and suburban areas. This generally leads to almost no car usage in urban areas and very low car usage in suburban areas. Bicycling is also quite popular in Atlantica, especially in urban areas.

Air

The state-owned company Atlantican Airlines has a state monopoly on all domestic flights in Atlantica, although Atlantican Airlines does not enjoy a state monopoly on all international flights---in practice, this means that the vast majority of flights where an airport in Atlantica is involved are international flights, thanks to Atlantica's massive tourism industry. There are only two international airports in Atlantica---Stórkostlegurborg International Airport and Fjordhavn International Airport, which together receive over 90% of all airport traffic in Atlantica. The rest of the airports are usually very small airfields in rural areas. All airports are owned by the State.

Land

Although historically most travel in Atlantica was by sea and river, today most travel in Atlantica is by land, whether it be by rail, road or bicycle, although due to an increase in travel by Air and a minor comeback in travel by Sea or River, the share travel by Land has in transportation in Atlantica is not as strong as it was 100 years ago, but travel by Land continues to be dominant.

Bicycle

A Critical Mass in Fjordhavn. Bikers reclaim the streets every month at a Critical Mass.

Despite the fact that Atlantica is quite mountainous, because the coastline tends to be quite flat, travel by bicycle is quite common in urban areas (which are almost always coastal in Atlantica) in between railroad stops and the desired location. In rural areas and the Atlantican interior, on the other hand, bicycling is almost entirely unheard of; the rugged, bitterly cold Atlantican Mountains prevent such activities like bicycling from happening. A Critical Mass is held every month in Stórkostlegurborg, Fjordhavn, Skagafjörðurborg, Kópavogur and Reykjavík.

Rail

Today, a plurality of transportation in Atlantica is done via rail. The vast majority of Commuting in Atlantica is done via a rapid transit system, whilst around 60% of all travel in between the big cities is also one via rail (the rest is largely done via air). The Government heavily and successfully encourages rail usage in order to reduce automobile usage, oil use (so more oil can be exported, in order to benefit the Atlantican economy) and greenhouse gas emissions. All railroads in Atlantica are state-owned; all local rail is owned by the Municipalities (often times jointly owned by several municipalities), whilst all national rail is owned by the Atlantican Government via the Atlantican Railway Corporation.

Road

Cars, especially in comparison to other developed nations, are barely used, especially in urban areas. Indeed, almost all roads in urban areas, usually built during a time when cars did not exist, are car-free and only bicycles and pedestrians are allowed to use the streets (all Atlantican rapid transit systems and other local rail systems are always underground). Suburban areas are usually slightly more accommodating, but suburbs are a rarity in Atlantica and cars are still largely not used in Atlantica. A national highway system does exist, but it is significantly smaller than the national railway system. In rural areas, however, cars are the main method of land-based transportation (although a majority of transportation in rural areas is water-based) as railways are simply impractical in the rugged Atlantican Mountains and cars are simply the only option.

Sea and River

The mountainous topography of Atlantica has meant historically that it was extremely difficult to travel to other cities by land, and as such the use of ships was more common historically. This situation changed dramatically in the 1820s and 1830s as, against all odds, the Stórkostlegurborg-Fjordhavn Railroad was successfully completed, resulting in a decline in transportation by sea in Atlantica, although in the Atlantican interior boats are still the main method of transportation used as the Atlantican River and its tributaries and distributaries are considerably easier to navigate than the rugged Atlantican Mountains. However, transportation by sea in Atlantica has been making a comeback as the vast majority of Atlantica's exported goods (most prominently oil, as well as Timber, Fish and Paper) are exported via the Port of Stórkostlegurborg or the Port of Fjordhavn, and the boom in tourism since the 1940s and 1950s means that navigating the Atlantican fjords and glaciers via boat has increased dramatically. However, travel by sea and river is still far behind travel by rail.