Viikmaa

Viikmaa ᚹᛁᛁᚳᛗᚪᚪ Viikmaan Itsehallintoyhteisö ᚹᛁᛁᚳᛗᚪᚪᚾ ᛁᛏᛋᛖᚻᚪᛚᛚᛁᚾᛏᚩᚣᚻᛏᛖᛁᛋᛟ
State
Autonomous Community of Viikmaa
Flag
Motto(s):  Hurrikaanin Keskus on Rauhallisin ᚻᚢᚱᚱᛁᚳᚪᚪᚾᛁᚾ ᚳᛖᛋᚳᚢᛋ ᚩᚾ ᚱᚪᚢᚻᚪᛚᛚᛁᛋᛁᚾ "The Centre of the Hurricane Is The Calmest"
Country	Crylante
Region	Nausikaa
Capital and largest city	Äänekoski
Government
• Type	Direct-democratic system
• President	Kirsikka Peura (EI)
• Executive Council	Pienineuvosto (6)
• Parties	EI-TK-KP
• Rank	TBD
Population  (2017)
• Total	37,829
• Rank	20th
• Rank	TBD
Demonym	Viikmaan
GDP
• Year	2017
• Total	tbd (tbd)
• Per capita	tbd(tbd)
HDI
• Year	2017
Time zone	UTC-1 (CST)
Postal Code	VI-- ---
ISO 3166 code	CR-VI

Viikmaa, officially the Autonomous Community of Viikmaa, is a state within the Crylantian Federation, located on the Viikmaan Islands in the northern fringe of the Nausikaan archipelago. The population speaks a dialect of the Nausikaan language, and is the second smallest state of Crylante after Nixoperuit, with a population of 37,829.

It is known for its remoteness and traditional values, with the population still largely using runes to write, a practice that has died out in the rest of Crylante. It is also considered a hotbed of Nausikaan seperatist thought; the current President, Kirsikka Peura, is a member of the seperatist Forefathers' Party.

The capital and largest municipality of Viikmaa is Äänekoski, with a population of 7,301 residents, while the other major town in the state is Nokia, with a population of 3,310.

Municipalities

Viikmaa is divided up into twelve municipalities, listed in decreasing order of population:

• Äänekoski
• Nokia
• Jäätynytmaa
• Portaa
• Lahdenkulma
• Latvo
• Horjankylä
• Asuma
• Kivikangas
• Lehto
• Majamaa
• Pennala

Demographics

The population of the canton was estimated to be 37,829 in 2017, an increase of 20 since the most recent census. However, the population is very homogenous, with over 95% of the population having been born in Viikmaa, and nearly 100% having been born in Crylante as a whole; only 70 people said they were born outside the country in the last census, with a majority coming from Vrnallia, Navack or Glanodel.

85.4% of the population identified their religion as Truathist in the latest census; 14.5% identified as irreligious and 0.1% identified as something different. Church attendance is relatively high in Viikmaa, with over 52% of the population attending religious services weekly. Truathists in Viikmaa fall under the Diocese of Nokia in the Crylantian Truathist Association, with 12 temples serving the populace.

Public services

Viikmaa is covered by 19 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 joint school. Two of these secondary schools are gymnasiums, in Äänekoski and Nokia, while the other is a vocational school in Nokia, and the joint school serves pupils with special educational needs and is located in Äänekoski.

This educational system has produced an almost 100% literacy rate, albeit in Nausikaan runes, and a rate of completion well over 90% for secondary education, but notably the rate of enrolment in tertiary education is very low, with most students going straight into the workforce after secondary education.

Healthcare in Viikmaa is provided by hospitals in Äänekoski and Nokia, and small clinics in most of the other municipalities, with helicopters serving to offer emergency healthcare provision to the state.

Economy

Viikmaa's economy is largely centered around fishing, with the industry making up around 80% of the state's income in 2016. Most of those in the labour service who do not work for the government or public services work in some way in the fishing industry, with the remainder working in shops, restaurants or in tourism.

While unemployment rates are low in Viikmaa, sitting at 2.7% in 2016, it is one of the poorest states in the Crylantian Federation, and a significant proportion of its income comes from equalisation payments made by the federal government.

The recent discovery of crude oil deposits off the coast of Viikmaa has led to some believing that the state can soon start to diversify into the oil industry, although there is uncertainty as to the actual amount of oil available. Service-based industries are also being encouraged in Viikmaa, although it remains to see if these will help to diversify the economy of the nation.

Politics

Viikmaa is run as a direct democracy, with the monthly Yhteisökokous (ᚣᚻᛏᛖᛁᛋᛟᚳᚩᚳᚩᚢᛋ) in Äänekoski performing the legislative duties of the government. At meetings of this body, motions put forward by a petition of 100 residents of Viikmaa or by members of the Pienineuvosto are debated and voted on by a show of hands; a simple majority in most cases is enough to pass a motion. These meetings normally take place on weekends, and may last up to five hours in cases.

A council of 15 representatives, with 3 from Äänekoski, 2 from Nokia and 1 from each of the other 10 municipalities, has been introduced in recent years, which is used to make emergency decisions in between sessions of the Yhteisökokous. This has been referred to as an "upper house" in contrast to the Yhteisökokous being referred to as a "lower house"; its delegates are elected yearly and can be recalled by the areas they represent.

The Pienineuvosto, Viikmaa's executive, is elected at the first Yhteisökokous of the year every three years, and consists of six individuals who are responsible for managing different areas of the state government; one of these is also chosen as the President of Viikmaa; currently this is Kirsikka Peura of the Forefathers' Party.

Position	Holder	Party
President of Viikmaa and Minister for Culture	Kirsikka Peura	EI
Minister for Finance	Iisak Moilanen	KP
Minister for Social Services, the Economy and the Environment	Tapio Viitala	TK
Minister for Construction and Transport	Kaarlo Väisänen	EI
Minister for Justice and Security	Tyyni Varis	KP
Minister for Education and Healthcare	Ruut Hämäläinen	TK

Three parties dominate Viikmaan politics: the conservative, pro-independence Forefathers' Party, the agrarian, unionist Centre Party, which is an affiliate of the Farmers' Party, and the Trúathi Party, which advocates Truathist social teaching and unionism. This three-party system is also seen at the national level, with Viikmaa giving one seat each to the national affiliates of these parties in both houses.

Viikmaa is considered Crylante's most conservative state, with many from Viikmaa being opposed to immigration, supportive of the social teachings of Trúathi and opposed to international trade, although many in Viikmaa hold relatively centrist views on economics, and strong environmentalist sentiments are echoed by many in the population.