Nation/Norcambria

Norcambrian Republic
Norcambrian Republic Republica Norcambria;
	Motto: United and free ; Unidos y en libertad ;
	Anthem: Himno nacional de Norcambria;
Capital	Colonia
Official languages	Spanish,
Ethnic groups	97.4% White; 2,6% Multiracial;
Demonym	Norcambrian
Government	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
Legislature	Asamblea Nacional
Establishment
Area
Population
GDP (PPP)	estimate
GDP (nominal)	estimate
Currency	Norcambrian Peso (NCP)
Time zone	(UTC−3)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+23514425
Internet TLD	.ia

Norcambria, officialy the Norcambrian Republic (Spanish: República Norcambria), is a sovereign state in The East Pacific. It borders New Angouleme to its north and west and the United Provinces to its south, with the Rio Cambria (Cambrian River) to the south and the Sring Sea to the northeast. Norcambria is home to an estimated 3.20 million people, of whom 2.5 live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Colonia. With an area of approximately 210,500 km2, Norcambria is one of the smallest nations in The West Pacific. Itapahua people migrated from New Angouleme at least 5,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 17th century, when the French established Fort Sauveur (nowadays Salvador) in 1648. Colonia was founded as a militay stronghold by the Spanish in 1679, in order to secure the absolute control of the Christmas Strait and both shores of the Cambrian River from French and Portuguese advance. Norcambria fought against Spain as one of the ten United Provinces between 1819 and 1825, before seceding in 1831 following the Congress of Las Piedras. The area remained as a battleground throughout the 19th century between its neighbors and many europeans powers, who sought the intervention and influence on it domestic policies. With the adoption of the Constitution in 1875, the country ended half a decade of bloody internal conflicts, altough civil unrest continued until early XX century, but in a small scale. Modern Norcambria is a democratic constitutional republic, with a presiden who servers as both head of state and head of government.

Norcambria is an importan global exporter of wool, frozen beef, wheat, grain and milk. The country is leader in clean energies, with nearly 95% of it electricity coming from wind and solar parks. The country is regarded as a liberal country, having legalised abortion, prostitution, euthanasia, assisted fertility, same-sex marriage and cannabis. It was one of the first to introduce women's suffrage in 1913 and maintains a progressive policy of gender equality. Norcambria has a market-based mixed economy, with a income per capita of around $26,504. The country also has a modern welfare state that provices universal healthcare, public education and social pension. A redistributive taxing system makes Norcambria one of the most egalitarian countries in the multiverse and ranks among the top in the Human Developed Index.

Etymology

History

Before European colonization, the area was inhabited by the Itapahua, a small tribe that migrated from New Angouleme to the fertile lands of Norcambria. It is estimated that there were about 12,000 Itapahua and 5,000 Itahua and Atamara at the time of contact with Europeans in the 1600s. This tribes established small settlements alongside the Black River and in both banks of the North and Cambrian rivers. In the beginning they were basic hunter-gatherers, but quickly developed agriculture and pottery.

Colonization

The first Europeans to arrive in the territory of the modern Norcambria were the French, which established Fort Sauveur (nowadays Salvador), in 1648. Portugal established Concepcion in 1652. The Spanish founded Colonia in 1679 as a military stronghold to counter the presence of both French and Portuguese in the area. In the beginning, relations between Europeans and natives were friendly, consisting of commerce and mutual help, mostly due to the absence of gold and silver and their solely objetive of gaining advantage in the control of the Cambrian River and the straits. From 1688 cattle and sheep were introduced in the region, which became a source of wealth and a paradigm shift. New cities were founded and Colonia's natural port became the second most important in the Cambrian river, behind the Viceroyalty's capital Merida. New settlers established small farms, cash crops of wheat, corn and rice were developed, extration industries grew up in leather and lumber. With the progress of colonization in the area, the natives were conquered and displaced, mostly with military campaings between 1702 and 1725, which led to almost the extermination of the natives.

Commerce flourished and the region began to be center of colonial disputes between Spain, France, Portugal and Great Britain, as they tried to gain control of the trade routes. The history of Norcambria was shaped by this fights. In 1712, the country was invaded by the east by the French, who advanced as far a Arroyo Caracoles and seized Salvador. With the treaty of Utrecht, France gained control of the city, which would last until 1719 when the Spaniards took it again. In 1805, Great Britain occupied Colonia from August to March, 1806, when they were expelled by local militias.

Independence Struggle (1809-1823)

The overthrow of Ferdinand VII and the coronation of Joseph Bonaparte and the following Peninsular War caused great concern and divided the society. The Spanish authorities were split between those who were still loyal to the crown and those supporting the Bonapartist regime. On August 8, 1809 revolutionaries in Mérida deposed the viceroy replacing him with the Provisional Government. Spain declared Mérida an enemy city and appointed Colonia as capital of the Viceroyalty of the New Navarre. At the same time, French forces crossed the Rio Negro and invaded Norcambria, causing the viceroy Antonio De La Fuente to raise taxes to maintain an army capable of fighting against the French and the rebels on the other side of the river. Tthis led to major discomfort among the population against the colonial authorities. Gabriel Mateu, a farmer from Cerro, channeled the discontent and raised an army of 1,000 men and marched towards Colonia. Hundreds of volunteers joined them and besieged the city. The assault failed and they were forced to retreat. The patriots established a camp in the outskirts where, in the night of November 4, a royalist counterattack almost destroyed the army. Mateu fled Norcambria by boat, saying before departing I shall return with freedom for the Norcambrians

Mateu went to Mérida, capital of the new United Provinces, to meet with Prudencio Bustos, then president, seeking support for the Norcambrian cause. Tthe authorities were aware of the threat of a Spanish stronghold in the are to their revolutionaries hopes and quickly sent an army to Norcambria. Bustos distrusted Mateu's ideas and appointed Esteban Herrero as general of the Cambrian River Army and Mateu was made lieutenant. When the army reached Norcambria, hundreds of local men joined them and put siege of Colonia on March, 1810. It lasted until September 8, 1812, when the forces surrendered. They entire area was anexed to the United Provinces and Herrero was named Governor.

In June 1813, French forces in New Angouleme crossed again the Rio Negro and invaded half of the territory. Mateu wanted to raise and army and fight them, but Herrero considered it too risky and unnecessary, as they were taking lands far away the Cambrian River, main focus of the United Provinces. Mateu resigned his post as Secretary of Commerce and joined his countrymen in the town of Rivera Grande. Despite the armistice between the United Provinces and France, they attacked and defeated the French forces in the Battle of Cazadores. The triumph made Mateu a national hero and a traitor in the eyes of the Mérida's authorities. He was declared outlawed by the Provisional Government and put price to his head. However, the men sent to capture him joined Mateu's army and they repelled three invasions beween 1814 and 1815. After capturing Arroyo Rojo, he expelled the French forces from the region. Mateu gathered more men and advanced towards Colonia. He defeated the forces of Herrero in the Battle of Cerrito and besieged Colonia. The Provisional Government, now in hands of Gaspar Barbieri, proposed an armistice. By the Armistice of May, the Provisional Government recognized Mateu's role as general in the region and the removal of Herrero, in exchange of the end of his campaigns against the United Provinces. It also agreed elections to appoint representatives for a national congress that would be held the next year.

Both sides violated the armistice soon. The United Provinces began to deploy units in the shores of Norcambria and a few skirmishes took place in the southwest. Meanwhile, foreshadowing a forthcoming invasion, Mateu got involved in contacts with opponents of the Provisional Government, especially those governors and generals in the neighboring provinces. On August 14, 1816 Norcambria, San Rafael, Mesopotamia and Alcántara signed the Quadruple Alliance, a defensive pact. On April 14, 1817, the United Provinces declared their independence from Spain, including Norcambria and the other three provinces of the alliance, despite they never sent representatives to the congress. The new president, Natalio Torrejón, demanded total submission to the new state and tried to force Mateu to accept the rule of Mérida. Mateu stated that, although he considered Norcambria part of the United Provinces, he would not accept such impositions and demanded democratic elections to choose representatives and convene a congress to draft a constitution for the country. Torrejón refused and declared war on the alliance.

The war between the United Provinces and the Quadruple Alliance began with the battle of Almuez on 13 June. Despite initial balance, the naval superiority quickly turned the war in favor of the United Provinces, blocking commerce between the allies and the world and bombarding coastal cities. Mateu and his forces repelled many invasions, but by 1819, the were in total retreat. The United Provinces captured Colonia in February and defeated Mateu in the decisive battle of Loma Azul. The Norcambrian leader resigned to his post as general and retreated towards New Angouleme, where he would die in 1826. Around 12,000 people left with him, in the so called Norcambrian exodus. United Provinces' troops tried to capture him, but it was impossible due to his successful campaign of scorched earth. After the Peace of May, Norcambria was anexed to the United Provinces.

In 1821, Feliciano Rivero became President for life of the United Provinces, establishing a totalitarian regime and many of his political enemies and detractors went to exile in Norcambria. There they joined the Patriotic Society, a group formed by young, army veterans and landowners and began plotting against the central government. They decided to weaken Rivero by making a revolt, with hopes of extending it to the rest of the United Provinces. The revolution began on 5 August 1823 in Colonia, which was captured after two days of street fight. The rebels wanted the resignation of Rivero and to draw-up a Constitution. Rivero thought it was just another rebellion against his rule, but the conflict escalated fast. The rural interior, once supporter of Rivero, backed the rebels and sent forces to the capital. Great Britain and France, through New Angouleme, helped them with weapons and mercenaries. The rebels won the Battle of Arroyo de Sicilia on 6 November and the United Provinces established a blockade on the Colonia Bay, trying to force the rebels to parley. However, the recently formed Provisional Governement summoned the Congress of Las Piedras and declared on 17 December the independence of Norcambria. Great Britain, France and New Angouleme recognized the independence of the country, as all of them had interest in the Cambrian River and were in favor of the creation of a buffer state to end United Provinces' monopoly over the straits. The treaty of Colonia on 12 November 1824, between the United Provinces, New Angouleme, Great Britain and France recognized the Norcambrian State as an independent and neutral country. However, all sides kept their forces in the country until the adoption of the fist constitution on 14 February 1826.

Civil Wars

After the independence, the Patriotic Society divided into two branches: the conservative Reformist Party, headed by José Ventura, representing the agricultural interior, protectionism and a strong federal state; and the liberal National Party, headed by Esteban Ferreira, representing the aristocracy, free trade and a unitary state. Both parties received support from the United Provinces, New Angouleme and European powers, which became involved in Norcambria's internal affairs as a way to install favorable governments in the country. The first constitution, although ratified, was never put in practice. The National Assembly appointed interim presidents during the first four years of the new country. In the first elections, Esteban Ferreira was elected president through fraud, bribes and intimidation. Ventura and the Reformist denounced this and Ferreira resigned after being named General of the Armies and was sent to pacify the interior. A few days latter, the assembly appointed Ventura as the new president. After hearing the news, Ferreira marched towards Colonia with the army and on 8 July 1831 overthrow Ventura in the first coup d'etat of the country. Ventura fled and seek support in the United Provinces, which did not recognized Ferreira as legitimate President. In 1832, Ferreira declared war on the United Provinces. The conflict would last 16 years and become known as the War of the two Presidents.

The turning point of the war was in 1841, when the United Provinces successfully landed troops in Norcambria and defeated Ferreira at the Battle of Palcas on 7 October. The President retreated towards Colonia and fortified the city. José Ventura was in virtual control of the country, only with the capital left. Ferreira didn't gave up and stayed in the city during four years. The defense of the city was possible by the help of immigrants and former slaves and naval support from Great Britain and France. On 11 October 1845, since the war seemed lost, Ferreira fled the city in an british boat to New Angouleme. Felipe Arce, interim president, decided to continue the defence and called for foreign help. New Angouleme entered the war in favor of the Nationals in 1847 and invaded half of the country, led by Ferreira. The besiegers saw their supply lines get lost and their position weakened. In the decisive Battle of Capura, the joint forces defeated Ventura on 24 January 1848, finally ending the war. Ferreira was restored and signed several treaties with New Angouleme, giving them the grant of "most favoured nation" and free pass and stay of their armies through Norcambria.

With Ferreira's victory, the National Party became the only political force. When he died in 1850, the party suffered a power vacuum and internal fights began between the National-Traditionalists and the National-Progresists. The 20 July 1852 became known as the "day of the three presidents", as Florencio Puerta, Marcelino Puig and Leonardo Peña held the title of President during that day. Eventually, Joaquín Más emerged as the leader of the party, supported by Colonia's aristocracy and the military, especially after his suppression of the August Revolution of 1854. He assumed office on 1 February 1855, a day still used by the Norcambrian presidents and enforced the 1826 constitution. He was the first of the "founding presidents", four presidencies which set up the bases of the modern Norcambrian state.

The conservative hegemony

Between 1875 and 1902 the country was governed exclusively by members of the National Party, reunified in 1872. They pushed liberal economic policies and transformed the country into a modern state. Massive waves of European immigrants, primarily from Italy and Spain, reinvented the Norcambrian society. The population grew to over 520,000 by 1890. Norcambria became one of the main exporters of cattle, wool, wheat and dairy products. Railways lines reached 1,545 kilometres by 1900; telegraphs lines were expanded; a law created a public, compulsory, free and secular education system. The port of Colonia became one of the most importants in the region and, by 1885, Norcambria was one of the top 15 nations by per capita income and one of the top 12 most wealthy nations in the world, with an average GDP growth of 53,5% between 1883 and 1915. Despite this achievements, political freedom was almost non-existent and all presidents were members of the aristocratic and wealthy families of Colonia, elected by fraud. Any incipient industrialization was destroyed by free trade and laissez faire policies, strengthening the model in which Norcambria was exporter of commodities and importer of manufactures.. Furthermore, immigrants brought socialist, communist and anarchist ideas, which were a threat to the conservative order of the ruling party.

20th century

The conservative oligarchy began to be challenged in the late 1890s. Several small political parties merged in the Civic League and they led three revolutions in 1897, 1902 and 1907. They were defeated in all of them, but the last was powerful enough to unleash a wave of institutional change within the ruling party that could not be stopped and it was clear the need for deep institutional reform to contain the increasing social and political conflict. In 1913, the constitution was reformed to include the universal suffrage and in 1914, Bartolomé Ybarra was the first elected president in clean elections. It inaugurated the first democratic period of the country. During Ybarra's two terms (1910-15 and 1920-25) the economic growth and prosperity allowed him to institute a welfare state and to increase government participation in many facets of the economy. The railways were nationalized; ; primary school became mandatory and new secondary schools were established in every city; Norcambria became a secular state; right of divorce was given to women; unemployment benefits were introduced and also an eight-hour working day. The country remained neutral in WWI and became supplier of meat and wheat to the allies. As consequence of the war, the country experienced a rapid industrialization, centered on consumer goods and manufactures.

The country continued to grow until the Great Depression. Norcambria was hit hard, with a rise in unemployment, a trade deficit, general strikes and political tension. The conservative and aristocratic elites began plotting their return to power, discrediting the government in the press and supporting strikes and revolts. Paramilitary forces were created to promote chaos and violence and radical groups appeared. On 5 July 1932, Gaspar Monti, supported by the Nationals, the church, the army and the oligarchy, overthrow Aurelio Scotti and ended almost 22 years of democracy. Monti was admirer of Mussolini and tried to institute corporatism and moved towards fascist. Nearly 600 leftists were illegally executed and the economy was liberalized again, favoring the nation's upper classes and fostered political and industrial corruption. During this time, however, Norcambria reached the peak of its development. The country supplied beef, wool, wheat and leather to both sides at WWII. This led to a peaceful transition to democracy in 1949, when Gabriel Vidal Macías was elected President. The end of the large military conflicts led to economic troubles. The decrease in demand for agriculture products caused inflation, mass unemployment and a drop in the income per capita. It was the beginning of violent confrontations between extreme left and extreme right and repression.

A new coup d'etat took place in July 1965, which established General Ernesto Laterza as president. Students, scientists, union leaders, communists and anarchists were persecuted and usually kidnapped and murdered. Torture was used against opposition of the regimen and jails were full of political prisoners and thousands of people left the country. The military began a large privatization of public companies and the liberalization of the economy, which mostly destroyed the local industry and reinforced the agro-export model. From 1973, massive protests against the dictatorship broke out. In 1974, talks began between the military and the political parties to negotiate a return to democracy. Before leaving power, the military passed a law granting official pardon to all the armed forces that participated in the dictatorship between 1966 and 1975.

In 1974, National party leader Agustin Fontana won the first elections in twelve years. Fontana introduced policies to restructure the economy and reduce the role of government and achieve stability after years of dictatorship. This reforms included deregulation and public-asset sales. Subsidies and tariffs were phased out to farmrs and consumers. The Norcambrian peso was allowed to float. Taxes were cut from 57% to 35%. Fontana focused on attract foreign trade and capital and achieved some success in stabilizing the economy. Further liberalization of trade regimes continued through the five National consecutive presidencies and, at the end of the 1990s, social security, education, public safety and infrastructure were improved. The economy grew steadily until low commodity prices and economic difficulties in its main export markets caused a recession in 2003.

Present

The economy grew steadily until low commodity prices and economic difficulties in its main export markets caused a recession in 2003. A banking crisis began on September, with massive run on banks by depositors and led to the government to freeze banking operations. On November, a serie of lootings shook the country, beginning in marginal areas of Colonia. For more than a week shops were closed and the government declared the state of emergency. Clashes with the police were almost daily. The IMF agreed a new loan for Norcambria, which was the beginning of the end of the crisis. The crisis was devastating. The suicide rate increased; wages fell and unemployment reached 24%.

Ricardo Muggia was elected president in 2004. In 2006 same-sex marriage was allowed and also adoption for same-sex couples. The new government maintained most of the previous governments' economic reforms, whule putting more of an emphasis on social policy. Employment law was modified to give more protection to workers. Muggia established the "twin superavit" policy, this is, surplus in the fiscal accounts and in the commercial balance. New industrial parks were opened and dairy products became the second main exports of the country, surpassing wool.

Gabriel Caruso was elected president in 2009. Under his government, he legalized abortion, prostitution, assisted fertility and cannabis. New grants were created for single mothers, newborns, students, unemployed and invalids. In 2014, Ricardo Muggia was elected to his second term. Since 2005, the country has been effective to reduce misery from 12% to 1% in 2017; poverty from 26% to 12% and the unemployment rate is 7,5%.

Geography

Located in The West Pacific, Norcambria consists of a continental land of approximately 210,500 km2 and 198,192 km2 of jurisdictional waters. A dense fluvial network covers the country, consisting in two river basins: the North River Basin and the Cambrian River Basin. It has three large lakes: Lago Grande, Lago del Oso y Lago de la República. The major internal river is the Rio Negro (Black River), that flows along its western border with New Angouleme. Norcambria's northernmost point is Playa Azul; the southernmost is Punta Canales; the westernmost point is Arroyo Claro; and the easternmost point is Faro del Estrecho.

The country is mostly flat with little elevation, with an average height above sea level of 52 metres. The highst natural point is Cerro de Las Piedras, whose peak reaches 283 metres. The western part of the country consist of rolling plains and fertile coastal lowland. Half of the country remains extensively forested, while the rest consists of arable land.

Climate

Norcambria has a temperate climate, relatively mild and fairly uniform nationwide. Extremes in temperature are rare. Due to its abundance of water, high humidity and fog are very common. The absence of mountains makes all locations vulnerable to high winds and rapid changes in weather as fronts or storms sweep across the country. Norcambria has a largely uniform temperature throughout the year, with summers being tempered by winds off the Spring Sea and mild winters, altough weather may vary from day to day with the passing of storm fronts.

The heaviest precipitation occurs during the autumn months, while winters have frequent rainy spells. The mean annual precipitation is generally greater than 1,200 millimetres per year; autumn is the wettest season and summer the driest. The average temperature in the winter month of August is 10 °C. The summer month of January has a warm average of 24 °C. The most extreme temperatures ever recorded in Norcambria since 1880 was 44 °C (23 January 1981) and -14 °C (3 July 1969)

Politics

Norcambria is a representative democratic republic with a presidential system. The members of government are elected for a five-year term by a universal suffrage system. Norcambria is a unitary state: justice, education, health, security, foreign policy and defense are all administered nationwide.The Executive Power is exercised by the president and a cabinet of 18 ministers.

The legislative power is constituted by the National Assembly, composed of two chambers: the House of Representatives, consisting of 106 members representing the 14 counties, elected based on proportional representation; and the Senate, consisting of 31 members, 30 of whom are elected for a five-year term by proportional representation and the Vice-President, who presides over the senate.

Palacio de Gobierno, workplace of the President
Palacio del Congreso, where the National Assembly meets.
Palacio White, seat of the supreme court.
Estancia Agramunt, home of the President.

The judicial arm is exercised by the Supreme Court, the Bench and Judges nationwide. The members of the Supreme Court are elected by the National Assembly; the members of the Bench are selected by the Supreme Court with the consent of the Senate; and the judges are directly assigned by the Supreme Court.

Administrative divisions

County	Capital	Population
Belén	Belén	15,610
Cerro	Cerro	21,008
Colonia	Colonia	2,693,000
La Rioja	La Rioja	10,765
Las Piedras	Las Piedras	95,214
Matheu	Tres Arroyos	12,254
Rivera	Rivera	14,197
Salamanca	Bahía Blanca	13,840
Salto	Salto	12,147
Salvador	Salvador	210,250
San José	San José	6,547
San Sebastián	San Sebastián	35,841
Santa María	Concepcion	59,251
Sorrentinos	Sorrentinos	24,203
TOTAL	-	3,224,127

Military

The Norcambrian armed forces are constitutionally subordinate to the president, who is commander-in-chief and coordinated by the Ministry of Defense. Enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies. During peacetime, the Armed forces personnel number about 17,000 for the Army, 8,000 for the Navy and 2,000 in the Air Force. It is organized on the essential principle of legitimate self-defense: the repelling of any external military aggression in order to guarantee freedom of the people, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Its secondary missions include committing to multinational operations, participating in internal support missions, assisting friendly countries, and establishing a sub-regional defense system.

Economy

Norcambria has a market economy and has its main income source in agriculture, contributing to 14,7% of the GDP. It has a gross domestic product (at purchasing power parity) per capita (GDP) per capita of $26.504. The currency is the Norcambrian peso. Almost 90% of its land is arable and is mostly occupied in cattle breeding, sheep farming, dairy, forage, wheat, rice, pigs and poultry. The agricultural industry is characterized by family ownership. The number of farms is approximately 60,000 and beef and wool represent the main activities and main source of income for 76% of their owners. The rest benefits from dairy farming, hogs and poultry. Beef is the main export commodity of the country and Norcambria can produce food for 22 million people. It's estimated that the country has around 16 million cattle heads, making the number of cattle per capita to be 5,1.

The second most important sector in the economy is banking. It comprises an estimated 9.5% of Norcambrian's GDP. Norcambrian neutrality in both World Wars and government policies, have fostered a stable enviroment in which the banking sector was able to develop and grow. A large number of multiverse's funds held outside the country of origin ("offshore funds") are kept in Norcambria. Thus, the country has been given the namesake "the bank of the multiverse".

The manufacturing sector is mostly linked to agriculture and represents 12,4 of the GDP. About half of all industrial production is based on food processing and beverages. Major exports are meat, frozen foods, cookies, chocolate, prepared rice, textiles and pharmaceuticals. The tourism industry is another important part of its economy and accounts 11% of GDP. In 2017 3.2 million tourists entered Norcambria. Norcambria has a growing developed infrastructure, especially in the beach regions. One of the main natural attractions in Norcambria is Punta Larga, located in the Strait Peninsula. It has long sandy beaches, attracting many tourists in the summer and 145 hotel,s 100 restaurants, an international airport and a yatch harbor with capacity for 700 boats. Other cultural experiences include exploring the country's colonial heritage, as found in the cities of Colonia, Salvador, San Nicolás, Concepcion and Bahia Blanca.

The Norcambrian budget had a size of 23.4 billion in 2017, which is an equivalent 34% of the country's GDP in that year. The main sources of income for the government are the value-added tax (38%) and the corporate taxe rate (25%) and the main expenditure is located in the areas of social welfare, education and finance. The total expenditures count $21.346 billion. Expenditures have been growing from 25% in 2003 to 31% in 2017.

Energy

Electricity generated in Norcambria is 95% from renewable energy. Through its history, Norcambria was a net importer of energy. The 1973 oil crisis made it clear that the dependence on imported fossil fuels was a drawback for the economy and the budged, but it would not be until the 1990s when the government commited to decrease the dependence. Since then, electricity has been generated mostly from wind and solar parks. The use of nuclear power has been forbidden by law since 1987. In 2007 the Green Norcambria plan was launched and it aims to oil phase-out and investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The first phase concluded in 2017 and made Norcambria no longer an electricity importer. The current phase includes private investments and less state involvement.

Transport

Norcambria has 85,418 km of paved road and 76,732 of unpaved roads. Owing to the low demand due to sparse population outside the capital, the country has a rather small network of motorways with 328 km. The government has been investing in repaving and paving of roads and development of infrastructure. Significant investment has been made in building road and rail links to connect Colonia, Salvador, Las Piedras, Concepcion and Punta larga. The main railway operator is Ferrocarriles Norcambrianos (Norcambrian Railways), a publicly owned company. It has a rail network of 4,160 km and almost 60% of the network is electrified. The country has two international airports: one located in Colonia, the Sausalito Airport, and in Punta Larga, the Laguna Blanca Airport. In 2012 the government invested more than $218 million to expand and modernize both airports, to increase capacity and spur commercial growth and tourism in the region. State-owned Aerolineas Norcambrianas is the flag carrier of Norcambria and has it hadquarters in Sausalito. The airport can handle up to 7.5 million users per year. The Port of Colonia handlers over 2 million containers annually. Its quay can handle 18-metre draught vessels. Twelve straddle cranes allow for 130 to 150 movements per hour. It houses both private and government-run terminals. Norcambria also has a number of ferry connections to several neighbouring countries across the Cambrian river, the North river and the straits.

Public policy

Norcambria has a well-founded welfare state, established in the 1910s, deeped and modified through the years. Its social spending is at 27,4% of its GDP. The economy is characterised by an extensive welfare state and strong worker protection. As of 2016, 12% of the population was reported to live below the poverty line.

Until the 1970s, Norcambria was a protectionist nation, promoting industries with tariffs and subsidies. After 7 years of military dictatorship, governments reformed the welfare state, financing it by raising taxes, to prevent inequality and poverty in the early years of economic liberalization. Economic growth eventually led to great levels of social mobility and quality of life, creating the biggest middle class of the region. To this day, Norcambria ranks among the best in health, literacy and Human Development. The corporate taxe rate is at 29,4% and valued-added tax is at 32,8%. The legal system is clear and business bureaucracy less than most countries. Doing business is easy in Norcambria and establishing a business can be done in a matter of hours and at very low costs. Norcambria has a more flexible job market than neighbouring countries.

The level of protection in commodity trade has been low, except for agricultural products. Most government subsidies go to the agricultural sector, which is strongly protected from foreign trade. This has led to increasing food prices in the last decades. The unemployment rate was 7,5% in 2017 while the employment rate was 57.4%, with the workforce consisting of 1,837,752 people while 225,688 are unemployed. Unemployment among youth (aged 24 or younger) in 2017 was 23.6%.

Norcambria has various social insurances handled by the Ministry of Social Development. The "Young Family" program aims to encourage Norcambrian young people to marry and build their families. It has three parts: parental benefits, child allowance and public healthcare and daycare. Families receive up to 300 days of paid parental leave, with optional another twenty days unpaid leave. Additionally, parents receive additional 10 days of leave after the birth of a child. They also receive whole reimbursement of hospital care and tratment related to childbirth. Parents in Norcambria receive cash benefits to ease the burden of raising children who are under 18 years old, "Child assistance". Parents receive a flate rate child allowance of $950 Norcambrian pesos per kid. This child allowance is financed by the central government's budget and parents do not need to apply for the allowance, it is paid automatically, but it can be revoked if the child does not attend to mandatory kindergarten, primary or secondary school or mandatory vaccinations. Public day care in Norcambria are for children under 7 years old. The daycare centers are run by the central government.

Working people are entitled to sick pay when ill. The employer pays a 49%, while the Ministry of Social Development pays the rest. If an employee's ability to work is permanently reduced, disability payments may be made. The state runs a mandatory pension provision. The pensions system is financed by a payroll tax on salaries. The levels depend on the pensioner's income and how long it has worked and it can be up to 75% of final salary levels. There is also an Universal Pension for those who never worked.

Demographics

The population of Norcambria was estimated in January 2016 to be 3,224,127. Norcambrians are of predominantly European origin, with over 95% of the population claiming European descent in the 2010 census. Most Norcambrians of European ancestry are descendants of 19th and 20th century immigrants from Spain and Italy and to a lesser degree France, Germany and Great Britain. People of Asian descent make up an even smaller proportion of the total.

The median age is 39.4 years, with 0.99 males per female. The total fertility rate is 1.9 children born per woman. Despite the low birth rate, the population grows at an average annual rate of 0,43%. Metropolitan Colonia is the only large city, with around 2,1 million inhabitants, or more than 60% the country's total population. The rest of the urban population lives in about 40 towns. Population density is of 15.31 persons per square kilometer of land area. The proportion of people under 15 is 18,3% below the world average of 28%, and the proportion of people 65 and older is relatively high at 21.8%.

Languages

Spanish is the oficial language of Norcambria. It has some modifications due to the number of Italian immigrants, as they used to speak a mixture of Spanish and Italian and some of the words are still commonly used by the population. Norcambria employs both voseo and yeísmo (with [ʃ] or [ʒ]). A large majority (78%) of Norcambrians speak English as a second language and its study is mandatory in public schools. French is spoken as native language by 12% of the Norrcambrian population in the eastern regions near the New Angouleme border, making it the second most spoken language of the country. Few native people exist in the population and no indigenous languages are thought to remain in Norcambria.

Religion

Norcambria has no official religion since 1913. Church and state are officially separated and religious freedom is guaranteed. Chatholicism is the main religion, with 67,8% of the population. Non-Catholic Christians represent 7,9%; 0,5% are Jewish. 19% reported being atheist or agnostic.

The country is considered one of the most secular in the multiverse. It has it origin in the relatively minor role of the church in the colonial era, compared with other parts of the Spanish Empire. After independence, anti-clerical ideas spreaded to Norcambria, particularly from France, eroding the influence of the church. In 1858 civil marriage was recognized and in 1873 the state took over the running of public cemeteries. Complete separation of church and state was introducec with the new constitution of 1913, along with the legalization of divorce and forbidding religious instruction in state schools.

Education

The Norcambrian state guarantees secular, universal and free public education for all levels. It has four levels, with the first three being mandatory: kindergarten (3-5 years); elementary school (6-11 years); high school (12-17 years); higher education (18 and up). All educational programmes in Norcambria are regulated by the Ministry of Education and administered by the state. In 2017, the government invested 7,3% of GDP in education. Students aged 18 or above may apply for state educational support grants, known as Programa de Apoyo Estudiantil (PAE), which provides fixed financial support, disbursed monthly. In 2017, the government recorded completion rates of 99% for primary school, 78% for secondary school and tertiary enrollment and completion rates of 47%.

Health

As of 2017, Norcambria has a life expectancy of 79 years at birth (77.2 for men, 80.8 for women). The country has a universal health care system, characterised by being publicly financed through taxes.

Nation/Norcambria

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