Wahland
| This page is a work in progress by its author(s) and should not be considered final. |
United Federation of Wahland
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| Motto: "In fide, et honorem" "With Faith and Honor" |
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| Anthem: "Oh, Wahland, Our Home" | ||||||
| Region | Audax | |||||
| Capital and largest city | Stanford | |||||
| Official languages | None at Federal Level | |||||
| Recognised national languages | English, Wahlish | |||||
| Demonym | Wahlsh | |||||
| Government | Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic | |||||
| - | Chief President | Danielle Wahl (M) | ||||
| - | Executive President | Fredrik Lane (M) | ||||
| - | Speaker of The Assembly | Johnston Greene (C) | ||||
| Legislature | High Council | |||||
| History | ||||||
| - | Discovery | 1790 | ||||
| - | Independence from Alla Lega | March 10, 1864 | ||||
| - | First Red War | 1892-1902 | ||||
| - | Aberdeen Empire | 1902-1939 | ||||
| - | Second Red War | 1939-1945 | ||||
| - | Unification (As the UFW) | February 10th, 1946 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 11,393,502km km2 22,185,325 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 1.2% | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | December, 2014 estimate | 1,824,000,000 | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2014 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | ҟ72.378 trillion ($124,244 trillion) | ||||
| - | Per capita | ҟ39,681.17 ($68116.70) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2014 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | ҟ80.459 trillion ($138.116 trillion) | ||||
| - | Per capita | ҟ47,921.67 ($82,262.34) | ||||
| Gini (2014) | 32.1 medium |
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| HDI (2014) | 0.941 very high |
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| Currency | Kjord (ҟ) (KJD) |
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| Date format | mm*dd*yyyy | |||||
| Calling code | 08 | |||||
| ISO 3166 code | WH | |||||
| Internet TLD | .uf, .fw | |||||
Wahland (pronounced /valənd/), officially the United Federation of Wahland, is a federal constitutional republic in southwestern Audax, consisting of 12 constituent provinces, which retain moderate sovereignty, and several territories. The capital and largest city is Stanford. Wahland covers an area of 11,393,502km2 and has a largely tropical and temperate seasonal climate. With a population of 1.824 Billion citizens, Wahland is one of the lower than average populated nations in Audax, but remains a major economic and political power, and a leader in many technical fields.
Stinpor(the island on which Wahland sits) was discovered by Hawkwickan explorers around 1740. By 1743, the colony of Stanford was formed on the southeastern coast of the island. Several other colonies were formed in the southern regions over the next few decades. In 1777, possession of the colonies was handed over to Heimar, after Hawkwick surrendered them in the treaty after the War of the Blackbirds. The colonists were unhappy with the new rulers, however, and wanted to form a new nation instead. In the early 1800's, the colonists rebelled against Heimar, and obtained independence in 1818, forming the nation of Branden. Shortly after independence, in the period between 1826-1833, Hawkwick and neighboring nation Kyritz, attempted to seize Branden and the unclaimed territory in the north of the island, which led to the Ausdehnung Wars; a series of campaigns by Queen Elza von Luftberg to force Kyritz and Hawkwick off the island. The Ausdehnung Wars resulted in a decisive victory for Branden, who gained control over the majority of the island, and forced a treaty between Hawkwick, Branden, and Kyritz.
Tensions stayed high with neighboring nation Kyritz, causing a cold war for the next few decades until tensions mounted in 1870, when Drake Schweltz invaded an under-prepared Branden, eventually forcing the government into exile in northern mountainous areas of Stinpor. "Drake the Red" as he was known, forced his communist rule over the island, despite several insurrections that battled his forces over the course of his reign.
In 1935, following an attempted coup by the people of Kyritz, the Brenden guerrilla forces invaded and retook Brendn in the Brenden Counter-Invasion, with support and aide from the Kyritz revolutionaries. The Brenden government was then placed back in power, which renamed the country Wahland, after the hero of the revolution; Odin Wahl. The government was then transitioned into a presidential republic, of which Odin Wahl was unanimously elected as the first Chief President.
The Federation of Wahland is now a developed country, and is among the top nations within Audax, with an estimated GDP of NSD $21.6 trillion. The economy is driven by an abundance of natural resources, and high worker productivity. It's economy is largely backed by the oil industry, which accounts for nearly 80% of exports, the other 20% being agricultural and milled products, although non-oil industries, specifically alternative energy and technology, are growing rapidly. Wahland has a high GDP per capita at about $41k. Wahland has a medium distribution of wealth as a result of slightly higher than average corporate taxes.
Contents
Etymology
Wahland, in English means 'land of choice', or 'land of Wahls'; referring to the people of Wahland. It is formed from the Wahlsh words Walhe(Choice), and Loend(Land). In the native Wahlsh language it is written as Walhlloend. It gets it's name from Odin Wahl, the decorated war hero, and founder of the modern Wahlsh state. It can also be derived from Altic "Wahl", also meaning choice, and "Land", meaning land.
History
Pre-History
Little is known of the native inhabitants of the island. Some fossil and archaeological evidence suggests they were a large group of island tribes on the southern tropical part of the island. Scientists believe these aboriginals were wiped out by a series of natural disasters and rapid climate change. The Northern part of the island is very mountainous and alpine, and is believed to never have been inhabited by humans.
Discovery & Colonization
After discovery in 1740 by Hawkwickan expeditions ordered by the High King, other expeditions and settlements followed into the West and Southwest of the island. The first major settlement began was the city of Stanford, in the Branden region, where the first colonial government was established. This governing body, known as the Assembly of Branden, established precedents for the parliamentary government that would develop on the island.
Most of the colonists set up plantations and exploited the island's tropical southern climate, which was ideal for growing cash crops. These cash crops included citrus fruits, bananas, tobacco, cocoa, and sugar. Extraction industries also grew in furs, fishing and lumber. Manufacturers produced rum and ships, and became the region's largest producer of rum. The population of the island grew rapidly, supplemented by waves of colonists from Euroaquilo; the north-eastern region of Audax's large western continent. As local trade and industry grew, several large cities and trading hubs developed along the eastern and southern coasts, most notably, Stanford, Neu-Altberg, and Eldenburg.
By 1805, four major colonies had been established in the regions of Branden, Ostewitz, Leverk, and Kyritz. Each colony had some form of self government, with a Hawkwickan governor overseeing each region. The colonies of the Island were some of the first to have complete social equality for women and men, and slavery was abolished early on. Women and people of all races were guaranteed the same civil rights, as well as rights to practice any religion they wanted, although the Trinitat religion was most common. With widespread colonization, low death rates, and high birth rates, the colonies grew rapidly. The four existing colonies had claimed about 2/3 of the island, and the population had grown to an estimated 17 million by 1815. The colonies great distance from Hawkwick allowed the development of their governments, and Hawkwick losing it's authority over the island.
Independence
By 1815, many of the colonies were eager to have economic independence. At that time, all trade and economic growth in the colonies was overseen by the Hawkwickan government, and trade was taxed heavily as the Hawkwickans bolstered their armies for an invasion of Heimar. At the breakout of the War of the Blackbirds, Hawkwick withdrew it's forces to fight Heimar. The colonies lived with relative autonomy for the next two years, as the Hawkwickan couldn't afford to quell any rebellions. At the end of the war of the Blackbirds, Hawkwick relinquished control of the colonies to Heimar as part of a peace agreement. Heimar attempted to establish control of the island by sending a large naval force embarked with marines to police the colonies. However, the colonists demanded a right to self government, which escalated into the Branden Revolution. The colonies officially declared independence from Heimar with the Stanford Declaration of 1822, after which Heimar declared war.
Heimar recognized the Sovereignty of Branden after their defeat at the 2nd Battle of Stanford. In the Treaty of Stanford of 1826, Heimar relinquished all authority over the Island. In 1827, the Assembly of Branden met to write an official constitution, ratifying the Articles of Branden on Feb. 15th, 1827. These articles unified the Colonies of Branden, Ostewitz, and Leverk under one federal constitutional monarchy. Kyritz opted to form a separate nation, as they did not want a monarchy, and Kyritz had experienced a socialist movement during the war led by Aleksander Bok, rejecting the unification in order to form a socialist government. Elza von Luftberg, the Commander of the Brandish military after her father's death, and hero of the revolution, was named as the first Queen of the Republic, and later Empress of the Branden Empire.
Elza's Empire(1833-1874)
Hawkwick, aiming to re-claim control of the island, invaded from the north in a last ditch effort. Elza then led the Grand Army to several victories over Hawkwick in the north, simultaneously expanding and growing Branden in the process. Kyritz, as an attempt to seize territory in the north, strengthen their nation, and spread socialism, allied with Hawkwick and assisted them in harassing the Grand Army. The wars, known as the Ausdehnung Wars lasted from 1826-1833, and by 1834 Elza had expelled all the foreign Armies from the island, and a peace treaty was signed with Kyritz and Hawkwick. During the war Kyritz had lost a large amount of their territory to Elza's Grand Amry, and were reluctant to sign into peace with Branden.
In honor of her victory's, the Branden Assembly coronated Queen Elza I Emperor of the Republic. The nation thrived under Elza. Elza's empire became a regional power and had one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the region. Over the next several decades she expanded Branden's naval power, and the nation experienced a golden age of growth.
Rache Wars and Drake the Red's Reign
In the mid-1860s Drake A. Bok came to power in the neighboring country of Kyritz. Drake was the son of the Premier of Kyritz, Aleksander Bok, and inherited his position after Aleks' death. Drake's father had raised him on communist and socialist ideals, and a hatred of Branden. Aleksander Bok was a young officer in Delmas during the Ausdehnung wars, and had served in some of the bloodiest battles of the war. Drake's father was a very weak leader and had let the country fall into deep economic and political turmoil before his death. Drake blamed his father's death on Branden and accused them of assassinating him, although it is now widely believed that Drake poisoned him in order to take power of Kyritz. Drake was a strong military leader and strategist, and was very charismatic. Drake had gone to the Kyritz military academy and became a General at only 30 years old. After becoming Premier he revitalized the economy, and began to vastly expand, and build up Kyritz military.
In 1870 Drake swiftly invaded Branden in an all out Blitzkrieg, quickly capturing territory in the South. Drake earned his name early on in the war, after brutally executing hundreds of Branden's soldiers, earning the nickname of "Drake the Red". Essex's military was very unprepared for the war, and suffered several defeats early on. Branden had been at peace for several decades and had a small peace time military when Drake's Army attacked. After mobilizing her full military force to fight Drake, Branden's military began to push back, coming to a standstill in Neukassel, in 1873. The war became a stalemate from April 1873 until October 1873, when Drake sent all of his remaining forces for a final offensive. Drake's forces outnumbered Branden's 3-1, and overwhelmed them. In early November 1873, the remaining Brandish forces in the city surrendered. The surrender at Neukassel resulted in the loss of the majority of Branden's forces, and left the rest of Branden largely unguarded. In January 1874, Empress Elza I died of natural causes. Elza's husband Henrik Wahl set up a government in exile in the mountains of northern Branden, realizing Branden's defeat. Drake the Red's forces then occupied Branden and brought it under his harsh rule. Drake massacred hundreds of thousands of people and ruled with an iron fist. The government-in-exile refused to surrender, however, and carried out bombings and attacks on government and military installations in Kyritz for the next several decades, along with the help of the Kyritz resistance. These fighters came to be known as "Elza's Liberation Army".
During his reign, Drake transitioned Branden and Kyritz into a communistic government. Drake was a very good General and military leader, but he lacked as a political leader and dictator. During the decades following his rise to power the country fell into a massive depression, with thousands dying of starvation. Drake attempted to recover the economy, but his plans all failed. Odin Wahl, son of Henrik Wahl and Empress Elza, led the ELA against Drake. The ELA operated as an underground opposition group. They assaulted Drake's forces, government buildings, and military installations. Odin's father directed them personally from exile. Drake failed to counter these attacks, and he began to crumble under the pressure. The ELA was aware of this, and used it to their advantage. Most of his military advisers began to lose faith in Drake and began to resent him. Around 1915, many of these military leaders were contacted by the ELA to be recruited, of which most of them accepted. They operated under cover, however, supplying important Intel and information to the ELA.
In 1905, Odin Wahl began preparations for a Coup in Kyritz. The ELA worked with groups in Kyritz to incite a revolution to overthrow Drake. The ELA planned to use the Coup as a diversion, so they could retake Branden. Around mid-July 1910, groups within Kyritzs began protesting Drake's government. Drake quickly attempted to quell the protests, ordering secret police to break up the protests, which in turn incited riots. On November 19th, 1910, Drake's secret police fired on a large group of protesters, killing dozens of people. Hours later an all out firefight erupted in the streets of Varberg, the Capital of Kyritz. The ELA had large cells of fighters waiting for the war in Kyritz to break out, and on the morning of November 20th 1910, Odin Wahl coordinated with the resistance for an all out attack. This marked the beginning of the 2nd Rache War and the second war of independence for Branden. With most of Drake's forces concentrated on the revolution in Kyritz, the ELA quickly took strategic military bases within Essex. Many of Drake's forces sided with the rebels, and defected to help the ELA and the Kyritz rebels. By the beginning of 1911, most of Essex was retaken. One of the last remaining strongholds was Stanford, which had a strategic Naval Base, and was heavily guarded by Drake's forces. The battle for Stanford lasted over 6 months with thousands of casualties on both sides, but on August 18th 1911, Odin Wahl ordered all of the ELA's forces on a final assault into the city, and within hours, the remaining forces in the city surrendered. The Navy fleet there had already retreated to Kyritz however, with a large ground force embarked on the fleet. The ELA immediately sent forces to assist the rebellion in Kyritz to ensure that Drake was removed from power.
Post War Recovery and Reconstruction
On September 30th 1911, Drake Bok surrendered to the rebels in Delmas, marking the end of the war. He was publicly executed the following day. Due to the ELA's aid in the rebellion, the new Kyritz government had strong relations with Branden. Following the end of the war, Odin Wahl brought the government back to Branden and established a loose federation. It was quickly realized that a new government needed to be formed, however. The government met at the National Federation Convention in January 1912 to decide on a new government. Delegates from Kyritz also attended the convention to discuss unification. On March 10th the Constitution of the United Federation of Wahland was written, forming the government that is in place today. The nation was separated into 12 semi-autonomous districts, with Kyritz keeping it's then current borders, and Odin Wahl was unanimously elected the first Chief President of the Federation, as well as having his name be the namesake of the newly formed nation.
The war had severely devastated the country, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, cities destroyed, and the economy completely drained. As the new President, Odin sought to rebuild the country from the ground up. The economy was reverted to a capitalist system, and new private companies began popping up all over the country. The country was largely demilitarized in order to focus solely on the reconstruction process. Wahl was a strong Chief, and is credited with rebuilding the country, and he is regarded as the most influential figure in modern day Wahland.
War of Wahles
In mid-April, 2014, a referendum was held to vote on whether or not Wahles, a Wahlsh territory, should get independence. The referendum was voted down in Wahland with 55% voting against independence, in Wahles, the referendum was also defeated by a a majority of 52%. Shortly after, large demonstrations occurred, protesting the defeat of the referendum. Shortly after demonstrations broke out, a 9.2 earthquake struck in the South Versutian Sea, devastating Wahles. Just days after the earthquake and Tsunami, Yasul Bashir led an insurgent army against the local government in a Coup, successfully taking over the island, resulting in the executions of several government officials. Two days later, 15,000 Wahlsh Marines invaded the small Island, taking over the Island in just three days. Insurgent forces still remain in the Mountains of Northern Wahles, and Yasul Bashir has not been captured, but is still believed to be operating on the island. Soon after the invasion of Wahles by Wahland, Aglrinia threatened military action if Wahland did not withdraw from the island. On April 22, after refusal by Wahland, Aglrinia began a military invasion of the island, sparking the Second Battle of Wahles, in which they quickly overwhelmed the Wahlsh forces through superior air power, taking the island in just two days, capturing 12,500 troops, and killing 7500 in the process. After Generalisimo Menon's death just a few weeks later, Aglrinia withdrew all military forces from Wahles, leaving Bashir to take over control of the island. On June 2nd, 2014 a civil war between Bashir and rebel fighters broke out, and the island remains contested.
Geography/Environment
Wahland is a large island in the Western region of Audax, with Xelghast to the North, and Aglrinia to the South. The island has an area of 1,255,130 km2, with several major rivers running from the glacial north to the south.
Elevation ranges from the Högfjäll Mountains(highest point: the Rienspitz at 2,482 Metres or 8,143 feet) in the North, to the shores of the South Wahlsh Sea in the south. The forested lands of central Wahland and the tropical coastlines(lowest point: Rorke Valley at 3.54 metres or 11.6 feet below sea level) have several major rivers and Lake Caspian that run across them.
Climate
Wahland has three distinctive climates. In the North, is an Alpine climate, but the climate is slowly warming. Glaciers in the lower elevation of the Högfjäll Mountain range are moving almost 900 metres per year, and are melting quickly as the average temperatures increase each year. In central Wahland, the climate transitions from a temperate climate in the North central areas, into humid tropical climate in the the central areas and along the southern coasts.
Politics/Government
Wahland is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. The Wahlsh political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1938 constitutional document known as the Baziq Layores (Basic Law). Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of the High Council; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity.
The Chief President is the head of government and exercises executive power, similar to the role of a President in other parliamentary democracies. He is elected by the Federal Convention, an institution consisting of "electors" who are responsible for electing the Chief President. The number of electors in each Provincial District is equal to the number of members of the High Council to which the state is entitled. The second-highest official in the order of precedence is the Kouncilagspräsident(President of the High Council), who is elected by the High Council and responsible for overseeing the daily sessions of the body.
The third-highest official and the head of government is the Executive President, who is appointed by the Chief President after being elected by the Federal Convention. The Executive President is invested primarily with representative responsibilities and powers, similar to a Prime Minister in other governments.
Federal legislative power is vested in the High Council consisting of the Federal Assembly and Provincial Assembly, which together form the legislative body. The Federal Assembly is elected through direct elections, with two assemblymen for each Provincial District. The members of the Provincial Assembly represent the governments of the twelve provincial districts and are members of the provincial cabinets, with the amount of representatives of each province apportioned by population. Federal Assemblymen are elected for a term of five years, while Provincial Assemblymen are elected for two years.
Since 1940, the party system has been dominated by the Liberal Democratic Union and the Conservative Social Party. So far every Chief President has been a member of one of these parties. However, the smaller Liberal Socialist Democratic Party (which had members in the Federal Assembly from 1942 to 2013) and the The Green Party (which has had seats in the Federal Assembly since 1983) have also played important roles.
Law
Wahland has a civil law system based on Katari law with some references to Altic law. The Federal Constitutional Court of Wahland is the Wahlsh Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of judicial review. Wahland's supreme court system is specialised: for civil and criminal cases, the highest court of appeal is the inquisitorial Federal Court of Justice, and for other affairs the courts are the Federal Labour Court, the Federal Social Court, the Federal Finance Court and the Federal Administrative Court. The Völkerscrawt regulates the consequences of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes, and gives Wahlsh courts universal jurisdiction in some circumstances.
Criminal and private laws are codified on the national level in the Strafgescrawt and the Bürgerliches Scrawt respectively. The Wahlsh penal system is aimed towards rehabilitation of the criminal and the protection of the general public. Except for petty crimes, which are tried before a single professional judge, and serious political crimes, all charges are tried before mixed tribunals on which lay judges(Schöffen) sit side by side with professional judges.
Many of the fundamental matters of administrative law remain in the jurisdiction of the provincial districts, though most districts base their own laws in that area on the 1960 Administrative Proceedings Act, covering important points of administrative law. The Provincial Courts are the highest level of administrative jurisdiction concerning the provincial administrations, unless the question of law concerns federal law or district law identical to federal law. In such cases, final appeal to the Federal Administrative Court is possible.
Political Divisions
Wahland comprises 12 Provincial Districts. Each provincial district has its own state constitution and is largely autonomous in regard to its internal organisation. Because of differences in size and population the subdivisions of these states vary, especially as between city states (Cittstaaten) and states with larger territories. As of 2009 Wahland is divided into 403 counties (Kreise) at a municipal level; these consist of 301 rural counties and 102 urban counties.
Foreign relations
Wahland is a member of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Wahland seeks to advance the creation of a more unified Audax political, defense, and security apparatus. The development policy of the United Federation of Wahland is an independent area of Wahlsh foreign policy. It is formulated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (FMECD) and carried out by the implementing organisations. The Wahlsh government sees development policy as a joint responsibility of the international community. It is one of the Audax's biggest aid donors.
Military
Economy
Wahland's economy is mostly extraction based, but also has small industrial and financial sectors. As of 2012, Wahland's oil extraction sector dominated 75% of the economy as one of the world's largest producers of refined oil.
Demographics
Culture
Wahlsh, the language of Wahland, is a variant language of southern Ostwind Altic, spoken by the settlers from Hawkwick when they arrived in the 16th Century.
