Difference between revisions of "Norðurinn"

Revision as of 14:20, 11 August 2014

Confederacy of Norðurinn
Motto: "Norður Stendur" "The North Stands"
Anthem: "Norðurinn, Heimili Okkar" "Norðurinn, Our Home"
Region		Scandinavia
Capital		Copenhagen
Largest city		Stockholm
Official languages		Danish Finnish Icelandic Norwegian Swedish Vinlandic
Recognised national languages		Faroese Greenlandic Inuinnaqtun Inuktitut Sami
Demonym		Norðuric
Membership		Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden Vinland
Government		Confederal multi-party directorial semi-republic
-	Federal Council	Arnfast Strömberg Þorbjörn Húbertsson Christel Bjornstad Ervin Fogt Elma Erkkilä Tryggvi Jatmundrson Luca Kessen
Legislature		Federal Assembly
History
-	Founding	1906
-	Finland joins	1917
-	Iceland joins	1944
GDP (PPP)		2014 estimate
-	Total	$44.8 trillion (₭109.9 trillion)
Gini (2014)		0.233 low
HDI (2014)		0.975 very high
Currency		Króna (KRN) (₭)
Time zone		Norðuric (UTC-5 to +2)
Date format		yyyy-mm-dd
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+637
ISO 3166 code		NDR
Internet TLD		.nd

Norðurinn, officially the Confederacy of Norðurinn, is a transcontinental federation consisting of six member states, their respective overseas territories, and a Special Capital Region located in Copenhagen. Norðurinn is culturally considered a European Nation. Norðurinn consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Vinland, and their associated territories, namely Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland. It is the only confederation in the world that has both kingdoms and republics as member states. Norðurinn was founded in 1906 by Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Vinland, later joined by Finland and Iceland following their respective independence.

Norðurinn is famous for its neutrality and isolationist policy. The country is open to immigrants, which is becoming a controversial issue among Norðurinners, especially since there has been a large influx of Muslim immigrants from the Arabic countries. The country is mainly made up of North Germanic people, with a minority of Sami people and the native Inuit people. Norðurinn has no state religion. The majority of the population are atheists. The minority include Protestantism and Sunni Islam.

Etymology

"Norðurinn" comes from the Old Norse world norðr, meaning "north". The name of the nation is created by using the cognate of the modern representative of Old Norse, which is Icelandic, and adding the definite article suffix -inn. When fully translated, the name of the country is the "Confederacy of the North". The term is coined in 1906 by linguist and political activist Henrik Jakobsen.

History

Norðurinn was founded by Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Vinland, right after the independence of Norway from Sweden in 1906. The union was founded to protect the rights of the Nordic people. With a common Norse root, the union facilitates as an act to increase competitiveness against the more powerful European nations in terms of military and economic strength. As a transcontinental union, Norðurinn would also be able to encourage trade between Europe and North America through the Atlantic. Confederacy was deemed a better choice of government type since only the right of foreign affairs is given up to the federal government, which is essentially made up of people from the four constituent countries then.

The union was written into the Constitution of Norðurinn after referendums were passed in the four constituent countries to form such union. Norwegian politician Henrik Jakobsen and other fellow leaders formally announced the founding of the brand new union in Copenhagen in 1st January 1906. Copenhagen was set as the capital of the nation because of its historical significance.

Colonies of Denmark were concerned that they had not been consulted on the subject of whether to join the union. Greenlanders and the Faroese were upset of the situation. They did not get any vote in the referendum whatsoever. This led to series of protests and civil unrest. One of the more well-known protests was the "Higher Representation Campaign", which ultimately led to the movement for higher autonomy of Greenland.

Declared a neutral country, Norðurinn did not participate in the First World War. It remained an economically advantageous country among the European powers. Norðurinn and Switzerland became businessmen's heaven, with wonderful opportunities during the war that other countries could not provide. Following the withdrawal of the Russian Empire from WWI and the October Revolution, Finland declared herself independent and was voted to join Norðurinn, as Finland had historical ties to Sweden. An independent Finland sees both Norðurinn and Russia during a revolution as barriers to its security and stability. Finland then became the fifth member state of the Confederacy of Norðurinn.

Geography

Political divisions

Member states

Founding members

• Denmark
  • Faroe Islands
  • Greenland
• Norway
• Sweden
• Vinland

Later joined

• Finland — 1917
  • Åland Islands
• Iceland — 1944

Politics

Economy

Demographics and society

Languages

Norðurinn has six official languages: Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish and Vinlandic. They are the official languages of the six constituent nations in the confederacy and are used in all government documents and the constitution. Faroese and the Inuit languages are also recognized national languages. Besides their native language, citizens of Norðurinn are also required to learn Icelandic, which is seen as the living embodiment of Old Norse, English and an optional national language.

Icelandic and Swedish are the de facto lingua francas of Norðurinn, Icelandic being compulsory in the public school system, and Swedish being the most popular. Norðurinners also have a high proficiency level in English, with the highest percent of the population fluent in English in the whole world besides English-speaking countries.

Symbols

Flag

The Flag of Norðurinn is a double-fimbriated, dark blue inside and white outside, Nordic cross on a field of red on the left and blue on the right, as stated in the Constitution. The flag is an amalgamation of the flags of the member states, representing harmony of different federal states united under the same flag.

Fixed issues

• Euthanasia is legal.
• Same-sex marriages are increasingly common.
• The government is avowedly atheist.
• The mining industry is making inroads into environmentally sensitive areas.
• Meat-eating is frowned upon.
• Voting is voluntary.
• The tenet of free speech is held dear.