Hvaloaszna
Akuanist Republic of Hvaloaszna Valoasan Kuanrepubliek (Vistarian) Repubblika Allakui ta' Valoasa (Vorpestian) Akuanistiske Republikken av Hvaloaszn (Norgsveltian) | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 | |
| Capital | Tromsømore |
| Largest city | Skiendore |
| Official languages | Nys'tat'en |
| Recognized national languages | |
| Religion | Akuanism (official) |
| Demonym(s) | Valoasan |
| Government | Federal Akuanist parliamentary republic |
• Shrinekeeper | Ny'tern Bjørlic |
• First Minister | Stijn Dijkstra |
| Legislature | National Chamber |
| Confederation of Servants | |
| Confederation of Provinces | |
| Establishment | 1917 |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 27,419,000 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $287.9 billion |
• Per capita | $10,500 |
| Currency | United Krone (UKR) |
| Date format | YYYY/MM/DD |
| Driving side | left |
| Internet TLD | .vao |
Hvaloaszna, officially the Akuanist Republic of Hvaloaszna, is a collection of three islands directly to the north of Yasteria. Hvaloaszna on the costal border of Sloughbiszna. The geography is dominated by a humid continental climate and primary flatten plain with the exception of handful of large hills located on the central and the western islands. Hvaloaszna has a population of over 27 million.
The population is young, urban on the western island, rural on the eastern island and heavily mixed on the central island. Akuanism is the largest religion in the country and the principal language is Nys'tat'en with Norgsveltian on the western island and Vistarian serving as an additional official language on the eastern island. The head of the executive branch title is the shrinekeeper and is currently held by Ny'tern Bjørlic, of the Akuan party. The legislature head is the First Minister, Stijn Dijkstra of the Community of People party.
The four largest cities in the Hvaloaszna are Skiendore, Ulvstaten, Merluinham and the capital Tromsømore. Tromsømore is the country's second most populous city and the nominal capital. Skiendore holds the seat of the Supreme Court and the National Chamber. The Port of Skiendore is the busiest seaport within Hvaloaszna.
The Akuanist Republic of Hvaloaszna has been a Federal Akuanist Parliamentary Republic since the early 1917. The Akuanist kept in the tradition of Akuanism of having a record of social tolerance, social welfare, unanimity decision making at local levels, gender, sex and species equality. Contrary the nation also has a firm traditional or "conservative" Akuanist political base, who focus on decreasing the amount of alcohol consumption among the populace and limit on drug usage wanting it the substances to only be used in medical and religious rituals.
History
Iron Age, Settlement and Confederation Era
Early settlement by Akuanists from the Southern reaches of Borean and northern reaches of Sloughbiszna, began in the late iron age estimated to be around 317 BC with ships landing on the middle island searching for tin and copper mining deposits. Later expanding out their foothold in the island chain by settling on the other two islands in 327 BC. While minerals were never discovered between the three islands, the land was rich and the seas nearby were noted to be full of fish, in tablets sent back to St. Lilith Temple in Nystatiszna. The settlements grew steadily around the coastal cities, fishing and whaling becoming a major part of the trade within the northern sea channel of Yasteria-Borea.
Salt was later discovered on the central island in 339 BC, making it into an important trade hub through the region. The settlement that harvest the salt from the nearby mine being the foundations for the city of Skiendore. Salt trade brought in new amounts of wealth and trade to the trio of islands with the central island collecting most of the wealth from the trade, while the other two lagged in comparison. The collection of city-states mostly formed a government around the merchants that traded the salt and the Brewmasters of the cities. City states eventually came together in a confederation in the late 510 BC, to formed a unified front in protecting their trade of whaling and salt. The Confederation lasted until the 1710 AD, where the combined might of the Borean Trading Company, Norgsveltian Borean Trading Company and Vistari Colonial Company forced the dissolution of the confederation according to the Treaty of Non-Compliance and Commerce. The Confederation was made up of brewmasters and elected figures (often the merchants within the cities) to form the government. The Confederation required unanimous consent by all brewmasters and representatives within the congress to pass or create laws for the Confederation.
During the early 700s BC, the salt trade brought in enough wealth towards the central island that the Confederation came to a agreement to a infrastructure plan which aimed to connected all the cities by road and islands by bridges. The construction started from Skiendore, the center of trade and location of the largest salt mine on the central island. It was the start of the long process of Skiendore becoming the leading city state within the Confederation, having gave the majority of the money in the infrastructure plan and later on having directly influencing it's nearby city states bring them under their control. Over the centuries the cities state within the central island became more unified, forming the first Akuan Republic within the Confederation. The first Akuan Republic was formed with a direct democracy and brewmasters serving as a adviser role for the government. The other two islands, was able to form their own Akuan Republics modeling themselves after the central island much quicker than the first republic.
Reformation of the 1200, the Confederation went under a series of reforms with several aims. First being to break the last of the free city-states and changing the focus from protecting trading rights, the political independence of small city states to one that focus on a centralization of a Akuanist Republic. Focusing on the three islands as the members instead of the cities within the islands, making the Confederation legislature only having three members. The reformed still required a unanimously consent to form laws or actions, and due to concern of the domineering influence of the Central Island. Eastern and Western islands formed a political alliance against the central island.
1600s
The early 1600s was a short, but notable gold age for the Confederation, as it's ability to monopolize the salt trade within the region allowed them to expand it's influence through the region. Establishing trading posts Southern Borea in where modern day nations of Gusanszna, Blaskog, Nystatiszna with the only non-Borean trading post being in Sloughbiszna. Another massive construction effort was made, constructing ports, roads, and bridges through out the Confederation. The connection to the nearby Borean cultural nations, growing it's cultural influences onto them and expanding it's style of shrines of including cleaned whale bones into the designs. Some of which the which still maintain the bones to this day. It wasn't until the Borean-Ice Plague hit the country in the 1640s the golden age of Hvaloaszna influence suddenly was stopped.
Borean-Ice Plague Crisis
The Borean-Ice plague began slow, with only a handful of port cities being inflicted with the plague. Starting with the central and eastern island in 1640, the local city governments isolated themselves and the Confederation response proper was widely considered to be lackluster. With arguments between the republics about how to deal with the outbreaks, with discussion mainly be focused around how it would affect trade within the Confederation. Fearing the lost of trade and cultural influence in the region, thus the Confederation came to a lead to the final agreement, they would not lock down the country and will enforce a blockade on the plague stricken cities.
However the majority of the Confederation ships was occupied protecting it's trade routes and relied heavily on the local city on having establishing militia to blockade the land routes. Which end with many of the militias members of the cities being infected before hand by the plague and thus spreading it when turning people away from the cities. Spreading the plague through out the all three of islands, as travelers spread the Borean-Ice to all the cities. As militias often was the first ones to be infected with the sickness. 1645 the Confederation was forced to isolate itself and call back it's trading posts. Losing it's influence within the region, it's wealth and majority of it's population. The Borean-Ice plague died out on the eastern and central island in 1647, the Confederation had a agreement that only when all the islands are free from plague they will open up the country again.
Corporations Entry
The Borea Trading Company was the first of the major companies to venture into Hvaloazna in 1649. Sending a large fleet to force open the ports and demand trade concessions to take control of the salt trade within the island. The Confederation was forced to accept the terms, due it’s lack of a proper navy or military after years of dealing with the Borean-Ice Plague. The BTC seized control of all the major shipping ports on the central island and the state company that ran the salt trade company. Directly owning all of the salt trade coming out of the Confederation. The Confederation was forced to change it's constitution requiring all meetings and laws to be approved by the BTC.
The Norgsveltian Borean Trade Company was the second of the major companies to venture into Hvaloazna in 1650, though was least successful among the three as most of its attention was placed into building up their gains in modern day Rikevaarland. It was heavily dependent on the Imperial Realms Navy to force the Confederation to give concessions to the Company, mainly in the aspect of getting trade access to western island and to allow its ports for Norgsveltian navy’s usage. By the 1670s Norgsveltian Borean Trade Company had full control of the island, in all but name. But was dependent on the Norgsveltian monarch to keep hold of it.
The Vistari Colonial Company arrived on the eastern island in 1651, overtaking strategic ports to monopolize exports. While the colony was nominally successful, overtaking a large portion of the island, it was notably only a passing interest of the VCC in comparison to the far more successful Concordian triangular trade. After several geological and botany surveys of the island, it was deduced the island was incredibly deficient in resources lacking any notable mineral deposits. As a result Vorpestian labour sent over to cultivate the land being sent back after a few years of minimal returns due to the soil poor fertility rate. Following a few years of the continue profit lost from the colony, it was decided that seizing goods from the locals was necessary to recuperate the losses. The VCC collected a number of historical and religious artifacts, selling them to the highest bidder. Fishing remained as one of the only remaining profitable industries from the colony, with the VCC overfishing in a number of regions around the island.
1700s
In the 1750s, the Norgsveltian Borean Trade Company made a move to buy out the assets from the other two competing corporations. With the Borean Trading Company suffering budget cuts due to its bloated military spending in keeping its main colony in Nystatiszna. Thus the move to sell the unprofitable colony was quick to accept the offer from the Norgsveltian Company, hoping to cut their losses and refocus efforts on primary colony. Later the offer was extended towards the VCC which they quickly accepted to leave the island for the Norgsveltian crown to deal with, having carelessly extracted the majority of its remaining wealth and sold it off more than the land was now worth.
It was noted that NBTC, didn't send any teams to survey the other two islands, instead they relied on reports from the other two trading companies despite informing the Norgsveltian Crown other wise. Both the BTC and the VCC drastically falsified reports about the colonies. With the BTC reporting the salt mines was still in production despite the mines themselves having to be closed due to flooding at the time of the sell. The VCC, reported on having several copper mines on the island, sending along photos from colonies in north Gondwana as well as ore samples from the colony. The VCC never explicit said the photos or ore samples was from Hvaloaszna, nor did they implied it in their reports. When later questioned about the copper after the sell, the VCC official claimed the survey report was accidently sent to NBTC office. Resulting in a heated discussion between the two companies where the VCC claimed that NBTC simply had buyer's remorse and all trade deals are final.
When the NBTC questioned the BTC about the flood mines after the sell. The BTC said the mines was in operable condition when they left and suggest it was native sabotage. After a investigation, the mine was flooded for nearly two years before the sell and the BTC simply didn't remove the water due to it being to high of a cost of pumping the mine clear. The NBTC went to the BTC with this information in which the BTC official stated that all deals are final and left the meeting.
The Norgsveltian crown nationalized the islands and formed a proper colony instead of leaving it to be run by the NBTC. When a local was questioned about the name of the islands, the local misunderstood the question asking what was their profession. Stating they was a Hvaloser, a whale hunter in Nys’tat’en. Later the crown official when he was writing down in his notes, a nearby military officer who lied about knowing the Nys’tat’en language stating it he misheard the name and it’s actually Hvaloaszna. The crown official sent back his reports, stating the islands were quite poor, lacked development and the only value being the people itself, the fish, the whales and the salt. Overall it was an incredibly bad trade deal for islands that wasn’t worth too much.
1800s
The Crown Colony of Hvaloaszna went for nearly a century without much interaction from Norgsveldet besides establishing naval bases along the coast. Much to the disagreement from the local Akuanist population, who yearly complained about them by hosting a peace festival right next to each of the military bases. By the 1850s, the colony grew in size, as a newly discovered nickel mineral deposit was discovered on the Western island. Minerals brought wealth and attention from the Norgsveldian officials, wishing to exploit the deposit.
The Western island grew in wealth compared to its sister islands, the central island losing its position as the richest island among the three. The Eastern island stagnated economically, with refugees fleeing from the devastation onto the central island. Blowing up its population greatly and driving the economy downwards as there weren't enough jobs to go around.