Belkaland
From WikiStates
| Großfürstentum Belkaland
Grand Principality of Belkaland
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| Motto: "In Days Past's Darkest Hour, Peace Is In The Fatherland" | ||||
| Anthem: Belkania |
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| National Animal Kaiser Eagle |
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 Political map of Belkaland
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 Map of Belkaland in Rostil
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| Located in | Rostil | |||
| Capital | Political: Dinsmark Royal: Stier |
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| Largest city | Port Waldreich | |||
| Official languages | Belkan, Birkainian, German, English | |||
| Recognised regional languages | Sloma, Waldia | |||
| Ethnic groups (2010) | 78% Belkan, 15% Birkainian, 5% German, & 2% Other | |||
| Demonym | Belkan | |||
| Government | Constitutionally-assisted Monarchy | |||
| - | Grand Duke | Razgriz von Demon | ||
| - | President pro tempore of the Senate | Lars von Gründer | ||
| Formation | ||||
| - | Kingdom | 1200AD-1300AD (debated) | ||
| - | Principality | December 14, 1784 | ||
| Area | ||||
| - | Mainland | 2,583,450 km² 997,476 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 9.8% | ||
| Population | ||||
| - | 2020 estimate | 1,000,000,000 | ||
| - | 2015 census | 879,873,750 | ||
| - | Density | 340/km² 880.6/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2015 estimate | |||
| - | Total | 49,957,788,532,050 | ||
| - | Per capita | $56,778.36 | ||
| GDP (nominal) | 2015 estimate | |||
| - | Total | $60.9 trillion | ||
| - | Per capita | $69,241.90 | ||
| HDI (2009) |  0.945 (High) (24th) |
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| Currency | Slaba (SLA) |
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| Time zone | SMT | |||
| Drives on the | Right | |||
| Internet TLD | .bkl | |||
| Calling code | +221 | |||
Belkaland, officially the Grand Principality of Belkaland (Belkan: Großfürstentum Belkaland) is a country ruled by Grand Duke Razgriz von Demon, dominated by rolling plains and divided nearly in half by the Waldreich Mountain Chain. It is bordered in the north by the centerpiece of Belkaland's largest religion, the Sea of Ceres; to the east it is bordered by Birkaine. To the west, Belkaland is bordered by ??? Ocean, and to the south by Willman and Dystara. A modern nation utilizing ultra-clean power sources such as Nuclear Reactors & Hydro-electric dams, Belkaland is a sharp contrast to its eastern ally, Birkaine.
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Etymology
History
Politics
Executive branch
The Monarch holds the position of Chief Executive and appoints members to the Cabinet
•Secretary of State Detlef Fleisher
•Secretary of Defense Maj. Gen. George Hammond
•Secretary of Foreign Relations Lorenz Riedel
•Secretary of Homeland Security Jurgen Maier
•Secretary of Media Lord Helmut Schnellinger
•Secretary of Education Bruno Watt
•Secretary of Environment, Rural Sectors, and Agriculture Meinrad Grimm
•Secretary of Health Lord Karl-Heinz Sammer
•Secretary of Trade Egon Strauss
•Secretary of Transportation Franz Speidel
•Secretary of Labor Griswold Veiser
•Secretary of Cultural Preservation Katarine von Tennhardt
Senate
With exactly 110 representatives, 5 for each of Belkaland’s 22 districts, the Senate is responsible for the day-to-day running of Belkaland. The senators are elected every 5 years with a 4 term limit by the people of Belkaland. While it does act as the legislative branch of the government, at no time can it overrule the Grand Duke. It is for that reason that Belkaland is not a Constitutional Monarchy, but a Constitutinally-Assisted Monarchy. Currently lead by Lars Gründer, heir to Gründer Industries.
High Court
The High Courts of Belkaland is the Judiciary Branch of Belkaland. It possesses 7 members, 6 High Judges & 1 Grand Judge. The Court’s duty is to counter the Senate when they step out of bounds, and like the Senate, they can not overrule the Grand Duke.
Political parties
- Rald Party
An Ultra-Nationalistic party with the aims of expanding Belkaland’s borders, this party is smaller of the two major parties in the Belkalandian Government. Notable members include the SecLabor Griswold Veiser & Senate member Waldemarr Rald, founder of the party.
- The Grey Party
A corporate party with the purpose of expanding the influence of corporations, the Grey Party is ruled by a group of men which the party takes its name from, the Grey Men. The Grey Party is the larger of the two major parties in Belkaland. Notable members include the SedMedia Lord Helmut Schnellinger, SecTrade Egon Strauss, and Senate leader Lars Gründer.
- The United Communist Party of Belkaland
A Socialist Party with ties to the Stoklomolvi Communist Federation, the UCPB's goal is to create a Communistic Government with them as the only party and turn the nation into a massive Gulaag. Because of this, none of the other parties within the Belkan Political System have relations with the UCPB. Surprisingly, the UCPB in the last elections, gained 5 seats on the Senate.
- The Union Party
A Liberal Party who seeks to maximize individual liberty, they desire to see the Principality of Belkaland change to a democracy and the Grand Duke thrown out of power. However, due to the popularity of the Grand Duke, such a change is not likely and they hold only 2 seats on the Senate.
Foreign Relations
The Department of Foreign Affairs in the Grand Principality utilizes a system of 8 Rankings to designate the level of Foreign Relations with the various nations in the world.
- Ally Level 1
- Ally Level 2
- Ally Level 3
- Favorable
- Neutral
- Unfavorable
- Unfriendly
- War
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Alliances
Currently, Belklaland is a member of 2 regional alliances; the Triumvirate Pact with Birkaine(the third member nation having fallen to internal disputes) and the Tri-Crown Alliance, formally called the Alliance of the Three Crowns, with West Estainia & Xin Han.
Foreign Military Presence
Birkainian Presence
As a Level 1 Ally, the Commonwealth of Birkaine is allowed near-free access to Belkan bases when provided prior warning of arrival. However, Birkainain troops are held to stricter laws and are prosecuted to the full extent of the law if they break a law.
Military
Belkan Luftwaffe
The Belkaland Luftwaffe is the Aviation branch of the Belkan Military and holds control over many of Belkaland's defensive duties & programs, including the Belkan Nuclear Program. It's history is rich with legendary pilots and battles, many of which are against the Union of Birkaine. Currently the Luftwaffe is in the process of reorganization due to the rooting out of several corrupt officials that held many high offices.
Luftwächter
The Luftwächter(Air Guard) is a relitively new branch to enter service. Under the command of the Luftwaffe, it's creation has caused a major stir in the upper echolons of the Belkan Military as many consider the Luftwächter to be redundant compared to the Luftwaffe. It's duty to keep the skies within the borders of Belkaland and it's territories secure for safe usage by friendly forces and civilian aircraft.
Belkan Heer
Belkan Kaiserliche Marine
The Naval Branch of the Belkan Military, the Kaiserliche Marine is the oldest of the 3 military branches and to some is considered a national treasure due to the amount of funds that has been channeled into it. It's primary duties is to safeguard the waters under Belkan control, in paticular the Sea of Ceres; and to provide Force Projection for foreign Belkan interests.
Luftmarine
The Aviation Arm of the Kaiserliche Marine.
Küstenwache
Translated simply as the Coast Guard, the Küstenwache is the force that protects the ports & coastal areas of Belkaland and it's territory.
Administrative divisions
Districts
Belkaland is divided into 22 separate Districts, many of which are close to the old City-State borders from before Belkaland as a nation formed. Each District is further divided into 5 sections called Counties, whose borders are redrawn every 10 years shortly after the Censes is completed. This is done as to keep the population representation in each County equal. On the national scale, these Counties are responsible for the election of each District's 5 Senators, 1 Senator for each County.
The only exceptions to this set is Stier District & Rheinberg District. The reason for these exceptions is due to the presence of the nation's two Capitals; the Royal City of Stier and the Capital City of Dinsmark. These two cities, due to their political power, are considered Special Political Zones(SPZ), with which the inhabitants do not vote for a Senate Representive. Also, these SPZs borders are never redrawn, so the other 5 counties in the District must redraw their borders when they do around the SPZs.
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Colonies
At this time, the Grand Principality possesses four colonies, the Belkan Colony of Afganistani, Barbary Islands in Tyrrhenia, The Colony of The Wishing Well, and the Colony of Nolm.
Geography
Belkaland covers a total of 2,583,450 km² of territory on the continent of Sotia, centering around the north end of the Waldreich Mountain chain. While not a very large nation on the world scale, Belkaland does command a sizeable presence on the Sotian continent.
Nearly split in two by the Waldreich Mountains, Belkaland is divided into two regions; Nord Belkaland & South Belkaland. The larger Nord Belkaland is mainly flatlands with a minor mountain ridge on the northeastern peninsula and is home to the majority of the citizens of the nation. Runing through Nord Belkaland are three major rivers, two of which merge together in the center of the Capital of Belkaland, Dinsmark, where it continues on as the River Waldreich to Port Waldreich where it flows into the Gulf of Aissur. The two rivers in question is the River Belka and the River Avalon. The sources for these two rivers lie in the Waldreich Mts., with the source of the River Belka being Lake Edelwasser, where the Royal City of Steir is located; and the source of the River Avalon is Lake Avalon, an artificial lake created by the Avalon Dam Military Facility.
The third major river in Nord Belkaland is the River Rot, Rot being Belkan for Red, however the name of this river has not alway been Rot. During to the 1700s Bogen War in the Final Battle of Bogen, the river on which the city-state of Bogen laid ran red with the blood of the warriors of Bogen, to which the river's name was changed to Rot. The River Rot's source is different than it's two sister rivers as it's source is the glaciers in the Waldreich Mts.
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In the smaller South Belkaland, like in the North, the terrain is for the most part temperate grasslands with the Waldreich Mts running through the western half. The landscape of South Belkaland is dotted with farms and farmland. Also cutting through the land are a single major river, the River Aurick, which forms part of the border with Birkaine. As the River Aurick is also Birkainian, it is very polluted with petrochemical waste from factories in Birkaine. Thankfully the branches of the River Aurick flow fast enough to prevent the pollution from backing up into the heart of South Belkaland. The source of the River Aurick is the glaisers in the Waldreichs Mts. While South Belkaland is mainly grasslands, it is dotted sporaticly with small mountains formed tens of thousands of years ago by volcanic magma plumes. The most famous of these is Mount Schirm, which up until 1998, was the primary source of uranium ore for Belkaland's many nuclear power plants until the mine ran dry.
Climate
The climate in Belkaland is rather temperate during most of the year due to ocean currents off shore to the west.
| Weather averages for Stier | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18.1) | 63 (17.3) | 75 (23.7) | 92 (33.3) | 92 (33.4) | 96 (35.6) | 105 (40.8) | 102 (38.9) | 97 (36.1) | 90 (32.3) | 80 (26.9) | 68 (20.1) | |
| Average high °F (°C) | 37 (3) | 39 (4) | 46 (8) | 61 (16) | 72 (22) | 77 (25) | 82 (28) | 86 (30) | 77 (25) | 66 (19) | 54 (12) | 43 (6) | |
| Average low °F (°C) | 3 (-16) | 10 (-12) | 21 (-6) | 39 (4) | 50 (10) | 59 (15) | 66 (19) | 68 (20) | 57 (14) | 43 (6) | 28 (-2) | 14 (-10) | |
| Record low °F (°C) | -9 (-23.0) | -2 (-19.0) | 4 (-15.5) | 19 (-7.3) | 29 (-1.8) | 37 (3.0) | 44 (6.7) | 47 (8.4) | 37 (3.0) | 28 (-2.4) | 14 (-10.2) | -6 (-21.0) | |
| Precipitation inch (mm) | 2.2 (57) | 2.3 (59) | 2.5 (64) | 2.5 (63) | 2.8 (72) | 3.6 (91) | 4 (101) | 3.9 (98) | 3.2 (82) | 3 (76) | 2.6 (67) | 2.4 (61) | |
Economy
The economy of Belkaland is a regional powerhouse and is generally symbolized with 3 Pillars; Defense, Agriculture, & Mining. Those three industries together employ approximately 67% of all working age citizens within Belkaland, and provide Belkaland with income from the international community.
The primary force behind the defense industry is the Hypersphere Technologies Ltd. Corporation, a joint venture between Belkan & Birkainian military industrial complexe companies. Most of the factories in the Belkan partners of Hypersphere is in Nord Belkaland with a sizeable amount on the shore of Lake Schwester in the cities of Sudentor & Hoffnung.
Agriculture in Belkaland is almost exclusively practiced in South Belkaland due to the warmer weather in South Belkaland. The main crops grown are grains such as Rye, Barley, & Triticale in the northern half of South Belkaland and Wheat & Maize with the southern half of South Belkaland. Due to the Waldreich Mountains, rain clouds are forced to dump large amounts of water at the base of the mountain chain, providing the many farms & fields with a steady supply of water. Because of this rich farmland, many wars have been waged for control of them, the last being the Schayne Plains Conflict with the Union of Birkaine in 1944. A notable fact on the agriculture in Belkaland is that the largest religion in Belkaland, the Temple of Ceres, worships the Goddess Ceres, the Goddess of Harvest and Agriculture.
Mining in Belkaland is an old industry in Belkaland which had at one point been the most powerful industry in Belkaland. But with the formation of major military industrial complexes, the mining industry took a hit and fell behind. However, it still has a good portion of its influence as without mining, the defense industry would collapse. Much of the mining in Belkaland is located in the Waldreichs where vast iron & copper deposits lie. And in the mountains surrounding Lake Schwester, many precious & semi-precious stone deposits are mined, formed by the supervolcano that is Lake Schwester.
Currency
The currency use by Belkaland is currently the Slaba, replacing the Zollar in 2009. Created to ease minting in both Belkaland & Birkaine due to the two nation's linked economy, the Slaba is currently being lobbied to become the common currency for the Lisrupean Union. Slaba's are backed by a Tri-Standard of Jade, Ruby, & Gold, this allows for security & flexiblity in the dynamic world economy.
Exports & Imports
The primary export from Belkaland is grain & manufactured goods, with other things such as electrical power & Super-Grade Plutonium also being exported. Imports into Belkaland include iron, copper, and uranium ore.
Demographics
| Ethnic composition (2010) | |
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| Belkan | 78% |
| Birkainian | 15% |
| German | 5% |
| Aissurian | 0.8% |
| Stelimov | 0.8% |
| Spanish | 0.3% |
| Russian | 0.1% |
| French | -100% |
As of 2015, approximately 879,873,750 people living within Belkaland, 5.4%(47,513,182) of them are illegal immagrants from Birkaine. In the 2015 Census, it found that 58%(510,326,775) Belkans are male, 41.99%(369,458,987) being female, and 0.01%(87,987) being neutral. 35%(307,955,812) of Belkans are under the age of 18, 42%(369,546,975) of Belkans are between the age of 19 and 64, and 23%(202,370,962) are above the age of 65.
Belkans, on average, earn roughly $69,241.90 a year according to the 2015 Census. The average cost of living in Belkaland has been calculated to be 18% of a person's income, so in truth, the average Belkan earns only $56,778.36 a year.
Language
Within Belkaland, there are 4 major languages that is recognized as 'Official Languages'; Belkan, Birkainian, German, and English. These languages being given official recognition by the Belkan Government is due to majority of people in Belkaland who speak it and it's international impact.
In the area around the Waldreich Mountains, 2 distinct dililects are spoken, Sloma and Waldia. Sloma is spoken in the Southern Waldreichs and is a somewhat slavic language. Waldia, on the other hand, is a Russian-like language which is the result of a Birkainian occupation during the 16th Century. And like Sloma, Waldia is spoken in the Waldreichs, but unlike Sloma, it's spoken throughout the entire Waldreich Mountains.
Religion
| Religion composition (2010) | |
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| Ceresian | 42% |
| Atheist | 41% |
| Christian | 8% |
| Mechanicum | 5% |
| Muslim | 3% |
| Other | 1% |
Religion in Belkaland is for some a heated issue, roughly half of Belkaland, including much of the government and the Royal Family, are members of the Temple of Ceres, known as Ceresians. The other half are atheist, with much of the scienific community falling under this group. Following behind Ceresians & Atheists are Christains, mainly from German & Spanish immigrants.
After those three are followers of the Birkainian religion of Cult Mechanicus. Due to the majority of Birkainian being of this religion, it has naturally spread into Belkaland with a few Scienists & Industralists converting to it. Also coming from Birkaine is Islam, due to Birkaine's many Middle Eastern colonies.
Culture
External links
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