Anastasiania

The Unified State of Anastasiania (Swedish: Den Förenade Staten Anastasianien, Finnish: Anastasianian littiovaltio, known in foreign relations as the Republic of Anastasiania) is a small northern nation in the region of FIFA, founded by emigrants from three disctintly different nations that came together due to their need for a safe and stable homeland. Legend has it that the emigrants in a time of dire need simultaneously wished for the country to be there, and thus all appeared on its soil at the same time. The three people also came from differing parts of the multiverse; the English-speaking part of the population, known as Discmen or Streeters, came from the anarchy created in Cockbill Street when the government dissolved owing to a surprising Karelan revolution and the ensuing apathy to international sport in the country, while the Swedish and Finnish attempted escape from the Earth when most of that planet was laid waste in nuclear battles between the United States of America and Germany during the late stages of the Second World War.

History

After the as yet unexplained translation to FIFAn lands, the three communities needed to reconcile their differences quickly. There were plenty; the former Earth-dwellers had brought much more advanced technology and a more democratic society, but they also carried memories from the destruction of the Earth. The creation of a working government, however, was done surprisingly quickly, with the constitution signed but three months after the arrival, on 19 October, year 1 A.A. (after arrival, the prevalent dating system in Anastasiania). The constitution was also the first document referring to the country as Anastasiania – the name was chosen in the hope that this would be a resurrection of the human race.

Life quickly resumed in the three regions of Anastasiania, which had been carefully designed so that no culture would get any economical advantages, and although all three cultures lived in separate regions, there was theoretically freedom of movement and labour. However, in the six years since the foundation of Anastasiania, very few people have dared to cross the cultural borders.

Geography

Anastasiania is a hilly country, with the highest mountain, Mt. Antippa, stretching up to 1,941 metres above sea level. This, along with its northerly location, is the reason for the country's relatively long winters, and snow cover is not uncommon from December until March. The country is divided into three regions; the westerly coastal region belong to the English-speakers, the Swedish have settled in the north and the east, while the Finnish are based in the south. Almost in the centre lies the capital, Allenby, well up in the mountains. Apart from Allenby, the largest towns are Bambury, Gardwick, Köksberg, Määtelinna and Väänäkoski, all with populations in excess of 100,000.

Cultures and sport

The three regions have retained their differences, though the English-speaking Streeter culture have had to contend with the lack of magic and gods in FIFAn lands; it seems that the obviously supernatural has abandoned them after their miraculous rescue. Regardless, the Streeters now have a technological level similar to those of the Svenskar and the Suomen, but they are still a practical, sports-loving folk, as are the others. The largest barriers between the three cultures appear to be those of language and sheer distrust, and also those apparent in the sporting arenas.

Sports

Sports of all shapes and sorts are popular in Anastasiania, though especially winter sports, which have experienced a recent surge in interest due to the first Winter Olympic Games. Speed skating and Nordic skiing are the most popular ones, as they were in Sweden and Finland before the translation, and people, especially in the Suomen community, still remember the old legends fondly. Among the summer sports, football is catching on everywhere, while the eleven western counties (and occasionally a team from the capital Allenby) play cricket with vigour. However, cricket has failed to catch on with the Swedes and Finns, just as handball has not caught on with the Streeters (a strange phenomenon, given that the Cockbill Street handball league was one of very few in existence in Atlantian Oceania). Popular individual summer sports include cycling and swimming.

The Olympic Committee of Anastasiania are planning to enter teams both for the Tyrellian Ylompic Games in Casari and the Winter Olympiad in Aeropag, as soon as communications out of the country will allow.