Anreik
| |
| Flag of Anreik | |
| Motto: The President gives, the President takes | |
| No Map Available | |
| Region | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Capital | Stockholm |
| Official Language(s) | English, Scandinavian |
| Leader | President John Johansson |
| Population | More than 1 billion |
| Currency | Anreikian Kronor (AKR) |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Democratic Republic of Anreik is an European nation comprising of the former soverign states of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and their respective territories, joined together in an alliance that eventually developed into a full-fledged merger. Anreik is a highly developed country noted for its progressive policies regarding environmental, welfare, and research issues. Following a few years of turmoil in the wake of the revolution that created the alliance, Anreik is now prospering and praised as an example to follow.
Contents
Population
Ethnicity
Anreik's population recently reached 1 billion, and is continuing its increase, mainly due to immigration. Fertiliy rates are declining as virtually all men and women pursue higher education and careers before forming a family. 16% of the population can trace Swedish ancestors, 12% Danish, 10% Finnish, 10% Norwegian, 7% Lithuanian, 6% Estonian, 6% Lativan, and 1% Icelandic. Of the remaining 32%, 12% are of other European descent, 7% of Asian, 7% of American (North and South), 6% of African, and less than 1% of Australian/Oceanic.
Life expectancy
The life expectancy of Anreikians is high, 89 years for women and 83 for men. Health care is handled and provided excellently by the government, but private alternatives are also available. These tend to niche themselves into smaller market segments, though, such as cosmetic surgery or "family doctors" for the wealthiest. The ageing population has become quite a problem as more elderly require more services while the working population is becoming relatively smaller due to falling fertility rates. Because of this, the retirement age has been increased gradually and at present is 70 years. Economic incentives to keep the elderly working past this age are also in effect.
Sex and gender
As in most countries, more males than females are born, currently at a ratio of 1.08 boys per girl. Gender equality has for long been a hot topic in political debates, and as of today Anreik prouds itself as one of, if not the most, equal country when it comes to gender. On average, men earn 0.27% more than women. Since some women dominated occupations still are paid less than men dominated occupations, the average wage rate for equal jobs is only 0.09% lower for women. Gay couples are given the same rights to marriage and adoptions as heterosexuals, and abortion is legalised (and often encouraged for girls below 22).
Urbanisation and cities
More than 75% of the population live in urban areas, but the rate of increase has slowed during the last few years, and if the trend continues people will be moving out of the cities in 12 years time. The likeliness of that scenario is debatable, though. Major cities include the "super-cities" of Stockholm, Copenhagen-Malmö, and Riga, as well as Oslo, Talinn, and Helsinki. Almost 20% of the population live in either of the above cities, showing the growing concentration of people and commerce.
Culture
Arts and music
Holidays and customs
Religion
Anreik is officialy atheist, but residents are free to worship any religion they please (assuming the religion or means of worship does not violate any other laws). However, religious organisations are heavily taxed and organised religion has been on the decline since the founding of the nation. 84.4% of the population claim to be atheists.
Language
Several languages are spoken within Anreik, including but not limited to Scandinavian (a blend of Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish developed colloquially over the years), Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, English. Many of the immigrants and their descendants tend to, and are encouraged to, retain fluency in their native tounge. Recently, English and Scandinavian have been adopted as official languages, at the expense of the languages of the forming nations, but the change only reflected what had been in practice for a while.
Suffrage
Universal suffrage is granted from 18 years of age.
Sports
Sports is a big part of many Anreikians' lives, especially among the young. Children usually engage in two to four different sports from six years of age, or earlier. The biggest sports are football, ice-hockey, track and field, floorball, and all manner of winter/skiing sports. Anreikian sportsmen/-women consistently maintain high international performance in all of these categories, especially in the last four.
Education
Rudimentary education
Rudimentary education is handled mostly at daycare centers where children 1-5 years old learn basic skills. Basic verbal communciation skills, tolerance, developing an urge to learn, and having fun are the pillars of the rudimentary education. It is not compulsory to attend, but most children attend for at least one year as both parents tend to retain their work even after having a child.
Primary education
From age 6 to 15, children attend primary education. Basic skills such as reading, writing, mathematical skills, computer knowledge, general knowledge, and later analytical ability are developed. This period is the foundation on which all further education is based, and so focuses on basic and broad skills, as well as not only preparing students for academic life but also life in general, through attempting to shape them into responsible and "worthy" representatives of the nation.
Secondary education
The three years from 16 to 18 are spent on (semi-)specialised studies where the students choose from broad categories of study, for example natural sciences or social sciences. Skills and knowledge within the chosen area are emphasised, but all programmes contain some content from all areas. This is the final preparation for more academic studies, and the last part of the education focusing on the development of the "person", not only scholarly learning.
