Bettia

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Bettia
flag.jpg
Flag of Bettia
Motto: Bettia am byth (Bettia Forever)
National Anthem: Brothers of Bettia
Map of Bettia
Region Atlantian Oceania
Capital Gabalfa
Official Language(s) English, Welsh, Arabic, Indonesian
Government Islamic Republic, with devolved assemblies
 - President Amir Brooks
Population Approx 5 billion
Currency Groat (غ)(G:)
Current Rate (BTGR)
Timezone AATC +00
 - Summer (DST) N/A
Internet TLD .bet
Calling code +17
ISO Code BTAO
NS Sunset XML
<div" class="plainlinksneverexpand">BET.png
Bettia's location within the region
</div>

Bettia (pronounced Betty-a) is a nation situated in the centre of the small continent of Verdena, which is located along the southern fringes of Atlantian Oceania, and shares land borders with its puppet nations Northern Bettia to the north and Morgrugyn to the northeast. Elsewhere, it shares land borders with Nedalia to the west and Hypocria to the east, with the Crystalikere Channel and Secocia Sea providing maritime borders to the north and south respectively. Bettia is reknowned for its natural beauty (in particular its large forests and stunning rolling highlands), and this is preserved as much as possible by the environmentally-friendly policies of the local governments.

History

Main article(s): History of Bettia


Government & Law

Being an Islamic state, Bettia is run by a Shura or elected council which makes all major decisions jointly. The shura is made up of 14 members (two per province, plus one each from Northern Bettia and Morgrugyn) elected every five years, although emergency by-elections may be held at any time. The Shura is chaired by a President, who is directly elected by the people of Bettia at the same tie as the Shura and regional governments. The President has tie-breaking powers within the council and mainly performs an ambassadorial role. The Shura meets in the Grand Shura Debating Chambers, located in Gabalfa's civic centre.

Bettia operates a legal system based around the Islamic shariah law. This is generally approved of by the population due to the extremely low crime levels.

Crimes such as treason and murder can be punished by death at the discretion of the victim's family (where applicable). Adultery can be punished by flogging (but only if sufficient evidence is presented) - rapists can expect double this punishment plus a long spell in prison. Theft can be punished by cutting off the criminal's right hand, but only in extreme circumstances (for example, they seriously harmed someone in the robbery, or a substantial amount was stolen) - again, this is at the discretion of the victim, where applicable. In most cases of theft, and most other crimes, the punishment is restitution (unpaid labour for the victim) or imprisonment if the guilty party is thought to be dangerous.

Subdivisions

Bettia is divided into six provinces:

Each province has its own regional assembly, which handle most day-to-handle affairs from the provincial capitals, such as setting taxation levels and public spending, along with limited law-making powers. Like the Shura, their members are elected every five years with emergency by-elections held whenever needed.

These six provinces are subdivided into counties as areas for local government administration. Although these are still used to some extent for this purpose and as geographical areas, they are no longer the sole basis for local government administration.

Foreign Affairs

After joining Atlantian Oceania, the Bettian government has taken steps to befriend their new neighbours. Bettia currently has embassies in Abattoir, Hypocria, Lamoni, Latao, Lesser Ribena, Khazaron, Nedalia, Starblaydia, Western Afghanistan and Xile.

Bettia is also a member of the UN and was formerly the regional delegate for Atlantian Oceania, a role which it is bidding to regain.


Geography

The geography of Bettia varies greatly, especially between the north and south of the country.

The southern parts of Clodien reaching in from the coast are largely quite flat with a few rolling hills and a well-draining chalk subsoil, resulting in fertile soils and good crop-production. The topography gradaually rises as it reaches further inland into Banastra, culmanating in a spine of high hills upon which the rainforest grows.

In contrast, the northern parts of Bettia are very mountainous, providing some degree of shelter from any cold winds coming in from the north. The highest peak is Mynydd Fawr (literally 'Large Mountain') which is situated near to the town of Pen-y-Bydd and stands at just under 6500 metres. The northern highlands dip down quite sharply into the the Balfa Valley to the east, where the River Balfa runs northwards from the capital Gabalfa towards the port city of Porthbalfa.

The two western provinces, Al-Maghrib and Bahagia, are relatively flat in their centres, but quite hilly at their edges where they meet the Gwlad Teg highlands to the north and the Shark Mountains along the southwestern border with Nedalia. As a result, flash-flooding can occur in these areas due to rainfall washing down from higher altitudes.

For further details of regional geography, please refer to that particular region's article above.

Climate

Bettia has a largely tropical climate, with plentiful rainfall at certain parts of the year depending on the locaiton. In keeping with tropical area, there are basically two seasons - wet and dry - with temperatures remaining fairly constant throughout the year. The prevailing wind is mainly from the south, bringing warm and moist air to Bettia regularly from the Socacia Sea, although precipitation rarely occurs at the coasts. It is driest and warmest along the south coast, with most precipation occuring in the Banastra rainforest and Gwlad Teg highlands.

Bettia features highly in periodic UN reports regarding the best weather conditions, usually appearing in or around the top 300.

Major rivers

Major conurbations

Although the majority of Bettia's urban population reside in small-to-medium sized towns, a number of large conurbations have sprung up over the years.

By far the largest is the Maes Canolog province, which contains Gabalfa along with a number of relatively smaller (but still large in their own right) towns such as Fortuna Bettialis, Roath and Tremwsa.

Another major urban area is the Akani Sands-Dalutha conurbation, which stretches between Akani Sands in southern Bettia and Dalutha in neighbouring Nedalia, and encompasses a number of resort towns. The vast majority of tourists visiting Bettia stay in this area.

The third major concentration is what is unofficially known as the M1 Corridor, which stretches between Sukatra in the east to Porasse in Nedalia, taking in towns such as Fiilghud, Tamrida and Shark-il-Mattan.


Economics

Bettia has developed a powerful economy (all-consuming, according to the UN), which is largely based around its two major industries - Information Technology and Tourism.

The Information Technology industry is mainly centred around Fortuna Bettialis, a large town just to the southeast of Gabalfa. Here, a number of companies have flourished, such as Impeccable Computers, Zenit Tecnasi, Brace-Ellisa, and Touchstone Design & Consultancy. In particular, Bettian research companies are concerned in the development of robotics and artificial intelligence, with varying degrees of success.

Bettia also has a well-developed agricultural sector, thanks to its favourable climate and good soil conditions in the south, and ample grazing in the northern highlands. Major exports in this sector are beef, lamb, dairy produce, citrus fruits, nuts, dates, tea, herbs and spices.

The largest centre for tourism is the south coast, which attracts millions of sunseeking tourists from throughout the world every year with its pristine beaches and world-class facilities. Other major destinations are the Banastra Rainforest (especially Sweeney Falls and its environs) and Gabalfa. Further information on these areas can be found on the articles for their respective regions above.

In keeping with Islamic shariah law, riba (interest earned on money) is strictly forbidden. Mortgages and loans are usually handled using the Murabaha method, whereby the bank purchases the item to be bought (for example, a house or car) and the customer buys this back at a pre-agreed monthly rate which incorporates a small profit margin. All banking is strictly regulated by the Bettian government.

Bettia's official currency is the Groat.


The People

Bettia is the second most populous nation on Verdena after Falcania, and one the most ethnically diverse in the region. The majority of its population are of white Anglo-Cymric origin, with large Arab and Asian communities in the west. In addition, large numbers of Jews and immigrants from neighbouring countries, especially Nedalia, Hypocria and Falcania, call Bettia home.

However, not all Bettians are human. A large number of young and elderly Jinn and Ifrit were recently (and very spectacularly) evacuated to Bettia due to a civil war in their home realm. [1]

The people of Bettia have a reputation for being compassionate and tolerant, as well as being completely sports (and especially football) mad.

However, they have a deep-seated hatred of the colour red. This seems to have a certain psychological effect, so much so that when faced with a team wearing red, the Bettian football team tend to go to pieces. They counter this by switching to their second choice blue-and-white strip, as well as wearing specically design blue-tinted sunglasses.

Religion

Religion plays a very important part of Bettian life, with nearly 100% professing to belief in Allah / God. Around 98% of Bettians are orthodox muslim, with most of the other 2% following Judaism. Because of this vast muslim majority, the shariah legal system is used throughout the entire country.

Culture

Bettia has a quite a vast culture which takes in all of its indiginous people, although many cultural elements play a very secondary role in Bettian society to religion (with the notable exception of sport).

Architecture

Modern Bettian architecture tends to lean towards a mixture of Expressionist and High-Tech styles, replacing the rather grandiose forms of older buildings. Notable examples of this can be seen in Gabalfa's Grand Shura Debating Chambers, Provincial Council building and Tiddles Park, Bettia's national stadium. The Provincial Council building in particular exhibits unconventional forms, straddling the main road leading into Gabalfa's civic centre.

Cuisine

Bettians love nothing more than a good meal and this lvoe of food is evident in the national cuisine. Despite the many cultures that may be found in this country, a common thread can be seen in Bettian cooking - a love of spices. Hot spicy dishes such as Rendang and local curries are extremely popular, with many local curry competions being held in rural parts. The general Bettian philosophy toward this type of food seems to be "the hotter, the better".

Another great love of the Bettian people is tea, with many tea houses and small cafés to be found throughout the nation. Many varieties of tea are grown in the foothills of Banastra, and this is often drunk with an assortment of cakes such as scones or welsh cakes.

Due to Bettia being a muslim (and minority Jewish) nation, the sale or consumption of alcohol or pork products is strictly prohibited.

Engineering

A number of great engineering projects have been undertaken in recent times, most notably the vast underground tunnel system which is currently being built throughout Banastra in order to provide a greatly improved transport system whilst preserving the rainforest. This was built using thousands of giant ants (specifically Morgrugyn Worker Ants), as was the Anyuna passage, a long tunnel linking Bettia with Kimochinohana (the former site of Northern Bettia).

Music

Music is fairly popular in Bettia although it isn't the mega-industry that it is in other nations - this is mainly for religious reasons, whereby music is seen purely as a source of entertainment rather than a means of making money. Any music which is to be released into the public domain must comply with strict criteria - any music which encourages any negative actions such as hatred or lust, or any which contains bad language, is banned. Also, any music videos which are deemed too provocative are be banned.

Sport

Of all the things that unites the Bettian people, it is sport (and in particular, football) which brings them together the most. Bettians are almost legendarily sports-mad, and this mania was certainly helped along when the Bettian national team won their debut international competition, walking away with the Baptism of Fire Cup after a thumping 7-0 win in the final.

The national football team (nicknamed the Aroras after the national animal) have gradually risen up the rankings, thanks in part to their more and more attacking style of play. The peak of Bettian footballing acheivement was their triumph in World Cup 33, where they defeated the co-host Az-cz 3-1 in the final to lift this prestigious trophy. This victory saw Bettia climb to the top of the world rankings, although this tenure at the top was short-lived following a second-round exit in World Cup 34.

Bettia's domestic football is played out in the Apex League, a large league which currently consists of four professional divisions of 18 teams fed by a semi-profession National Conference. However, this will be expanding next season with the Conference to be incorporated as a 5th division fed by regional leagues from each of Bettia's six provinces. A knockout competition known simply as the FAB Cup is contested between these teams.

Although football is THE main sport, other sports also enjoy a degree of popularity. An American Football competition wittily named the BLOG (Bettian League Of Gridiron) has been set up. The national team has entered a small number of international tournaments, their best performance to date coming in the NS Gridiron Cup recently held in Virginia Nova where they narrowly lost in the final by a single touchdown.

Ice hockey has also proved to be popular, mainly thanks to the rise of the national team (AKA the Aroras on Ice) rising up to 2nd in the world rankings. A well-supported national league, the BetHL has been running for quite a few years.

A one-day cricket championship also operates within Bettia involving eight provincial teams and a squad from neighbouring Hypocria.

See also

Language

The main official languages of Bettia are English and [{Welsh]]. English is throughout throughout the country, with Welsh mainly spoken in the northern and central provinces. Arabic is spoken in the Al-Maghrib region, with Indonesian spoken mainly in Bahagia.


Education

Bettia has a vast education system, which unfortunately has suffered of late due to a lack of funding. Attendance at school is compulsory up to the age of 18.

The schooling system is structured as follows: -

  • Infant school - ages 3 to 7
  • Junior school - ages 7 to 12
  • Secondary school - ages 12 to 18

There are more than ninety universities in Bettia, the most famous of these located in Grappenhall.

The education is split into two main types; State schools which are funded through taxation and free to all, and private schools, which provide a paid-for education on top of taxes (also known as "Public" or "Independent" schools). State and private education is the responsibility of provincial governments.

Transport

Road

Bettia has a rapidly developing road network based around four major motorways which is used solely to link major towns and cities.

  • The M1 connects Gabalfa with Nedalia's captial city Kafra to the west, heading southwards to Akani Sands before heading east to Pylos, Hypocrium and Thraxus in Hypocria.
  • The M2 connects Gabalfa with Ceffinton to the north, turning eastwards towards the port city of Porthbalfa, before veering north again to connect with the road network in Northern Bettia.
  • The M3 is Gabalfa's main ring road, and has been recently extended south-west to Subarnas.
  • The M4 is the northbound link from Subarnas to the M1, joining the main motorway near the town of Dhur Tihari.

In contrast to the rest of the country, the road network within the region of Banastra is much less developed, with the regional government scrapping many inter-city roads and investing heavily in public transport and a vast underground road and rail network as part of a major environmental drive.

Rail

Gabalfa is the main hub of the Bettian railway network, with branches running to Ceffinton and Portbalfa to the north and Grappenhall and Ryoga Bay to the east. An international railway links Bettia with Nedalia and Hypocria, with an undersea tunnel linking Bettia with the island of Spruitland.

The railways running through forested areas within the province of Banastra have recently been moved underground in a further bid to preserve the natural beauty of the area.

In addition to the normal railway network, many towns and cities have extensive underground systems constructed as part of the national public transport scheme. Naturally, the most extensive of these is the Gabalfa Underground Transport System (GUTS), which was originally built to link Gabalfa's Central Station to the airport situated to the north of the city, but now extends to all parts of the wider conurbation.

Air

There are two major airports situated in Bettia, located in Gabalfa and Akani Sands. Gabalfa International Airport provides regular flights to Nedalia, Hypocria and Lamoni.

Water

There are many miles of navigable waterways in Bettia, the majority of which are man-made. For the most part, the River Balfa is navigable all the way up to Gabalfa itself - this played a major part in its early development, but now serves as a popular tourist attraction offering rivers cruises from the capital down through the Balfa valley.

Bettia has three main ports - Porthbalfa in the north (which is also home to the Bettian navy), and Akani Sands and Ryoga Bay in the south.


National Flag & Symbols

The flag of Bettia is green and yellow quarters, with a white crescent imposed on a green circle in the centre. The quarters and central circle respresent the five original provinces of Bettia (Bahagia was previously part of Al-Maghrib at the time of Bettia's formation). The crescent represents Islam, the dominant religion. The green is said to represent the lush green grasslands and forests, and the yellow either represents the golden sands of its beaches, the glorious tropical climate, or the striking yellow heather which grows in the highlands - the exact reason is still a matter for debate.

The white crescent and star imposed on a green circle is usually taken as Bettia's national symbol, and forms a prominent and distinctive part of all of Bettia's national sports kits.

Public Holidays

April 2nd: Bettia Day
A celebration of the foundation and independance of Bettia.

May 17th: Jubilation Day
A celebration of all things good, this day is marked by street parties and parades throughout the country.

August 4th: Courtship Day
Traditional day of declarations of love, proposals and weddings.

20th Ramadan to 3rd Shawwal: Last ten days of Ramadan and Eid Ul-Fitr
The holiest days of the Bettian calendar, totalling 13 days. Most of the muslim population take this opportunity to take time off work and reflect on their spirituality. Of course, this usually means that the country grinds to a halt during this time.


National anthem

Main article(s): Brothers of Bettia


Armed Forces

Bettia maintains a medium sized conventional army, a small air force and a small navy mainly for defensive purposes. All muslim citizens must complete one year of compulsory military service - this is optional for non-muslims.

In addition, Bettia's defence is strengthened to a massive degree by its arsenal of giant ants, which were left over by the failed terrorist campaign by the Paramilitary Instigators of Secular Society (PISS).

The most notable aspect of Bettia military is the ban on weapons of mass destruction - these were deemed by the Grand Shura to be illegal under Islamic law due to their indiscrimate nature.

Atlantian Oceania on NSwiki
Main articles: Atlantian Oceania, AO QuickInfo
Nation pages: 95X, Acarionne, Amarenthe, Atheistic Right, Az-cz, Bazalonia, Bettia, Bostopia, Chacor, Crystilakere, Delesa, Demot, Falcania, Fmjphoenix, Geisenfried, Hypocria, Iizaarland, Khazaron, Kura-Pelland, Lamoni, Lontorika, Manhattan Prime, Maraque, Milchama, Morgrugyn, Nedalia, New Montreal States, Nojika, Northern Bettia, Nova Britannicus, NSWC Signups, Oliverry, Pacitalia, Quakmybush, Sarzonia, Schiavonia, Spruitland, Starblaydia, Tempalhiyon, The Islands of Qutar, The Lowland Clans, Turori, Ubundi, Unified Capitalizt States, Vephrall, Vilita, Walsallia, Western Afghanistan, Wulaishen
Regional info: Atlantian Oceania Regional Defence Organisation, Atlantian Oceania Regional Free Trade Organisation, Atlantian Oceania UN Voting, Lake Bekk, Major airports in Atlantian Oceania
Sports-related: AO Bowl, AO Champions League, Atlantian Oceania Cup of Association Football (AOCAF)
For more information or to see non-listed pages, please see Category:Atlantian Oceania.
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