Cotland

Overview

The Empire of Cotland is a pair of massive islands located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean which was colonized a thousand years ago by Norse Vikings. The main island is the Isle of Cotland, where the majority of the population and industry is located, as well as the majority of the military. The second island is the Isle of Sonnmore, which was invaded by the Cottish vikings six hundred years ago. Their culture has since been assimilated into that of Cotland, and both the Cots and Sonnmorians are considered equals.

Geography

• Cotlandstad (capital) (269.7 million) - Cotlandstad (Federal Region)
• Fort Berge (36.4 million) - Vestgap
• Emenri (99.7 million) - Kubler
• Sorby (78.6 million) - Devlin
• Oblestad (101.0 million) - Kubler
• Floibert (47.0 million) - Devlin
• Strandson (35.8 million) - Devlin
• Hetlestad (67.2 million Vestgap
• Solem (38.4 million) - Vestgap
• Helle (55.5 million) - Vestgap
• Synsam (76.7 million) - Vestgap
• Nordby (94.9 million) - Hordaland
• Portinie (63.1 million) - Hordaland
• Kapp Lanse (37.6 million) - Sonnmore
• Meilor (97.6 million) - Sonnmore

The Empire is divided into six regions. Five of them are located on the Isle of Cotland, and they are Hordaland, Vestgap, Kubler, Devlin and the Federal Region of Cotlandstad, which holds the capital city. The last region is Sunnmore, which is located on the Isle of Sunnmore.

The Cottish coastline consists mainly of rocky cliffs overlooking the oceans, interrupted by large, wide sandbeaches. Further inland we find a mostly forested area with several vast steppes and a few relatively small mountains. In Cotland we find three large mountain ranges, of which the largest is named the Emoian Mountains. The Emoian Mountains are located roughly in the middle of the Isle of Cotland, and contain many hundred mountain peaks, of which the largest is Glittertind (5,378 meters above sealevel). The second of the great ranges is the Berge Mountains, where the largest peak is Mount Berge (4.271 meters above sealevel). The Berge Mountains are also known for having inside them the highest city in Cotland, Fort Berge, which is located on 1.860 meters above sealevel. The third range is the Seven Sisters, which consist of seven large mountains overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The largest of the Sisters are Mount Eva (1.502 meters above sealevel), which drops straight into the sea. Tourists are advised not to try to climb the mountains without guides, as the mountains are extremely dangerous. The mountain range on Sunnmore is the Sunnmorian alps, which consists of twelve mountains ranging from 1,200 – 4,800 meters altitude. The Sunnmorian alps are excellent for winter sports, and the alpine ski resorts are open all year around for tourists.The climate in Cotland and Sunnmore is temperate, which gives cold (- 20° C) winters and relatively warm (+25° C) summers.

The average population per km² is on 32.73 persons. The Cottish population are primarily located in the greatest cities in Cotland, with roughly 1.2 billion living in the cities. The Imperial Armed Forces employ another 100 million, which leaves 655 million living in the rural areas and along the coastline, where they provide the food for the Empire either through farming or fishing. The waters off Cotland are filled with fish, mostly cod, mackrel and herring, which are the primary seafood export that Cotland is known for. Other than that, the Cottish Empire contain some 200 000 km² of farmland, which provide more than enough food for the population.

People

The Cottish people are a varied bunch, with the majority of them decending from the Norse vikings who settled on Cotland and the indiginous people of Sunnmore, who trace their heritage back to pre-christian Ireland. Other people are immigrants from various other nations who have been granted citizenship.

The demographical layout is as follows

• Cottish (white) - 76.7 %
• Sunnmorians (white) - 19.7 %
• Black - 2.1 %
• Others - 1.5 %

The age structure is as follows

• [Age group] - Amount of population
• [0 - 10] - 10.2 % (200 million)
• [11 - 18] - 10.2 % (200 million)
• [19 - 49] - 46.03 % (900 million)
• [50 - 65] - 20.4 % (400 million)
• [66 - 80] - 10.2 % (200 million)
• [81 - ] - 2.81 % (55 million)

Since almost one fifth of the population is under the age of 18, education is a government priority. The children are educated thurroughly, and they are instructed from a very early age that the Empire is a valuable thing, and that they must protect it and the Emperor. They are however also encouraged to speak up against things that they aren’t overly pleased with, and they are tought from a early age that democracy is a good and valuable thing. They are technically brainwashed to believe that the Empire is the best nation on Earth, but they aren’t taught any propaganda against other nations or races. This leaves them openminded in all matters exept their loyalty to Emperor and country. This is also very effective when the men are drafted, as they need not be told that it is a duty and priviledge of every Cot to protect his/her country and Emperor from the enemies aboard.

Politics

The regions are semi-autonomous, with local parliaments that decide taxes, budgets, administration of various branches of government, etc. However, there are no regional laws, as the laws are all made in Cotlandstad. The local parliaments have elections every four years, while the national Paliament also has elections every four years, only that the elections are evenly spaced so there are elections in Cotland every two years. The suffrage is the standard 18, somehting which gives Cotland a whooping 1.6 billion eligible voters.

Judicial system

The Cottish legal system is based on old Roman law and ancient Viking traditions, with modifications to suit the current modern society. The average Cot rests assured that the legal system is fair and just, with thurrough investigations conducted using state of the art methods and technology. For instance, CSI technology is very advanced in Cotland, and as combined with a well-funded and trained police force, any criminals are apprehended quickly and justice is served. A ancient Cottish tradition is that you are innocent untill proven guilty. However, most of those placed on trial are proven to be guilty, and issued the punishment that is the most fitting to their crimes.

Punishments are very harsh in Cotland, and the death penalty is in effect. However, it is only issued to murderers, rapists, child molesters, traitors, terrorists and spies. Prisons are very undesirable to end up in, as the normal cell consists of a 3m x 3m x 3m concrete hole which has no heating or WC. Only a rough bed made of steel and a thin matress. In winter, prisoners are issued a thin blanket. For lavatorial needs, they have a hole in the floor. Not that they spend that much time in the cell though. The favorite punishment for Cottish judges to issue is x years/months of hard labor. With hard labor, they mean that the prisoners are used as cheap labor on construction sites, farms, railroad lines, etc. The prisoners who have behaved very well and don’t have much time left to serve are often used to help old people (they won’t do anything wrong, because they know that then the guards will beat them to within an inch of their life, or shoot them, depending on the guard).

Government priorities

Other government priorities than education, law and order and defense is healthcare and commerce. The healthcare in the Empire surpass the standards of many foreign nations, with fully subsidized medical treatment for all citizens and mandatory vaccines given to the population, mainly as children in school. The standard of the doctors vary, but all doctors must pass a evaluation every two years to ensure that they know their trade. This evaluation has a high standard, and the result are very competent doctors. Nurses and other healthcare personell have similar evaluations every three years.

Commerce is one of the most important ways for the Empire to make money. Exported goods range from computers to food to tanks and ships, while it imports similar goods. The trade is a win-win situation for the Empire, and since the trade is such a important thing, the Empire is a signatory to many trade deals and treaties.

Tourism is also an important profession in the Empire, and boy does it have much to offer! The slopes of the Sunnmorian Alps, the beaches of Hordaland, the Seven Sisters, Legoland and much much more! That, combined with cheap costs of living and a facinating history gives Cotland an edge over other nations, and more than sixty million tourists come to Cotland each year.

Military

At the age of 18, all men are enlisted to the armed forces for a duration of 36 months. This is the thing that allows the Empire to have such a large standing military. The Cottish military are primarily focused on the Navy and to some extent the Air Force, something which leaves the Army as the “looser” in every years budget.

The Navy is a powerful force, with aircraft carriers and battleships as the flagships, with substantial escort vessels in forms of cruisers, destroyers and frigates. The Cottish submarine force is also very large, where it lurks deep below the waves, ever ready to unleash death and destruction on the enemy vessels that dare violate Cotlands 48 nautical mile territorial waters without permission. The Navy have roughly 100 bases in Cotland and Sunnmore, and some 40 million seamen and officers are enrolled in the Navy.

The Cottish Army is a small, but well equipped and well trained fighting force, able and willing to defend the Empire against any foreign aggressors. They are in charge of the protection of the Emperor (the Imperial Guards), and the defense of Cotland itself. The total number of army barracks and forts in Cotland and Sunnmore are nineteen. The manpower are on 8 million.

The Air Force is a powerful fighting force, equipped with the state of the art in airplanes. The Air Force currently operate roughly 450 air bases and stations throughout Cotland and Sunnmore. The Air Force also operate the Air Defenses, mostly the SAM, AAA and good old-fashioned FLAK sites dotted around Cotland and Sunnmore, and the Strategic Missile Command, with numerous ICBMs hidden in silos somewhere in Cotland and/or Sunnmore. The Air Force also operate a substantial amount of radars, including some equipped for looking beyond the horizon. Their manpower are on 37 million.

Last, but not least, the Marine Corps. They are ever vigilant, and always ready to fight someone. They don’t really care, as long as they get to kill something. Their ranks consist of 15 million blood-thirsty jarheads.