Geography of Azazia

The United Kingdom of Azazia, Juristan, Kingsland, and the Indian Islands, or UK, consists of several various islands and archipelagos scattered amongst the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with the bulk of the UK’s landmass residing in the north central Pacific Ocean on the Azazian Archipelago. The home country of Juristan rests within the Sea of Japan while Kingsland is located on the continent of Irathria and the Indian Islands consist of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean.

Physical Geography

The United Kingdom sports a widely-varied geography, owing to its numerous scattered locations across the globe from the Azazian Sea (alternatively called the Sea of Azazia) to the New Brittany Range, the island of New Australia, and the islands of Juristan and of the Verdant Archipelago. Despite the prevalence of islands in UK geography many were carved by diverse processes from volcanic eruptions to tectonic movements to glaciation and the rise of sea-levels.

Geology of the United Kingdom

The Home Islands are formed from the collision of two continental tectonic plates the Azazian Plate and the Belden Plate, where the Azazian Plate broke away from Laurasia and shot across the Pacific rapidly until slamming into the Belden Plate, which had similarly violently torn itself free from the western end of Laurasia until the two collided in the north central Pacific.

The impact of the two plates, of which the Azazian is by far the larger, has led to the subduction of the Belden Plate underneath that of the Azazian, resulting in the New Brittany Mountain Range. Subduction has largely ceased and the Azazian and Belden Plates have merged into the Azazian-Belden Plate.

Both the Azazian and Belden Plates had consisted of lowlands except in the north and west, where subduction of the Pacific Plate underneath the Azazian Plate created the Ashley Mountains, named after Edward Ashley, an English navigator who charted the western islands.

During the last period of glaciation a massive glacier extended across most of the central Azazian continent, consisting of the merged plates. And as the glaciers retreated they carved a deep channel between the New Brittany Mountains, the Brittany Strait – which now separates the geologically linked New Brittany and Oceania mountain ranges. The weight of the glacier also depressed the central lowlands, and upon the glacier’s retreat and melting, the land gave way to the sea and numerous channels opened and flooded the depressed centre of the continent and creating the Sea of Azazia.

To the west, the subduction zone of the Pacific into the Azazian allowed for a firm western boundary of the Sea of Azazia, largely in numerous mountainous islands, which are accordingly volcanic in nature and still growing. The eastern boundary of the inland sea is formed by the eroded and sunken remnants of the northern reaches of the New Brittany Range and the piedmont on the now largely absorbed and/or sunken Belden Plate, which accounts for the comparatively low islands of Paxnova, Rimbaldt, and Torvey.

Mountains and Hills

The largest mountain range consists of the various portions of the Ashley Range, which has several important gaps that have become the channels separating New Australia from Arista and Arista from Nova Russka. These mountains are geologically young and the subduction process is still active, which results in several active volcanoes although there have been no serious eruptions since pre-colonial times.

The highest range, however, is the New Brittany Range, in conjunction with the Oceania Range – although the Oceania is the smaller and shorter of the two. Mount James is the highest mountain in the New Brittany Range as well as the Home Islands, ascending to a height of 7,921 meters on the northwest coast of New Britain. Mount Archibald is the second highest peak in the UK and is also located within the New Brittany Range just to the west of Imperium, soaring 7,782 meters high.

Because of the disparate nature of the UK, there are other mountains of notable height within the kingdom including Mount Burke in the Royal Crown Colony of Port Nelson, which peaks at 4,602 meters. For the most part, however, the geography of the mountains and hills on the various islands largely includes rolling hills, the remnants of mountains eroded during the last period of glaciation and from the submergence of mountains under the sea as the sea level rose at the end of the same period of glaciation.

Rivers, Lakes, and Inland Seas

Owing in large part to the small area of each island in the United Kingdom, there are no mega-river systems in the Home Islands. The largest is the River Tenka, which runs north for some 2,600 kilometers from the Bennington Mountains before emptying into the Azazian Sea, its mouth occupied on both sides by the city of Queensbury. Owing to their small size, Juristan, Kingsland, and the Indian Islands feature either rivers shorter than that of the Tenka or none at all.

However it should be noted that owing to the high mountain ranges, particularly in the southeast and northwest of the Home Islands, the Azazian Archipelago boasts a moderate number of small-length rivers that carry significant amounts of water from the mountains, which absorb large amounts of precipitation owing to the heavy rainfall. Among this class of river are rivers such as the Cerisa, Arista, and Cooley.

The UK also features a dearth of large lakes, although nearly two hundred small lakes can be found in the various mountains throughout the country. In the geologic past, however, the region of central lowlands now submerged as the Azazian Sea boasted numerous large lakes.

As noted, the Azazian Sea is the pre-eminent natural body of water that has shaped the development of the Home Islands. Before the prior ice age a large river flowed from the New Brittany/Oceania Range northwards along what is now the undersea Beckett Channel, a deep cut in the seabed. The Azazia River drained the whole of the interior continent, with rivers such as the Tenka acting as small tributaries that drained more specific highland areas. With the coming ice age, however, the vast interior was consumed by ice which depressed the land below sea level and so as the ice age ended the glacier retreated and melted, its grooves and channels exposing the inland to the Pacific, which quickly flooded the continent with the Beckett Channel or the Azazia River now running as a deep and navigable passage through the Brittany Straits to its former mouth just north of Port Hamptonshire and Westport.

Artificial Waterways

Because of the large numbers of small rivers and streams and the large inland sea that connects each island to the next the UK has seen no real need for massive canal systems to be constructed. Most waterways traversing the land are to be found on New Australia, the largest island in the UK and even then most waterways are used for the purpose of irrigation.

Coastline

The UK boasts an enormous coastline and claims jurisdiction over its continental shelf as well as a 200nm economic exclusion zone. The continental shelf claim, however, is a mere formality as the nearest landmasses are Parzamafo and the Novikovian Islands, both of which are separate geological structures at distances over 1,000 kilometers.

The nature of the Home Islands submergence has resulted in numerous harbours and inlets providing deep and safe waters for shipping, as has the island chains of Jipangunesia, the Verdant Archipelago and the Indian Islands. Smoother coasts, however, can be found along the Sarnian coastline and the Kingsland coastlines, with the notable exceptions of Charlotte, which exists on the many outcroppings of land of a submerged river valley.

Islands

Islands are the primary geographic feature of the UK. Although once a continent, the Azazian-Belden Plate has partially submerged and left the Home Islands as a grouping of 31 major islands, and over two hundred small islands. Most, however, are not volcanic in origin and many boast only small human populations. Largest is New Australia.

Juristan exists as a moderately sized island in the Sea of Japan, and so the home country of Juristan is left unable to communicate with the Home Islands via any land route and is itself a political island (despite its three shared borders.)

Kingsland is perhaps the most continental of the UK’s territories, existing on the continent of Irathria, occupying an economically profitable position at the cross roads of north-south and east-west transportation systems.

The Indian Islands consist of the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, both of which are submerged volcanic mountains that offer numerous inlets, harbours, and bays, as well as occasional volcanic activity.

Many of the UK’s colonies are islands as well, especially Avinapolis, Port Elizabeth, New Atlantis, and New London. Significantly off the list is Azazian Sarnia, which can be found on the continent of Sarnia in the northwestern quadrant, enjoying the wide valley of the River Avon and the River Selby.

Climate

(For more information see the Climate of Azazia)

Although varied in geography and disparate in nature the UK typically experiences temperate climates with warm temperatures and moderate precipitation.

For the Home Islands, the most important mechanisms for the climate and temperature are the warm Pacific currents, specifically the Northern Equatorial Current and the North Pacific Current, and the prevailing winds that emanate from the Pacific anticyclone, providing cool, dry air to much of the archipelago.

Precipitation usually falls most regularly during the winter months, as the decreasing temperatures shift the anticyclone further north, allowing low pressure systems to advance across the archipelago. With most of these weather systems originating in the west or the south, areas fronting the sea and backed by mountains, specifically areas on the western coasts of Arista, Nova Russka, and San Isabel. The whole western plains of New Australia also experience moderate amounts of rainfall in addition to the southern coast, with areas near the Oceania Range, such as Breningrad and Philadelphia receiving significant amounts of precipitation due to the amplification caused by the orthographic effect.

Human Geography

International Boundaries

The Azazian Archipelago, alternatively styled as the Home Islands for their historical importance and primacy in the development of the UK, has no land borders with any foreign power, as do the Indian Islands; however, the home country of Juristan is located on the northeastern quadrant of an island of several powers and so the United Kingdom technically shares a land border with the nations of Neo-Soviet Russia, Slaytanicca, Lachenburg, and Red Tide2. At this moment, the UK does not share any land border with foreign governments in Kingsland.

With respects to the colonies and territories, the UK shares a land border with several other nations – most prominently in Sarnia, where the UK borders the nations of Sarzonia and a territory of the Kingdom of Geletia. The Royal Crown Dependency of Victoria was granted to the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the Lindimese Civil War, resulting in the transfer of a small area of Lindimese soil around an undeveloped deep water harbour where the UK has constructed a dependency. Because of its status of sovereign UK territory, the United Kingdom can also be considered as having a land border with Lindim.

Lastly the UK shares several borders of close maritime proximity, borders consisting of rivers of small channels that separate UK territory from those of other sovereign states. The Royal Crown Colony of Port Elizabeth is situated within the western islands of the Jipangunesian Archipelago, and with several islands within sight from the beaches of UK territory it can be said that the UK shares a close proximity border with Jipangunesia. The Verdant Archipelago Union also at one time shared such a boundary with the UK until its populace voted to enter into a Commonwealth with the United Kingdom, and in recognizing the reigning monarch of the UK as head of state the border is no longer considered an international border.

National Sovereignty

The UK is a unitary state governed by the Parliament in Imperium, which has devolved some powers to regions and areas.

Home Countries

To better facilitate both governance and elections the UK has been divided since 2006 into several different levels of integration. The first level is that of the home country, effectively a distinct cultural, economic, and political unit that has, for whatever reason, relinquished its sovereignty to the United Kingdom. Currently four home countries constitute the UK although within the coming decade this will expand to five. Owing to the political distinctness, each home country can operate a local/regional government that receives its power and legality from Parliament – although not every home country does so.

Home Islands – no government
Juristan – the Jusistanian Senate
Kingsland – the Kingsland Parliament
Indian Islands – no government
Novikov (expected to become a home country by 2010) – the Novikovian Parliament

Royal Crown Colonies

Following the Empire Act of 2005, the UK began to formalize its overseas possessions and designated many of the larger territories as official Royal Crown Colonies. In large part, colonies exhibit dependencies upon the UK, as a whole, that prevent them from obtaining the status of “distinct cultural, economic, and political units” that are the home countries. Within this group of colonies, however, the range of development is quite diverse.

For example, Novikov is currently a colony of the UK despite its former existence as a sovereign state – hence its accelerated integration into the UK as a home country. On the other side of the spectrum is Port Elizabeth, which features a distinct culture owing to the hunter-gatherer population residing on the islands, but has neither a native political body nor any significant internal economy. Two former crown colonies have since become full-fledged home countries: Juristan and the Indian Islands (formerly the crown colony of Juristan and the crown colony of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.)

Novikov – Begun process of integration as a home country, due to be complete by 2010
Port Elizabeth
Avinapolis – formerly known as the Royal Crown Colony of the Verdant Archipelago
Azazian Sarnia – formerly known as the Royal Crown Colony of New Corcyra
New London
Port Nelson
New Atlantis
King John Islands

Royal Crown Dependencies

A third level of integration is that of the royal crown dependency; effectively small areas whose populations are so small that their continued existence requires substantial UK aid. Two of the four dependencies retain high degrees of autonomy and self-governance from the UK owing to their nature as small communities of Pacific Islanders recognizing the sovereignty of Parliament. The remaining two are large military compounds, administered by the Royal Navy and thus ineligible from obtaining any degree of independence.

Ericsson Island – large military complex on eponymous island
Victoria – large military area in Lindim
Apua
Trilviu

Freely Associated States

Among the last two categories of national political integration are those of the sovereign states; first the freely associated states which surrendered control over their foreign and military affairs to the United Kingdom in exchange for financial assistance, deemed necessary by the UK and the respective local government. Each state may pass and enact their own laws in their own legislative assemblies, notable for being assemblies that evolved a power separate from that of Parliament and are thus unable to be dissolved or disbanded by Parliament.

East Datria
Kiae

Commonwealth States

The commonwealth state owes its formation to the past status of the UK as a commonwealth of independent republics joined under one government for the enactment of common defense, military, and economic policies. In 2006 the Verdant Archipelago Union voted to enter into a commonwealth association with the United Kingdom, which would take responsibility for matters of foreign affairs, defence, and macro-scale economic policies while leaving to the VAU all other domestic affairs. The head of state of the VAU is thus the King, currently George I.

Verdant Archipelago Union

Local Government

Owing to the diverse nature of the makeup of the UK in terms of founding countries and native inhabitants there are various terms and types of local government from English shires, counties, and districts to the French parishes to the Azazian irti, or tribal land.

In modern times Parliament has begun to look at simplifying and centralizing these distinguishing features of the multi-cultural aspect of the UK although so far all such movements have met with heated local resistance. And so with the Empire Act of 2005 the UK instituted voting districts, often co-terminus with the local political unit, except that for the interests of larger cities and political units they were subdivided into smaller districts. Districts solely represent political constituencies and do not affect local government.

Demographics

Boasting a population of 4,141,000,000 in early January 2006, the UK is one of the larger nations by population in the world, though still far from the largest. Of these four billion, roughly two billion count themselves as belonging to the Church of Azazia, another billion as Roman Catholics, and the remaining billion being largely non-denominational or atheist (although a culturally significant, but statistically marginal, number of Orthodox, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and native religions can be included.)

English is the main spoken language in the UK, although there remain a significant number of speakers of Russian, Spanish, French, Dutch and native Azazian. The import of all languages arrives from the development of colonies by the mother countries of all listed tongues, except Azazian, which was spoken by the native inhabitants of the archipelago.

Although far from the highest, the UK does boast a high population density with nearly a third of the UK’s total population being located on the eastern portions of New Australia and New Britain, mostly within the Great Triangle plus Imperium. Other important population centres include Queensbury, Caliz, Regal, Port Hamptonshire, Providence, Archangel, Westport, Merskov, Charlotte, and Avinapolis.

Economic Geography

(For more information see Economic Geography of Azazia)

Primary Sector

The UK’s primary sector has largely shifted to the peripheral territories, the colonies and dependencies. As environmental concerns have arisen regarding pollution and contamination of the land, sea, and air the old mines in the Home Islands are no longer profitable to operate. Instead of reinvesting in new mines in the Home Islands, mining companies are investing in new mines in more plentiful lodes in colonies such as Sarnia, New Corcyra, and New Atlantis.

Secondary Sector

In a similar fashion to the decline of the primary industries within the UK, the secondary sectors has also begun to shrink in the Home Islands and Juristan (never having gained a stronghold in the Indian Islands and remaining of some importance in Kingsland.) The remaining centers of manufacturing are to be found in the areas around Breningrad, Regal, Merskov, Archangel, Etar, Azaz, Caliz, and Hamm-on-Sea. All but the first lay upon the western islands, and all are nevertheless witnessing a decline in the importance of their manufacturing.

Tertiary Sector

With the decline of the secondary sector in the eastern islands, various communities shifted their economic focus to the development of the tertiary sectors of the economy. Of the most critical importance is Philadelphia, the primary financial capital of the UK. The city of Imperium hosts a great number of financial services as well, as do the cities of Breningrad, Portsmouth, and Artega. However, other cities provide important regional functions, including the cities of Queensbury, Port Hamptonshire, Westport, and numerous cities throughout the colonies.

Quaternary Sector

Lastly, the quaternary sector has begun to rise to new importance, again particularly in the wealthier eastern regions of the UK’s Home Islands, although to a certain degree also in the gateway cities of Juristan and Kingsland. Important centers are again the Great Triange of Philadelphia, Breningrad, Portsmouth, and Artega. In Juristan the important city is that of Providence while Kingsland boasts the cities of Charlotte and Port Melbourne.

Natural Resources

The UK features a wide variety of natural resources, both organic and inorganic, due to its attempts to colonise various locales specifically for access to raw materials. The Home Islands originally sported several materials necessary for the development of an industrial economy, especially iron and coal, and in the following decades reserves of other important minerals such as aluminum, oil, and natural gas were discovered along with late in the 20th century the important resource of uranium.

The territory of Juristan was purchased from Golencia in part because of its highly developed tertiary sector, but also because of its large oil and gas fields in the northwest. Kingsland provides the UK with access to other minerals such as aluminum and nickel while colonies such as Azazian Sarnia offer titanium and massive reserves of oil and gas. In large part, the UK produces enough raw materials to satisfy between 85-100% of its needs for raw materials and energy. Specifically, however, oil is of concern because although numerous fields have been discovered, especially in Sarnia, it will take several years before the requisite infrastructure is up and running to fully supply the UK with domestic oil and gas. Until that time the UK is an importer of oil.

Agriculturally, most land in the home countries, with the exception of the underpopulated Kingsland, has been developed for urban and industrial uses leaving only the colonies with the responsibility of producing crops and livestock for domestic consumption. The need for agricultural imports was in fact a large factor in the Novikovian War that led to the annexation of Novikov, which now provides a large percentage of UK agricultural products.

Environment

Especially during the mid-20th century as the UK rapidly developed its industrial base the Home Islands produced massive quantities of pollution as well as began the urbanization of the land, now resulting in the hyper-urbanisation of many islands and the resulting megalopolis stretching from New Britain upwards into Nova Russka.

However, in the late 20th and early 21st century, the UK government has attempted to rectify these problems and has sought to enact new legislation curtailing industrial pollution and conserving natural resources. Among these are plans to restrict logging and fishing in both the home countries as well as the colonies in both an attempt to secure the economic longevity of said sectors as well as to preserve the environment.

Natural occurring environmental issues remain those related to the geologic processes that have formed the Home Islands. Earthquakes and volcanic events have and can happen along the western islands while more minor earthquakes can still occur along the largely settled Azazian-Belden Plate border. For the most part, typhoons that wreak havoc on islands to the south and west largely steer clear of the archipelago owing to the strong influence of the anticyclone that dominates the UK climate. However, there are historical storms of both large and minor significance and the possibility of a typhoon striking the Home Islands, in particular the western islands, remains distinct but remote.

At the moment, the United Kingdom is not party to any environmental agreements.