Difference between revisions of "Gruenberg"

Revision as of 07:00, 8 August 2005

Gruenberg

Flag of Gruenberg
Motto: Kab-sez Schialnach Brachtrauron ['There's Nothing Wrong']
[1]
Region	Malibu Islands
Capital	Flurthwel
Official Language(s)	Rukialkotta
Leader	His High Holiness Grand Sultan Gardab Woltzten IX
Population	Unknown
Currency	Opst
NS Sunset XML

The Sultanate of Gruenberg is a medium-sized nation in Malibu Islands. An absolute monarchy ruled by the Woltzten family, power is centralised at the Court in the capital, Flurthwel. The country is devoutly Wenaist.

TRANSPORT

Civil Aviation

Gruenberg has international airports at Flurthwel, Gevenis, Moroschwegen, Sal-Siabi, Merlefurt, and Rohansas. At present, the largest is the Gelzien Central Air Hub at Rohansas, but plans are afoot to develop the Woltzten International Aerodrome at Moroschwegen. By The 735th Year, the Gruenberg State Civil Aviation Authority aims to have developed the WIA to be capable of handling over 17m. passengers per year. Gevenis Airport has been closed since The 729th Year, when Gelzien insurgents blew up two cargo planes, killing 87 personnel and badly damaging the main terminal building. It is scheduled to resume receiving domestic flights within 18 months. Most larger towns have small, internal airports.

Air travel was exclusively state-run until comparatively recently, the decision to allow limited domestic competition to GruenAir only being taken in The 718th Year, by decree of Gardab IX. Further deregulation came in The 724th Year under the terms of The Transport Development Act, and there are now several airlines operating from Gruenberg, although GruenAir remains significantly the largest, and continues to receive Court subsidies. Planes and air facilities have proved popular targets with anti-government rebels, and until assurances of greater security are seen to have an effect, it is thought by many economic commentators to be unlikely that there will be any significant degree of foreign investment in the air industry of Gruenberg.

NATIONAL AIR STATISTICS FOR THE 731st YEAR¹:

• International airports: 6
• Domestic airports: 42
• Kilometres flown: 96,455,000
• Passengers carried: 6,557,000
• Passenger-km: 14,883,000,000
• Freight ton-km: 967,400,000

Inland Waterways

Almost non-existent in the larger Naffarron province, canals form a central part of the Gelzien Nub's transport system. Now responsible for around 70% of all cargo traffic, they were at one point almost the only usable form of domestic freight carriage. A number of river ports dot the Chaubhan and Alkanaria, vessels of up to 200m length (although an advisory safety limit of 190m is currently in force) capable of navigating the latter. The majority of vessels are steam-powered, and there is a steam riverboat service connecting all towns along the Alkanaria, run by the Court-owned Inland Waterways Transportation Corporation.

Total length of navigable waterways: 9,692km

Railways

Gruenberg's railways were at one stage notorious for being unsafe, poorly maintained and ignored by the Court. Increasingly, however, transport priorities in the wake of the reforms of The 724th Year have shifted back towards improving the rail network. A giant project to link the major cities of the Aszumba was begun in The 726th Year. As yet, only around 500km have been laid, at a cost of some US $500m. to Gruenberg Railway. In The 728th Year, work commenced on a US $650m. underground train network in Flurthwel (the 'Flurthwel Inter-Metro'). However, the devastating bombing campaign that marked that year's Day Of Blood saw much of the initial structure destroyed, and work has been discontinued. A combination of heavy flooding and terrorist activity left the Gelzien Nub without any running trains for much of The 720s. However, some limited services have now resumed, connecting several major towns and cities in the troubled province.

NATIONAL RAIL STATISTICS FOR THE 731st YEAR²:

• Route length of track: 10,695km
• Total length of track: 16,128km
• Stations: [precise number unknown, although estimated to exceed 2,000]
• Passenger journeys: 340,000,000
• Freight ton-km: 7,112,000,000

Road Traffic

Gruenberg's roads vary wildly in quality. In general, the south and east of Naffarron are serviced by an excellent, dense network of well-maintained surfaces; the mountainous north and west, and low-lying Gelzien Nub province, have significantly poorer facilities. Around 35% of Gruenberg's roads are paved; however, many of the dirt tracks are eminently navigable with reasonably sturdy vehicles. Major projects in the eighth century have included the Inter-City Expressway, a 700km, three-lane highway linking several major cities. More recently, the first coastal highway was opened, spanning most of Naffarron's southern coastline.

A rumoured US $750m. of private investment, much of it from foreign companies seeking to expand into Gruenberg, has been put into developing the Gelzien Nub's road infrastructure, and in linking it to the newly reopened railway lines. Several major bridges have been built to span its many rivers and marshes, including the Gardab XIII Express Linkage. (At over 6km long, the G8EL has been the butt of several private local jokes comparing it to Gardab's immense girth.) A full, state-run bus service is now in operation. The Gruenberg State Highways Authority, a joint venture between the private sector and the Court, announced plans for a further US $4,568m. of investment in the roads as part of The Transport Development Act. This is to come partly from excise and customs on petrol sales, partly from development loans, and partly from the Gruenberg State Road Transport Corporation.

NATIONAL ROAD STATISTICS FOR THE 731st YEAR³:

• Length of primary highways: 152,637km
• Length of secondary roads: 124,195km
• Total length of roads: 442,067km

BREAKDOWN OF TRAFFIC IN THE 731st YEAR BY VEHICLE USE⁴:

• Motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, etc.: 2,342,785
• Passenger cars: 881,690
• Road tractors: 578,613
• Buses and coaches: 118,838
• Lorries and vans: 383,608
• Rickshaws: 93,300
• Station wagons: 84,500
• Taxicabs: 72,600
• Jeeps: 66,800
• TOTAL (including others): 4,710,321

Shipping

The chief ports are Merlefurt, on the south coast of Naffarron, and Serelloto, in the Gelzien Nub. Further ports exist at Sempleth, Yinna and Port Cracklan. Port Yadan is currently being developed, with a deep-water seaport and two dry-docks under construction. The Transport Development Act of The 724th Year privatised the shipping industry, and an estimated 56 companies now hold operational licences. A triumvirate of Court agencies variously regulate vessels, crew, and ports.

NATIONAL SHIPPING STATISTICS FOR THE 731st YEAR⁵:

• Number of registered vessels: 365
• Total displacement: 721,800 gross registered tons
• Merlefurt
  • Goods loaded: 5,918
  • Goods unloaded: 20,063
• Serelloto
  • Goods loaded: 1,451
  • Goods unloaded: 9,063
• Port Cracklan
  • Goods loaded: 725
  • Goods unloaded: 2,443

APPENDIX

1. Source: Statistical Yearbook For The 731st Year, co-published by the Gruenberg State Civil Aviation Authority and the Gruenberg State Institute for Research and Development. Applies only to GruenAir services.
2. Source: Gruenberg Railway.
3. Source: Economic Survey Of The 731st Year, published by the Gruenberg State Institute for Research and Development.
4. Source: Gruenberg State Highways Authority.
5. Source: Report For The 731st Year, published by The Bank of Gruenberg.