Kura-Pelland

The Unified Democratic Republic of Kura-Pelland (/kʊɹə-pɛlænd/) is a nation in southern Atlantian Oceania, sharing the continent of Vircais with Vephrall.

The nation was formed from the unification of Kura and Pelland - two nations separated by the River Mura - after a civil war. Since then, the country has become a benchmark for peace and unity, and has expanded to cover the entirety of Vircais not covered by Vephrall. Perhaps paradoxically, it has also swung between governments of notably different philosophies.

Geography

Kura-Pelland is located in the north-west of Vircais, with Vephrall occupying the remainder of the continent. The terrain is primarily of rolling hills, with two main areas of mountains - the Voran Range in Noorde and the Engan Range primarily in Lakeland.

The majority of the population are concentrated in the 'old' Kura-Pelland - with six million in Trilan alone making it the largest city in Vircais, and several more major cities to the north and west - and around Lake Branagh, particularly the cities of Porterbridge and Prangren.

The five largest cities in the country at the last census are:

1. Trilan - 6,210,324
2. Parwood - 4,312,029
3. Porterbridge - 3,995,200
4. Prangren - 2,760,420
5. Cardim - 1,904,902

Climate

Most of Kura-Pelland has a subtropical climate, with typical July highs above 75°F (24°C). However, temperatures are somewhat cooler than in much of Vephrall.

History

Pre-unification

Kura-Pelland originated as two separate nations, divided by the River Mura. Kura was the larger and more populous, with major cities including Virling, Wulting and [[Cardim]; Pelland was the smaller but more prosperous, with Parwood and Assiri the centre of development. However, by definition the river was a flashpoint, and the riverside city of Trilan, divided between the two nations, was marred by constant fighting. Kuras were seeking a share of Pellandi wealth; Pellandis sought to protect this. However, when armed Pellandi militias killed 66 people in the Sarville Massacre, public opinion turned sharply against the fighting in each country.

A compromise agreement was reached, whereby the two states would merge into 'The Democratic Republic of Kura-Pelland' but each would maintain control over its economy (though trade between the two would be entirely free). Some controls along the Mura remained, which to some made a mockery of the 'one-state solution'; however, after an unexpected cessation in hostilities, helped by a firearm amnesty and a pledge of 'unprecedented investment' in the heavily damaged Mura Valley if hostilities ceased, these were then removed, and Kura-Pelland became a truly unified nation with Trilan as the capital.

The post-unification reconstruction

The post-war construction boom did indeed arrive, but was by no means limited to the Mura Valley; flooding fears caused much riverside development to be ceased, and a substantial part of the investment flowed instead into the poorer, more rural east - particularly Murley, which grew dramatically in this period. Primarily, however, Trilan was the beneficiary, with rebuilding of war-destroyed riverside areas into the governmental and transportation hub of the unified nation. In particular, some railways were rerouted close to the multiple termini in the city, and a single station - Trilan Centrepoint - was built to replace them all. There was also a boom in road travel, with the beginnings of the national motorway network - the M1 between Trilan and Parwood, shortly followed by the M2 between Trilan and Gerdolan and (concurrently) the M3 between Trilan and Yarzoya. The first motorway not originating out of Trilan, the M4 between Falnor and Murley, was built soon after, but the biggest change to the country's geography would come the next year, when the land around Lake Branagh, previously a near-anarchy without a clear national government, was discovered by Vephrese citizen Menburid Taclik; searching for gold west of the Northern Territory in Vephrall, he instead discovered Prangren. Diplomatic relations were quickly established and the border was set primarily along rivers - an initially controversial proposal given the history of Kura-Pelland, but one that has long since been accepted - leaving both countries with the entirety of Vircais between them. The nation was officially renamed at this time, with the word 'Unified' added.

As part of plans to link 'old' and 'new' Kura-Pelland - with the 'new' lands being notably poorer at this point - further dramatic reconstruction took place, including the extension of the M4 to Prangren and the construction of another eastbound route, the M5 between Trilan and Porterbridge. These two roads were amongst the biggest engineering projects in the country's history, and many opposed their construction on environmental grounds. There was, however, continued investment in the railways, particularly on east-west routes.

Development in the east was relatively slow, however, and was largely confined to the areas around Lake Branagh. The northern region, Noorde, was largely ignored, largely cut off from the rest of the country by mountains and with a language barrier to face too (the area is primarily Dutch-speaking); the southern region, Sudesti, was heavily damaged by the Micheldev Bay Storm, where a tropical depression merged with a separate system from the Darnai region of Vephrall to cause severe wind and rain to much of the far south of the country. Development was slowed down by the relative lack of relief effort, caused by a reduction in tax and an insistence on funding the country's education system with the intention of developing the country along free-market principles. This proved highly unpopular for a while, but when the country sunk into recession after a short-lived change of government to the Workers' Party the trends changed.

The surge of capitalism

In subsequent elections, The National Democrats took power on the most right-wing policy package ever seen in Kura-Pelland, and held the first parliamentary majority in the country's history; this allowed the policies to be implemented almost unchecked. A rapid process of deunionisation and the introduction of a flat income tax caused riots among some low-paid workers, but this served only to galvanise public opinion in favour of the changes as the riots were interpreted by many as evidence that progressive taxation 'is nothing short of the transfer of money from the efficent, law-abiding and reliable to the lazy, violent and feckless', as one paper put it. While around 750,000 people were forced into bankruptcy within three years, average GDP per capita in that same period rose by almost 20%, and the National Democrats have maintained power ever since, though they were then forced into coalition and some taxes rose, particularly environmental taxation such as car and petrol tax. The flat income tax, however, remained in place.

The Trilan terrorist attacks and the electoral fallout

Several weeks before the following election, which was scheduled to be very tight at this point, two large bombs exploded in Trilan. One exploded in a car park close to the White Hope Stadium, where Kura-Pelland's national football team were playing former colony Zyla; another exploded on a train from Trilan Airport and it was this second bomb that caused most of the fatalities.

A national sense of panic emerged, and the National Democrats were the quickest to respond, offering draconian but hugely popular policies that sent them storming to victory. At once, much of the liberal democratic framework in Kura-Pelland, particularly human rights legislation, was removed. The nation also adopted even more laissez-faire economic policies than before. The result was a massive social upheaval, as many Kura-Pellandis left the nation in fear while others flowed into the country seeking the newly-created jobs sparked by low corporate and income tax. At first massively popular, the government soon gained notoriety, blamed for police brutality and gross inequality. With the post-attack moral panic fading, policies were forced to change slightly; the party started adopting libertarian policies, with both tax and funding cut and the privatisation of several key industries.

Impending general elections are set to produce another coalition government; while the National Democrats are expected to be the largest party, they are almost universally unpopular amongst other parties, and it is likely that the Morality Party will be the political kingmakers. Many Kura-Pellandis feared this will lead to a further reactionary authoritarian backlash from all parties to gain the support of the Morality Party, but this has not been especially evident in the election campaign so far.

International relations

While Kura-Pelland is a largely inward-looking nation, strong diplomatic relations exist with Vephrall as mentioned above. Significant migration in both directions exists, largely due to the very different nature of each country; Kura-Pelland has a much more frantic pace of life and technology is around thirty-five years ahead of that in Vephrall. Most Vephrese immigrants settle in Prangren, though some settle in Sudesti where the pace of life is less frenetic but the trappings of modern technology are still largely present. Conversely, Kura-Pellandi migrants tend to spread themselves out, though many have moved into the area around Rozetpaloche and a small Amish community has settled in Ditemi - not coincidentally, this is close to the high-tech city of Fariynuff, which has also attracted Vephrese immigrants.

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.