Difference between revisions of "Maanenland"

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Maanenland

Flag of Maanenland
Motto: Endeavour Through Defiance
[[1]]
Region	Europe
Capital	New Westminster
Official Language(s)	English (Official), Dutch (Official) , Russian , French
Leader	Lord Lieutenant , Alexander Jameson
Population	(See Entry below)
Currency	Maanenic Pound
NS Sunset XML

The Grand Duchy of Maanenland , Koninkrijk der Maanenland or Het Groothertogdom Maanenland is a small modern democracy located in the region of Europe. It's citizens are commonly refered to as "Mannenians" or being "Maanenian" (commonly pronounced as mar-nen-ian although the older "Maanic" is still used in some circles.

Maanenland is taking a more active approach to international politics by joining the United Nations and increasing involvement in regional issues.

History

Ancient

The first settlers crossed the mountains of Calder around about 3200 BC. They were tempted by the fertile valleys and rich forestation of the virgin Maanenland countryside. Rather than staying near the mountains the settlers moved all the way to the coast and settled in the central belt of Maanenland. A seperate band of humans moved into the north and north western valleys forming their own independant tribes and cultures.

The first recorded settlement in Maanenland was built 40 miles from the current site of Westhead in Cliffton Duchy and is believed to have been called Ghorentha.

In 112 AD the first real organised civilisation began as a group of city states centred around Cliffton called Dernforn . In 252 the first civilisation was recorded in Stretford. The last civilisation to emerge was the western peak districts in 640 .

These civilisations soon began trading new ideas and goods realtivly peacefully as they had common interests. The first alliances of local tribes formed the Cliffton Duchy and Kingsborough in 712. Soon after other alliances of similiar stature was established peacefully.

In 1012 Elizabeth II united the provinces west of the mountains were allied following invasion from overseas. Following the defeat of the invaders the local kingdoms realised it was in their interests to join in union with their neighbours forming the United Kingdom of Maanenland in 1050. The name was chosen by national consensus as in ancient Maanenic Maanenland translated roughly as Lands That Have Been United.

Age of the Feduals

The present territory of the Grand Duchy was formerly a loose alliance of semi-autonomous nations each with the King of Maanenland as is it's head created in 1180 AD. The Princes of these Kingdoms were mere ceremonial figureheads to the more powerful Dukes , the most powerful of these being the Duke of Cliffton. The King of Maanenland sent his Lord Lieutenants to every Duchy to enforce the order of the crown.

In 1422 the alliance was facing widespread political upheavel. King William IV , the monarch of the time , was loosing support of the dukes with his ever increasing taxes to pay for foreign wars and ever more elboarate palaces. The Duke of Cliffton , Edward van Maanen, led the first revolt the winter of the following year. The neighbouring duchy of Kingsborough loyal to the crown tried to fight back but did not have anywhere near the strength of the Cliffton duchy and was quickly overwhelmed. The then Duke of Kingsborough , Peter X , counted on help from neighbouring dukes and overseas help which did not arrive. Following the annexation of Kingsborough the Duke of Cliffton arrested the King of Maanenland and had him beheaded in the grounds of his palace. Outraged by his actions the dukes of the northern provinces marched south to remove the Duke of Cliffton. The southern states , favouring a republic , rallied behind Cliffton and Kingsborough leading to the 40 year civil war.

Age of Conflict

With the King beheaded soverignty turned to the Lord Lieutenants who tried desperatly to reach a peaceful settlement. This failed. After some quick victories by 1430 it was becoming apparent that neither side was going to win the war while independant. On May 13th 1453 the Treaty of Canley called upon all 23 of the southern duchies to pool their economic resources and form a political union under the Duke of Cliffton and his duchy. The new Army of the Duchy of Cliffton after the union then swelled as troops and materials from across the south flowed into one cohesive and united army with common tactics and goals. The present areas of Portland , Chesterford and Greater Stretford were quickly overwhelmed and annexed into the Duchy of Cliffton. There was only one Lord Lieutenant left following the conquest and he was appointed to lead the new united nation into a distinctly new era.

Age of Union

After the uniting of the former United Kingdom of the Maanenlands under one soverign duke work began on gaining a common language (English was chosen due to it's prevalance) and a system of standardisation throughout the duchy. This included beginning the process of industrialisation and a common infrastrucutre program centered on the new city of New Westminster where the new offices of the new government were under construction. During this period of destruction and upheavel many local customs and unique customs were lost and many cities were destroyed and rebuilt.

By the 1500s there was still a widespread vaccuum in the power base of the nation. Realising this the Duke set up a parliament and the modern system of local authority representation albeit without the democratic process. The Duke ordered a series of Lieutenants to be sent to every town and city to represent the Duke and carry out his soverign rule. In 1582 the House of Boroughs was finally finished in the new city of New Westminster. Poor communications however meant that the Lieutenants became increasingly distant and dissenting from the crown. In one of it's first pieces of Legislation the House of Boroughs ordered the revival of the House of Regional Commanders in 1599 , large land owners who had the education and experiance to keep the lieutenants in line and were sufficiently educated to govern the nation.

To appease the still turbulent mood of the Maanenland people the Act of Provincia was passed in 1652 which ordered for some elections to be held by the ruling gentry for the local lieutenancy positions. This was because many of the ruling classes were becoming disgruntled at the lack of skill of their local rulers and were threatening to take action. This was to be the foundation of Maanenland's democratic process.

In the late 1600s the capital of New Westminster was fully rebuilt (the traditional seat of the Lord Lieutenant before it was razed during the civil war), the site was once again chosen as under Maanenian law the Duke had no soverign control over Westminster County and could not enter either the city or county under any circumstances. This means that Maanenland is one of the few nations (perhaps the only nation) in the world where the head of state is banned from the capital. The idea behind this was to protect the democratic government from being taken over or held to ransom in order to pass legislation. Because of this New Westminster county comprises only of the adminstrative offices and enough rural land to provide food for every member of the parliament.

Age of Expansion

In 1732 the process of standardisation was complete and stability had returned to the nation. Seeking to promote greater cohesion the pre-civil war Duchies were reinstated with Lieutenant Commanders placed in charge. To promote greater union the title of the Grand Duchy of Cliffton was dropped and replaced with the name of Maanenland , the former name of the alliance of nations before the civil war. This agreement pleased everyone.

Encouraged by the tranquil state of the nation the Maanenland army took control over the provinces of Calder and invaded Bethune Territory (modern Mountain Districts and annexed it from Caith in the Great Mountain War. The previously unsettled Albion Island was also colonised.

The other notable war of the period took place in 1740. The Wilnwick - Maanenland War 1740 led to Maanenland taking control over Wilnwick.

The main achivement of this age was the discovery of new civilisations and trade routes from the Maanenic Navy which led to the flow of new technologies and exotic foodstuffs into the nation for the first time.

Age of Industrialisation

Maanenland was quick to adopt the industrial revolution in the southern plains and the economy grew at this point with break-neck speed much to the detriment of living conditions and environment alike. There was mass rural-urban migration during this point leaving many cities in the rural areas (especially the mountain districts) as ghost towns , today these are popular historical tourist attractions. Although the "industrial valley" enjoyed the rapid advancements of technology during the era such as railways , electricity and sanitation the surrounding areas were essentially still living in a medieval exsistance and this was the case until realitvly new advancements in automobiles and communications.

Politics at this time was dominated by Wilnwick self-rule , at this time the nation was still run directly from New Westminster. The campaign culminated in 1876 with the pulling out of Wilnwick , however at the request of the new government it became a Maanenic protectorate with Maanenland retaining a large role in domestic politics.

Despite losing influence over it's neighbour it's influence over other states grew at this time primarilly with the division of the Caberland territories with Maanenland retaining the most states of the new colonial asset following 30 years of colonial conflict in 1882.

Age of Socialism

Following the end of the Industrial Revolution came the welfare revolution. Disgusted at the plight of the working classes in the inner city slums the Democratic Socialist Alliance government of John van Helston ordered massive slum clearance programs from 1952-1970 In 1952 work began on building a welfare state and nationalised healthcare. As well as this the commanding heights of the economy was taken into public ownership in a widespread reform of the nations industry.

By 1972 the economy had developed into a mature industrial economy with living standards some of the best in the region. The picture nationwide however was not equal. Oakham , Oakshire County at this time suffered from a major economic recession which , combined with nationalist and race tensions , culminated in a breakdown of law and order which has not been restored over 25 years later.

This time was also a major turning point in the evolution of the Grand Duchy. Maanenland's territorial assets in Caberland fell in the communist revolution of caberland of 1974. This lost the duchy control over the major ports of the north.

Futher to this the state of Maanenland itself faced great upheavel as the provinces that had existed for over 500 hundered years were reorganised by the Maanenland New Provinces Act.

Age of Reform

In 1992 , following 20 years of relative decline , the Maanenland First party stormed to power in a massive landslide majority of 75%. In the 1992 election the policy of privisation was not discussed and seen as as a political minefield and so was avoided. By 1994 although spending in most government departments had been slashed and regulation cut back there was still record budget deficits which led some commentators to be backrupt within six months. The Phealen government tried to generate revenue by selling off the relativly low revenue generating Chalom Haulage for around #930 million , the company doubled it's profitability within three months to the surprise of many , the nation also reacted positivly to the shortening of the budget deficit.

Jameson (current LL , at the time Industrial Secratary) then took the bold stop of beginning the "sell-off" of the [[Maanen Group] nationalised corporations. The greatest resistance came from the heavily loss making Maanen Steel which relied heavily on 'blank cheques' from the duchy. This culminated in the General Strike of 1995 where all nationalised industries went on strike to try and alter public policy. A vote of no confidence was passed against the Maanenland First party , the party responded by passing the Emergancy Powers (Civil) Act and declaring a state of emergancy.

The Long Week

The national grid was closed on 24th September 1995 plunging the nation into darkness and further damaging the economy. Refusing to give in the Maanenland First government ordered all infrastrucutre to kept running by troops and civil servants. Despite the military taking control of all services from refuse collection to fire fighting there was nowhere near the manpower required and martial law was declared on the 11th October which led to the Long Week:

On the 12th October at 0732 the Batten Woods power station was expecting a coal delivery from the military run and striking coal mines. Following a series of high profile arrests the mood had turned very sour amongst union workers who were fast running out of money. Around 23 (estimates vary) workers placed objects on the track at an undefended tunnel near Kayston derailing a coal freight train at high speed killing the driver. Simultaneously another group of dissenting strikers launched molotov cocktails at local authority headquaters in Cliffton , Newport and Ternpool killing twelve inside and causing millions of pounds worth of damage. Special APVs were launched to deal with these violent protests and the army arrested most of the culprits detaining them at a special military prison infamous for it's appalling conditions. It was this attack that started the majority of the public to change their support from the protestors to the authorities when the public awoke to the news.

The 13th of October was one of the darkest points in both the protests and Maanenland's history. There was a geniune fear amongst the population that the government was to be overthrown as government buildings were attacked nationwide. So far though they had not attacked the national capital and it's emergancy regional headquaters , mainly as Democratic Socialist Alliance members where in these and the General Workers Union relied heavily on their support to try and stop the government. A group of rebels lead by Steven Knapp on this day arrived at New Westminster National Rail Terminal posing as journalists using passes they had gotten from contacts at the Herald & Imperial newspaper. They were escorted under armed guard to the press centre within the compound. At this point they attempted to run from the tour (the police claim towards the Trade and Industry building) and were opened fired upon by the Lieutenancy Securitariat and were instantly killed to outrage of fellow union workers.

The killing prompted the mainstream of the strikers to begun openly supporting the violent minority and began attacking local state industry and government buildings , the smoke from the fire at the Wendlehulme Oil Terminal on the 14th of October created a plume over Cliffton city . The smoke from fires covered most towns and cities and several rural areas until the 17th. For many of the ordinary people this was the last straw and the opinion of the media and population alike swung hugely behind the government with many white collar workers temporarily leaving their week and going to work with the military at major infrastructure points to the shock of the union workers, this move was partly down to a national campaign by the government and several key figures (including actors , musicians).

On the 18th the strike was effectivly demolished as the country started to return to normal without the striking workers and after facing constant attacks by the military , police and often members of the public.

The strike itself however continued for another year.

Post-Strike =

A year later , with the unions "war fund" depleted the workers voted to return back to their old jobs. Even though the industries had been kept running by unskilled members of the public accidents were frequent and the products slow and inefficient to produce. On the 1st October 1996 the workers returned to work.

Vindicated and riding on a sea of public approval the main infrastructures of Maanenland (except rail) were sold off to investors and corporations across the nation. He also now could destroy the union legislation , abolish the minimum wage and end large social security payouts to the national workers who had fought hard to keep them.

In many industrial cities such as Scarcliffe there has been widespread decline because of the closures brought about by privisiations and there is still a great deal of bitterness and resentment. On the 13th of October 2005, ten years after the shooting , the much reduced General Workers Union announced a national vigil for the protestors gunned down in Parliment Square.

Government and Politics

The Grand Duchy of Maanenland is a constitutional monarchy with executive power residing directly in the Council of Ministers and headed by the elected Lord Lieutenant drawn from the leading party in the lower chamber of the bicameral parliament , the House of the Boroughs. The political system is noted for it's lack of a constitution or of any statutes regarding how the country is governed. The Lord Lieutenant appoints other ministers from the Houses of the Boroughs , who together form the National Executive Committee (Cabinet). The Lord Lieutenant is the head of the government. Soverignty is fully vested in the monarch who is head of state but under the constitutional monarchy aranagement the entire government is answerable to the Lord Lieutenant who has greater powers than those of a Prime Minister.

In Maanenland the monarchy has very extensive theoretical power which he , during times of political upheavel , uses to great effect . The monarch is an integral part of both houses of the Parliament as he or she has the power to refuse to sign any legislation and can dissolve a parliament which is threatening the national interest. The Lord Lieutenant orders when the next election is (the term of the Lieutenancy though is automatically revoked after 10 years) but during the election period executive power is automatically devolved to the The Commission for the Lieutenancy of Maanenland | Commissioners of the Lieutenancy]] , a non-governmental agency that is comprised of over 1000 officers who swear direct allegiance to the duchy rather than the duke. These officers (often nick-named stormtroopers) deliver the resuts of elections to the Chief Commissioner who then declares who the next Lord Lieutenant is. Foreign policy and criminal proceedings are carried out in the name of the Duchy rather than the Duke personally who does not get involved in such matters but is in theoretical control of both. Calls for abolition of the Grand Duke has little support amongst the population , a recent poll suggested that less than 5% of the electorate would support such a move. The highest court in the land is the Maanenic High Court which is composed of the seven Law Lords of Maanenland , the Lord Lieutenant (unless the government is taken to the court in which case the Leader of the House of Regional Commanders takes his place), and the Lord Provost of Maanenland who presides over the court.

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The House of the Boroughs is the national legislature of Maanenland . It has ultimate legislative authority in accordance with the doctrine of parliamentary soverignty. The parliament is bicameral which is composed of the House of Boroughs and the upper house of the House of Regional Commanders. The House of Boroughs is less powerful than the House of Regional Commanders. The House of Boroughs has over 100,000 members each representing an area of 100,000 people. The House of Regional Commanders is the chamber responsible for calling the government to account as well revising legislation in such a way that would be too time consuming for the lower house. The house is comprised of several different types of members , the most common is the Lieutenant Commander who is elected by the head of the local authorities (sublieutenants) which they are representing , it has been argued that this is too undemocratic but there has been no major push for reform. Around 98% have originated from this sstem. Major landowners remaining 2% of members , which have declined in number in recent years ; to qualify your estate must cover the area of a standard constituency and there must be support of 51% of the subjects of the estate every 10 years.

By constitutional convention, Ministers are chosen exclusivly from among members of the H.O.B. Ministers of the Lieutenancy exercise both legislative powers and prerogative (deriving from Duchy prerogative) powers. The Lord Lieutenant is chosen from the majority party in the House of Boroughs and forms the next government and is then formally appointed by the monarch. The current Lord Lieutenant is Alexander Jameson of the Mannenland First party , who have been in office since 1982.

The two largest political parties in the House of Boroughs are the Mannenland First party and the more left-wing Democratic Socialist Alliance. Mannenland has not traditionally had a strong two-party system, but many of the smaller parties with common interests have merged into the main two. The electoral system used for general elections is first-past-the post. The nature of this system means that Manneland First were elected in the 2001 election with only 49.2% of the national vote, but still won a majority of seats in Parliament. The House of Regional Commanders is comprised entirely of independants.

People voting in elections for their local authority tend to vote more on their national policies than regional issues which has led to some calls for reformation of the system. Generally however there is contenment with the current system with no large scale independance movements.

Primary Political Parties

Political Subdivisions

Since 2006 Maanenland has been split into a sizeable amount of administrative regions of roughly the same economic and social interests or of similiar tradition and culture. Provincial council act primarily in co-ordinating the actions of their subordinate counties and as the middleman between those two layers of government. Since 2006 provinces now have greater representative power in the Maanenic parliament and now many territories have much greater autonomy at a cost in higher taxation.

The next division down from region is the Hundered which is comprised of the area of one hundered counties, these divisons are purely for mapping and postal services only. The local authority below the hundered is in most regions the County although regional variations include duchies and unitary authorities. These are responsible for most day-to-day services including police and schooling.

The regions are not equal in status and title:

Autonomous Kingdom

A province that has it's own head of state as a heriditary ruler who , although a subject to the Maanenic Crown , enjoys large amounts of soverignty of his territory.

• Calder
• Kingsborough

County

• Oakshire County
• Plainston and Stanton Provinces

Duchy =

An area of land owned by one invidual who runs his territory as the subordinate of the Maanenic Crown.

• Albion Island
• Chatham
• Cliffton Duchy

Federal Regional Authority

An authority comprised of a federal union of subdivisions.

• Greater Stretford

Special Administrative Region

• New Westminster County

Province

A territory that controls the majority of it's affairs autonomously and has a Lieutenant Commander in control of it , created in 1982 these were the new provinces.

• Chesterford Valley
• Dycan Valley
• Greater Stretford
• Hollings Valley
• Portland Region
• Plainston and Stanton Provinces
• Ternpool Province
• Western Peaks District

Territory

The lowest of the subdivisions , is controlled directly by New Westminster.

• Mountain Districts

Military

The Armed Forces of the Grand Duchy are known as the Maanenic Armed Forces or by their official title Armed Forces of His Majesty the Duke of Cliffton . The Commander-in-Chief is usually the Duke of Cliffton but has recently changed to Commander Jameson who directs the military personally through the Ministry for the Protection of the Duchy.

The armed forces of Maanenland are charged principally with the responsibility of defending the duchy and it's wider security interests , so far peacekeeping has remained limited.

Present numbers of troops are unavailable but it is relativly small compared with the population , under Lord Lieutenant Jameson the aim has to be to provide the duchy with the most technologically advanced armed forces at a greater expense of manpower. On January 6th 2006 the Maanen Reporter newspaper was leaked information from the government stating it's intention to arm the nuclear submarine fleet as quickly as possible. So far the government has refused to comment.

The Navy of Maanenland (the Royal Maanenic Maritime Defence Force) is the backbone of the military due to a policy of promoting a strong navy above the other services.

International Relations

The Grand Duchy of Maanenland has recently taken a very isolationst approach to foreign policy and has stayed away from involvement in regional and international politics. The Jameson government however has started a process of integration within the United Nations and the regional government to try and raise the profile of the nation.

Maanenland currently has no major transnational issues , however governments around the world object to ships being stopped in international waters by Maanenian patrol vessels to be searched.

Elements in Wilnwick politics object to the great influence that Maanenland has over it's politics with it's title of Maanenland Administrative Zone . Despite being a soverign territory Maanenland contiues to affect legislation in it's role as a protectorate.

Relations with Europe have recently come under greater strain as the scandal over the European delegacy and general region have brought the duchy in conflict with several other nations due it's outspoken attacks on regional issues.

Illicit Drugs

As Maanenland has legalised all narocotics , the nation is a major producer of all forms and classifications of drugs. However it is a major criminal offence to attempt to export drugs bound for a nation that has outlawed them. The usual sentance is over 30 years.

Geography

Geographically the nation can be divided into several key distinct zones. North West of the capital there are small rugged mountains surrounded on it's sealand borders with large areas of marshland. The land border to the north is the start of "the great valley" which runs between the mountain ranges of the north west and north east. The eastern land border is dominated by a large mountain range. The south of the nation is typically very flat plainlands with some heavy forestation in the centre.

The main rivers in Maanenland are the River Calder , River Longeaton , River Ducan , River Hollin , River Chesterford and the River Caeford. There is also a large inland lake (Lake Ternill) with two small islands.

The major cities of the duchy are Cliffton , Stretford , Ternpool , Newport , Coltishall , Mounthatten Ridge , Chatham and Jennington. The capital city of New Westminster is the smallest population region in the nation with a permenant population of 120 and temporary population of 260,000 when the compound is filled for government.

The industrial economic heatlands of Maanenland can be seen in a line from the manufacturing centre of Portland , through the steel and mining centre of Ternpool and into the financial centre of Greater Stretford , from there the Industrial Line stretches down through the Jennington corridor of Dycan Valley and into the technology heartland of the Cliffton Duchy.

The agricultural heartland of Maanenland travels in the Corn Line starting with the primarilly polutry producing region of Oakshire , the line then goes down through the corn fields of the Plains County and into the pastral farming regions of the fertile Hollings Valley and then into the predominantly vegetable district of Chatham. Kingsborough although highly rural has yet to become a major agricultural region due to poor infrastructure to the neighbouring bustling market of the Cliffton Duchy , this is a problem being addressed by the government. The Chesterford Valley is a major woodland and timber growing area. The rugged hill region of Western Peak Districts, mountains of Mountain Districts and the great mountains of the Kingdom of Calder have little economic activity and so achieve high subsidies for employment.

Communications

Telecommunications

Maanenland has a highly advanced domestic telecoms system in most areas thanks to continual investment from the government. However more remote areas have long suffered from poor telecoms links to the rest of the nation despite several iniatives to increase accessibility.

Transport

Like telecoms , transport infrastructure has traditionally been given generous funding by central government.

The expressway/interstate highway system has been the main benificary of investment so road communications between all major settlements are well above the international average though some critics have pointed out that areas of the network recieve very little traffic and are seen as a waste of money.

The ports of Maanenland are also extremely well funded and are used for up to 78% of all national trade. The main ports in order of traffic are Middle Capeford , Newport , Ternpool , Oakham , Jennington and Westport. There are also several hundered miles of ship canals and other artificial waterways.

Rail transport is the backbone of the nation and have much greater usage than cities of similiar economic and population size. Every settlement in the central nation is connected to the system. The network between Stretford and Cliffton is one of the busiest lines in the world and is usually full to capacity despite services running every 5 minuites between the two areas. Over 92% of commuters choose to take the bus from there home to the rail station and then onto their next destination. Unlike other transport networks the system is entirely privitased. The majority of all freight moving within Maanenland is made using the freight railway systems to the ports. See main article Rail Transport in Maanenland.

Air travel traditionally has been underfunded by central government and as such there are relativly few major international airports outside the twin conurbations. Most of these are ex-military airfields.

Economy

Mannenland has in recent years been beset by depressions , recessions and periods of unparalled growth . GDP Growth under the Jameson government has been extraordinary jumping from €9,000 to €40,000 in a very short time. The economy of the nation is now highly diverse with major production of every product and commodities.

The "new econonmy" of Maanenland is dominated by the rapid rise of electronics and information technology which are employing more and more of the workforce. Automobile Manufacture was at one time the strong point of the Maanenland economy , although now overshadowed by the retail sector it still makes up the majority of all exports from the nation thanks to help from central government and investment in machinery and infrastrucutre. Agriculture makes up a proportion of the economy that is unusual for an industrial economy .Maanenland's retail sector is a major force both domestically and internationally.

Agriculture is intensly mechanised and is very efficient managing to keep the nation self-sufficient in food whilst employing less than 3% of the population. The Maanenland fishing supplies fish all around the world and thus there is a huge fleet that produces much more fish than there is demand domestically.

The main concern for a the majority of the 20th and early 21st centuries was the ever increasing trade deficit. Drives for self-sufficiency manufacuring plants and factories could not keep up with the demand of a rapidly expanding economy. Following a series of economic reforms and punitive tariffs Maanenic manufacturing has exploded also thanks to a strong growth in the production of industrial materials.

Rises in technology and capacity has resulted in a rebirth of the Portland districts as an international centre of aerospace and defence manufacturing,

Following several crippling strikes in recent years the Jameson government has passed legislation to decrease drastically the power of the trades unions to hold the economy to hostage which has traditionally also caused high levels of inflation.

The Maanenian Pound has traditionally been a very weak currency with local business preffering to use international currencies , at the moment however it is riding on a wave of new strength and has begun to become to main currency of business within the duchy. Most banks still print their own money which has led to some wild fluctuations in the value of the currency recently.

Society

Religion

The primary religion in Mannenland is Christianity with nearly 15% of the population identifying themselves as Christians as varying denominations. Generally religion is frowned upon by both the government and society alike especially when it appears to interfere in areas such as media and government.

In the last census 81% of the nation's population described themselves as having no religous beliefs.

Media

Maanenland has an independant , impartial public service broadcasting group called the Royal Maanenland Broadcasting Corporation usually shortened to RMBC which provides radio , TV and Internet news (a link is available below) which is funded for by a mandatory TV licence. There are also several other large media organisations available on Satillite and Cable or Digital Terrestrial all of which are free to report on what they like.

The population has shown little interest in sensationalist tabloid journalism although broadsheets are quite popular , especially in the more affluent urban areas.

Demographics

The primary and official language spoken is English. Local indgineous dialects have all been stamped out after years of decline and refusal for them to be accepted as languages by the growing central government. Native Maanenland Dutch is the second primary language especially in rural areas , most signs and government broadcasts are bi-lingual. Figures vary greatly as to how many of the population speak fluent Dutch but it appears to be around 91% thanks to government iniatives to increase the level of fluency .Immigrants from Russian and French nations have contributed to make them secondary languages spoken fluently by around 27% of the population.

A high birth rate and increasing longevity is increasing the population at an alarming rate placing a greater strain on public services.

Culture

There is yet to emerge a coherent national identity for Maanenland as most of the provinces have their own seemingly unique cultural styles.

Cliffton and Stretford metropolitan areas are locked in an ancient rivarilly for economic position and grandour of the cities. When Stretford built the Western Bank tower it was the largest building in the nation until two months later when work was finished on the Cliffton Bank tower a mere 10m taller. Competition between the two cities has resulted in them being some of the most stunning cities in the world.

The rural county of Kingsborough retains a traditonal way of life realtivly free from crime and disorder and steeped in history.

National Anthem

The Maanenic National Anthem was written in 1812 to replace the previous anthem Cliffton Above All as it was seen as being antiquated and irrelavent. Although there is an official Dutch translation it's seen as being a somewhat poor translation and when sung is sung to a different track.

The Maanenic Imperial anthem is used in official marches and events where the national anthem would be sung at other nations , the Maanenic National Anthem is typically sung at official ceremonies wheras the Imperial Anthem is sung as a celebratary track. In sportig events the national anthem is used.

National Anthem English

Maanenland our land united by the sword
Maanenland our home where tyranny is abhorred
Our Duke who protects us
Our Duke who connects us
United under the flag

From the mountains to the valleys
From the forests to the sea
To the rivers and pastures
All are eternally free

For Maanenland will be forever strong
The rule of the Duke will be eternally long
As long as our people stand defiant
Our endevouring spirit will be reliant

Ruler of the highest wave
Land of the forever brave
Commander of the skies
Never to be conquered
Our spirit never dies

Maanenland our home
Maanenland where the mighty wolf roams
To Maanenland I pledge my loyalty
To this nation protected by royalty
May our home be forever Maanenland

Simple Dutch National Anthem

Maanenland ons land verenigde door het zwaard
Maanenland ons huis waar tirannie
Onze Hertog verafschuwd is die ons
Onze Hertog beschermt die ons verbindt
Verenigden onder de vlag

Van de bergen tot de valleien
van de bossen tot de zee Naar de rivieren en weiden die Iedereen eeuwig vrij is
Voor Maanenland zal voorgoed sterk
De regel van de Hertog zal zijn eeuwig snakken zijn
Als snak als onze mensen staan uitdagend
Onze endevouring geest zal vertrouwend zijn

De heerser van het hoogste golf
Land van de voorgoed dappere
Commandant van de hemelen
Nooit Onze geest nooit dobbelstenen veroverd te worden

Maanenland ons huis
Maanenland waar de machtige wolf doorzwerft
Naar Maanenland ik beloof mijn trouw
Naar deze natie die door vorstendom mei ons huis beschermd wordt
Is voorgoed Maanenland

Maanenland Imperial Anthem

I give you a toast, ladies and gentlemen. I give you a toast, ladies and gentlemen. May this fair dear land we love so well In dignity and freedom dwell. Though worlds may change and go awry While there is still one voice to cry

There'll always be an Maanenland While there's a country lane, Wherever there's a cottage small Beside a field of grain. There'll always be an Maanenland While there's a busy street, Wherever there's a turning wheel, A million marching feet.

Red, white and blue; what does it mean to you? Surely you're proud, shout it aloud, "Maanenians, awake!" Kerkby too, we can depend on you. Freedom remains. These are the chains Nothing can break.

There'll always be an Maanenland, And Maanen shall be free If Maanen means as much to you As Maanen means to me.

See Also

• National Anthem of Maanenland