Maanenland
| |
| Flag of Maanenland | |
| Motto: Endevour Through Defiance | |
| [[1]] | |
| Region | DUN EIDEANN |
|---|---|
| Capital | New Westminster |
| Official Language(s) | English (Official) , Russian , French |
| Leader | Lord Lieutenant Commander Alexander JAMESON |
| Population | (See Entry below) |
| Currency | Maanian Pound |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Grand Duchy of Maanenland or Koninkrijk der Maanenland is a small nation located in the region of Dun eideann.
Contents
History
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. The Princes of these Kingdoms were mere ceremonial figureheads to the more powerful Dukes , the most powerful of these being the Duke of Cliffton who used his army to conquer the surrounding duchies slowly annexing a greater empire and eventually leading a coup against the monarch and his subordinate princes. The present borders were established following the conquest of all other duchies and the annexation of some borderlands.
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.
During this time there was always a call for introducing new democratic process and the disbanding of the fedual system , although initally resisted by the ruling classes the growing militancy of the working classes forced an entire new consitutional monarcharic system with greater limits imposed on the power of the Grand Duke. A new national parliament and the evolution of government continued to gain in strength and importance during the industrial revolution.
Following several years of relative peace and stability in the new nation turmoil occured on the 13th August 2005 when the radical Maanenland First party came to the power under the leadership of Alexander Jameson to the shock of international observers. True to their election manifesto elections were cancelled and work began on building a new better nation based on the principals of promoting a new stronger identity for the nation and greater development of the nation through an executive that promotes the national interest before what the electorate wants.
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 Lord Lieutenant. Soverignty is vested fully in the Duke of Cliffton who is a ceremonial figurehead of the nation. The power of the monarch traditionally is "protector of the duchy" , in this role he (or she) is the person who officers of the government swear their allegiance to and work for rather than work under the government, officers of the duchy however generally always follow the direction of the Lord Lieutenant hence why it is said that executive power rests with him. This arrangement is designed to protect the citizens of the duchy from tyrannical rule and has proven it's worth many times in history. Traditonally the Duke takes the title of Commander to denote his control over the armed forces of the duchy. However as the present Lord Lieutenant was a high ranking officer in the Maanenian Navy he , as is tradition , also takes control over the armed forces and takes the title of Commander. He is still however subordinante to the Duke on military matters.
The legislative branch of the government in Maanenland has always been non-exsistant with the executive implementing policy and deciding what legislation is to be passed. This has allowed for strong governance and clear national leadership especially in times of crisis. The Judicial branch has no power over the legislative process and only serves to interpret laws set down by the legislature. This again has allowed for strong governance , the main check on executive power is that the Duke may technically over-ride any laws passed that he deems not in the national interest but this has been generally rare.
To protect the people of Maanenland there are a series of statutes which constitute something resembling a written constitution , however there is no official constitution in the duchy with the rule of law and the dual-soverignty of the government and duchy being the two main pillars. The Citizens Charter spells out the rights of each citizen. The Act of the Duchy signifies the legal powers of the government but does not specify the framework for governance, instead it refers to the powers of the Duchy and the powers of the Lord Lieutenant. Both statutes can only be repealed or amended by a joint decision of the Duchy (the Duke as representative of the citizens) who would call a referendum and the Council of Ministers.
Political Subdivisions
Maanenland is split into 15 regions each enjoying a high level of autonomy from the national government , their role is primarily to oversee the construction of regional projects especially those major infrastrucutre building. The regions are purely administrative and have no fiscal or legislative powers. Below the region is the district council the purpose of which is to control the building and evolution of the district it represents. The city council is responsible for ALL transport infrastrucutre in it's boundaries as well as the construction of buildings such as schools and police stations. Part of these buildings upkeep costs are payed from direct income tax. If a district requires extra funding then they can apply to central government for a subsidy.
Below is a list of the regions/provinces:
- Albion Island
- Calder
- Chatham
- Chesterford Valley
- Cliffton Duchy
- Dycan Valley
- Greater Stretford
- Hollings Valley
- Kingsborough
- Mountain Districts
- New Wesminster County
- Oakshire County
- Portland Region
- Plainston and Stanton Provinces
- Ternpool Province
Military
The Armed Forces of the Grand Duchy are known as the Maanenic Armed Forces or by their official The 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 Commander Jameson the aim has to be to provide the duchy with the most technologically advanced armed forces at a greater expense of manpower. Maanenland has not developed nuclear weapons but has the knowledge and materials to do so should there be a change of policy.
The Air Force of Maanenland (the Royal Maanenic Air Force) is the backbone of the military due to a policy of promoting an air force above the other services.
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 , Carston , Canley , Caister , Newport , Oakham and Ternpool. The capital city of New Wesminster is the smallest population city in the nation with only a permanent population of 12 of which one is the house of the Lord Lieutenant. The Grand Duke resides in the city of Cliffton.
![[1]](http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/images/Map.GIF){kind=link}