Oceania (country)

The United Kingdom of Oceania

Flag
Motto (English): Excelsior
Anthem: God Save the King
Map of the Home Islands Click here for image Map of Juristan Click here for image Map of the Indian Islands Click here for image Map of Novikov Click here for image
Capital	Georgetown (47,689,232)
Five largest cities	Amelia (56,398,222) Philadelphia (52,745,103) Imperium (47,689,232) Portsmouth (40,312,989) Artega (37,846,408)
Spoken languages  - Official  - Unofficial	Oceanian English Slovak, Russian, Spanish
Government  - Sovereign  - Prime Minister  - Governing political party	· Constitutional monarchy · Parliamentary democracy King George Rodney Ingrahm Conservative Party
Establishment  - Treaty of Kingston  - Act of Union	1912 2006
Area  - Total  - Former Azazia  - Novikov	12,922,995 km² 6,542,910 6,380,085
Population  - Total (2006)  - Former Azazia  - Novikov	7,509,000,000 5,017,000,000 2,492,000,000
GDP (FY2006/07)   - Total (USD)   - GDP/capita (USD)	$275,512,300,000,000 $56,227
Currency	1 Oceania Pound (£) = 100 pence (p)
Naval craft classification   - Military   - Civilian	HMS ONC
Internet TLD	.az, .oc

The United Kingdom of Oceania is a country primarily located within and on the periphery of the Pacific Ocean, with significant constituent political units located in the Sea of Japan, the eastern Bay of Bengal and the central Indian Ocean. Although comprised almost entirely of islands, many colonies and overseas territories of the UK border foreign powers, although only one of the four Home Countries actually borders a foreign power.

The United Kingdom is a union of the Home Countries of Juristan, Kingsland, the Indian Islands, Novikov, and Azazia. Outside of these major political units are the various crown colonies, dependent territories and freely-associated states that comprise the greater Oceanic Empire.

As a developed, post-industrial economic power, the United Kingdom wields a significant amount of economic clout that is slowly transforming itself into a strong diplomatic presence in the world. Although not a signatory to the United Nations, the government of the United Kingdom has consistently upheld civil liberties as paramount to liberal democracies – although some critics warn the erosion of a strong opposition to the governing Democratic Socialist Party as a signal of a possible decline into despotism.

History

Modern History

Throughout the early and all but the latest years of the 20th century, the predecessor of the United Kingdom of Oceania—the United Kingdom of Azazia—fiercely maintained a policy of isolation. During this time, the numerous governments focused primarily on economic development with only few interruptions; the first major interruption being that of the Japanese occupation of western islands and territories during World War II.

The Japanese occupiers imprisoned numerous citizens of European descendants while simultaneously granting independence to the Azazian and other Polynesian peoples. In practice, however, the independence was in name only and their respective governments listened to Tokyo. This brief upheavel led to armed uprisings in the 1950s and 1960s where disenfranchised minorities sought equality and while the uprisings were brutally suppressed, it came at the cost of one president of the commonwealth—Thomas Adar—but nonetheless led to equal rights being granted to all persons of the Home Islands.

During the 1970s and 1980s the Commonwealth of Azazia focused its collective energy on rebuilding a shattered nation. By 1989 the economy had all but recovered, aided in large part by massive immigration of cheap labour from economically depressed Europe, and to a much more limited extent Asia and North America.

In the 1990s, the country—renamed the United Kingdom of Azazia—began to slowly open itself to the world, by 2005 this had led to the beginning of close relations with the sovereign nations of Novikov, Pacitalia, and Hamptonshire—although even by 2006, the UK and Hamptonshire have yet to formally open diplomatic relations. However, a sudden economic collapse in Novikov led to the Azazian-Novikovian War, which saw Novikov eventually annexed by the UK.

It was this annexation that, unintentionally, strengthened the budding relationship with Pacitalia—who sided with the UK in its bid to join the Union of World Powers, where Sarzonia, a former ally of Novikov, attempted to veto the accession of the UK. With the assistance of the Pacitalian government, the United Kingdom joined the organisation, forcing the Sarzonian government to resign.

A public referendum held in 2006 indicated that a majority of the Novkovian people wanted integration with the United Kingdom. In accordance with the public’s wish, Parliament passed the Act of Union 2006 by which Novikov acceded to the new United Kingdom of Oceania as the Home Country of Novikov.

By mid-2006, a former British colony in the Indian Ocean, New Albion, seceded from the Ottoman Empire and petitioned to enter the Oceanic Empire—a petition accepted by the United Kingdom to great international controversy. The acceptance of this new colony nearly led to armed conflict with the Ottoman Empire until its peaceful resolution through high-level bilateral talks held in Istanbul. Of note, the talks between the UK and the Ottomans effectively neutralised an effort led by Sarzonia to bring about an arbitrated peace. Some analysts theorise that the bilateral talks were held intentionally to bring about a peaceful resolution while simultaneously weaking the international reputation of Sarzonia, already on the decline after the Sarzonian Panic of 2006.

Thus far the remainder of 2006 has been occupied with by-elections being held for the House of Commons to provide all of Novikov with appropriate representation in Parliament.

Government and Politics

Main Article: Politics of Oceania

The United Kingdom is a devolved unitary state with parliamentary sovereignty with executive power residing in the Sovereign whose authority is vested in and exercised by His (or Her) Majesty’s Government. The Government exercises said power on the behalf of the Sovereign through departments and ministries. Secretaries of state, aided by junior ministers, head the Government’s departments and ministries. The task of enacting the policies of the departments and ministries belongs to an unelected and politically neutral civil service whereas the secretaries of state and junior ministers are drawn from and held to account by Parliament.

Under the Oceanian system of government, Parliament is the supreme body of government although it is not guided by a constitution. Instead, the constitution-less state is guided by constitutional conventions and traditions. These conventions and traditions have established the system wherein the Sovereign chooses his or her Prime Minister: asking the leader of the political party that controls a majority in the House of Commons to form His or Her Majesty’s Government. It is worth noting, however, that the former Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury sat not in the popularly elected House of Commons but rather the House of Lords, the unelected house of peers and leaders of the Church of Azazia. The most recent elections, however, have witnessed the return to the established traditions with the current Prime Minister, Rodney Ingrahm seated in the House of Commons as the MP for Islington.

The two largest political parties in the United Kingdom are the Democratic Socialist Party and the Conservative Party. Since the formation of the Commonwealth in 1912, they have been the governing parties of the country: the Democratic Socialists for 50 years and the Conservatives 44. Starting in 2005, the United Kingdom adopted the mixed member proportional representation; however, with the by-elections currently underway in Novikov, the two-party system has been increasingly criticised by the ruling Democratic Socialists for increasing the likelihood of a hung Parliament. The opposition Conservatives rebuff that claim, arguing the Democratic Socialist position owes to the poor Democratic Socialist showing throughout all of Novikov.

Despite concerns about the electoral process in the national Parliament in Georgetown, opinion polls consistently show that the devolved legislative assemblies in Poldi'sk, Liberation, Providence, and Charlotte are well-regarded and seen as efficient. The devolved legislative bodies arose from the Act of Union 2006 with which Novikov became a Home Country and every Home Country except Azazia received its own legislative body. Despite the tend towards devolution within the Home Countries there is no general support for independence movements.

Administrative Subdivisions

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom primarily consists of two distinct areas of administration: the core and the periphery. The core consists of the four Home Countries: Azazia, Juristan, Kingsland, the Indian Islands, and Novikov. In the aggregate, the Home Countries provide the bulk of the United Kingdom’s population, economy, and culture. Since the Act of Union 2006, the Home Countries have been given a degree of political autonomy with all but Azazia now featuring a devolved parliament. The Sovereign is represented by a Lord Lieutenant in the Home Countries except in Azazia, where the Sovereign rules, and in Novikov, where the Sovereign is still represented by a Royal Governor until the Office of the Lord Lieutenant can be created, expected to occur in 2007.

Underneath the division of Home Country is that of province. Formerly known as republics during the period of the Commonwealth, the Act of Union standardised the term province. Republic had referred to the independence assumed by each colony in the Azazian Archipelago, although after union in the Treaty of Kingston the independence of the colonies was ceded to the Commonwealth and the term republic remained an anachronism.

Beneath the provinces are the counties, which are further subdivided into cities, towns, villages, and townships. While counties through Home Countries are determined by Parliament, the granting of city, town, village, or township status remains a royal prerogative and is done through royal charter.

The Oceanic Empire

Outside the core of the United Kingdom remains the Oceanic Empire, a scattered and geographically disparate group of islands and continental territories. The highest order of division within the Empire is that of a Crown colony. In the past, two types of crown colonies had existed, private enterprises and those royally sanctioned—after the 1950s, however, the government banned the establishment of private crown colonies, called so to stress allegiance to the Crown, and so in modern parlance either royal crown colony or crown colony is technically correct.

Below crown colonies are dependent territories. Dependent territories retain some degree of sovereignty as they fall outside the unitary authority of the United Kingdom—although the territories may or may not stress this degree through chief executives and legislatures formed at the local level. Nonetheless, foreign and defence affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom.

Freely associated territories are those of fully sovereign nations that choose to affiliate with the United Kingdom, most often because of a lack of economic, political, or military self-sufficiency. In accordance with the local wishes, the United Kingdom thus assumes responsibility for providing economic and military aid to the territories often in exchange for control of foreign and defence affairs.

Geography

Main Article:Geography of Oceania

The Home Islands, the Azazian Archipelago, constitute the bulk of the territorial possessions of the United Kingdom. Amongst the islands in the archipelago, the largest island is New Australia. The archipelago can be grouped into two separate arks running from southeast to northwest with the large Azazian Sea separating the two stretches of islands. In the western portions of the archipelago, most islands exhibit mountainous terrain owing to the still semi-active volcanic features that created many of the islands. The eastern portions, by comparison, feature gently rolling hills, with the only large mountains existing in the New Brittany Mountains, whose highest peaks reach just short of 8000 meters. The northern islands are the flattest of all, owing to the glaciation of the archipelago during the last ice age.

Kingsland, located within the continent of Irathria, exists almost entirely in a large north-south valley between two mountainous ranges on its eastern and western borders. The large cities of Charlotte and Port Marlton lay at the two ends of the valley with Port Marlton existing as a large seaport to the north and Charlotte being a major seaport for the massive body of water that the continent all but encircles.

Novikov consists of two large islands, with somewhat mountainous terrain in the southern portion of the southern island with large inlets and bays characterizing the coastal terrain. The restive region of Lesser Novikov occupies several islands located in the strait that separates the two large islands.

Juristan occupies the northeastern quadrant of the Island of Juristan, located within the Sea of Japan. Two large rivers drain the Home Country and are separated by a large flat plain while hills and mountains constitute the southern border.

The Indian Islands comprise the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the eastern Bay of Bengal. Also of volcanic origin, the islands feature numerous bays and coves that can handle small ships, although currently the harbour of Port Blair is being enlarged and deepened to handle larger shipping traffic.

Demographics

Breakdown of the UK Population by Ethnicity, for larger version Click here

Founded as a commonwealth by the colonial states of several European powers in the early 20th century, the United Kingdom has, since its inception, been an amalgamation of different peoples and cultures. The majority of the population is of British descent, from England, Scotland, or Ireland, while the largest minority is Russian, primarily from the Russian colony in the Azazian Archipelago and the substantial population in Novikov.

One of the longest-serving problems facing the state has been the differing national identities, as few European settlers adopted Azazia as a nation, owing to the long-simmering and violent conflict with the native peoples, the original Azazians. Thus, in 2006, the government reorganised the country as the United Kingdom of Oceania, with Oceanian becoming the official adjective to be given to all citizens – as prior to 2006 no such official distinction had existed.

Nevertheless, the ethnic breakdown of the UK shows that it is a multinational state and as such finds itself concerned with socioeconomic disparities between various groups within the country.

Language

With the original Commonwealth of Azazia dominated by the former British colony, the primary language of the Azazian Archipelago came to be that of English, with most Commonwealth schools teaching English to the decline of other languages – although many non-British descended families do retain their native languages to some degree or capacity. Along with the decision to forge a common ‘national’ identity as Oceanians, the government has also undertaken an effort to install English as the only official language throughout the country and the greater Oceanic Empire.

Religion

The majority religion of the United Kingdom is that of Christianity, although the latest information indicates that only 6% of the population of the UK practices their religion, and most of that comes from the comparatively religious province of Juristan.

As a holdover from the days of the Commonwealth, the Church of Azazia, the imported and modified version of the Church of England, remains the official religion of the United Kingdom although there are no bans on other religions anywhere in the UK. The Church of Azazia is part of the Anglican Communion. Beyond the Church of Azazia, the second largest branch of Christianity within the UK is that of the Russian Orthodox Church while Catholicism is of tertiary importance to the UK’s larger Christian community.

Economy

Main Article: Economy of Oceania

The economy of the United Kingdom focuses upon market liberalisation with free markets, low taxation and regulation. Although originally the economy grew around heavy industry and manufacturing, the higher cost of labour in the comparatively developed country forced a shift from primary and secondary sectors of the economy to tertiary and quaternary sectors of the economy, in particular the financial services industry especially banking and insurance. Much of this financial activity is centred around Philadelphia, although recent years have seen two rival international centres growing, one in Port Hamptonshire and one in Queensbury.

While manufacturing declined in the 1980s, an unintended consequence of the Azazian-Novikovian War was a renaissance in construction and industry: the lower labour costs in Novikov providing the United Kingdom with a modern, competitive secondary sector economy that is expected to begin generating wealth after capital investment costs are paid off within the decade.

Tourism is a high-growth industry in the United Kingdom, especially in the Home Islands, where the subtropical climate draws numerous visitors.

The Oceania Pound (£)is the currency of the United Kingdom and is one of the world’s strongest currencies nearly on par with the Pacitalian Douro and the Hamptonian Krone. It is printed by the United Kingdom’s central bank, the Commonwealth Bank. Formerly, the Commonwealth Bank was controlled by the Government, however, since 1997 the bank has been effectively separated from the Government, although the Government does appoint the bank governor.

Culture

International Relations

In many respects, the United Kingdom's foreign policy since its independence in the early 20th century has echoed that of its primary ancestor, the British Empire before the outbreak of World Wars I and II. A long period of political isolation during the formative years of the new nation precluded formal expansion, however, the first tendrils of an informal empire had begun to spread to neighbouring islands and newly sovereign states in the Pacific throughout the middle of the 20th century.

Rapid economic growth in the late 20th century led to what many historians call a neo-British Empire based, almost paradoxically, on the tenets of liberal democracy while maintaining rule through what many critics call thinly veiled dictatorship. This duality in maintaining the United Kingdom's empire had led to a similar duality in the practice of the nation's foreign policy.

Primarily, this duality evinces through moralistic statements calling for nations and governments to follow and adhere to traditional Western values in the exercise of the powers of state and the dealings of business. However, instances abound where the United Kingdom unilaterally eschews such actions in order to further its own interests across the globe.

On the whole, most analysts nonetheless agree that the United Kingdom acts to further expand liberal democracy and defend it where imperiled. Such policies have thus born one of the world's most powerful, if not formal, alliance of nations, the Big Three where the Democratic Capitalist Republic of Pacitalia and the Grand Archduchy of Hamptonshire are the United Kingdom's closest allies.

Outside the close-knit relations between the Big Three, informal as the United Kingdom and the Grand Archduchy have yet to formally establish diplomatic relations, the United Kingdom maintains membership in several international organisations--most predominantly geared towards trade and economic benefits. The most militaristic, and domestically controversial, organisation to which the UK belongs is the New Alliance Treaty Organisation, also known as NATO, through which the UK is allied with states such as Automagfreek, perhaps the quintessential antithesis to a liberal democracy like the United Kingdom--another example of the UK's dual nature in foreign affairs.

In large part, however, the United Kingdom prefers to negotiate and maintain bilateral alliances with foreign states so as to avoid entanglement in affairs of state neither relevant nor important to the UK or its greater empire. This primarily can be traced back to the nation's involvement with the Ur Trade Pact--an economic alliance that evolved to include a military component that nearly involved the newly emerging nation in what would have been a disastrous war.