Peteronia

Peteronia

Flag of Peteronia
Motto: "When happiness comes, give it the best seat."
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Region	Methody
Capital	Peteronia City
Official Language(s)	None, English and Latin de facto
Leader	Peter Wasson
Population	> 4 billion
Currency	Peteronian Pound
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General Information

Climate

Average Temperatures: July 20 ºC :-: January -1ºC

The Climate is that of the Northern half of the Northern Hemisphere. The country remains cold with storms and snow for much of the year. However, for about a month or so in the Summer, Peteronia enjoys a balmier climate with temperatures up to 25ºC.

Major Physical Features

• Highest Peak: - Peterspoint (4,925m)
• Longest River: - Muner (2,635)
• Largest Lake: Lake Libertas

The Landscape of Peteronia is much like that of Ireland and Norway. Indeed, we rival Ireland for the number of shades of green tha can be found!

Armed Forces

• Army: 1,120,000
• Navy: 712,500
• Air Force: 620,600
• EMDS Squad: 61,500
• Others: 25,000
• Police Force of the Peteronian Republic (commonly known as the guards): 750,000

Peteronia is a pacifistic, neutral nation and as such retains a merely defensive force. The EMDS Squad is the Electromagnetic Defense System Squad and they control the SDI. The EMDS was formed by Peteronia in conjunction with Kamsaki to protect from attack by other nations.

Largest Cities

• Peteronia City (Capital, 7.8 million)
• Texer (6.1 million)
• Cafonia (5.7 million)
• Foy (3.7 million)
• Bas (2.2 million)
• Wassonia (2.1 million)
• New Belfast (2.1 million)

Ethnic Composition

• Actonian: 27%
• Rectonian: 23%
• Histonian: 17%
• Unitonian: 9%
• Chaplonian: 9%
• Others: 1% including Kamsakian, Fandabulans and Nudists

Religious Affiliations

• Roman Catholic: 64%
• Methodist: 10%
• Church of Peteronia (Episcopalian): 10%
• Bhuddist: 4%
• Presbyterian: 3%
• Non-Religious: 6%
• Others: 3%

Government

President: Peter Wasson

Premier: Ivy Tatianna

• Regional Governers:
  • Rectonia: - Martin Nelg
  • Actonia: - Jane McHunlon
  • Histonia: - Linda O'Drum
  • Chapelonia: - Ken Ycartne
  • Unitonia: - David Foster

Praetor of Dublethre: - Michael Bartlett

The Peteronian Parliament Is comprised of two legislative houses both elected by Single Transferable vote. The Assembly has 659 members and a speaker. The members are known as Consuls. This is the first house and is the main legislative house. The Senate is designed to be a check on lower house. It houses 100 members, called Senators. The Consuls are elected in multi member constituencies of about 8-10 members. Elections take place for the Assembly every 4 years. The Senators are elected directly from each region and the number of Senators depends the population of the region. Elections take place for the Senate every 7 years. The speaker of the Senate and the speaker of the Assembly are called Proconsuls. The supreme court is know as the Tribunal, and the Tribunes are appointed for life by the President. The Cabinet can not be drawn from the Assembly, however, the 5 governors of the 5 provinces and the Praetor are in the Cabinet. Elections for the Presidency take place every 5 years. The Head of State (The President) and the Head of Government (The Premier) are separate and have similar levels of power.

At a provincial level, the people vote for the Governor, Senators and the State Assembly. All those who are voted in as Consuls at a Federal Level sit as “Citizens” in the State Assembly. Voting is compulsory and substantial fines are imposed on those who do not vote.

Although not actually a state within Peteronia, Dublethre still remains a separate entity. They elect a 'Praetor' to run them in much the same way as a govenor does and they send representatives the Peteronian Parliament in the same was as the other states. Indeed, one of the Tribunes, Joseph Rogers, is originally from Dublethre.

History

Prehistory

People first started to arrive in the land that is now Peteronia about 60000 years ago. Due to their nomadic life, they were constantly on the move. However, a meeting place where various artefacts were traded on the site that is now Peteronia City, near the Khazar river was founded. Indeed, caves with wall art dating back to that time have been found in the nearby Peteronian Hills. The population grew until several tribes became prominent. the Histiones, the Chaplonians, the Rectones and the Actonians. In the next 40 or so thousand years, these four tribes grew in strength. They controlled 4 main regions, H block, the Chapel, the Rec Floor and the Drama Studio respectively. The Chaplonians controlled an island separate from the mainland, but stayed in contact with the mainland through a highly advanced shipping route to the meeting place which became a port of sorts. This perhaps explains the position of Peteronia City. The four tribes lived in peace until long after the agricultural revolution. Around 8000 years ago, people began to settle around their own provincial Capitals Foy, Bas, Cafonia and Texer. The tribes abandoned the meeting place and due to lack of communication, tensions began to rise. A small, neutral tribe living in the region around the meeting place and maintained it and inhabited the area making a city of it’s own. As time progressed the tribes began to have small skirmishes. Around 3000 years ago, full scale war erupted and the land in the centre of Peteronia became a virtual wasteland. All the forces were matched equally and the war became an atrocious war of attrition. In hindsight, it was obvious that not one of the tribes could win. As with all wars, technological advance in slowed dramatically, so the four tribes were held back while a the small neutral tribe had gained overall control of the neutral region, which was now called the Unitonians. The wars continued well into ancient times.

Ancient/Classical age

Around 150 BC, the Unitonian City had grown in arts, music and science, not that dissimilar from the great city of Athens. The other 4 tribes had grown in strength and they continued to destroy each other. however, they did manage to stop long enough for the Actonians to invade and conquer Unitonia stealing much of their developments in culture. Christianity also reached the land that is now Peteronia very shortly after the Resurrection. All four tribes embraced it but the Chaplonians in particular celebrated it and many ancient churches can still be seen in the region. Several great wonders an still be seen throughout Peteronia including the Colossus of Bas, The Mausoleum of Texer and the Water Garden of Cafonia.

Towards the end of the 1st century AD, tensions eased, and fighting just about ceased between the tribes allowing the peoples of these tribes to develop their cultures. Each tribe developed a different predominant culture. The Chaplonians developed elaborate style of music which diverged and formed several different styles. Most music that is listened to in Peteronia today, still comes out of the Chapel. The Actonians created a new style of theatre similar to the Greeks but with a certain more optimistic flair, unique to Peteronian theatre. The histiones became the scholars of the country developing the sciences and arts and storing this information in vast libraries and indeed saved several ancient documents that would have disappeared otherwise. The Rectiones developed all the other well known arts, including painting, sculpture and indeed many culinary masterpieces. They also invented the first restaurants and an equivalent to the coffee shop which can be seen in Peteronia today, except a drink called Diatoke was drunk and it is still a popular drink today. While the rest of the world receded into the dark ages, Peteronia grew culturally and academically.

The Dark Ages

The Peteronian trbies were of course not seperate from the world and the cultural drain that was occuring. The nation slipped into a feudalistic system. Each tribe became a country with a King rather than a Chief as well as Lords, Barons and serfs, which were common to all four of the new countries. Science and the arts suffered as freedoms were restrcited. As the tribes developed into countries, nationalsim developed, a quality that is still feared by the present people of Peteronia. Around 507 AD, a terrifying arms race began. Over the next 200 years, the four powers vied for overall control until in 709 AD, the 400 years war was sparked by the assasination of Queen Nelg of Rectnoia, whose descendant is now Regional Governor of Rectonia, by Actonian assasins. Rectonia attacked Actonia in retaliantion. After a number of mistakes by the Lords, wrongly attacking knights of Histonia and sinking the HMS Pew, the flagsihp of the Chapelonian Navy, Histonia and Chapelonia were drawn into the war. After 150 years or so, the Chapelonians invaded what is now the Sheer Mabelline Intensity of Angry Nudists. Despite being completely nude and painted pink, the Angry Nudist force overwhelmed the Chapelonian Lords who surrendered, Queen Sharhaw signed the armistice and her dynasty was allowed to be a puppet government and Chapelonia was absorbed into Angry Nudists removing them from the 400 years war, leaving the remaining three powers to fight it out. Chapelonia of course suffered only a temporary absence from Peteronian history. The remaining three countries all approached the Pope, asking for Papal approval for their war. The, Pope, realising the volatility of the situation did not grant one to any of them. After this, Peteronia has kept a cordial and often happy, yet still occasionally tense relationship with the Church. Unlike ther countries of the time, The Peteronian nations were tolerant of other religions and welcomed them with open arms. It was just each other they hated. This war continued into the next age.

The Middle Ages

This was a monumental change as the world emerged from the dark ages, slighted but enduring. There was no clear end to the Dark Ages but most historians agree that it ended around 1100AD. The 400 years war also ended around this time. The three Kings realised that they had to stop or they would be destroyed, so they begrudgingly signed a truce. But relations were more than tense. They barely spoke a word to each other. Still, this great time of Cathedrala and Castle building continued. Indeed, Peteronia City’s exquisite Cathedral of St. Peter’s was built at this time and took 78 years to be completed.

Populations grew and so did towns and cities. Literacy improved as people began to be relaeased from the iron grip of feudalism. A new thriving merchant class formed and created guilds, which evolved to become the business of today. In particular book publishing. However, nothing would prepare the people for what was about to come.

The Renaissance

One of the biggest changes in human history. Humanity finally began to grow up as it reached the age of reason. People finally ahd the freedom to think and explore the human soul. An explosion of art, music, architecure and literature occured, including Peterangelo who painted the beautiful ceiling of St. Peter’s in Peteronia City.

However, sadly as with much of human history, this period also saw the advance of warfare with the musket. The Peteronian nations even tried to create empires, however, Rectonia was the onyl one who managed it and even, they only just managed to take a colony called Dubluthre, which still remains as a colony today. Many great literary works were written and the birth of modern medicine occured in Texer where doctors and scientist overthrew the theory of the 4 humours of Galen. Practising of alchemy saw the birth of modern chemistry in Cafonia. Indeed, the Lyndsey University of Cafonia still ahs one of the best chemistry depatments in Peteronia. Great political change also took place as Actonia and Recontia became early constituional monarchies whereas Histonia remained as a dictatorship. The Peterburg Press revolutionised the flow of information through printing everything from the Principia by English scientise Issac Newton, to cookery books, something which the Rectonians specialised in. Ideas of freedoms and rights seaped into the society of all four counties, as although Chapelonia was part of Angry Nudists, it was allowed to keep realtions going with the other three countries. These ides are still close to the hearts of the people of Peteronia today. This Golden Age of civilisation lasted until around 1700 when the indusrtrial age began.

The Industrial Age

With the invention of the steam engine, raid change spread through industry. Great steamships and trains were built. Manufacturing was revolutionaised. Mass production of everyting from wheels to bottle tops pushed the economy forward. Despite not talking to each other, the countries that now make up Peteronia started to write similar legislation. By now, the Histonian Alpha had been overthrown and a republic had been installed. Civil rights legislation was passed allowing men from all classes to vote. Uiversal Suffrage would not be achieved until the early 19th Century. Complusary education was ordere, up to the age of 12. It is somewhat historically ironic that depsite hating each other, the states that make up Peteronia were actually quite similar. With that in mind, it was around this time that the second great arms race began. this was to extend into the next age and was going to end with disaster. In 1814, Unitonia, which had been absorbed several hundred years earlier into Actonia, split away and formed itself into a sovreign state. Even this historically neutral region was sucked into the arms race.

The Modern Era

This started around 1870 with the invention of the electric lightbulb. The arms race continued and massive armies formed number around 3 million each. Weaponary imporved with new artillary, rifles, machine guns and other ballistics. Signifacant developments included the rocketry in 1923 and the A-bomb in 1934. Outiside of this warmongering, universal Suffrage was achieved 1st May 1918, a date still remembered today with celebrations and a public holiday. All four states on the Peteronian mainland had become republics. However, with such an arms race, there could only one outcome. In 1946, all four nations declared war on each other and started the great Peteronian war. The war lasted for 9 years and during that time, some 15 million soldiers were killed and well over 30 million civilians. Although at the outset the people were filled with nationalistic pride, as the years wore on and the populus were living in fear, they became more and more disillusioned. What was about to happen was possibly the most important series of events in Peteronian history. In Unitonia, a teacher at the city’s leading grammar school called Peter Peterson began to speak out. The disillusioned people of Unitonia began to listen. Despite government attampts to silence him, (by saying that he was unpatriotic as a “convienient” death would have been to obvious) the people listened and followed him. After a few months of this, the people stormed the Unitonian governmental buildings and broke in the Senate building, where President Gallagher was speaking. the government was completely depsoed and Peter Peterson was declared Life Long President. However, he loved democracy so much he declined this and ordered elections every 5 years. The people petitioned that in his honour, Unitonia City, the Capital, shoudl be renamed Peteronia City.

Having seen the events in Unitonia, the peoples of Rectonia, Actonia and Histonia began to protest, bearing Peter Peterson as their idol. In a matter of weeks, the governments of the remaining three countries were also deposed. Temporary governments were installed and a ceasefire was called. It was decided to formalise relations in the region. It fell upon Peterson to approach the leader of Whitla, a neutral state to host, and the President of Kamsaki to chair a regional conference. Representatives from all sections of society arrived to decide what was to be done. Peter Peterson argued for the Unification of the nation under one leader. Naturally, there was some opposition, but through sheer strength of argument, Peterson persuaded them all into a unanimous vote for Unification. When it cam to who was to be leader, there was roar from the floor for Peterson to become leader. So it was, Peterson became President and scheduled elections for 4 weeks after the conference finished (which he won through a massive majority). So, on 8th July 1955, this new nation was formed. However, it was still without a name. In an petition in August 1955, they requested that a referendum be held for the name this new nation to be Peteronia, in honour of it’s creator and the man who brought peace and harmony to a people who had been warring since 1000BC, Peter Peterson. The referendum was held on 24th Septmeber 1955 and with an unprecidented majority, 9/10 of the nation agreed. So, the country became known as the Democratic Republic of Peteronia. A new state was born was recognised by a relieved international community. Peterson still wore his teachers robes and this was to be come a traditon, as all succeeding Presidents have worn the same type of teacher’s robes. It also became the convention that every suceeding President to change his or her name to Peter or Persephone (Peterson’s wife’s name) respectively. However, Peterson was reelected for 4 elections running, but he retired in 1975 at the age of 50, allowing new blood to fill this office. The Peteronian Constittuion was written and ratified 2 years after unification and includes a description of the form of government and various other socio-economic features of society. This was voted for in a referendum in 1957 when it was agreed again by a massive majority. In 1987, Peteronia bought Chapelonia back from the Armed Republic of Angry Nudists, finally unifying all the peoples of Peteronia. This was done after referendums held in Chapelonia, Peteronia and Angry Nudists, all agreed that Peteronia shoudl have the land back. The school that he taught in was renamed Peterson College in 1974 in his honour. The current President, Peter Wasson, is the first not to have to change his name sine Uninfication. In 1966, Peterson set about organising a Regional Government System for the international community and worked with Kamsaki, Arturria and Splendifernis to set it up. He was given the title “Regional Founder” and was given the power of regional controls. All suceeding Presidents have also held this role. Peteronia joined the UN in 1958, but left after idealogical disagreements in 1981. Peter Peterson is still alive and well at the age of 79 and is living in a Palace in New Belfast and still occasionally advises the present Presdent about certain actions.

More Recent Events

After the terrorist atrocity involving the loss of the entire nation of Fandabulous, Peteronia has become home to many thousands of Fandabulans. Only those out the country or on aircraft survived the tragedy, the majority of whom now reside in Peteronia. They have been welcomed with open arms and indeed the current mayor of Peteronia City is a Fandabulan.

Its was decided earlier last year to rejoin the UN as President Wasson felt that for the benefit of all Peteronians new and old it was necessary to engage fully with the international community.

After many years of guiding the region of Methody, Peteronia stepped down as Regional Founder allowing the UN delegate to have control of the regional controls. The nation has now moved to a new region The Allied Union of Nations . The Constitution of the AUN was signed by President Wasson and Premier Ivy Tatianna on the 4th September 2006