Sterkfolk

Sterkfolk is the capital city of the People's Republic of Kjonnigland. Sterkfolk is not the largest city in Kjonnigland, but its historical and strategic importance has made it the center of government activity in both Kjonnigland and the former Kjonnig Province for nearly 180 years. Sterkfolk is considered a major worldwide center of socialism. The name of the city is a Norwegian word that can be roughly translated as "the Strength of the People."

History

Sterkfolk was established as an Arctic trading post in 1681, where the main objects of trade were fish and fish oils. The post was converted into a military fort in 1708, and because of its strategic location, became the center of military activity in North Norway. The residential portion of the fort consisted of soldier's homes and families. When Kjonnig Province was established in 1732, many of these areas had grown large enough to connect with each other. By 1737, the town had expanded beyond the constraints of the military, and the industrial revolution was being felt in full swing. In 1741, Sterkfolk was incorporated as a city, with a population of just over 14,000. By 1788, the population had risen to 46,000, and by 1850, the population was 138,000. On May 17, 1913, Sterkfolk was made capital city of newly-founded Kjonnigland. Since then, the population has climbed steadily to its current level of 746,830.

Demographics

Aside from the Norwegian-speaking native-Kjonniglanders (who make up 96% of the city's population), Sterkfolk is home to Kjonnigland's entire Ukrainian speaking population. These are largely people who fled Kiev after the German invasion of World War II. Also, Sterkfolk is home to several small pockets of immigrants, mostly from Norway, Sweden, Poland, and Russia. Kjonnigland recognizes four official languages, and the majority of these immigrants choose to learn Norwegian (immigrants are required to attend classes in one of the four languages). All government, and much of commercial, activity is carried out in Norwegian.

The Battle of Sterkfolk

On April 14, 1940, the German army invaded Kjonnigland, and by April 17, they were within 25 miles of Sterkfolk. Kjonnig defences held the advancing army back for 6 days, but the Germans finally reached the outskirts of the city on April 23. The Battle of Sterkfolk lasted for a further 12 days, until the Kjonnig Armed Forces surrendered unconditionally on May 5, 1940. Much of the city lay in ruins, and casualties have been estimated, on the Kjonnigland side, as low as 37,000 troops, and as high as 150,000 troops. The reason for the discrepancy lies in the fact that Kjonnigland had been blindsided by the German invasion, and many of their Armed Forces Regiments were severly crippled or completely destroyed before orders at Sterkfolk could be given or carried out. Also, because of the shuffling of regimental forces near the front-line, several generals had "misplaced" large portions of their men before the German Army encircled the city and cut off these large parts of the Kjonnig army before they could report to their commanding officers. The Kjonnig Thirteenth Army, led by Field Marshall Henrik L. Halvorsen, suffered particularly staggering losses. Of the 42,000 men from the Thirteenth deployed to defend Sterkfolk, all but 1,260 were killed, including F. M. Halvorsen. It is considered a miracle by military historians that Halvorsen was able to save the 1,200 men that were able to escape the German encirclement. Halvorsen himself was killed by a mortar that penetrated deep into the Kjonnigland forces during the evacuation. Halvorsen was given a full state funeral and a posthumous promotion to admiral for his role in the evacuation of the survivors. However, due to the German occupation of Kjonnigland, these honours were not bestowed upon him until nearly three years after his death. His final resting place is still unknown to this day.