Vephrall

From NSwiki, the NationStates encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, search
Clenoncyg Vephrall
VephrallFlag.png
Motto:
Map of Vephrall and Kura-Pelland
Region Atlantian Oceania
Capital Meice
Largest city Speilers
Official Language(s) Vephra, English
Government Constitutional monarchy
 - King of Vephrall Hahnea II
 - Prime Minister Splebist Cliriputed
Establishment Founding of city of Meice
 - Founding of Meice 13 November 1592 
Population 51,399,257 (1740 census)
Currency len (VLEN)
Timezone AOTC±0000
 - Summer (DST) not used
Internet TLD .vf
Calling code +941
ISO Code VEPH
NS Sunset XML

Clenoncyg Vephrall (/ˌklɛˈnɑnsiɡ ˈvɛpfˌɹɑl/, English: Commonwealth of Vephrall) is a nation in Atlantian Oceania. It is located on the region's southernmost continent, which it shares with Kura-Pelland.

Vephrall runs primarily a service economy, with the gambling and catering industries being major players in the market. The government is very much focused on the well-being of its citizens, with healthcare and education generally being top priorities.

The source of the nation's name is often disputed, with many claiming that it is named after Diindohtis Viivryl, the founder of the first organized settlement in present-day Vephrall over 1700 years ago. However, there is reliable evidence to suggest another origin of the name, a modernization of a Middle Vephra phrase meaning "Vēv union". Of course, since the Vēv nation referred to here ultimately derives its name from Viivryl, it can be argued that Viivryl is the ultimate source of the nation's name after all.

Geography

Vephrall occupies approximately three-quarters of its landmass, with the remainder to the northwest being Kura-Pelland. Vephrall consists of a total of eleven states and one territory. Though most of the nation is relatively flat, there are hills (and some mountains) running vaguely north to south in western and northern Vephrall, largely just west of the National Road 9 corridor.

There are a total of fifty-six incorporated cities in Vephrall. Any "concentrated community" of greater than 1,000 people that is not already part of a city is eligible for incorporation, and national regulations require that all such communities must apply for incorporation before reaching a population of 5,000. The city with the greatest population at time of incorporation (not including the first city, Meice) is Jishmid, with a population of 4,973 when it incorporated on 26 February 1672.

In addition, there are six UCCs (unincorporated concentrated communities) in Darnai and the southern portion of the Northern Territory with populations greater than 1,000, most of which are within one hundred kilometers of the Kura-Pelland border.

States and major cities

Meice also serves as the national capital as well as the capital of the state of Bektys.

Based on the 1740 census, the five largest cities in Vephrall are:

  1. Speilers, Sumbobor – population 5,115,917
  2. Meice, Bektys – population 3,804,998
  3. Solonds, Calamen – population 3,804,852
  4. Moje, Riestre – population 3,511,603
  5. Tuffir, Shentarong – population 2,854,897

Climate

Most of Vephrall has a tropical or subtropical climate, with somewhat colder temperatures persisting in the mountainous west.

  • Speilers, Sumbobor
    • July high: 84.2°F (29.0°C)
    • July low: 66.9°F (19.4°C)
    • January high: 73.6°F (23.1°C)
    • January low: 53.9°F (12.2°C)
  • Unee, Dettune
    • July high: 76.8°F (24.9°C)
    • July low: 51.6°F (10.9°C)
    • January high: 57.9°F (14.4°C)
    • January low: 35.6°F (2.0°C)
  • Cimnersog, Northern Territory
    • July high: 78.2°F (25.7°C)
    • July low: 60.7°F (15.9°C)
    • January high: 63.8°F (17.7°C)
    • January low: 41.1°F (5.1°C)

People

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1650 2,023,524
1660 2,640,523 30.5%
1670 3,499,906 32.5%
1680 4,956,091 41.6%
1690 6,954,270 40.3%
1700 9,992,095 43.7%
1710 15,278,451 52.9%
1720 23,908,407 56.5%
1730 36,496,343 52.7%
1740 51,399,257 40.8%

According to the 1740 census, Vephrall had a total population of 51,399,257. The vast majority of the population (92.9%) is Vephra. Kura-Pellandis make up 4.3% of the population. Additional residents are immigrants from nearby nations such as Nedalia (1.1%), Hypocria (0.68%), and Bettia (0.43%), with most of the remaining 0.8% being originally from other nations in Atlantian Oceania. Approximately 80.9% of Vephrall's population resides in one of the nation's 58 incorporated cities. The nation has approximately 0.997 males for every female.

Native Vephra tend to have light to medium skin color. The average adult height for males is 178 cm (5 ft. 10 in.), compared with 166 cm (5 ft. 5 in.) for females. For females, the average life expectancy at birth is 78.3 years; for males, 75.9 years.

Historically, population growth in Vephrall has been unusually high due in large part to very liberal attitudes regarding sexual relations. Recently, however, the federal government has begun to recognize this as a problem, as national infrastructure is simply unable to support such rapid growth. The Contraceptive Act of 1736 has so far been a success, helping to drastically curtail population growth without inhibiting sexual freedom. Since the passing of the act, the annual population growth rate has fallen from 4.4 percent to just 1.3 percent.

History

Main article(s): History of Vephrall

The modern nation of Vephrall has only been around for about 150 years, but civilization has been present on much of its landmass for at least two millenia. Particularly in west central Vephrall, the original tribal customs are still very much a part of modern life.

Government and politics

Scathock Pranasik, the founder of Meice, proclaimed himself King Scathock I of Vephrall. The Pranasik family has continued to hold the throne ever since, though since 1672 the king has held only very limited governmental power, with the new office of Prime Minister acting as the head of government since then.

Until the legalization of political parties in 1738, the Prime Minister was elected by the National Assembly. Elections were held under one of several conditions:

  • Five years had passed since the previous election.
  • The current Prime Minister resigned or died in office.
  • The King died. A bill appeared in the National Assembly in 1715 following the death of King Jehoepe I to end this practice, but was defeated.
  • (after 1717) The current Prime Minister had served for eight years. No Prime Minister ever actually reached this limit.

When a Prime Minister was elected, his term would expire at the next "standard" or "five-year" election. It was theoretically possible for the Prime Minister to serve more than five years if the King died during his term, as he may have been re-elected in the resulting election; in practice, this never actually happened.

Since 1738, new Prime Ministers have been chosen from among the National Assembly representatives of the party with the most seats (with the exception that then-current PM Chezlot Taratchy was allowed to serve the remainder of his term, through 1739). In the event that the same party retains this power through an election, the same PM may remain in office; however there is now a hard six-year term limit.

Kings of Vephrall:

Prime Ministers of Vephrall:

* died in office ** resigned

Political parties

There are six main political parties in Vephrall:

Party Name Description
Partiet Sebunicter Lasmeceshid (PSL) Promotes financial responsibility for the government, and a strong advocate of allowing the people to individually decide what they feel to be socially appropriate or inappropriate.
Partiet Luces More or less the opposite of the PSL, an advocate of big-government ideals.
Partiet Masinitid-Erharpen (PME) Vephrall's socialist party.
Peste-Ollasat The main environmental advocates in Vephrall.
Vephrall Spengiss Always advocating reform of the federal government, including but not necessarily limited to the complete elimination of the last vestiges of the monarchy.
Doutharrinat Gettapteru Hytaxpony (DGH) Generally feel that the people cannot adequately police themselves. One of the main points of their platform is restoring greater power to the King.

The National Assembly

The National Assembly is Vephrall's legislative body. It currently consists of a total of 523 members. Partiet Masinitid-Erharpen currently holds 234 seats, the most of any party.

National Assembly elections are held every two years. The nation is divided into 37 legislative districts. Rules regarding the creation of legislative districts are as follows:

  1. Each incorporated city is to have its own legislative district, provided this does not conflict with the rules below.
  2. No city may be divided into two or more districts.
  3. Each district must consist of, at minimum, one tenth of one percent of the population of Vephrall. Multiple cities may be placed in the same district in order to satisfy this rule.
  4. Legislative districts may not cross state or territorial borders.

At present, the Northern Territory is not represented in the National Assembly. Many residents of cities in the southern portion of the territory are calling for statehood in order to gain representation.

Current composition

Party 1744 1742 1740
Partiet Masinitid-Erharpen (PME) 234 263 167
Partiet Sebunicter Lasmeceshid (PSL) 104 75 269
Peste-Ollasat (P-O) 101 77 0
Partiet Luces 84 69 70
Doutharrinat Gettapteru Hytaxpony (DGH) 0 36 0
Vephrall Spengiss 0 0 14
TOTAL 523 520 520
District Number of seats Party District Number of seats Party
Alloles 17 PSL Knolees 16 PME
Anhenir 4 Luces Meice 48 PME
Baseng State 1 Luces Mersira 16 Luces
Calamen State 49 P-O Misedos 10 Luces
Cenany 17 PME Moje 44 P-O
Charsog 1 Luces Munturet 6 PSL
Darnai State 1 PSL Netlas 33 PSL
Defae-Rotliss 2 Luces Penuls 13 PSL
Donseplock-Gontarthe 6 PSL Scusenany-Clyddly 1 PME
Dostey 11 PME Sheoron 1 PSL
Fekliir 8 P-O Siellal 19 PME
Fenstus 9 Luces South Salle 16 Luces
Fishbog 5 Luces Speilers 64 PME
Flaarickug-Astenast 17 PSL Spostrat-Trirat 9 Luces
Gindaat-Unee 1 Luces Swextreas 1 PSL
Gloem 20 PME Taeschand 8 PSL
Hyllesme 6 Luces Till State 1 PSL
Iridost 3 Luces Tuffir-Nenbondle 38 PME
Jishmid 1 Luces

Major current issues

At present there are two main issues in Vephrese politics. First is the movement by residents of the southern portion of the Northern Territory to be recognized as a state. Under the current rules, the Northern Territory is not represented in the National Assembly, and the residents argue that statehood would finally allow their voices to be heard. In a referendum held at the same time as the 1744 national elections, the residents voted 83% to 17% in favor of statehood. On 12 April 1744, the national government officially approved the request, declaring that the portion of the territory south of the Sirinis River would become the state of Sirinis.

Meanwhile, there is a growing sentiment in the less-populated states of Baseng, Darnai, Seibeng, and Till that the people of these states are not adequately represented. The entire states of Baseng, Darnai, and Till hold just one seat each in the National Assembly. Seibeng has nine seats, but eight of those seats are dedicated to the people of the Hyllesme–Jishmid area. Many of these would like to see Vephrall's legislature changed to a bicameral body, with the National Assembly functioning much as it does today and a second house that would give "adequate" representation for these less-populated states.

Calendar

The Vephrese calendar consists of thirteen months (penchaat), all of which have 28 days except for the final month, which has 29. Numbering of years counts back to the founding of Myza. Unlike many other calendars, the Vephrese calendar does have a year zero (the year in which Myza was founded).

Years prior to zero are generally suffixed with "TM" (tregle-Myza "before Myza"). Sometimes years after zero are suffixed with "RM" (rone-Myza "after Myza"), but this is a fairly uncommon practice.

The calendar is based on the Entruuga calendar, which had 26 priirue of fourteen days each and one additional day that stood on its own. Each set of two priirue were combined into a pencha, and the final independent day was merged into the thirteenth pencha.

The penchaat are:

  1. Tilep (28 days, 29 in leap years)
  2. Tetokot (28 days)
  3. Sespo (28 days)
  4. Salloald (28 days)
  5. Figix (28 days)
  6. Orphruks (28 days)
  7. Prinad (28 days)
  8. Cunublis (28 days)
  9. Sirchismy (28 days)
  10. Dosphaiit (28 days)
  11. Trarrids (28 days)
  12. Breceurs (28 days)
  13. Sobra (29 days)

Since the nation emerged from isolation in the late 1720s, use of the Gregorian calendar has become much more widespread, and a telephone survey taken in 1735 indicated that approximately 65 percent of Vephrese now conducted their day-to-day affairs using the twelve-month Gregorian calendar.

Culture

Language

The most commonly spoken language in Vephrall is the native language, Vephra. 94.6% of the population claim to speak it fluently. English is the second most commonly spoken language, spoken by 81.6%. Most major newspapers print in both Vephra and English regularly. Vephrall's other major languages include Arabic (8.2%) and Welsh (2.3%), brought to Vephrall by Bettian and Nedalian immigrants. In addition, nearly one percent of the population is fluent in Pacitalian.

The modern Vephra language vaguely resembles the language spoken by the Entruuga in the tribal ages, but is also strongly influenced by the language of the Lobariks.

To pluralize a noun:

  • If it ends in y, simply add t.
  • If it ends in a vowel other than y, double that vowel and add t.
    • If it ends in a vowel that is already doubled, just add t.
  • If it ends in a consonant, double that consonant and add et.
    • If it ends in a consonant that is already doubled, just add et.

To transform a noun into an adjective, the general rule is to add er. In some words, letters at the end may be dropped prior to the suffix; alternatively, ending consonants might be doubled. A few words even involve vowel changes. There are no hard and fast rules regarding this; it is all done on a word-by-word basis.

Sports

As in many other Atlantian Oceania nations, football is one of the most popular sports in Vephrall. The first major competition, the Vephraller Kustriin e Foutbill (VKF, "Vephrese Cup of Football") first took place in 1595 as a competition between clubs formed in the nation's first five cities. As more cities and football clubs sprang up, the need for organization became apparent, and in 1607 the Vephraller Foutbiller Restritris (VFR, "Vephrese Football Association") was formed to oversee the sport. The first annual league competition, the Vephraller Tririsec e Foutbill (VTF, "Vephrese League of Football") began play in 1610 with fourteen member clubs. As of 1734, the VTF now consists of 198 clubs in ten divisions.

Communications

Telephone

Telephone numbers in Vephrall are ten digits long. The first three digits comprise the area code, with the remaining seven digits generally being assigned in chronological order within an area code. Area codes are generally assigned to large metropolitan areas or portions of states (or, in rare cases, entire states). The telephone numbering system was only recently standardized nationwide (in 1728) and many numbers are comprised in part of vestiges of the pre-1728 systems.

List of area codes

Area codes are listed in order by time required to dial (telephones in Vephrall are exclusively rotary). The original seventeen area codes were chosen so that more highly populated regions would take less time to dial. All area codes were in the original 1728 plan unless otherwise stated.

  • 101 – central Bektys (Meice)
  • 102 – city of Speilers
  • 201 – central Shentarong (Knolees/Gloem)
  • 103 – southern Shentarong (Tuffir)
  • 202 – east central Riestre (Moje)
  • 301 – western Sumbobor
  • 104 – Calamen
  • 203 – northern Bektys
  • 302 – Salle
  • 401 – southern Riestre
  • 105 – Seibeng
  • 204 – Darnai
  • 303 – Dettune
  • 402 – western/eastern Shentarong, including Nenbondle
  • 501 – Baseng
  • 106 – eastern Sumbobor (except Speilers) – split from 102 in 1738
  • 205 – southeast Bektys – split from 101 in 1738
  • 304 – Till
  • 502 – northern Riestre (Dostey/Siellal/Taeschand) – split from 202 in 1738
  • 601 – Northern Territory

International calls

To reach a Vephrese phone line from outside the country, one must first dial Vephrall's country code, which is 941.

Television

The first commercial television broadcast in Vephrall, Vephraller Televisios, began broadcasting to the city of Meice on 16 March 1733, and over the next three years television caught like wildfire throughout the nation. As of 1741, there are three major television networks in the country:

Vephraller Televisios (VTV) 
Originally broadcast on channel 1 in Meice
Tociast e Vephrall (Tociast) 
Translates as "Sight of Vephrall", originally broadcast on channel 2 in Meice
Miixe Televisier Netwaark (MTN) 
Originally known as TeleSpeilers and broadcast on channel 1 in Speilers

MTN, despite being the newest of the three networks, is the most widely available, broadcasting in 24 of Vephrall's 34 markets nationwide. Tociast is available in 15 markets, and VTV is currently available in 19 markets.

Markets

Here is a listing of Vephrall's 34 television markets and on what channels the three major networks are located in each market. Because some markets overlap, it is sometimes possible to receive the same network on multiple channels in certain locations. Channel numbers are assigned so that in no location do two stations attempt to broadcast on the same channel.

In 1739, new regulations were put in place strongly discouraging the use of adjacent channel numbers for stations in the same market. Existing stations were allowed to remain where they were for the time being, but new stations had to be placed at an "open" location on the dial. In newly-designated markets, such rules are also in place with respect to stations from other markets that overlap, forcing the use of higher channel numbers in newer markets such as Charsog-Sheoron, where the two existing networks reside on channels 13 and 16. Existing stations in violation of the new numbering guidelines (which were grandfathered into the system in 1739) are to move to a free slot by 1745.

Market Name VTV Tociast MTN
Fenstus 2 1 5
Netlas-Alloles 3 4 6
Meice-Speilers-Misedos 1 2 5
Flaarickug-Mersira 7 6 10
Gloem-Tuffir-Cenany 3 4 8
Knolees-Penuls 9 11 13
Solonds 2 1 5
Fekliir-Munturet 6 10 12
Pallona 3 5 8
Moje-Siellal 1 4 7
Dostey 5 2 9
Defae 1 10
Charsog-Sheoron 13 16
Shavawa 1
Spiegrig 11
Rascenass 2
Cloohends 4
Steth 7
Swextreas 7 10
Hyllesme 1 3
Virdys 1
Timuna 3
Gindaat 8
Unee 1
Contro 4
Prapos 2
Spess 5
Trirat 3
Ceresstra 4
Tidnory 1
Tauppabas 6
Prongs 3
Rozetpaloche 2
Cimnersog 1

Transportation

All Vephrese cities with populations over 5,000 are linked by the National Road System. This system consists of a total of 44 routes, numbered mostly in chronological order based on their dates of designation. Exceptions to this rule are National Roads 41, 43, and 45, which are numbered as extensions of the highway system in Kura-Pelland, where they carry the numbers A41, A43, and A45 respectively. No numbers greater than 45 are currently in use (nor is the number 44).

A recent addition to Vephrall's numbered highway network is a series of secondary routes that provide some of the less important connections between cities and serve the unincorporated communities in the north. These have three-digit numbers in the range of 100 through 219.

On 9 December 1735, Prime Minister Chezlot Taratchy announced that a plan for a motorway system in Vephrall, similar to that in neighboring Kura-Pelland, had been in development for several months. The original plan called for approximately 2,000 kilometers of motorway, all on new right-of-way, but throughout 1735, this plan was revised and expanded to upgrade existing roadways as much as possible, provide access to most areas of the nation, and add a second motorway route to Kura-Pelland. The version of the plan released by Taratchy includes a total of about 4,100 kilometers of motorway. Taratchy set a goal of 1743 for completion of the system. The motorways have been given three-digit numbers beginning with 4, the last two digits of which are usually those of the route that the motorway has replaced or supplemented. On 4 February 1739, the Prime Minister officially cut the ceremonial ribbon at the interchange of Highways 401 and 122 (and, in the future, 431), officially completing an uninterrupted motorway route from the Vephrese capital to the Kura-Pelland border via Highways 401, 413, and 427.

The last segment of the system as originally described by Prime Minister Taratchy, a portion of Highway 401 through Gloem, was officially opened to the public 8 September 1742, completing the system just a few months ahead of schedule.

Atlantian Oceania on NSwiki
Main articles: Atlantian Oceania, AO QuickInfo
Nation pages: 95X, Acarionne, Amarenthe, Atheistic Right, Az-cz, Bazalonia, Bettia, Bostopia, Chacor, Crystilakere, Delesa, Demot, Falcania, Fmjphoenix, Geisenfried, Hypocria, Iizaarland, Khazaron, Kura-Pelland, Lamoni, Lontorika, Manhattan Prime, Maraque, Milchama, Morgrugyn, Nedalia, New Montreal States, Nojika, Northern Bettia, Nova Britannicus, NSWC Signups, Oliverry, Pacitalia, Quakmybush, Sarzonia, Schiavonia, Spruitland, Starblaydia, Tempalhiyon, The Islands of Qutar, The Lowland Clans, Turori, Ubundi, Unified Capitalizt States, Vephrall, Vilita, Walsallia, Western Afghanistan, Wulaishen
Regional info: Atlantian Oceania Regional Defence Organisation, Atlantian Oceania Regional Free Trade Organisation, Atlantian Oceania UN Voting, Lake Bekk, Major airports in Atlantian Oceania
Sports-related: AO Bowl, AO Champions League, Atlantian Oceania Cup of Association Football (AOCAF)
For more information or to see non-listed pages, please see Category:Atlantian Oceania.