Tallberg National Factbook

[Tallberg]

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction and National Information
2. History
3. Cityscape and Geography
4. Culture (Plus Glossary)
5. Demographics
6. Law

Introduction

Tallberg is an independent city state renowned for both its lavish wealth, and the crippling poverty of its less fortunate residents. With a total area of 613 sq mi., Tallberg is one of the most, if not the most, densely populated area in the world, with an approximated population density of 51,820 people per square mile. Tallberg is a major hub of immigration, so its demographics are mixed and varied.

Tallberg was settled by the Dutch, and was maintained as a trading outpost. However, it claimed independence in 1823, which it was allowed, and became established as a midway point between the South America, North America, Europe, and Africa. Despite multiple raids, seasonal storms, and a huge influx in immigrants that led to overpopulation, Tallberg established itself as a regional economic power and contender.

Tallberg today is known as a major leader in manufacturing and industry, and is also a frequent hideout for wanted criminals and insurance defrauders, as the country refuses to expedite criminals, and has very little to no regulation on most of its banks. A large section of the island city is shrouded in slums where many residents live without basic necessities such as water, electricity, and food, and where crime is rampant. It has been described by the World Assembly as, "...a laissez-faire state where residents enjoy some of the most opulent lifestyles in the region, unless they are unemployed or working-class, in which case they are variously starving to death or crippled by easily preventable diseases."


National Information

Official Name: The Community of Tallberg

Flag: Here

Seal: Here

Anthem: Wals voor Jack

Official Languages: Dutch (legal), English (de facto)

Demonym: Tallberg

Government: Mayor-Council
- Mayor Frank Nieto
- Chief Councilman Kenneth Starr

Area: 613 sq mi

Population: 31,765,660
- Density: 51,820/mi²

GDP: $1,460,204,550,850.50 (C$1,848,360,190,950.00)
-Per Capita: $45968.02 (C$58,187.37)

Currency: Coupons

Drives on the: right

[Tallberg]

History

Tallberg was settled by Dutch explorer Souad Tallberg, a Dutch Jew who went under the assumed name of Souad van den Noort to avoid persecution and disciplinary issues among the crew due to his religion. After settling the island, he established a small trading outpost and remained. Under the protection of the Dutch Navy, Tallberg was free from major action until 1750, when Caribbean Pirates originating from Jamaica sailed to the island and raided it. This continued once every five-to-ten years until Tallberg finally sued for independence from the Netherlands in 1823, and was granted its request. The pirate attacks ceased for a short while.

Free of Dutch rule, Tallberg attracted many immigrants from subjugated Poland, Czechoslovakia, Ireland, and other countries such as Italy and Spain. By 1851, approximately 500,000 immigrants were arriving each year. The Dutch leaders of the country, seizing upon their knowledge of business, and the large unskilled labor force, made an industrial powerhouse out of Tallberg, and became internationally known for Coal Mining and Textiles.

Remaining out of world conflicts, Tallberg's famed Mayor Elliot Nies created the 'Business Only' foreign policy that is still used by the country in 1841. Fearing the involvement of Tallberg in the affairs of world powers that could lead to its downfall, it stated that trade was to be maintained to all countries, regardless of political standing, except in the case of sanction, military threat, or war with said nation. This allowed Tallberg to 'keep the peace' with various world powers, and avoid becoming embroiled with any international or domestic conflicts.

[Tallberg]

Cityscape and Geography

Tallberg is a mostly flat island that was once known for soft, rolling hills and pristine beaches. The hills cause very little elevation difference, and original settler Janniek van Doorne described it as, 'pure, unspoiled paradise.' The results of industrialization and settlement have turned the island into a gigantic metropolis, doing away with the fields and waterlines that had once greeted Tallberg, van Doorne, and the other original settlers of the island.

The Island is split into 18 political Wards, which each has its own nickname:

- Ward 1, "Spil"
Ward 1, known locally as "Spil," is the main hub of business and government in Tallberg. Many of the city's wealthiest individuals, and it is characterized by large, towering skyscrapers, expensive restaurants, and the glitter and glow of lights rivaling a red light district. It is also one of three stops for the Spil Expressway, a monorail designed to shuttle executives and the well-to-do from their jobs in Spil to their homes in Uitslag and Mostafa.

- Ward 2, "Wissing"
Ward 2, known locally as "Wissing," is one of the many large slums of Tallberg. Also known as "The Irish Ward," at one time 95% of the Ward's residents were of some Irish descent. However, with the influx of Eastern European immigrants, Wissing's Irish population has come into conflict with immigrating Hungarians and Serbians. It is characterized by two- to three-story slum apartments along narrow alleyways, with a major thoroughfare, McClean Road, running through the center.

- Ward 3, "Onbedreven"
Ward 3, known locally as "Onbedreven," is another large slum in Tallberg. Bordering the wealthier area of Uitslag, it is home to many refugees from other countries who sought asylum to avoid criminal or political persecution. Many of these dissidents are political dissenters from Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, who are now unable to leave to return home due to financial issues or other engagements. It is characterized by long, disorganized clusters of tents and other temporary housing, with no discernible roads or inlets.

- Ward 4, "Wreed"
Ward 4, known locally as "Wreed," is a notorious Polish and Russian slum. Bordering the wealthier area of Uitslag, 80% of its residents claim either Polish or Russian ancestry, and this mixed ancestry has caused major division between the two. Since 2000, there have been a total of 20 major riots in he area, due to the mistreatment of one group to another. It is characterized by long rows of squalid tenements, with main roads running in front and decrepit alleys running behind.

- Ward 5, "Goedaardig"
Ward 5, known locally as "Goedaarig," is an extension of Spil, or Ward 1. While still containing many tenements and much poverty, the area is also characterized by smaller skyscrapers, businesses, and clean industry. In the throes of gentrification, the area has seen clashes between the TPD, private security, and mobs of residents as tenements are forcibly evicted with little or no notice to make way for commercial buildings. It is characterized by a mix of commercial buildings and tumbledown tenements.

- Ward 6, "Inwisselen"
Ward 6, known locally as "Inwisselen," is a major border of Uitslag, and consists mostly of heavy industry, with a few of the city's poorest residents living in slum housing or on the streets entirely. It is characterized by large factories, warehouses, and industrial centers, with very little residences in the Ward.

- Ward 7, "Uitslag"
Ward 7, known locally as "Uitslag," is one of the wealthiest areas of the city, where many of the biggest policymakers and industry tycoons lay their heads. Unlike the other 16 Wards, Uitslag and Mostafa are both relatively crime free, and almost 100% free of poverty. It is characterized by expensive condominiums and wealthy residents.

- Ward 8, "Mostafa"
Ward 8, known locally as "Mostafa," like Uitslag, is one of the wealthiest areas of the city. Unlike the other 16 Wards, Uitslag and Mostafa are both relatively crime free, and almost 100% free of poverty. It is characterized by thriving suburban houses and a generally happy small town community.

- Ward 9, "Fabriek"
Ward 9, known locally as "Fabriek," literally 'cannery,' in Dutch, is the largest port and shipping area in Tallberg. Lined with docks along the shore, structures further inland are used as canneries, loading docks, markets, and shipping company headquarters. It is characterized by large warehouses, docks, and a constant smell of fish.

- Ward 10, "Guur"
Ward 10, known locally as "Guur," is a thriving red light district that was once home to much of Tallberg's Italian population. Due to its proximity to the docks of Ward 9, it now acts as a den of vice, with whorehouses, bars, and drug dens lining every street in the Ward. It is characterized by two- to three-story renovated tenements, lined with red and blue glowing neon lights.

- Ward 11, "Voorbeeldig"
Ward 11, known locally as "Voorbeeldig," is a small slum, and new home to the city's Italian population. It also serves as an illegal midpoint between stolen shipments in Ward 9, and the rest of the city. It is characterized by large, decrepit housing.

- Ward 12, "Ondoorgrondelijk"
Ward 12, known locally as "Ondoorgrondelijk," and to many residents as simply "the Zone," is the most dangerous and notorious slum in the entirety of Tallberg. Home mostly to a mix of Southeast Asian and Irish immigrants, it has the highest crime and mortality rate in the entire country, as well as the highest unemployment. It is characterized by sprawling slum housing and no roadways or services.

- Ward 13, "Gestrand"
Ward 13, known locally as "Gestrand," is the home to a small commercial port. While the inner areas of Gestrand are slums, the areas along the shoreline are patrolled by private security, and are used as a favorite vacation spot by families from Uitslag and Mostafa. It is characterized both by a thriving tourist harbor, and slum housing along the small canals that lead into the center of Gestrand.

- Ward 14, "Detsur"
Ward 14, known locally as "Detsur," was once a thriving industrial and commercial center rivalling Spil. However, due to a large influx of immigrants, particularly criminal or mentally unstable immigrants, the area was abandoned as large swaths of factories and plants were taken over by squatters. It is characterized by long stretches of abandoned factories and homelessness.

- Ward 15, "Geforceerd"
Ward 15, known locally as "Geforceerd," is an experiment in corporate housing in the city. Gentrified in the early 80s and 90s, it was cleared of its slums and port capacity, and replaced with large housing projects and small amounts of businesses. It is characterized by large, standard private housing projects.

- Ward 16, "Olijf"
Ward 16, known locally as "Olijf," is the major power supplier of Tallberg. Containing most of the city's coal plants and mines, it is characterized by large coal mines directly next to the plants that they supply.

- Ward 17, "Breed"
Ward 17, known locally as "Breed," is a thriving Asian slum, and home to many of the coal miners that work in Olijf and Schuilenburg. It is characterized by a mix of slum housing and tenement high rises, as well as train tracks that transport coal from Schuilenburg to Olijf.

- Ward 18, "Schuilenburg"
Ward 18, known locally as "Schuilenburg," is a mining complex that handles coal, silver, oil and even uranium. It is characterized by large mines and oil derricks.

[Tallberg]

Culture

Tallberg has a unique culture to itself. A small and self-reliant city state, its populace are often described as hard-nosed, apathetic, and violent, and tend to be stereotypically portrayed as obnoxious and cynical.

Tallberg finds its roots in Dutch Naval culture. In the early days of settlement, many of the original Dutch settlers went into shipping, either as shipbuilders, crew, or dock loaders. This tradition persists today, as many who live along the docks either become stevedores, or join the merchant vessels that enter or leave Tallberg's harbors. In addition, much of the city's diet consists of fish and coastal foods, such as oranges.

This Dutch footprint also left a lasting impact on the language of Tallberg. While Dutch is now only used in official government documents, Tallberg English is littered with Dutch words: when speaking about ships, many Tallbergs will refer to 'boots,' or 'booting.' The police, and the Tallberg Police Department especially, are referred to as 'the burgerwacht,' or 'agenten.' On the flip side of this, criminals are often called 'misdadigers' in police dispatches, though the term has fallen out of use in popular speaking, and replaced with the Italian pejorative 'fiorata.'

The influx of immigrants has also left a major impact on Tallberg culture. As men and women from Ireland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Russia, Italy, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and India made their way into Tallberg, they brought customs and traditions along with them. While the popular use of the phrase póg mo thóin is an example of Ireland's impact on the city state, the cross of cultures has also created both division and acceptance. Tallbergs of all races and creeds are celebrators of St. Patrick's Day and Christmas, and it is normal for many to remove shoes when entering a house, a sign of respect in Asian culture. However, this mix of culture has led to racial resentment, most notable between Poles and Russians, who often live in the same neighborhoods, and jockey for space in crowded tenements.

The final influence of Tallberg culture is its history as a mining haven. While the western half of the city is often blanketed with coal mines and plants, most of the city uses popular coal mining terms: weeks are referred to as 'baffs', fists are referred to as 'nieves' (fistfights are referred to as 'nief rubs'), and both cigarettes and smog are referred to as 'reek.'

Comprehensive glossary of Tallberg Terminology:
A-
air conditioning - door

B-
boat - boot
boating - booting
boss - overman (a bad boss would be considered a 'backman')

C-
cigarette - reek
crime - overdad
criminals (police terminology) - misdadigers
criminals - fiorata

D-
door - passage

E-
explosion - blower

F-
feral cat - sínislón (pronounced: Seenusloan)
fight - rub
fist - nief
fistfight - nief rub

G-
(criminal) gang - troop
gun - flak

H-
hat - helm
hobo - feídean (pronounced: feddy dean)
hotel - house
house - hut

I-
immigrant - coo
immigrant (foreign exile) - bodang
Indian (ethnicity) - Indisch
irk - nettle (both nautical and personal terms)

J-
jingle - lawaai

K-
kiss my ass - póg mo thóin (pronounced: pogue ma hone)

L-
lawyer - advocate
light source (flashlight, lightblub, etc.) - davy
lunatic - gekher

M-
miracle - wonder
murder - dúnmharú (pronounced: diunmaharyou)

N-
national - statel

O-
office - board

P-
police department - burgerwacht
policeman - agenten

Q-
quick - kuài (pronounced: qwat)

R-
return - plat

S-
singer - loper
slum lord - reader
smog - reek
stabbing - tuneup

T-
tenement (or any old, unstable building) - cowp
thief - teller

U-
underwear - pigskin

V-
vice - carnity

W-
week - baff
whore - bean

Y-
young man - jongling (pronounced: yuengling)

[Tallberg]

Demographics

Tallberg has a total estimated population 31,765,660, as census taking is virtually impossible outside Wards 1, 5, 7, and 8. From 2000 to 2010, the city's population increased from 30,584,392 (approx.), an increase of about 4%, a drop from the city's growth of 9% from 1990 to 2000. By 2050, the city's population is expected to reach between 35 and 38 million. The city's population is 69% White, 24% Asian, and 7% Black, with Hispanics making up 8% of any race. The population density is 51,820/mi2, one of the highest per country in the world; however, the actual density is much higher outside of the less-populated or non-residential Wards.

The city state's main ethnic backgrounds: Irish, Polish, Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Hungarians, Italians tend to be segregated to individual wards, occasionally sharing Wards with other nationalities tensely, as is the case with the Polish and Russians, Irish and Hungarians, and Irish and Vietnamese. The (approximate) ethnic makeup of the country is as follows:

Irish - 21%
Polish - 12%
Vietnamese - 9%
Russian - 8%
Italian - 8%
Chinese - 8%
Dominican - 8%
Hungarian - 5%
Haitian - 5%
Dutch - 4%
Cambodian - 4%
Jamaican - 2%
English - 2%
Serbian - 1%
Filipino - 1%
Korean - 1%
Indian - 1%
Other - ~1%

[Tallberg]

Law

Tallberg is protected by four main law enforcement bodies: The Tallberg Police Department (TPD), the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the Uitslag Police Department (UPD), and the Mostafa Constabulary (MOC). Outside of these agencies, many corporations hire private security to guard industrial and corporate interests, and to also protect important members of the company.

The Tallberg Police Department is the main law enforcement body in Tallberg, and has primary jurisdiction in all of the Wards. They wear a modern police uniform, equipped with a riot helmet, plastic police baton, and the choice of either a .45 M1911 Pistol or 9mm Browning Hi-Power Pistol. Despite having full jurisdiction in all 18 Wards, political pressure has pushed the TPD out of Wards 1, 7, and 8. The TPD patrols the worst areas of the city, and has the highest rate of mortality: in one week in 1995, the TPD lost 16 police officers, 12 due to gunfire. While this exceptionally high rate of attrition is unusual, the TPD has been known to lose between 100 and 200 officers per year. Due to the dangers of the job and the low pay, very few professional police officers have joined or remained with the Department, and most of the current officers are untrained, unmotivated locals who joined the Department as a steady paycheck and for the benefits it offers, which are rare commodities for inner city dwellers. The TPD investigates the bulk of the 15,000 murders that occur in Tallberg, and is staffed by 64,000 sworn officers. It is split into Wards that run along the same lines as the political wards of the city, which each 'Police Ward' patrolling only its section of the city. For rapid response, the TPD uses Dodge Spirit Police Interceptors, Mopeds for driving down narrow alleyways, and military style 'Deuce-and-a-Half' trucks for total response to situations.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority is the second-largest law enforcement agency in the country. Unlike the TPD, which houses a traditional police department, and follows traditional police codes and rules, the MTA is a paramilitary force that has been described by the WA as an "occupational force, meant to keep... ghetto [residents] from the lavish wealth of the East Coast." Its members are well recognized for their full gear riot uniforms, complete with kevlar protection. The MTA's main jurisdiction is the monorail that connects Wards 7 and 8 with the rest of the country; as the two wards are separated by a long wall which is also patrolled by the MTA, the only way to transport between the the two is the Spil Expressway, a three-stop monorail that traverses high above the city's slums. In addition to stopping undesirables from entering the monorail, the MTA also patrols the bases that keep the monorail up in Wards 5 and 6 for signs of terrorist activity, and acts as a security force for Ward 1. Unlike the TPD, the MTA has a 'shoot first, question later' policy, which states that, if at any time an MTA officer feels threatened, he may open fire on a person regardless of their actual threat. While the MTA has prosecuted officers that fired on Ward 7 and 8 residents, most of the time the MTA shoots or detains those from the surrounding Wards that try to enter as a "preventative security measure." In addition, while the MTA does not condone the use of execution by its officers, many slum dwellers who try to board the monorail are taken from the area and executed. The MTA uses XM8 Assault Rifles, 9mm Beretta 92FS pistols, and a Fairburn-Sykes Fighting Knife. Its officers utilize unmarked Cadillac Escalade EXTs.

The Uitslag Police Department is the third-largest law enforcement agency in Tallberg. Wearing professional police uniforms the UPD is the highest paid agency in the country, and handles very different responsibilities then the TPD. While the TPD rarely responds inside actual buildings in the main city, the UPD's main number of callouts go to domestic incidents, house fires, and overdoses. While life in Uitslag is paradise compared to the remainder of Tallberg, it has its vice, and the UPD acts as a deterrent. Unlike the TPD, the UPD investigates very little murders, rarely loses an officer, and has a good track record and response time in the community. The agency does not use pistols, and instead uses x26 Tasers, and rides in Dodge Charger Interceptors.

Mostafa Constabulary is the smallest law enforcement agency in Tallberg. The Constabulary serves mostly a ceremonial role, though they do occasionally respond to call outs in Mostafa when they arise. The Department wears a professional dress uniform, equips a x26 Tasers, and rides in Dodge Charger Interceptors.