Vryeland Factbook
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:23 am[center]
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Vryeland Factbook
Last Edited January 5th, 2010
Map of The Republic of Vryeland
1. Geography
Vryeland is a relatively small nation, emcompassing approximately 1.2 million km². It is located in the European Union region, bordering the Kingdom of Bunjimongoe to the south. This is the only land border that it shares, as it takes up the entirety of the Vryelandian Peninsula; after which it is named. This peninsula juts out into the Cartier Sea. The terrain is mostly flat, however, as the Vryelandian Peninsula is fairly high above sea level, most of the shoreline consists of craggy cliffs. There are very few places where the shoreline is not on a steep incline, and they are usually the locations of the larger cities (marked as yellow dots on the above map). As the peninsula juts to the North, the weather is cold; reaching temperatures of -10° C in the winter months. Summers are temperate, and temperatures can reach up to 35° C in the South, and 30° C in the North. Sources of fossil fuels such as oil and coal are extremely rare in Vryeland, so recently, the Vryelandian government has been investing in hydroelectricity, wind power, and nuclear power. As a result, Vryeland's carbon footprint is insignificant.
2. Economy
The Vryelandian economy is very strong. This can be attributed, in part, to the socialistic nature of the government. Vryelandians are very self-sufficient; very few things are imported from other states. The main export of Vryeland is Vryelandian cheese, which is produced by the small private sector and renowned the world over. "Big business" is frowned upon in Vryeland, and most shops are owned by private citizens and not by megalomaniacal corporations.
3. History
Vryeland was formed when the French-speaking state of Haute-Terre and the Afrikaans-speaking state of Noord-Cartier decided to enter into a free trade agreement in the year 1892. The more the territories learned about each other, the more they began to see the similarities in their cultures. They decided to merge their territories and form a federation. Of this federation came the modern nation of Vryeland.
4. Military
Vryeland has a rather small army for a nation of its size, but the Vryelandian government encourages pacifism and has taken a strong stance of neutrality, so a large army is not necessary. However, Vryeland protects its borders if attacked; citizens are all too willing to take up the call to fight if they are attacked.
5. Government and Political Structure
The Repubic of Vryeland is called "Vryeland" in day to day conversation. Residents or property of Vryeland is "Vryelandian". The government is very socially democratic; promoting its excellent social welfare programs, public transportation, and universal healthcare. As a result, Vryelandians pay higher taxes (around 62% at time of publishing). The capital city is Motsoaledi (Marked in red on the above map, referred to as "Motso" by the locals and the media), located in the National Capital Region ("Région de la capitale nationale" in French and "Nasionale hoofstad streek" in Afrikaans. Apart from the separate National Capital Region, our nation is divided into 25 "départements". Major cities excluding the capital include but are not limited to Beauvoir (1st département), Durand (3rd département) Pretorius (6th département), Mabandla (9th département), Dennington (17th département), and Rigeaux (20th département). All of the above cities are marked in yellow on the above map.
6. People and Population
Vryeland has most recently recorded 6 million people as its population. The majority of Vryelandians are between 18-55 years of age. The population is growing at approximately 2 percent. Life expectancy at birth is about 86 years of age for males and 88 for females. A majority of Vryelandian citizens are Vryelandian in origin, however There are two official languages in Vryeland: French and Afrikaans. On the above map, green represents the départements in which the regional government operates in French, and orange represents the départements in which the regional government operates in Afrikaans. In the French-speaking départements, a majority of the population is of French-Vryelandian origins, and in the Afrikaans-speaking départements, a majority of the population is of Afrikaan-Vryelandian origins. An overwhelming number of citizens speak both of these languages, as they are both required in school. Many Vryelandian students opt to learn English as well, as it is common in the neighbouring Kingdom of Bunjimongoe; a popular vacation spot. As education is free and schooling is compulsory until age 17, almost every Vryelandian can read in at least two languages. A recent survey also found that 75% of Vryelandians hold at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited Vryelandian university due to the state's free post-secondary education.
7. Communications
Vryeland's most recent census shows that 95% of Vryelandians own televisions, 85% own a radio, and 99% or more own a phone of some kind. Each département has two state funded broadcast stations for TV and radio. These stations are TéléVryeland, a French-language channel and VGTN (Vryeland Gewilde Televisie-Netwerk), a channel in Afrikaans. TéléVryeland also has a French-language radio channel called RadioVryeland, and HGTN broadcasts on the radio as VGRN (Vryeland Gewilde Radio-Netwerk). As TéléVryeland and VGTN are state-funded corporations, they must both transmit their programming in each of Vryeland's 25 départements, with localised news and content for each. The rest of the television channels are publicly owned, and funded entirely by donations. They are limited to broadcasting in either French or Afrikaans. The Vryelandian government is the internet provider in Vryeland, and every citizen is entitled to their own computer and internet access (This is funded by taxpayer money). The Vryelandian government provides each household with a laptop, and it is common to see a government-funded repair shop in every town with a population over 10,000. The internet is accessed via Wi-Fi, which is available anywhere in the country. Vryeland's TLD is .vl.
The Flag of Vryeland
Lang lewe die Republiek!
Vive la République !
Long live the Republic!
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Vryeland Factbook
Last Edited January 5th, 2010
Map of The Republic of Vryeland
1. Geography
Vryeland is a relatively small nation, emcompassing approximately 1.2 million km². It is located in the European Union region, bordering the Kingdom of Bunjimongoe to the south. This is the only land border that it shares, as it takes up the entirety of the Vryelandian Peninsula; after which it is named. This peninsula juts out into the Cartier Sea. The terrain is mostly flat, however, as the Vryelandian Peninsula is fairly high above sea level, most of the shoreline consists of craggy cliffs. There are very few places where the shoreline is not on a steep incline, and they are usually the locations of the larger cities (marked as yellow dots on the above map). As the peninsula juts to the North, the weather is cold; reaching temperatures of -10° C in the winter months. Summers are temperate, and temperatures can reach up to 35° C in the South, and 30° C in the North. Sources of fossil fuels such as oil and coal are extremely rare in Vryeland, so recently, the Vryelandian government has been investing in hydroelectricity, wind power, and nuclear power. As a result, Vryeland's carbon footprint is insignificant.
2. Economy
The Vryelandian economy is very strong. This can be attributed, in part, to the socialistic nature of the government. Vryelandians are very self-sufficient; very few things are imported from other states. The main export of Vryeland is Vryelandian cheese, which is produced by the small private sector and renowned the world over. "Big business" is frowned upon in Vryeland, and most shops are owned by private citizens and not by megalomaniacal corporations.
3. History
Vryeland was formed when the French-speaking state of Haute-Terre and the Afrikaans-speaking state of Noord-Cartier decided to enter into a free trade agreement in the year 1892. The more the territories learned about each other, the more they began to see the similarities in their cultures. They decided to merge their territories and form a federation. Of this federation came the modern nation of Vryeland.
4. Military
Vryeland has a rather small army for a nation of its size, but the Vryelandian government encourages pacifism and has taken a strong stance of neutrality, so a large army is not necessary. However, Vryeland protects its borders if attacked; citizens are all too willing to take up the call to fight if they are attacked.
5. Government and Political Structure
The Repubic of Vryeland is called "Vryeland" in day to day conversation. Residents or property of Vryeland is "Vryelandian". The government is very socially democratic; promoting its excellent social welfare programs, public transportation, and universal healthcare. As a result, Vryelandians pay higher taxes (around 62% at time of publishing). The capital city is Motsoaledi (Marked in red on the above map, referred to as "Motso" by the locals and the media), located in the National Capital Region ("Région de la capitale nationale" in French and "Nasionale hoofstad streek" in Afrikaans. Apart from the separate National Capital Region, our nation is divided into 25 "départements". Major cities excluding the capital include but are not limited to Beauvoir (1st département), Durand (3rd département) Pretorius (6th département), Mabandla (9th département), Dennington (17th département), and Rigeaux (20th département). All of the above cities are marked in yellow on the above map.
6. People and Population
Vryeland has most recently recorded 6 million people as its population. The majority of Vryelandians are between 18-55 years of age. The population is growing at approximately 2 percent. Life expectancy at birth is about 86 years of age for males and 88 for females. A majority of Vryelandian citizens are Vryelandian in origin, however There are two official languages in Vryeland: French and Afrikaans. On the above map, green represents the départements in which the regional government operates in French, and orange represents the départements in which the regional government operates in Afrikaans. In the French-speaking départements, a majority of the population is of French-Vryelandian origins, and in the Afrikaans-speaking départements, a majority of the population is of Afrikaan-Vryelandian origins. An overwhelming number of citizens speak both of these languages, as they are both required in school. Many Vryelandian students opt to learn English as well, as it is common in the neighbouring Kingdom of Bunjimongoe; a popular vacation spot. As education is free and schooling is compulsory until age 17, almost every Vryelandian can read in at least two languages. A recent survey also found that 75% of Vryelandians hold at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited Vryelandian university due to the state's free post-secondary education.
7. Communications
Vryeland's most recent census shows that 95% of Vryelandians own televisions, 85% own a radio, and 99% or more own a phone of some kind. Each département has two state funded broadcast stations for TV and radio. These stations are TéléVryeland, a French-language channel and VGTN (Vryeland Gewilde Televisie-Netwerk), a channel in Afrikaans. TéléVryeland also has a French-language radio channel called RadioVryeland, and HGTN broadcasts on the radio as VGRN (Vryeland Gewilde Radio-Netwerk). As TéléVryeland and VGTN are state-funded corporations, they must both transmit their programming in each of Vryeland's 25 départements, with localised news and content for each. The rest of the television channels are publicly owned, and funded entirely by donations. They are limited to broadcasting in either French or Afrikaans. The Vryelandian government is the internet provider in Vryeland, and every citizen is entitled to their own computer and internet access (This is funded by taxpayer money). The Vryelandian government provides each household with a laptop, and it is common to see a government-funded repair shop in every town with a population over 10,000. The internet is accessed via Wi-Fi, which is available anywhere in the country. Vryeland's TLD is .vl.
The Flag of Vryeland
Lang lewe die Republiek!
Vive la République !
Long live the Republic!