A Modern World (AMW) Applications Center

[Saint-Laurent]

Hello all, I would like to submit my application for membership with A Modern World. The application below covers my claims for Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Navassa Island. If you have any questions or concerns with the application as submitted I am certainly available on Discord. Presently, the application lacks a thorough history but this is presently a work-in-progress and will be posted upon its completion.

Thank you for your time

National Information

• Nation Name: Republic of Saint-Laurent (République de Saint-Laurent)
• Abbreviated Name(s): Saint-Laurent, RSL
• Motto: En Dieu, la liberté ("In God, freedom")
• Capital City: Saint-Artois (Port-au-Prince)
• Largest City: Saint-Artois (Port-au-Prince)
• Official Language(s): English, French, Spanish
• National Language: French
• Demonym: Laurentian
• Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
• Head of State: Président Mandel Dubois
• Head of Government: Président Mandel Dubois
• Legislature: Sénat de Saint-Laurent (Sénateur)
• Total Area: 197,314.9 km²
  
  • Cuba: 109,886.0 km²
  • Dominica: 750.0 km²
  • Dominican Republic: 46,891.0 km²
  • Haiti: 27,064.0 km²
  • Jamaica: 10,991.0 km²
  • Navassa Island: 5.4 km²
• Water Area: 1,727.5 km² (0.88%)
  
  • Cuba: 1,032.9 km²
  • Dominica: 12.0 km²
  • Dominican Republic: 328.2 km²
  • Haiti: 189.4 km²
  • Jamaica: 164.9 km²
  • Navassa Island: 0 km²
• Population: 36,536,010 (2018 est)
  
  • Cuba: 11,903,727 (2018 est)
  • Dominica: 72,202 (2018 est)
  • Dominican Republic: 10,374,636 (2018 est)
  • Haiti: 11,356,383 (2018 est)
  • Jamaica: 2,829,062 (2018 est)
  • Navassa Island: 0
• GDP:
  
  • Budget: $345.401 billion (2018)
  • Total: $646.818 billion
  • Per Capita: $15,750
• Currency: couronne (¢)
• Time Zone(s): UTC-5
• Summer Time: No
• Date Format: dd/mm/yyyy
• Drives on: Right
• Calling Code: +53
• Internet TLD: .rsl

Politics and Government

• Administrative Divisions:
  
  • First-Level: Region (3)
  • Second-Level: Department (72)
  • Third-Level: Arrondissement (435)
• Election Day: Second Monday in January (National Holiday) followed by inauguration on the first Monday in February
• Election Period: Six week campaign period with equal air and media time for all candidates, capped by spending and revenue limits
• Executive Branch: Five years, renewable once; elected by majority, popular vote
• Legislative Branch: Unicameral, five years, no term limits; elected by majority, popular vote; one per department
• Judicial Branch:
  
  • Levels: Department, State, Federal, Supreme
  • Judges: Four years, renewable twice; elected by majority, popular vote
  • Death Penalty: Yes
  • Life without Parole: Yes
  • Trial by Jury: No
• Political Parties:
  
  • Réforme Saint-Laurent (RSL) [Far-Right]
  • Front Saint-Laurent (FSL) [Right-Wing]
  • Les Républicains (LR) [Center-Right]
  • Les Indépendants (LI) [Centrist]
  • Parti Socialiste (PS) [Center-Left]
  • Parti Commune (PC) [Communist]
  • Le Mars Radical (LMR) [Far-Left]
  • Les Verts (LV) [Greens]
  • Parti Théocratique (PT) [Ultra-Religious]
• Political Positions:
  
  • Abortion: Abortion in Saint-Laurent is illegal except in instances of medical necessity. Abortion may be performed by a hospital and a doctor only in instances of ectopic pregnancy, incest, or severe, mental retardation. Abortion in the case of rape is legal.
  • Charter Schools: In Saint-Laurent there are public, private, and parochial schools. Private and parochial schools still fall under some authority of the Ministry of Education. Home schooling is forbidden.
  • Church Taxes: All established and recognized religious organizations are exempt from taxes.
  • Climate Change: Climate Change receives little attention in Saint-Laurent by the majority of the populace.
  • Corporal Punishment: Corporal punishment is not illegal except when it causes bodily injury or serious harm to a child. Unruly children are seen as a failure of parenting. Teachers are allowed to discipline unruly children through corporal means but they have more restrictions than parents have.
  • Death Penalty: Saint-Laurent has the death penalty for capital crimes (high treason, murder, rape).
  • Drinking Age: The drinking age is 18.
  • Environmentalism & Conservationism: Saint-Laurent believes strongly in protecting its environment. There are strict regulations concerning dumping, pollution, and toxic substances. As the country gathers a sizeable part of its economy on tourism, there is a priority to protect the country's flora and fauna.
  • Euthanasia: Euthanasia is illegal.
  • Family & Medical Leave: All companies are required by federal law to grant family & medical leave. There are restrictions to how long this may be taken and how often it may be taken.
  • Federal Minimum Wage: Saint-Laurent has a federal minimum wage.
  • Firearms: Firearms are legal but restricted. No individual under the age of 21 may own a firearm; no individual under the age of 13 may use a firearm. Individuals must submit to extensive background checks, interviews, licensing, and waiting periods. Individuals must take initial and refresher training classes with the federal licensing agency and undergo continued background checks in each renewal period. Licenses expire every 2 years for handguns and every 4 years for rifles and shotguns. Open carry is illegal; concealed carry requires additional licensing requirements. Automatic weapons are illegal as are explosives and high-caliber rifles.
  • Gambling: Gambling straddles a line between legal and illegal. The country's only casinos exist in the tourist-centric areas and they are not without controversy. Gambling is frowned upon by a large part of the society. While private wagers between individuals is not illegal, loan sharking and organized gambling operations are illegal.
  • GMOs & Mandatory Labeling: Saint-Laurent's populace are health conscious and largely eat fresh foods. Labeling is federally mandated. GMOs are not illegal nor are they avoided as a whole. They are largely dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the federal agency.
  • Homosexuality: Saint-Laurent is a very traditional country and homosexuality is frowned upon by the majority of the population. Homosexuality is not illegal and neither is same-sex marriage; however, no religious institution can be forced to marry same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage can be licensed through the federal government only.
  • Immigration: Saint-Laurent allows legal immigration. All individuals wishing to immigrate to Saint-Laurent must demonstrate that they will be a benefit to society and that they and live independently of government assistance. Student visas are actively encouraged but there are quotas. All fees must be paid for by the individual. Family visas are granted. All visas have expiration periods. There is no permanent residency. Saint-Laurent does grant asylum and refugee visas but only on a very limited basis. There are stringent quotas on refugees and asylum seekers. Illegal immigration is strictly forbidden and all individuals immigrating illegal are deported.
  • Labor Unions: Labor unions are legal but the ability of unions to strike or shut down work is curtailed.
  • Mandatory Vaccination: Vaccination is mandatory for all children in order to attend primary school.
  • Mental Health: Saint-Laurent faces a difficult acceptance of mental health issues. Older generations are of the "suck it up" attitude while younger generations are recognizing a wider spectrum of mental health issues and advocacy for getting help. Strongly discourged however is purely medicated solutions to mental health issues.
  • Physician-Assisted Suicide: Assisted suicide is illegal.
  • Racial Profiling: Racial profiling is illegal.
  • Recreational Drugs: Recreational drugs are illegal in Saint-Laurent and harshly punished.
  • Renewable Energy: Saint-Laurent believes strongly in renewable, clean energy but it does not shun other forms of energy where necessary.
  • The Right to Health Care: Healthcare in Saint-Laurent is federally administered and universal for all citizens.
  • Transgenders & Bathrooms: Saint-Laurent does not recognize transgender people nor does it permit the free use of bathrooms. While homosexual is frowned upon and tolerated, the same cannot be said of transgenders.
  • Tuition-Free Colleges: Saint-Laurent has both public and private collegiate institutions. Public collegiate institutions are low cost to citizens while private collegiate institutions are not cost-regulated.
  • Violence in Schools: Bullying and other forms of school violence are seen as mental health issues and addressed as such. Children are punished and disciplined accordingly when necessary. Bullies and those who stand up to them are not treated the same way though fighting is not tolerated in schools.
  • Women in Combat: Saint-Laurent's military is male-only.

Economic Information

• Current Economic Situation: Saint-Laurent is an economically stable nation with a steadily growing economy. Its largest industries are tourism, sugar processing, alcohol manufacturing, mining, tobacco, textiles, cement, electrical components, telecommunications, and medical devices. The growth rate of the country is approximately 2.1%. The composition of the work force is services (65%), industry (26.5%), agriculture (8.5%). The unemployment rate is 3.8% with 12.9% of the populace below the poverty line.
• Foreign Trade Policies: Saint-Laurent is not opposed to foreign trade and will openly trade with any partners who can offer Saint-Laurent not only import value but also export value. Saint-Laurent will not import from a country it cannot export to as it would not be considered a valuable relationship.

Demographics

• Race/Ethnicity
  
  • Amerindian: 0.28%
  • Asian: 0.15%
  • Black: 43.29%
  • Caucasian (Anglo): 20.75%
  • Caucasian (Hispanic): 19.20%
  • Mulatto: 15.92%
  • Pacific Islander: 0.00%
  • Other: 0.41%
• Religion
  
  • Agnostic: 10.59%
  • Animism/Native/Pagan: 0.91%
  • Atheist: 3.29%
  • Christian (Non-Catholic): 4.75%
  • Islam: 0.03%
  • Judaism: 0.09%
  • Roman Catholicism: 73.04%
  • Unlisted/Other: 7.30%
• Other Categories
  
  • Literacy: 97.2%
  • Sex Ratio: 0.98 male(s)/female

Defense and Security Information

• Military Size (Active): 150,000 (0.40%)
• Military Size (Reserves): 95,000 (0.25%)
• Military Size (Gendarmerie): 70,160 (0.19%)
• Military Branches: Armée de l'Air de Saint Laurent (AASL), Armée de Saint Laurent (ASL), Gendarmerie Maritime (GM), Gendarmerie Nationale (GN), Marine de Saint Laurent (MSL)
• Conscription: No

Foreign Affairs Information

• Foreign Policy: The Republic of Saint-Laurent is a non-aligned, neutral country. It aims for cordial or friendly relations with all nations of the world willing to accept them.
• International Organizations: None at present

Civil Rights and Freedom of Speech

• Civil Freedoms & Liberties: Citizens of Saint-Laurent have numerous civil liberties and freedoms guaranteed by the country's constitution. These include the free practice of religion, the freedom of speech and press, the freedom to assemble peacefully, protection against being tried twice for the same crime, and protection from unreasonable search and seizure. Suffrage is universal at the age of 18.
• Discrimination: As Saint-Laurent is a very traditional society, discrimination does exist in many forms. It is largely not based on race however as the country is very multicultural. Mixed race children are not a source of scorn as may be expected. The largest demographics for discrimination are homosexuals and those who do not adhere to traditional values. The roles of women, evolving year-over-year, are reshaping the attitudes of the country's citizens. Federal law however forbids discrimination based on gender, skin color, religious affiliation, and/or sexual orientation in terms of hiring and the services industry (e.g. one cannot be denied a service based on this criteria).

Education Information

• Education System: Saint-Laurent follows the French system of schooling. Preschool and kindergarten are attended by children aged 3 to 5. Primary or elementary school is from 5 to 10/11. Middle school is from 11 to 15. High school is from 15 to 18. Following this, the university system begins. Years for degrees vary from 2 to 10+ years. There are three universities in Saint-Laurent that offer PhD programs and selection is very competitive. Education through age 18 is universal and mandatory. Higher education above the age of 18 is not required. In terms of higher education, at least 60% of the population has a 2-year degree or higher. Approximately 33.5% of the population has a 4-year degree or higher. The country has one medical university. Because it is a state-run, public institution, the medical university is low-cost. Competition is very high as only a limited number of students may be admitted per year. In addition, strict standards and high failure thresholds contribute to a very high failure rate.

Environmental Protection Information

• Environmental Policies: Saint-Laurent has strict regulations in place to protect the environment and prevent wanton ruination of the natural habitat. There are stiff penalties and heavy fines for companies caught violating environmental protection laws, especially those concerning dumping, deforestation, pollution, and waste management. The pristine environment of Saint-Laurent is a top priority for every administration. Due to multiple concerns, including those regarding waste, nuclear energy is considered illegal per Saint-Laurent's regulations.
• Energy Sources:
  
  • Fossil Fuels: 91.39%
  • Nuclear Power: 0.0%
  • Water Power: 3.12%
  • Renewable Energy: 5.49%

Healthcare Information

• Healthcare System: Saint-Laurent has a federally regulated, universal healthcare system. All citizens of Saint-Laurent are covered under the national healthcare system. It largely resembles that of France.
• Restrictions: Cosmetic surgeries are not covered under the healthcare system unless they are medically necessary. Prescription medicines are not as easily doled out as some real-life countries, especially for minor ailments in an effort to prevent drug resistance.

[Chrinthanium]

You've got my vote.

[The Reborn British Empire]

You have my vote as well.

[Marimaia]

I'll also add my vote to the pile.

[AMW Applications]

Look, Ma! A new map! https://i.imgur.com/PRKodjQ.png

[The Reborn British Empire]

As per Discord, please add the following to my initial claim:

-Grenada
-Barbados
-St Vincent and the Grenadines

[The Reborn British Empire]

So, after discussions on Discord about the virtue of having all of one's intended claim in one go, rather than adding them as I go along, I will be adding the following areas to my claims as the extent of the 'major' parts of the British Empire going forwards.

-South Africa, a key part of the British Empire historically, I see no reason to think that the British in my continuity would not see the value of a Cape Colony (prior to the construction of the Suez Canal), and that the colony would thereafter have expanded as in reality. South Africa will have significant autonomy as a 'Dominion'. Historically South Africa would have struggled with racial tensions in the 20th Century, but the British rule would have avoided apartheid in the most part.

-Malaysia (Peninsular), is still heavily fragmented. The Straits Settlements consolidate Singapore as centres of British authority in the region. The Federated Malay States are administered by Malaysians, under the protection and direction of the British Crown, whilst the remaining Malay states are ruled by local rulers who have sworn loyalty to the British Crown in return for retaining their territory. All three factions squabble and are held together by the British influence.

-The Maldives, are a small, British Colony in the Indian Ocean.

-Sri Lanka- Will be brought into the British Empire during my introductory RP. Following decades of civil strife between the authoritarian government and brutal rebel groups, the violence finally spreads too far and impacts British trade in the region. With the Government unable to control its rebels, the British invade and annex the territory to restore order (and expand the Empire, by gaining that valuable resource; tea).

Although we have mostly discussed these on Discord, still open to discuss any concerns going forwards. These additions will result in the following changes:

Population to 184,302,792
GDP per Capita to $31,829.59
GDP (PPP) to $5.866 Trillion

[Walmington on Sea]

Going over our earlier posts in the first half of June, I wonder whether we can really pin-down the rest of the British/Walmingtonian exchange.

I had thought that I was surrendering the real-world British Caribbean territories to RBE and taking the Bahamas as a replacement, rather than simply adding the Bahamas as appears to be the case per the latest map update. I do not object to either scenario, although I was about to extract the likes of the Virgin and Cayman Islands from the factbook re-working I am undertaking, presuming them to be British once more.

I hope also to return the East African Spice Islands ((yet again)) to Walmingtonian control. That is to say, the Zanzibar archipelago and Mafia Island, being close to the Seychelles, which are to become the Walmingtonian Indian Ocean Territory or some like thing.

I am tempted also to ask that should -as the map suggests- the Comoros and Mayotte remain unclaimed they be added to the Seychelles. I do wonder, however, whether these were not intended to be part of the current Valendia. If they were not so intended, then, “Dibs!” is the call from His Godfreyite Majesty. Please enlighten!

Finally, in light of and dependent upon the prospective British acquisition of Sri Lanka and Malaya, I should also like to place a claim upon the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This becomes less appealing in the event of the British expansion's rejection by the community.

The Walmingtonian Empire pioneers ahead of the British, but later becomes subordinate to it. The Walmingtonians head out in what real life knows as the Viking age, and continue on in to the early epochs of the Age of Exploration pioneered by the Portuguese IRL. Much of Walmingtonian strategy is about scouting, and picking controllable locations near to prospective British colonies, which the Walmingtonians lack the manpower to subdue and defend. Basically, small Walmingtonian colonies near to larger British colonies, a symbiotic relationship being the centuries old Walmingtonian strategy.

[Chrinthanium]

I suppose I misread your post, so I can send them over to Britain if NB doesn't mind.

All of you expanding makes me thing that I should reorder the Latin Empire and make her more global. Having such a large amount of Europeans means smaller territories all around. Lots to think about.

Even though I am driving from California back to Pennsylvania (work related, and I'm currently in Nevada) through July 25, I have my laptop with me so if finalizations are made, I can update them. As far as Britain's expansion, since I'm the one in Discord who kind of pushed for the "get everything you want now rather than risk it being claimed" I could hardly say no even if I were against it, which I'm not.

[The Reborn British Empire]

I have no issue with any of the above.

[Kyr Shorn]

After chatting about this on Discord for a bit, here is my official application.

The Empire of New Albion

Claim: Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, (unclaimed parts of) Missouri
Population: 124,747,026
Demonym: New Albionese
Capital: Atlantica (RL Atlanta)
Government: Constitutionally Absolute Monarchy
Head of State: Her Imperial Majesty, Adela I, By the Grace of God and the Constitution of the People, Emperor of New Albion

Total GDP: $2,720,746,029,600 (My math might be a bit off on this)
Currency: New Albionese dollar
Official Language: English (New Albionese Standard)
Largest Religion: Protestant Christanity (various denominations, largest group The New Albionese Baptist Convention)

History:

Colonial Period:

The Empire of New Albion's origins can be found in the waves of colonization that began upon European discovery of the New World and the establishment of colonies on the coastline of the North American continent in the late 16th and 17th centuries. The region that would come to be known as New Albion would eventually fall under the dominion of Great Britain, a series of Skirmish Wars with other would-be colonial powers and the native peoples in the region would see the British colonies unified in the face of needed common defense, the Crown Colony of New Albion was officially chartered in 1754.

The Crown Colony with peoples from across Europe seeking to build new lives for themselves in the New World, the driving force was vast swaths of available land and growing wealth from a number of cash crops such as tobacco and cotton, making many men of previous modest means in their original homelands into wealthy men of importance in New Albion. However this would require more man-power than could be found in the immigrants coming to New Albion willingly, so the growing plantations of New Albion embraced the purchasing of slaves from Africa, tapping into trade networks that had already existed for centuries.

However with this wealth came growing British interest in greater controls over the Crown Colony and taxation to help cover the cost of Britain's wars in Europe. This was perceived as tyranny and cascaded within New Albion into open rebellion against Great Britain, New Albion found a ready ally in Britain's other crown colony America and the twin rebellions are often considered to be the same conflict by historians outside of both nations and called 'the North American Revolution'.

Much to the amazement of the world, the Revolutionaries won, however as the dust settled and attempts at forming a unified government began problems emerged, the colonies that would make up 'America' to the north were mostly Scots-Irish in culture and the political class of the region was pushing for a highly democratized Republican form of government, while the New Albionese political classes were dominated by culturally British wealthy slave-owning aristocrats that wanted a more restricted form of Republican government. Due to these divisions the two regions effectively 'divorced' and formed two nations.

The Old Republic:

The Republican Period of New Albionese history, often called 'the Old Republic' in New Albion itself began with the founding of the Republic of New Albion. The new nation's capital was based in Charles Town (modern name Charleston) and the Presidency was held by New Albionese war hero and general, Benedict Waterman I. The Constitution of the Republic gave broad powers to the President, which in many respects resembled that of a monarch, while there was a legislature in the form of the Senate of the Republic, a third of the Senators were appointed by the President to lifetime appointments, the Governors of the newly organized Provinces of the New Republic were all appointees of the President, even posts that were elective in the Republic were subject to review by either the Governors or the President to vet candidates, and the elections and rights to vote were only open to male citizens who owned property in the Republic and had never been slaves (more restrictions would be added later). The Presidency was indirectly elected by a series of Electors chosen to serve on the Electoral College, but these men were appointed by Benedict Waterman I on recommendations from various Governors, Senators, and other 'established men'.

In the young Republic, President Benedict Waterman I would remain in full control until his death at age 60, in the period leading up to his death he worked tirelessly to ensure that a 'smooth transition' would occur after his passing, the Presidency being briefly held by Waterman I's Vice President until the next election of the Electoral College which chose Waterman I's eldest son, Benedict Waterman Jr. (also known as Benedict Waterman II, or Waterman II), this saw the rise of the Waterman's Republican dynasty over New Albion.

As the Republic expanded westward and the nation grew wealthy from the cotton trade, growing international distaste for slavery saw many nations ban the practice in the early 18th century in their nations, as the slave trade was banned and the international trade dried up, New Albion found itself under growing pressure to ban the practice. However the global demand for cotton, the wealth it generated, and the power it gave the families that owned slaves saw more internal pressure to 'preserve the grand old tradition'.

Growing rivalry with America over land on the North American continent, in addition to America banning slavery only added to the pressure. A series of 'Brush Wars' waged between families and local governments on both sides of the ill-defined border only added to the problems.

These events came to a head in 1850 when Benedict Waterman IV suffered a personal tragedy when his only son, Benedict Waterman V died in a boating accident, leaving the Waterman family dead in the male line. President Waterman IV was unable to choose a new successor due to failing health and died in the winter of 1850, leaving New Albion with it's first 'Open Election'.

However until this election could be held, the Presidency fell to Waterman IV's Vice President, James Speer, a much less prominent figure than most in the Waterman IV Administration, President Speer was something of an outsider to much of the 'Republican Aristocracy' that usually dominated New Albion's highest levels of power, Speer had been made Vice President in the years before Waterman V's untimely death with the assumption that Speer would never hold any real power. For the slave-owners this would prove to be unacceptable now that Speer was President and had abolitionist tendencies.

In 1853, a mere three years into his Presidency, Speer announced his intent to institute a ban on slavery in New Albion with only minimal compensation to the owners. This caused the slaver class to initiate their plans to preserve their way of life, they launched the Coup of 1853 that saw President Speer murdered by a group of soldiers commanded by Republican Aristocrat Alexander B. Fitch, however what they were unaware of was that educated slaves who worked inside the plantation houses had been observing these events and had been organizing for some time. In New Albion the population demographics had seen the number of African slaves out number their Caucasian 'free' owners five to one in many areas, minor slave revolts had been a problem in New Albion, but in 1853 the Great Slave Revolt rocked the nation to it's core.

This slave revolt was not limited to one plantation but occurred simultaneously in many plantations all across New Albion, the slaves proclaimed the end of New Albion and the birth of the 'Free Republic of New Africa' and massacred any and all who would oppose them, many Republican Aristocratic families were wiped out down to the last child in the opening stages.

Seeing New Albion in such a weakened state, it was invaded by America, officially to 'Establish a new, free Republican form of government', but in many respects was simply a land-grab by the American government.

It was in these times that the military of New Albion was put to the test, and from amongst it's ranks a young officer from a small-farming family named Edric J. Carter would rise to the challenge.

The War and the Revolt:

The beginning of the Imperial Period of New Albion are found in the life of Edric Joseph Carter, the man who was destined to become the first Emperor of New Albion. The only son of a chili pepper farmer in Acadia (RL Louisiana), Edric sold the farm and joined the New Albionese army at age 17 when his father and mother died in a smallpox epidemic, his natural brilliance (having only been educated by his father and local pastor) impressing his commanding officers who sent him to The Citadel, New Albion's premiere military education center where he graduated at the top of his class, in a year of his commission as a officer the American-Albionese War and the Great Slave Revolt both broke out, the War and the Revolt Era would be the crucible that would forge an Emperor. His battalion was sent out to suppress the revolts in Acadia, and while in much of New Albion the results were initially mixed, Carter's Boys (as they were quickly nicknamed) won several key victories against the slave forces (who were surprisingly well-armed).

By summer of 1854 the back of the slave revolt in Acadia was broken and a simple fact was obvious to see, the New African fighters had been given arms and training by America prior to the revolt, the whole thing had been planned from the start.

Edric J. Carter's successes saw him swiftly promoted as the Republic lost much ground to American forces, while the Great Slave Revolt was put down by early 1855, the American-Albionese War would prove to be a longer-lasting conflict and would change the face of New Albion forever.

Initially the American's had the advantage, but the ending the slave revolt, and the decision by the Emergency Government of New Albion to end slavery unilaterally saw the slow erosion of America' advantages. In addition the view of the Americans being foreign interlopers alienated them from much of the population. A grinding war that lasted from 1853-1859 saw New Albion ultimately survive, though it did lose lands to America and the 'Peculiar Institution' that was slavery was ended.

Edric J. Carter in the war quickly rose to the rank of Colonel due to his victories in the Great Slave Revolt, and at the Battle of Chattanooga against a superior American force. By the end of the war Edric J. Carter was made a General and was seen as one of it's greatest war heroes who had preserved the existence of the nation.

The Emergency Government after the war however remained in place and would come to be known as the Directorate.


The Directorate:

The Directorate, the effective military dictatorship of New Albion would rule from 1859-1871, the previous 'civilian' government was suspended indefinitely, the capital relocated to the easily defensible city of Little Rock, the former provinces were reorganized into military districts each commanded by a Governor-General and answerable to the President-General of New Albion, Robert E. Lee. As one of the most recognized heroes of the wars, Edric J. Carter was made Governor-General of District 4, based mostly from the Province of Georgia (and would serve as the eventual center of the Empire).

In the aftermath of the war the rural economy of the nation was in ruins, and due to limited industrialization had suffered mightily at America's hands. Under Lee's command the nation was forced to industrialize swiftly, using the lands seized from the wiped out families as a means to entice capital investment from European magnates who saw opportunities in New Albion. The former slaves now found themselves immigrating to cities as a source of cheap labor, their lives little improved from their previous status as chattel slaves. President-General Lee also pushed for agricultural development and reform, seeking immigrants from all over Europe to replace the dead from the war and the revolt, and in an attempt to shift the racial demographics of the nation.

Of the districts of the Directorate, District 4 was among the first to see benefits from the industrialization programs and would be the quickest to be rebuilt from the devastation of the 'War and the Revolt', of the Governor-Generals, it was Edric J. Carter would become the apple of President-General Lee's eye and was widely see as the most likely successor. In 1866 when President-General Lee died unexpectedly in his sleep, Edric J. Carter assumed the Presidency, he ruled in this role from 1866 to 1871 and solidified his control of the nation before undertaking the 'Great Task', Edric J. Carter proclaimed himself Emperor of New Albion and transformed the nation from a military dictatorship and into a true Empire.

Imperial Period:

Emperor Edric I of New Albion, the founder of the House of Carter, created the Empire out of the ashes of the Old Republic and the Directorate. The new Emperor crowned himself with a wreath of golden laurel leaves in a simple ceremony in the city of Atlantica in District 4 and proclaimed Atlantica the capital of the new Empire. The reasons for doing this were various, ranging from Edric I's admiration for the men in history who forged great empires and left great legacies, to his criticism for the problems inherent in both the Old Republic and the Directorate, simply put the Old Republic became too dominated by a handful of corrupt aristocrats and the Directorate while effective in rebuilding the nation was heading down the same path as the Old Republic, the Empire that Edric I wished to build would be based around merit and not family connections, the titles to the 'New Men' he granted were not hereditary but rather honors that, if their children wished to have them, would have to earn them.

Edric I would restructure the nation, incorporating elements of the Old Republic and the Directorate that worked, the system of military districts would be retained, however a new constitution was drafted and set of checks was placed on the power of the government, elections were held and open to all men regardless of property ownership status (but women and non-whites were still barred) and the senate was reconvened, however the Emperor would have the final word.

Edric I's reign would continue until his death in 1896 and he was succeeded by his eldest son, Edric II, but as per his father's will the succession of the Empire was male only and would remain so until modern times.

Edric II reigned briefly, having been elderly by the time of his father's death before passing the crown to his son Edric III, who only had daughters. Despite this Edric III's reign saw the Empire enter the 20th century as one of the 'great nations' on the North American continent, an era of peace had reigned since the rise of the House of Carter and the Empire of New Albion had seemingly fully healed from 'The War and the Revolt' era.

However racial inequality between the descendants of the slaves of New Albion and the various freemen began to boil.

Edric III died in the 1910's, but not before granting women the right to vote (along with a number of rights they had previously been denied) and passed the crown to his brother Magnus I, who like Edric II was quite elderly and in poor health, so a brief Regency led by Magnus I's son the future Edric IV did the actual work of ruling the Empire.

It was in the twilight of Magnus I's reign that the beginnings of the long struggle for the end of legislative discrimination against the Black and Native peoples of New Albion would begin.

Edric IV's reign would see this, along with a major natural disaster known as the Dust Bowl that would harm the nation's economy, however the Great War in Europe would see New Albion become a major weapons manufacturer, becoming wealthy once more from the wars going on elsewhere in the world.

Edric IV's passing saw the reign of Edric V, a man whom never married and is widely suspected (both in his era and in modern times) of being homosexual, though the topic is taboo in New Albion. Edric V was succeeded by brother Geoffrey I who during his reign would be forced to contend with the growing desire for reform of the Empire's racial laws. While previous Emperors had treated the growing movement for Racial Liberation as variously something to ignore, to be violently suppressed, to a front for radical political ideologies, Geoffrey I contended with it as a much needed and rightful demand to redress the wrongs of the past, Geoffrey I would issue a series of controversial laws and decrees that ended racial division in government and society in New Albion, though unofficial much discrimination would remain across the Empire well into the modern era.

Geoffrey I would die of liver failure in the 1980's and the throne passed to his son Geoffrey II, who would rule New Albion from 1981 to 2015, however Geoffrey II and his wife Empress Emma would only have a single son, Prince Magnus who would die in an automobile accident in 2010, leaving behind only a single daughter, Princess Adela. This briefly made Prince Nathan, the younger brother of Geoffrey II, the heir to the throne, however Geoffrey II would controversially alter the succession in favor of his granddaughter Princess Adela, allowing women to inherit the Imperial Throne.

In 2015 when Geoffrey II died of complications from diabetes, Adela became the first female ruler of New Albion at age 19.


Politics:

The Empire of New Albion is a Constitutionally mandated Absolutist Imperial State in which the state and government is headed by the office of the Emperor, until 2011 only men could become Emperor however Emperor Geoffrey II altered the laws of succession to allow for female inheritance. The current Emperor of New Albion is Adela I, the title she reigns under is Emperor and not Empress as per the decrees of Geoffrey II, her future spouse will be known as Imperial-Consort.

There is a legislature, via the Senate of the Empire of New Albion, but it had little power until the reigns of Geoffrey II and Adela I who have given it more mandate, though the Emperor retains the lions share of the control. Members of the Senate are elected by the citizens of the Empire to staggered five year terms, elections are held every three years in a staggered cycle to ensure that the people's will is expressed in the senate continuously rather than in a single five year cycle. The head of the senate is known as the Speaker of the Senate, and some speculate will one day function as a head of government for the Empire.

There is an independent judiciary, the highest courts being the High Court of the Empire, though even their decisions can be subject to Imperial Review by the Emperor, though this hasn't been done since the reign of Geoffrey I.

The nation is territorially divided into a series of Districts, created during the period of the Directorate, these territories were once known only by numeral designations but were granted formal names in the reign of Edric IV. Several chose to revive names of Provinces from the Old Republic Era, others chose new names due to having little connection to the Old Republic Era as provinces (being designated either as Unorganized or Organized Territories).

The Districts are governed by local governments and the head of each district is known as a Governor (previously a Governor-General) and as of the reign of Geoffrey II are elected by the citizens that reside in each District. Governor's can be removed either by impeachment by their District Senates, or directly by the Emperor for poor performance, criminal conviction, and treason, though this hasn't been done since the reign of Edric III.

In the reign of Geoffrey I political parties were legalized in the Empire, represented in the Senate are the following parties. The Crown Loyalists (seen as the 'Conservative' party), the Social Labor Party (seen as the 'Liberal' Party), the New Albionese Green Party (environmentalist party), the Old Whigs (extreme conservative party). Two of the most infamous political parties that are not present in the Senate are the Communist Party of New Albion and the New Albionese Fascist League.

[Chrinthanium]

6 million for a GDP? That's just over 5 cents per capita. I think you've got a decimal place or three (or six) missing. Not certain because the GDP per capita wasn't in the app for me to use to check.

I've known you for a while. I've missed our RPing together. I have nothing but high hopes for your return. As far as I am concerned, welcome back to AMW.

[Kyr Shorn]

6 million for a GDP? That's just over 5 cents per capita. I think you've got a decimal place or three (or six) missing. Not certain because the GDP per capita wasn't in the app for me to use to check.

I've known you for a while. I've missed our RPing together. I have nothing but high hopes for your return. As far as I am concerned, welcome back to AMW.

Sadly I got that number from adding the GDPs of the states in the claim together, methinks the southern US isn't exactly swimming in money.

But for the sake of being a first world nation I'll up it a bit.

[Fascist Jerusalem]

Hey, I am interested in this group. Could I have a link to the discord?

[Chrinthanium]

6 million for a GDP? That's just over 5 cents per capita. I think you've got a decimal place or three (or six) missing. Not certain because the GDP per capita wasn't in the app for me to use to check.

I've known you for a while. I've missed our RPing together. I have nothing but high hopes for your return. As far as I am concerned, welcome back to AMW.

Sadly I got that number from adding the GDPs of the states in the claim together, methinks the southern US isn't exactly swimming in money.

But for the sake of being a first world nation I'll up it a bit.

Definitely had to be an addition error because those states wouldn't total 6 million in GDP. There's literally over one or two trillion there without having to do much figuring to come up with. You're at around 21,800 right now with your edit. Much better now, eh?

Hey, I am interested in this group. Could I have a link to the discord?

\https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1953

That's the link to our discussion thread. Pop over there and tell us about your idea.

[Fascist Jerusalem]

Sadly I got that number from adding the GDPs of the states in the claim together, methinks the southern US isn't exactly swimming in money.

But for the sake of being a first world nation I'll up it a bit.

Definitely had to be an addition error because those states wouldn't total 6 million in GDP. There's literally over one or two trillion there without having to do much figuring to come up with. You're at around 21,800 right now with your edit. Much better now, eh?

Hey, I am interested in this group. Could I have a link to the discord?

\https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1953

That's the link to our discussion thread. Pop over there and tell us about your idea.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1953&start=3050

[Saint-Laurent]

I would like to add the island of Dominica to Saint-Laurent. I am thinking I can work it in as a place where perhaps some runaway slaves could have gone and maybe some holdouts of the Anglo and Hispanic eras. Overall the effect is about +75,000 in population and not much in the way of GDP, +$1.2822B at my current per capita. It would probably be less due to the undeveloped nature of the island. I'd say closer to the $800M that RL Dominica has.

[Fascist Jerusalem]

-snip-

[Chrinthanium]

It's late, I'm tired, so here's direct and to the point...

1: Claim is rather big and ill-defined.
2: With 202 million, and as a new member, your GDP would be substantial to say the least clocking in just over 5 trillion.
3: Yes, Army size relative to what....?
4: There's probably no nice way to say this, but I don't ever think your Templars would, as you say "By the 1780s, the Templars reached their height of influence. They had significant control over European commerce"
5: Medici from Florence? I know I don't have history written up for the Latin Empire, but he doesn't exist as far as I know in Italy. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Dunno yet.
6: I can assure you no Templars would've been in the Latin Empire. And probably most AMWers would have some issues with the history as it is written.
7: By extension of having Rome in the Latin Empire, I sort of kind of deal with the Roman Catholic Church. I'm not really exercising control over it, but I suppose that makes me keeper of its history and whatnot, so I would have to consider if a Pope would even help out people so far away when he was already working on unifying the countries that once constituted the Western Roman Empire already by the 1700s. The later in the 1700s, the more interested the RCC becomes in trying to drum up Roman nationalism. Doesn't ferment until the 1800s, but like a small spark.... slowly moving through a forest of dry leaves until, all of a sudden, it bursts into a giant wildfire that overtakes everything in its path.

Various and Sundry Things....

My suggestion is don't go all over the place here. Focus on something more unified and less spread out. Don't worry about being big or better or richer (not saying you were doing so, either). Expand on the ideas you have into something anyone with a general understanding of government, economics, etc... works. Fascist Corporatism. Tell us more about your version of it because it's not one uniform system (like most others in the world). I don't have a clear idea of what the claim is, what it wants, and where it's going. More details, less "spread out and into everything." That would be my recommendation.

[Marimaia]

I would like to add the island of Dominica to Saint-Laurent. I am thinking I can work it in as a place where perhaps some runaway slaves could have gone and maybe some holdouts of the Anglo and Hispanic eras. Overall the effect is about +75,000 in population and not much in the way of GDP, +$1.2822B at my current per capita. It would probably be less due to the undeveloped nature of the island. I'd say closer to the $800M that RL Dominica has.

No objections to it from me

[Fascist Jerusalem]

Alright, I've created a new application with revised history. Sorry for the google docs, but it was inconvenient to copy and paste and reformat it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yArZE4EM1hrPmBH2CZkkcw4HFl_IWbLUaKXLovqtoFc/edit?usp=drivesdk

[The Reborn British Empire]

Regardless of the success or failure of the above application, I have decided to make the following changes as discussed on Discord. Whilst they were initially prompted by FJs application, I have come to the determination that they are in the best interest of a cohesive and common-sense claim on my part. This should constitute the last adjustment of my 'base' claim and history, anything after would be additions.

As such I DROP South Africa, and instead CLAIM:

Burma (Myanmar), & the following provinces of Thailand:

Chumphon
Krabi
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Narathiwat
Pattani
Phang Nga
Phattalung
Phuket
Ranong
Satun
Songkhla
Surat Thani
Trang
Yala

This would result in the following changes:

Population to 191,276,059
GDP per Capita to $28,898
GDP (PPP) to $5.526 Trillion

[The Crooked Beat]

No objections to the various additions discussed for Saint-Laurent and Britain, and an inexcusably belated endorsement for Kyr's new North American claim. Any state based in the southeastern part of the RL USA would, I think, make for a very interesting counterweight to a strongly left-leaning and (if I'm not totally mistaken here) anti-imperialist Amerique, considering what would almost certainly be its close economic relationship with Britain in history at least. And it seems that Britain and Amerique maybe don't quite get along?

Regarding Fascist Jerusalem, I think there are some excellent ideas in there. It seems to evoke a sort of Estado Novo aesthetic, and I suppose we have to bear it in mind that Portugal, scarcely a great power by modern standards, nonetheless managed to hold onto a globe-spanning empire until not at all long ago. Which I guess is to say that a somewhat scattered geography is not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle. Things are certainly a bit sketchy and vague at the moment, which perhaps they ought to be, though of course it is always best to limit one's reliance on real-life historical figures or forces which may not exist or be available in our particular environment. At the very least a fair amount of discussion and negotiation ought to be expected. At the same time I'm sure some kind of crusading colonizing ultra-Catholic force could be drummed up from somewhere, if maybe not from the places outlined so far.

So all in all, really not much useful comment from me...

The short version, still could use some additional hashing-out, but plenty to work with!

Now on to matters of a more selfish character, after a great deal of entirely too characteristic second-guessing I'm leaning pretty strongly toward a re-incorporation of Norway and Sweden into Gandvik, since I think it helps to underline Gandvik's not-so-glorious yet nonetheless rather more honest history as for the most part a colony of German-speaking and Shieldian-speaking crusader-opportunists of often genocidal proclivities, whose ancestors in spite of themselves ended up hitched to the wagon of a largely spurious Fennic nationalism from 1830 on. The main idea here is that Gandvik's national mythology is for the most part a mixture of fabrication, falsehood, and self-delusion, and that the nation itself, with all of its thinly papered-over ethnic, linguistic, and religious antagonisms is held together by the glue provided by a massive if also massively inefficient civil service and military. I know I'm too fond by far of mixed historical metaphors, but maybe you could call Gandvik in some respects a bizarre cross between the Ottoman Empire and the latter-day Soviet Union. Well, maybe not quite, but anyhow...

So to return to my main point, I'd like, if nobody else still has their eye on the region, to re-add Sweden and Norway. While I'm certainly sympathetic to anyone who feels that Europe has been pretty well closed-out, and while I'm not by any means averse in principle to giving up territory in order to make more room, the Scandinavian peninsula has, I think, enough significance on Gandvik's character as a nation, or at least on its strategic position in the wider world, that regularly giving it up and taking it back on can be somewhat disruptive. If for instance Cass returns with a clearer idea of what he'd like to do, my preference would be to hustle him into the Baltic States.

This would all bump Gandvik's population back up to around the 137-million mark.

For some potentially more controversial expansions which have occurred to me, I've been thinking of turning Gandvik's Sumatran ex-colony into a more fully-fledged Gandvian East Indies, including Java and Kalimantan, which would increase the population to somewhere in the region of 150 million or so if I'm not mistaken. It is, I suppose, worth noting that Gandvik's East Indian colonies have always been seen as a drain on the state's resources, and the place is now a de facto independent apartheid state ruled by the descendants of white settlers/deportees from Gandvik proper. So Gandvik would never have derived more than limited benefit from its colony, at times disconcertingly limited, and the place now is fairly riven by internal contradictions and a simmering discontent among the disenfranchised population, variously native Sumatrans, now prospectively Javanese and Borneans, and the descendants of plantation laborers brought in from Africa and elsewhere in South-Southeast Asia (possibly Dra-pol?)

My long-term plan is to have this place take a very hard left turn, so possibly Britain would have an interest in goings-on?

Another idea which has been rattling around again lately is to take up Parsistan again, though in this case with the explicit purpose of having it collapse fairly quickly, and in so doing serve as a potentially useful bone of contention among the local powers, Depkazia, Romnika, Marimaia, and the Celts, plus whatever other foreign elements end up becoming involved. My thoughts so far revolve around the idea of a fairly weak or at least loosely-rooted democracy falling to a military coup d'etat, brought on by an overwhelming electoral victory by an Islamist-populist party with covert or overt Depkazi backing. This of course would trigger a major domestic crisis, and, I hope, foreign intervention as well!

Last thing, I'm also considering expanding Far Eastern Gandvik slightly (or more than slightly), to reflect the semi-imperialistic aspect of Gandvik's eastward expansion. Hokkaido seems like a piece of territory which imperialist-era Gandvik would have coveted greatly, as security for shipping routes between Vladivostok (Kullansarvi in AMW) and the East Indies. The Korean peninsula might potentially serve a similar purpose, though it is really more than I'd prefer to take on and it would close out a big piece of territory for a prospective future player.

Anyhow, enough from me for the moment.

[Marimaia]

So to return to my main point, I'd like, if nobody else still has their eye on the region, to re-add Sweden and Norway. While I'm certainly sympathetic to anyone who feels that Europe has been pretty well closed-out, and while I'm not by any means averse in principle to giving up territory in order to make more room, the Scandinavian peninsula has, I think, enough significance on Gandvik's character as a nation, or at least on its strategic position in the wider world, that regularly giving it up and taking it back on can be somewhat disruptive. If for instance Cass returns with a clearer idea of what he'd like to do, my preference would be to hustle him into the Baltic States.

This would all bump Gandvik's population back up to around the 137-million mark.

*snip*

Another idea which has been rattling around again lately is to take up Parsistan again, though in this case with the explicit purpose of having it collapse fairly quickly, and in so doing serve as a potentially useful bone of contention among the local powers, Depkazia, Romnika, Marimaia, and the Celts, plus whatever other foreign elements end up becoming involved. My thoughts so far revolve around the idea of a fairly weak or at least loosely-rooted democracy falling to a military coup d'etat, brought on by an overwhelming electoral victory by an Islamist-populist party with covert or overt Depkazi backing. This of course would trigger a major domestic crisis, and, I hope, foreign intervention as well!

I'd have no issue with you re-adding Sweden and Norway, you had them before and I don't think there's any reason why you can't have them again

Moving onto the suggestion that I'd definitely have a stake in, if you did decide to pick up Parsistan once more then the Marimaian Caliphate would be extremely likely to get involved in that scenario (as in, no doubt that they would). As a liberal Islamic constitutional monarchy, the Marimaian Caliphate would not be particularly overjoyed to see an Islamist-Populist government pop up next door, even if it was democratically elected. A military coup by the Parsistani armed forces would be greeted by public 'hopes of an eventual orderly return to democracy' and private 'throw money at them and prop them up for as long as possible', as the Marimaian Caliphate would greatly prefer a military junta/strongman keeping order and stability than an elected 'extremist' government which might change the balance of power too much. If I redirect some of the Caliphate budget's 'reserve fund payment', that could mean roughly $10 billion a year to the Parsistani military government (plus diplomatic recognition and support, potential investment, etc.).

[Chrinthanium]

Alright, I've created a new application with revised history. Sorry for the google docs, but it was inconvenient to copy and paste and reformat it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yArZE4EM1hrPmBH2CZkkcw4HFl_IWbLUaKXLovqtoFc/edit?usp=drivesdk

I said it in Discord, and I will put it here for posterity's sake. I have nothing personal against your history, but I don't want a bunch of people getting "influential" within my history particularly in the areas around where I'm beginning to formulate what the eventual Latin Empire will look like. I'm fine with you being a fringe group who get booted out (like the Pilgrams). That's perfectly alright with me. Outside of that, your population (75 million ish) and GDP (1.4 Trillion ish) are perfectly reasonable and acceptable to me. So, since the history is the only thing I'd like us to work on, I see no real need to hold up the app. This being said... you're still going to be delayed because the map and the claims list are out of date and now everyone is shifting again right before I redo the whole map. So, you may well become accepted before the map is updated.

No objections to the various additions discussed for Saint-Laurent and Britain, and an inexcusably belated endorsement for Kyr's new North American claim. Any state based in the southeastern part of the RL USA would, I think, make for a very interesting counterweight to a strongly left-leaning and (if I'm not totally mistaken here) anti-imperialist Amerique, considering what would almost certainly be its close economic relationship with Britain in history at least. And it seems that Britain and Amerique maybe don't quite get along?

Regarding Fascist Jerusalem, I think there are some excellent ideas in there. It seems to evoke a sort of Estado Novo aesthetic, and I suppose we have to bear it in mind that Portugal, scarcely a great power by modern standards, nonetheless managed to hold onto a globe-spanning empire until not at all long ago. Which I guess is to say that a somewhat scattered geography is not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle. Things are certainly a bit sketchy and vague at the moment, which perhaps they ought to be, though of course it is always best to limit one's reliance on real-life historical figures or forces which may not exist or be available in our particular environment. At the very least a fair amount of discussion and negotiation ought to be expected. At the same time I'm sure some kind of crusading colonizing ultra-Catholic force could be drummed up from somewhere, if maybe not from the places outlined so far.

So all in all, really not much useful comment from me...

The short version, still could use some additional hashing-out, but plenty to work with!

Now on to matters of a more selfish character, after a great deal of entirely too characteristic second-guessing I'm leaning pretty strongly toward a re-incorporation of Norway and Sweden into Gandvik, since I think it helps to underline Gandvik's not-so-glorious yet nonetheless rather more honest history as for the most part a colony of German-speaking and Shieldian-speaking crusader-opportunists of often genocidal proclivities, whose ancestors in spite of themselves ended up hitched to the wagon of a largely spurious Fennic nationalism from 1830 on. The main idea here is that Gandvik's national mythology is for the most part a mixture of fabrication, falsehood, and self-delusion, and that the nation itself, with all of its thinly papered-over ethnic, linguistic, and religious antagonisms is held together by the glue provided by a massive if also massively inefficient civil service and military. I know I'm too fond by far of mixed historical metaphors, but maybe you could call Gandvik in some respects a bizarre cross between the Ottoman Empire and the latter-day Soviet Union. Well, maybe not quite, but anyhow...

So to return to my main point, I'd like, if nobody else still has their eye on the region, to re-add Sweden and Norway. While I'm certainly sympathetic to anyone who feels that Europe has been pretty well closed-out, and while I'm not by any means averse in principle to giving up territory in order to make more room, the Scandinavian peninsula has, I think, enough significance on Gandvik's character as a nation, or at least on its strategic position in the wider world, that regularly giving it up and taking it back on can be somewhat disruptive. If for instance Cass returns with a clearer idea of what he'd like to do, my preference would be to hustle him into the Baltic States.

This would all bump Gandvik's population back up to around the 137-million mark.

For some potentially more controversial expansions which have occurred to me, I've been thinking of turning Gandvik's Sumatran ex-colony into a more fully-fledged Gandvian East Indies, including Java and Kalimantan, which would increase the population to somewhere in the region of 150 million or so if I'm not mistaken. It is, I suppose, worth noting that Gandvik's East Indian colonies have always been seen as a drain on the state's resources, and the place is now a de facto independent apartheid state ruled by the descendants of white settlers/deportees from Gandvik proper. So Gandvik would never have derived more than limited benefit from its colony, at times disconcertingly limited, and the place now is fairly riven by internal contradictions and a simmering discontent among the disenfranchised population, variously native Sumatrans, now prospectively Javanese and Borneans, and the descendants of plantation laborers brought in from Africa and elsewhere in South-Southeast Asia (possibly Dra-pol?)

My long-term plan is to have this place take a very hard left turn, so possibly Britain would have an interest in goings-on?

Another idea which has been rattling around again lately is to take up Parsistan again, though in this case with the explicit purpose of having it collapse fairly quickly, and in so doing serve as a potentially useful bone of contention among the local powers, Depkazia, Romnika, Marimaia, and the Celts, plus whatever other foreign elements end up becoming involved. My thoughts so far revolve around the idea of a fairly weak or at least loosely-rooted democracy falling to a military coup d'etat, brought on by an overwhelming electoral victory by an Islamist-populist party with covert or overt Depkazi backing. This of course would trigger a major domestic crisis, and, I hope, foreign intervention as well!

Last thing, I'm also considering expanding Far Eastern Gandvik slightly (or more than slightly), to reflect the semi-imperialistic aspect of Gandvik's eastward expansion. Hokkaido seems like a piece of territory which imperialist-era Gandvik would have coveted greatly, as security for shipping routes between Vladivostok (Kullansarvi in AMW) and the East Indies. The Korean peninsula might potentially serve a similar purpose, though it is really more than I'd prefer to take on and it would close out a big piece of territory for a prospective future player.

Anyhow, enough from me for the moment.

Norway and Sweden into Gandvik? Sure, I'm all for it!

Regardless of the success or failure of the above application, I have decided to make the following changes as discussed on Discord. Whilst they were initially prompted by FJs application, I have come to the determination that they are in the best interest of a cohesive and common-sense claim on my part. This should constitute the last adjustment of my 'base' claim and history, anything after would be additions.

As such I DROP South Africa, and instead CLAIM:

Burma (Myanmar), & the following provinces of Thailand:

Chumphon
Krabi
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Narathiwat
Pattani
Phang Nga
Phattalung
Phuket
Ranong
Satun
Songkhla
Surat Thani
Trang
Yala

This would result in the following changes:

Population to 191,276,059
GDP per Capita to $28,898
GDP (PPP) to $5.526 Trillion

No objection from me.

I would like to add the island of Dominica to Saint-Laurent. I am thinking I can work it in as a place where perhaps some runaway slaves could have gone and maybe some holdouts of the Anglo and Hispanic eras. Overall the effect is about +75,000 in population and not much in the way of GDP, +$1.2822B at my current per capita. It would probably be less due to the undeveloped nature of the island. I'd say closer to the $800M that RL Dominica has.

I do not object.

Onto Kyr... a definite Welcome Back to AMW! So, go and factbook your little heart out. I'm excited to have you back.

Right... I think that's everything? I have to reread. I've been kind of out of the loop a bit. As far as the map, I will have to create a new one due to an issue where I somehow accidentally deleted the file containing the old one. I'll have it up this weekend with everything that's been added and shifted above FJ's post (since FJ is still in pending with a "random Caribbean island" missing from the claim).

Nice to see I'm not the one who is shifting this time. I like staying put much better!