Zealandia (Kaori)

Federal Republic of Zealandia
Flag of Zealandia Flag
Motto: United We Stand
Anthem: "Vow to Zealandia"
Location of Zealandia (in green)
Capital	Wakefield
Largest city	New Utrecht
Official languages	English
Recognised national languages	Dutch Punjabi Hokkien Cantonese
Protected languages	20 indigenous languages
Ethnic groups (2020)	67.4% European 17.8% Asian 11.5% Indo-Zealandians 3.3% Indigenous
Religion (2020)	69.3% Christianity 15.9% Buddhism 12.5% Sikhism 2.5% Other/Non-Religious
Demonym(s)	Zealandian Zeelander (historical)
Government	Federal constitutional assembly-independent directorial republic
• Executive Council	TBA
• President of the Diet	TBA
• Chief Justice	TBA
Legislature	Federal Diet
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Independence  from the United Kingdom
• Articles of Union	17 May 1867
• Treaty of Vanois	7 December 1895
• Home rule	10 October 1949
• Constitution Act	5 June 1953
Area
• Total	4,922,129.76 km2 (1,900,444.92 sq mi) (7th)
• Water (%)	5.57
Population
• 2020 census	130,823,919
• Density	26.7/km2 (69.2/sq mi)
Gini (2023)	29.6 low
HDI (2023)	0.946 very high · 10th
Currency	tael (Ŧ) (ZTL)
Time zone	UTC+11 and +12 (ZWT and ZET)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+64
Internet TLD	.zl

Zealandia, officially the Federal Republic of Zealandia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Zealandian continent, several nearby archipelagos, and numerous islands. It is the second largest country in Oceania and the seventh largest country in the world by area, after Australia. Zealandia is a megadiverse country, consisting of a myriad of landscapes and climates, from the Tasman Mountains in the north to the Zuidveld in the southeast.

Worimi-speaking people arrived the continent roughly 45,000-40,000 years ago, from the nearby Australian continent. They settled in the northwestern portion of the continent and later formed 47 distinct linguistic groups, collectively known as the Kalkan, by the time of the first European arrivals, of which 16 survive to the modern day. Melanesians would settle the northeast approximately 20,000 years later, with contact between the Melanesians and Kalkan being well documented through cave paintings and oral traditions. Around the same time, Austronesian and Polynesians settlers arrived in the northeast and southeast. Due to the size and the mountainous topography of the continent, contact between the Austro-Polynesians and the Kalkan were nonexistent before the arrival of the Europeans. Zealandia's written history commenced with arrival of Javanese settlers in the mid-15th century, although this was largely limited to the Javanese kingdoms esablished in the northwest. Dutch colonization began in 1610, with British colonization began with the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and subsequent annexation of the entire continent from the Dutch East India Company. The Zealandia Company would later takeover, forming the colony of New Zealand. By the mid-19th century, much of the continent had been explored and mapped, with an additional six self-governing charter colonies and four crown colonies being established. The four crown colonies and New Zealand formed a union in 1867. A series of wars would take place between the newly-united Dominion of Zealandia and the six self-governing charter colonies from 1875 to 1895, when the final colony was defeated and signed the Treaty of Vanois. After a series of civil conflicts within the newly-unified dominion, a series of compromises were reached, thus granting the six former colonies limited autonomy and establishing a new federal system. During the Second World War, Zealandia would serve as part of the Commonwealth forces and play a major role in contain imperial Japanese aggression in Southeast Asia. Conflicts between the interests of the Crown and Zealandia in the early and mid-20th centuries and the Second World War led to home rule being granted to the colony in 1949, with fully independence being granted in 1951. Zealandia would sever ties with the commonwealth two years later with the Constitution Act.

Zealandia is a federal constitutional assembly-independent directorial republic comprising six federal states, three federal territories, two indigenous provinces, and a capital territory, as well as other smaller offshore territories. The country's population of just over 130 million is highly urbanized and largely concentrated along the coastal areas in the northwest and south. Wakefield is the capital of the country, located within the capital territory of the same name. The largest city of New Utrecht was the capital until 1917, and still serves as city of choice for most foreign embassies and consulates. Other major cities include Wellington, Southland, Zuidveld City, and Northshore. The country's abundant resources and well-developed trade relations are crucial to its highly diversified, robust economy. The government generates income primarily from the service, mining, and agricultural industries. Zealandia ranks highly in quality of life, health, economic and political freedoms, and education.

Zealandia has a highly developed and diversified market economy and one of the highest incomes per capita globally. It also has the fifth largest economy in the world by GDP, ranking below Japan and above Germany. The country is a middle power and has the 6th largest military expenditure in the world. Zealandia is member of various international organizations including the United Nations, World Trade Organization, APEC and South Seas Treaty Organization. The national currency is the tael, which also used in several neighboring island countries as legal tender.

Etymology

The name Zealandia is the anglicised form of the Dutch Zeelandia, named after the Dutch province of Zeeland. The indigenous Kalkan peoples historically had various names for the land, most of which are now reflected in various geographic and location names throughout the country. Because the Kalkan speak languages from three language families, there are four different names that are counted as "Kalkan names" for the Zealandia: Nusbat (Austronesian), Pirupi (Katan), Daguska (Papuan), and Seelan (from Dutch).

The indigenous Austro-Polynesians on the eastern side of the continent also had various names for the Zealandia, with the Maori Aoteroa being the modern Polynesian name for the country. Like with the Kalkan languages, historic Polynesian names are also reflected in the names of geographic features and location names found across the eastern half of the country.

History

Precolonial history

Worimi-speaking peoples from the eastern Australia were the first to arrive on the continent approximately 45,000-40,000 years ago. They set up villages along the northwestern coast, which they called Kanjapi, and largely subsisted off fishing. The first Melanesians were from the island of Tasmania, and they largely settled the north and had significant contact with the Australian-aboriginal descended peoples to their south, which is reflected in linguistic, cultural and genetic influences in the modern northern Kalkan peoples. Other Melanesians from nearby islands and New Guinea would also settled the north and into the east. These settlers would not receive as much influence from the Australians as their earlier neighbors and instead be more influenced by the Austronesians and Polynesians arriving later.

Austronesians from the Indonesian archipelago and Polynesians would settle the eastern parts of the continent around 18,000 years ago, more than 20,000 years after the Worimi and at approximately the same time as the Melanesians. The Austronesian settlers would set up small Hindu-Buddhist Kingdoms dotting the northeastern portion of the continent. Polynesians settlers would do similar things, forming confederations of small tribes in the area. Intermarriage and mixing was common between the Austronesians and Polynesians, which produced Austro-Polynesian ethnicities.

Much of the modern knowledge of the practices and culture of the indigenous peoples come from the written records of the ethnically Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom of Srinusa. Srinusa was established by Javanese settlers who arrived in the northeastern portion of the continent and quickly spread across the north. At its height, it would also spread as far south as modern day Providence. Tribal conflicts and civil conflict would later fracture much of the kingdom by the time of the first European arrivals.

European colonization

Abel Tasman was the first European to discover Zealandia, with the Dutch East India Company colonizing the island in earnest in 1610. At first, the VOC would work with the Srinusans to establish connections with the other indigenous tribes across the north. This would last until 1646, when a disagreement between the Srinusans and VOC led to a brief war, which ended in the defeat and collapse of the Srinusan kingdom.

After the war, the Dutch would continue to expand its influence and settle further south and east. By 1732, the western portion of the continent and been fully mapped and settled by the VOC, with just over 2 million Dutch settlers and their descendants spread across the colony. Hokkien and Hakka-speaking Chinese workers from Fujian and the Dutch East Indies would also be brought over to work in the mines and on the plantations to supplement the indigenous workers, who were often rebelling against the Europeans. Missionaries from the Dutch Reformed Church would begin converting the indigenous Kalkan peoples. This would stop when the Dutch government took over and began a policy of sending Catholics from the southern provinces to Zealandia.

In 1735, the Dutch government would begin sending Catholics from the southern parts of the country to Zealandia in an effort to solidify its control over the region, which now known as Belgium. The first of these Catholic settlers established the cities of New Antwerp and New Ghent in the west, and New Flanders in the far northwest. When the Dutch government took over administration of Zealandia in 1776, it would further resettle another 20,000 Catholic families until 1815.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the French would annex the Netherlands. This effectively halted the relocation of Catholics until 1813, when France was defeated. The relocation of Catholics resume even after the British annexation because of an agreement between the two governments. During the later period of Catholic relocation from 1813 until 1830, the newly independent Netherlands would also relocate Wallonian and French Catholics within their borders. The descendants of these French-Wallonian Catholics can be found primarily in the northeast, mostly centered around the cities of Avignon and Namur.

After the British annexation of Zealandia, the East India Company would take over administration. The EIC would bring in additional Chinese workers from the Canton region and later from Hong Kong. Sikh soldiers from British India and Zulu warriors from South Africa were brought in to keep the rebellious Kalkans in check. During EIC administration, the continent would be home to thirteen direct-control colonies in the west and eight charter colonies in the west. The East India Company's administration would end after a series of brutal rebellions in the southwest between 1834 and 1845. After that, the British government took over, established the Zealandia Company and consolidated the thirteen direct-control colonies into four larger crown colonies and created an addtional colony of New Zealand in the northeast. Wars between the eight western charter colonies would reduce the number just six.

Dominion and Unification Wars

Beginning in 1845, the British government would allow non-Catholics to settle in Zealandia, these settlers formed the colony of New Zealand, with its capital as Wakefield. This would lead to (often-violent) conflicts between the established Catholic population and the new Protestant arrivals. In order to combat this and further consolidate control in Zealandia. The colony of New Zealand would unite with the four crown colonies to form the Dominion of Zealandia.

At first, the Dominion was focused on internal affairs and did not seek to interfere with the independent charter colonies in the eastern half of the continent, despite having those in government who sought to control the entire continent, known as the Unionists. This would change after a land dispute between the Dutch-majority colony of Transnui. The dispute gave the Unionist faction an excuse to launch attacks on the charter colonies. In response to these attacks, the charter colonies would formally renounce association with the crown and establish republics.