Georgeland
The United Islands of Georgeland | |
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 [[Flag of Georgeland|Flag of Georgeland]]
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Motto: 'Divisus mari - unitus corde' 'Divided by sea, united in spirit' | |
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Anthem: 'My Country' | |
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| Capital | Topstad |
| Largest city | Doubledance |
| Recognised national languages | English |
| Demonym(s) |
Georgeland |
| Government | Federal parliamentary republic |
| Charlton Robards | |
| Tom Elderton | |
| Legislature | Parliament of Georgeland |
| Georgeland Senate | |
| Georgeland House of Commons | |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• Self-government | 1 July 1891 |
• Republic | 1 July 1929 |
| Area | |
• Total | 673,968.15 km2 (260,220.56 sq mi) (40th) |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 37,458,000 (39th) |
• 2022 census | 37,194,236 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $1.46 trillion |
| HDI (2023) |
0.943 very high |
| Currency | Georgeland dollar (GDR) |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +55 |
| ISO 3166 code | UI |
| Internet TLD | .ui |
The United Islands of Georgeland is a sovereign country comprising an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, including five large islands and multiple smaller islands. The Georgeland archipelago includes the largest island in the Indian Ocean, Mainland, and the islands consist of the most populated country, and second-largest by area, with no land borders. An ecologically diverse country, Georgeland has a high elevation and a rugged environment, with one of the lowest soil fertility rates in the world and a mountainous interior.
Georgeland is thought to have been inhabited, at least in some coastal regions, by an Austronesian people until around the 4th century CE. It had become uninhabited by the time of the archipelago's discovery by maritime explorers, with the earliest recorded charting by Ming Chinese vessels in the 15th century. After Dutch and English navigators charted the northern coast the islands became of strategic interest, and after an expedition by Spanish navigator Juan Delmago in 1760 successfully charted the Mainland coastline, the British colonised the islands in 1773 and named them for Delmago's employer, King George III. Sparsely-populated for much of its colonisation, a population boom began in the mid-19th century with the discovery of gold and more reliable shipping methods. In 1891 the islands were given self-government as part of the British Empire; the country became a republic in 1929 following a referendum, and in doing so became the first part of the British Empire to peacefully secede from British rule.
Georgeland is a federal parliamentary republic comprising six states, two self-administered territories, and several external possessions. Its population is highly urbanised, and the country has a high population density. Slightly below half of its roughly 37 million people reside on the island of Mainland. The country's capital city is Topstad, on the island of Capitalia. Other major cities include Doubledance (the country's largest), Santa Christina (the largest metropolitan area), Emilypolis, New Kikipolis, Sergiocitta, Lylecity, Romphumburg, Huzzah, Stratton, Zigit and Dannyburg. Georgeland is a highly multicultural country - while the majority of residents are of Anglo-European descent, there are significant minorities of South Asian, African and Arab people due to large-scale immigration in the 20th and 21st centuries. Georgeland's economy is based around maritime industries, mining, agriculture and manufacturing, with its largest trading partner being India. Georgeland has consistently ranked highly in quality of life, democratic freedoms and civil liberties.
Georgeland is a member of the United Nations, the G20, the World Economic Forum and the OECD. Until 2020, it was also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. A regional power, Georgeland has for most of its history been considered a neutral country, though recent years have seen increasing ties with the United States and United Kingdom.
Etymology
The first maps to give a name to the Georgeland islands were those by Dutch explorers. A map from a Dutch expedition included the northern coastlines of Bradmarch and Scoita, conjecturing them to be a single land mass, and labelled vastland, or vasteland, probably derived from the Dutch word for 'continent'. Following Delmago's expedition of 1767, the islands were named by the explorer as King George's Land for George III, who had financed his voyage. The name George's Land had become shortened in parlance to Georgeland as early as 1790. The first official map of the entire archipelago, dated from 1794, used the name George Land (George Land). By 1810, the single word had become standard.
Officially known as the United Islands of Georgeland, rarely some institutions use the name United Islands in the same way as the United States of America is often referred to as the United States. This usage is uncommon, however; the most notable user is the United Islands Defence Force. The United Islands name was adopted in 1929 in homage to both the United States and the United Kingdom.
History
Archaeological evidence demonstrates Georgeland was inhabited prior to British settlement. In the first decade after Europeans arrived, settlers and explorers found caves and burial sites, and later tools, weapons and evidence of agriculture. Almost all the areas thought to have been populated are coastal; every island except Delmago Island is believed to have been home to Georgeland's original indigenous people, collectively referred to as the Ogi (Original Georgeland Inhabitants). Ogi artefacts found later included shell jewelry and pottery fragments.
DNA evidence, conducted in the 1990s, showed that Ogi people shares a common lineage with other Austronesians, including the Merina of Madagascar, the Moken of Myanmar and Thailand, and Australian Aborigines. Anthropological research has shown Ogi were likely to have shared similar cultural practices with these groups, and a similar appearance. In 2015, evidence of trade was found at a site in northern Scoita, consisting of shards of pottery from southern India and Sri Lanka.
The eventual fate of the Ogi is uncertain. No artefacts have been found dating any later than the 4th century CE, and it is clear from all records that there were no surviving Ogi peoples when Europeans landed. Given Georgeland's rugged terrain, lack of arable land, and proneness to monsoons and other weather events, most researchers agree the most likely explanation is that the Ogi were unable to sustain themselves and died out. A study by Dean Francis Gables of the University of Topstad posited, in 1986, that the Ogi may have migrated and intermixed with other Austronesian peoples. Evidence has also been found of large-scale extinction events, including a tsunami that likely struck the eastern coastal areas around 10,000 years ago, which may have had an effect on Ogi population patterns.
Civilisations of the Indian Ocean region either were unaware of the islands or their extent until at least the 15th century. Ming Chinese explorers charted northern Bradmarch and Scoita at least as early as 1470, and at least the northern islands may have been known to Sangama explorers from southern India and Sri Lanka. One map compiled by a Portuguese cartographer around 1500 includes a "South Ceylon" but this was likely in error, as Georgeland was too far south to have been realistically reached by Portuguese vessels. During his circumnavigation of the globe, Englishman Sir Francis Drake, around April of 1580, failed to sight the islands, likely being too far north or due to poor weather.
The first European to verifiably chart the Georgeland islands was Dutchman Abel Tasman in 1642, who believed them to be part of the East Indies. Unable to secure a harbour, and seeing no obvious value in them, the islands were included on Dutch charts but little interest was shown in them until the following century. In 1758, Spaniard Juan Delmago approached King Ferdinand VI of Spain with a proposal to chart and claim the islands, which he nicknamed Las Fernando after the king, as a counter to growing British interests in the region. Ferdinand, however, died shortly afterwards. Delmago repeated the request to the new monarch, Charles III, who rebuffed him. After failing to elicit any support from Portugal's Joseph I, or Louis XIV of France, Delmago finally approached George III of Britain who agreed to finance an expedition. Delmago, aboard Santa Cristina, arrived at the islands on 16 October 1767. Delmago made landfall on what is now Delmago Island (originally called Caroline's Island) at Landing Point, and remained for three weeks building a base from which to explore on subsequent expeditions. Arriving in London in May 1768, Delmago planned a returning voyage, but died a month later.
British settlement of the islands began in 1773, with the initial intention of using them as a stopover between India and Australia. The hazardous journey made this impractical, but the islands remained strategically valuable as a naval base, and as a trading post with close access to the lucrative markets of India and South East Asia. The earliest permanent settlement was at modern-day Lylecity on the southern coast of the Bay of Lyle, which would become named for explorer Joseph Lyle, whose expeditions of 1774 and 1775 charted much of the archipelago. James Cook also conducted exploratory missions around the islands. Rugged, somewhat unforgiving, arid and difficult to reach, the Georgeland islands remained sparsely-populated until the early 1800s. With Australia much further to travel, and populated with British convicts, free settlers opted for Georgeland and by 1812 the colony was flourishing. As shipping, transportation and communications methods evolved, more settlers arrived; the discovery of gold in Scoita (1844) and Mainland (1850) brought waves of new settlers including those from China, India and Africa. As the colony grew it became more and more independent from Britain, with limited self-government granted in 1855 and autonomy in 1873.
Geography
Government and politics
Georgeland is a parliamentary republic and a federation of states. Described as a "full democracy", Georgeland has maintained a stable, liberal democratic system since 1891 under its constitution, which is one of the oldest continuing constitutions in the world. The majority of Georgeland's governmental traditions and practices are derived from those of the United Kingdom, though some have evolved a unique character and local variation over time.
A republic since 1929, the President of Georgeland is head of state and is elected for a four year term by universal suffrage. The president has a mostly ceremonial role, though recent presidents have exerted indirect influence over government. Based on the Westminster System, Georgeland's bicameral parliament is the legislative branch of its government.
The Prime Minister of Georgeland is head of government, exercising power through the Cabinet. The Prime Minister and all members of their government are members of, and responsible to, the parliament; the 300-member House of Commons, or the 78-member Senate. Members of the House of Commons are elected by a d'Hondt count form of proportional representation, with most members one of five representing their large geographical district. Senators are elected by Single Transferable Vote and represent each state. The House of Commons is elected for a three-year term, normally on the first Friday in August of an election year. Senators serve a six-year term, beginning on 1 January.
A federation, Georgeland consists of six states and two territories. The states of Bradmarch, Capitalia, Long Island and Scoita consist of the islands of the same name, while the large island of Mainland is divided into East Mainland and West Mainland. The Federal District, containing the capital city of Topstad, is a self-governing territory under the nominal jurisdiction of the federal government, as is the small island of Delmago Island in the Bay of Lyle. Delmago Island was a state in its own right from 1958 until 2021, when it reverted to being a territory. Each state government operates its in a similar fashion to the federal government, with executive power held by a state Governor and exercised by an elected parliamentary government. Each state differs slightly in its governmental structure and constitution. State parliaments are unicameral, though all are now elected by a proportional electoral system.
Historically, Georgeland politics has been dominated by two parties, the right-of-centre Conservative Party and a left-of-centre party. Originally, this left-wing party was the Labour Party. The Labour Party collapsed in the early 2000s, and the left-of-centre position subsequently held by other groups including the Liberal Democrats and Vox. At the last election, held in August 2023, no party won more than 30% of the vote. The centrist Georgeland Reform Alliance, led by prime minister Tom Elderton, won a plurality of seats to form a minority government, while the leftist group Vox formed the Official Opposition.