Viaska
The Republic of Viaska (also known simply as Viaska) is a small country spread over the Kipriaena Archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean. Its capital city is Ostena on Kipriae Island.
Geography
The state of Viaska is located completely within the Kipriaena Archipelago, a group of 5 main islands (Kipriae, Henderson, Orsguil, Ritchinson and Mancsea) as well as over fifty smaller ones, most uninhabited. The archipelago is located in the Mid-North Atlantic Ocean, so is very volcanic, and fertile.
For more details on the geography of the individual islands, see their separate pages.
Administrative Divisions
The largest divisions are the Regions, or Islands. There are five regions, named after their principal island (ie Kipriae Island is the name of the region on Kipriae Island). In addition to their main island, regions consist of smaller satellite islands, many of these uninhabited.
Kipriae Island, Henderson Island and Ritchinson Island are also additionally divided into counties. There are 24 counties in Viaska, and each one is represented by a Minister who attends Magdalen House meetings. The Ostena & Sellaport Metropolitan Area has its own county, called Ostena-Sellaport.
Demographics
Ethnicity
The total population of Viaska is just over 9,112,000 with most of the population residing on one of the five larger islands. Most of the population is Viaskan (81%), with large minorities of Icelanders (7%), Norwegians (3%), English (2.5%) and Danes (2%), and 4.5% other immigrant groups.
Religion
The country is largely secular, and the government actively promotes atheism, although there are numerous religions practised throughout the country.
Major Cities
The majority of the population live in cities. The largest cities in Viaska are Ostena (the capital), Sellaport, Borvald, Katerinvald, Ull, Daminvald and Vorgrad.
Politics
Magdalen House
See: Magdalen House for more details.
The head politicians of Viaska meet in the parliament centre Magdalen House regularly to discuss the needs of the country. The current Premier of Viaska is Vyal Konagraeda, the first female premier of the country. Directly beneath her is her Vice Premier Tyber Garvegraed. Each of the five main islands have a governor that deals with affairs in their locality, these are:
- Tomas Levaena Governor of Kipriae
- Nialette Begorowic Governor of Henderson
- Dominic Trigfjord Governor of Orsguil
- Aaron Knight Governor of Ritchinson
- Levant Njaer Governor of Mancsea
Each county has a minister that represents them at Magdalen House too, these ministers deal with issues on a local level.
In addition, there is the Secretary of Defence Dzara Kov, in charge of the internal armed forces and the country's defence, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, in charge of international relations.
Elections
The Premieral elections are held every 4 years, although the Premier can call a Premieral election whenever they wish. Local and Governor Elections are held every two years, usually in February/March time. Each candidate stands as an independant, although they may share political views with other politicians. Anyone can nominate themselves to be a Local Minister, whereas Governors and Premiers need to have a certain amount of political experience.
International Relations
Although Iceland is Viaska's closest neighbour, tensions are often high due to Fishing Rights in the North Atlantic, many times Viaskan fisherman have tried to fish in Iceland's fishing zone, leading to 13 fisherman being arrested by Icelandic police in the last year. However, on the whole, relations between the countries is not bad.
Viaska's closest ally is Norway.
Transport
Road
There is a network of expressways crossing Viaska. The longest expressway, the Beech Tree Expressway, covers the length of four of the five main islands, beginning in Ostena, Kipriae and finishing in Ull, Ritchinson.
Rail
A comprehensive rail network covers the country, and is extensively used. The rail systems of Kipriae, Henderson, Orsguil and Ritchinson are linked, but due to Mancsea's isolated location, the Mancsea Railroad is seperate from the main network.
Air
There are international airports at Ull, Ostena and Daminvald. There are also internal airports at Ostena and Mancsea. The national airline is Viaskan Airways, which is state-owned.
Education
The education system is administered primarily by the Governors of each region. All schools are state-owned, and Private Education, Religious Schooling and Home Schooling are all discouraged. Children begin full-time education at the age of 4, and finish compulsorary schooling at the age of 15. Higher education colleges are available optionally for people aged 15 and above, where people can study to get a qualification in a subject/subjects of their choice.