DontPissUsOff
11-12-2004, 20:43
First off, thanks to Ottoman Khaif for letting me use his Factbook as a template :)
Map: http://img233.exs.cx/img233/7050/dpuomap8ge.th.png (http://img233.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img233&image=dpuomap8ge.png)
Background and history: Originally a group of monarchies, with a tribal society ruled by a leader on each island, the islands which now form DPUO were for many thousands of years no different from any other Pacific island chain. Each would frequently ally with the other, then turn on their ally, then ally with them again. Wars were frequent, and the system of rule harsh and unbending. Law and order were largely based upon mysticism or the judgements of a select council of high society members.
In 1795, the island group was however discovered by British explorers, under contract for the British East India Company. The British quickly arrived, and, finding the islands to have valuable mineral deposits quickly colonised the islands. British rule continued, largely uneventfully, until 1951. During the 150 years of British rule, the islands' native peoples had been ruthlessly suppressed, should they show dissent; many of the British dismissed them as an inferior people, and the native population decreased dramatically. The more positive legacy of British rule was the establishment of the Unified Colony of DPUO (a slang rendering of the native name for the islands, which can best be translated as "Anger not these Isles"), the establishment of a British legal and governmental system, and of much industry on the islands; this was mainly centred around mining and timber.
The end of British colonial rule was not by any means the end of the British legacy. DPUO's people had long been taught to think in terms of British ideals, British methods and British technologies being by default the best available, and many thousands of the population (which was now composed of approximately 70% colonist-descended families and 30% native-descended families) chose to emigrate the Britain as imperial rule was rescinded. The British influence is most obviously manifested in the nation's parliamentary and legal systems and in a more latent form: naval expansions.
During the late 1950s, following the Second World War, the nation began to become increasingly involved in the Cold War, with both the USA and the USSR keen to establish better relations (and eventually military presence) in the islands. Although the nation never fully committed itself to the Soviet cause, widespread unemployment and civil disturbances following the end of British support and the subsequent undercutting of much of the islands' products by foreign companies caused a strong upsurge in left-wing sympathisers. By the mid-'70s, Soviet vessels could regularly be seen making journeys to the nation's many ports, and the islands were enjoying the effects of Soviet support in modernising the more obsolete British equipment and methods that had remained after the end of imperial rule and of a readily-available Soviet market for their export products. It was under the mentoring of Soviet oil geologists that the enormous oilfields off the Eastern Islands, totally more than 6 billion barrels of oil, were first discovered, and Soviet oil engineers were instrumental in setting up drilling platforms. However, as if to show that Britain still held her sway over a small part of her once-vast Empire, it was British companies which supplied much of the equipment for most of the oil rigs, and a British warship making a goodwill tour berthed alongside a Soviet vessel with the same mission was not an uncommon sight.
The positive developments of the 1970s were however shattered by the Liberation War. For many years, Far Right Wing elements of the population, won over by ideas espoused by Nazis and Fascists of racial superiority, had been keen to overthrow the moderate, left-of-centre government. In 1967, supplied and reinforced by Rhodesia and South Africa, and with the aid of Christian Fundamentalist and other Far Right groups, these elements (who dubbed themselves "The Union of Free Whites" occupied several uninhabited islands. The government with alarm, but not undue alarm viewed this, and little was done to build defences for the inevitable attack, despite the predictions of the more prescient members of the government that "the Centre cannot hold without adequate bracing." The Liberation War began on March 24th 1969, when the UFW, having declared their nation (by now numbering a population of several million and with a powerful arsenal of modern weapons) of White DPUO, made a massive amphibious attack upon the four islands near their own. The war went badly for the government forces from the outset, and at one stage, with a cordon around the nation and almost all of their best equipment gone, it looked as if the UWF were going to win. Disaster was only averted by direct aid from the USSR and the UK, both of whom put aside their differences to destroy the threat of Nazism arising in a potentially powerful nation again. With the help of these two powers, and a new influx of supplies, the lost territory was gradually clawed back.
By the war's end in 1974, more than 20 million had died on both sides. The UFW had been broken, but at terrible cost. Much of DPUO's industry and infrastructure lay in ruins; homes had been destroyed en masse; many of the most skilled personnel who had powered the industrial heart of the country were now dead. Only enormous material aid from the USSR and the UK was enough to rebuild the shattered nation to the standard it had once enjoyed, and the process was only just completed in 1985.
Upon the break-up of the USSR in 1991, there was a large influx of Russian immigrants, mainly Communistic sympathisers, who knew that here was a nation that welcomed their ideals and was tolerant of their origins. The influx resulted in a shift towards the Russian language, and a substantial portion of the population is now Russian-speaking by first language. Since 1991, the nation's economy has bloomed and grown, enabling the construction of vast numbers of houses and the heavy investment in industry that has characterised the past 13 years. Also in the last 13 years has been the rise of the shipbuilding industry, a direct consequence of the Liberation War (when the shortage of ships was almost enough to starve DPUO to defeat) and a legacy of British rule.
Official Name: The People’s Republic and Armed State of DontPissUsOff.
Population:[ 2.37 billion
Education: 99% literacy and numeracy. Twenty percent of population enters Universities on average each year. Approximately 100 Universities on the islands. Education sponsored by State. 11+, GCSE and A-levels in non-University education.
State religion: None – state is secular, but other religions are tolerated. Fundamentalist groups outlawed.
Politics: British parliamentary system, minus Monarch. Prime Minister has powers of Monarch also. Government Left-of-centre with authoritarian elements. Far Right Wing outlawed. Suffrage age of 18 years. All citizens enfranchised.
Official language: English.
Other languages: Russian, Irish, Welsh, Pirisk (native language).
Economy: Primary industry is shipbuilding, employing 18% of the workforce. Other major industries include oil drilling, mining of coal, iron, bauxite and copper ore, and arms production. Timber logging outlawed.
Main exports: Ships, oil, gas, coal, metals and metal products, machinery.
Main imports: Electronics products, timber products, fabrics, furniture, grain products.
Military service: Many young persons’ organisations relating to military or semi-military activities. All males obliged to enter armed forces and conduct 2 years’ service. Once they have completed this, they are required to report for no less than 90 days per year for refresher training. Women obliged to conduct 18 months’ service. Deferments available for health reasons, exceptional academic capability, pregnancy etc.
Armed forces branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Special Warfare Forces.
Map: http://img233.exs.cx/img233/7050/dpuomap8ge.th.png (http://img233.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img233&image=dpuomap8ge.png)
Background and history: Originally a group of monarchies, with a tribal society ruled by a leader on each island, the islands which now form DPUO were for many thousands of years no different from any other Pacific island chain. Each would frequently ally with the other, then turn on their ally, then ally with them again. Wars were frequent, and the system of rule harsh and unbending. Law and order were largely based upon mysticism or the judgements of a select council of high society members.
In 1795, the island group was however discovered by British explorers, under contract for the British East India Company. The British quickly arrived, and, finding the islands to have valuable mineral deposits quickly colonised the islands. British rule continued, largely uneventfully, until 1951. During the 150 years of British rule, the islands' native peoples had been ruthlessly suppressed, should they show dissent; many of the British dismissed them as an inferior people, and the native population decreased dramatically. The more positive legacy of British rule was the establishment of the Unified Colony of DPUO (a slang rendering of the native name for the islands, which can best be translated as "Anger not these Isles"), the establishment of a British legal and governmental system, and of much industry on the islands; this was mainly centred around mining and timber.
The end of British colonial rule was not by any means the end of the British legacy. DPUO's people had long been taught to think in terms of British ideals, British methods and British technologies being by default the best available, and many thousands of the population (which was now composed of approximately 70% colonist-descended families and 30% native-descended families) chose to emigrate the Britain as imperial rule was rescinded. The British influence is most obviously manifested in the nation's parliamentary and legal systems and in a more latent form: naval expansions.
During the late 1950s, following the Second World War, the nation began to become increasingly involved in the Cold War, with both the USA and the USSR keen to establish better relations (and eventually military presence) in the islands. Although the nation never fully committed itself to the Soviet cause, widespread unemployment and civil disturbances following the end of British support and the subsequent undercutting of much of the islands' products by foreign companies caused a strong upsurge in left-wing sympathisers. By the mid-'70s, Soviet vessels could regularly be seen making journeys to the nation's many ports, and the islands were enjoying the effects of Soviet support in modernising the more obsolete British equipment and methods that had remained after the end of imperial rule and of a readily-available Soviet market for their export products. It was under the mentoring of Soviet oil geologists that the enormous oilfields off the Eastern Islands, totally more than 6 billion barrels of oil, were first discovered, and Soviet oil engineers were instrumental in setting up drilling platforms. However, as if to show that Britain still held her sway over a small part of her once-vast Empire, it was British companies which supplied much of the equipment for most of the oil rigs, and a British warship making a goodwill tour berthed alongside a Soviet vessel with the same mission was not an uncommon sight.
The positive developments of the 1970s were however shattered by the Liberation War. For many years, Far Right Wing elements of the population, won over by ideas espoused by Nazis and Fascists of racial superiority, had been keen to overthrow the moderate, left-of-centre government. In 1967, supplied and reinforced by Rhodesia and South Africa, and with the aid of Christian Fundamentalist and other Far Right groups, these elements (who dubbed themselves "The Union of Free Whites" occupied several uninhabited islands. The government with alarm, but not undue alarm viewed this, and little was done to build defences for the inevitable attack, despite the predictions of the more prescient members of the government that "the Centre cannot hold without adequate bracing." The Liberation War began on March 24th 1969, when the UFW, having declared their nation (by now numbering a population of several million and with a powerful arsenal of modern weapons) of White DPUO, made a massive amphibious attack upon the four islands near their own. The war went badly for the government forces from the outset, and at one stage, with a cordon around the nation and almost all of their best equipment gone, it looked as if the UWF were going to win. Disaster was only averted by direct aid from the USSR and the UK, both of whom put aside their differences to destroy the threat of Nazism arising in a potentially powerful nation again. With the help of these two powers, and a new influx of supplies, the lost territory was gradually clawed back.
By the war's end in 1974, more than 20 million had died on both sides. The UFW had been broken, but at terrible cost. Much of DPUO's industry and infrastructure lay in ruins; homes had been destroyed en masse; many of the most skilled personnel who had powered the industrial heart of the country were now dead. Only enormous material aid from the USSR and the UK was enough to rebuild the shattered nation to the standard it had once enjoyed, and the process was only just completed in 1985.
Upon the break-up of the USSR in 1991, there was a large influx of Russian immigrants, mainly Communistic sympathisers, who knew that here was a nation that welcomed their ideals and was tolerant of their origins. The influx resulted in a shift towards the Russian language, and a substantial portion of the population is now Russian-speaking by first language. Since 1991, the nation's economy has bloomed and grown, enabling the construction of vast numbers of houses and the heavy investment in industry that has characterised the past 13 years. Also in the last 13 years has been the rise of the shipbuilding industry, a direct consequence of the Liberation War (when the shortage of ships was almost enough to starve DPUO to defeat) and a legacy of British rule.
Official Name: The People’s Republic and Armed State of DontPissUsOff.
Population:[ 2.37 billion
Education: 99% literacy and numeracy. Twenty percent of population enters Universities on average each year. Approximately 100 Universities on the islands. Education sponsored by State. 11+, GCSE and A-levels in non-University education.
State religion: None – state is secular, but other religions are tolerated. Fundamentalist groups outlawed.
Politics: British parliamentary system, minus Monarch. Prime Minister has powers of Monarch also. Government Left-of-centre with authoritarian elements. Far Right Wing outlawed. Suffrage age of 18 years. All citizens enfranchised.
Official language: English.
Other languages: Russian, Irish, Welsh, Pirisk (native language).
Economy: Primary industry is shipbuilding, employing 18% of the workforce. Other major industries include oil drilling, mining of coal, iron, bauxite and copper ore, and arms production. Timber logging outlawed.
Main exports: Ships, oil, gas, coal, metals and metal products, machinery.
Main imports: Electronics products, timber products, fabrics, furniture, grain products.
Military service: Many young persons’ organisations relating to military or semi-military activities. All males obliged to enter armed forces and conduct 2 years’ service. Once they have completed this, they are required to report for no less than 90 days per year for refresher training. Women obliged to conduct 18 months’ service. Deferments available for health reasons, exceptional academic capability, pregnancy etc.
Armed forces branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Special Warfare Forces.