Guld
01-02-2006, 18:26
So I'm finally done with the first edition of my World Factbook. I'll add to it as I think of new details for my country. Please forgive me for my mistakes and awkward wording, English isn't my first language.
Queendom of Guld World Factbook
Geography of Guld
Area: 122.000 sq km
Area comparative: Guld consists of one densely populated island with the same name, about the same size as Cuba and many tiny islands which are very sparsely populated, if at all
Coastline: Around 4000 kilometers
Maritime claims: Just their little islands and the territorial waters of 12nm
Climate: Tropical, dry and monsoon seasons
Natural hazards: Floods mostly
Elevation extremes: Deepest point is the ocean with 0 m, highest point the Penelope Mountain with 2131 km
Natural resources: Arable land, uranium, fish, lumber
Land use: Arable land, 15%, permanent crops 9%, other 76%
Irrigated land: 7%
Environmental issues: Waste is a big problem. In the less developed regions, people still dump their waste and sewage into the ocean. Deforestation. Air and water pollution. Many rare animals, some native only to Guld, have been wiped out.
Major cities: Royal City of Guld (710.000, administration, embassies), New Athens (430.000, education), Sparta City (570.000, industry), Corinth (410.000, company headquarters, finance, stock market)
Territories: Olymp Territory. This is the territory around Guld City, mild climate and posh settlements. It has a population of 1.300.000 and is located in the centre of the island. This territory doesn't looks any different than the surrounding areas of other cities, only with Greek-style architecture. Ruled by Duke Loren.
Athens Territory. Northern territory, moderate climate, hilly, pleasant land. It has a population of 650.000. Whilst New Athens itself is Guld's centre of education, the surrounding area is a centre of tourism and modern research facilities, as well as high-tech factories. Ruled by Duchess Dorman.
Corinth Territory. Southern territory, flat land. Population of 1.200.000. Corinth is not only the largest territory, it's also the richest. This is the international district of Guld with the white-collar workers, the skyscrapers, international airports and harbours. Duchess Hestia Cormin.
Sparta Territory. South-western territory, mountains and rocky land. Population of 1.100.000. This is the low-tech industry territory and, just like the namesake, also home to most of the military bases and weapons factories. Some Uranium mining. It is a poor, backwater territory with little influence in politics, even though most of the hard work is done in Sparta. Duke Rinz.
Lemnos Territory. Farmland in the south-east. Population of 800.000. Trout-fishing, beef-based agriculture. Duchess Skiros.
Crete Territory. Western territory, woodland. Population of 600.000. Much tourism and agriculture, some industry, especially mining. Another poor territory. Duchess Caran.
Rhodos Territory. All the little islands are grouped together in this territory. Population of 350.000. Fishing, some low-tech industry, tourism. Duke Harlorn.
Economy of Guld
Economy Type: Capitalism
Fiscal year: January-December
Population below poverty line: 38%
Unemployment rate: 9% (but more than a quarter don't earn enough to properly support themselves)
Income tax: 7%
Inflation rate: 5%
Labour force: 4,2 million
Industries: Uranium mining, trout-fishing, beef-based agriculture
Electricity: Since we mine our own uranium, our electricity demand is met by nuclear power plants. The technology isn't developed enough to export electricity, though.
Natural gas: No production. Some imports.
Oil: No production. Petrol is imported.
Agricultural products: Beef, fish, grains, lumber
Currency: Gulding
Currency code: GUNG (GUldiNG)
Nation code: TPGU (the Pacific Guld)
Military of Guld
Branches: Royal Guldan Navy, Royal Guldan Army, Royal Guldan Air Force, Royal Young Armed Forces
Military service age and obligation: 2 years of military service at age 17 for both genders
Manpower: 240.000
Available manpower: 4,2 millions (Guld considers everyone able to hold and fire a weapon fit for military service)
Percentage of total population: 3% of the population are soldiers
Expenditures: 21% of the budget is spent on the military
Government and Political Structure of Guld
Country Name: Long: Queendom of Guld (never make the mistake to call it kingdom, that's a grave offense for every patriotic Guldaran)
Short: Guld
Nationality: Guldaran (-s)
Government Type: Guld is an autocratic monarchy under the totalitarian rule of Queen Elysia III.
Guld's neighbours often sneer at them for being an "amazon" monarchy. Indeed all rulers have been female. It's an unwritten law in Guld that a male firstborn will always renounce his right to rule in favour of his sister. Political analysists expect a civil war and possible division of the country in case a male heir ever tries to claim the throne.
Constitution: Basically, the Guldan constitution gives all power to the queen and the companies, whilst it completely neglects to protect the civil rights and political freedoms of the people.
UN category: Iron Fist Consumerists
Capital city: Royal City of Guld (official name), Guld City (common reference)
Administration: Guld has seven territories, each one is ruled by a Duke/Duchess. A Dukeis appointed by the queen, this is commonly one of her more vocal and liquid supporters, but sometimes this position is also given to a rival to shut him up.
National holidays: The two major holidays are celebrated with military parades, banquets and fairs. One is the Independence Day on February 29th (also celebrated on March 1st), it honours the day when Guld first became an independent nation.
Then there is the Founding Day, September 17th, which marks the day of founding of the Queendom of Guld. Traditionally, this is also the day of the queen's "state of the union" speech.
There's a third national holiday, the queen's birthday. Queen Elysia's birthday is June 15th. The queen's birthday is more of a PR event than a political one. On this day, journalists are invited into the palace to interview the queen and everyone pretends to be one big, happy, loving family whilst they secretly plan to backstab their "beloved relatives".
Legal system: Guld has a harsh judicial system, maintained by a very large and powerful police force. The country, both the government and the society, expect complete conformity of all it's citizens. If someone fails to comply, they are fast and harsh in their punishment. Most punishments in Guld are fines. The rich can literally get away with murder, whilst the poor people are sent to jail even for minor offences because they weren't able to pay the fines (indeed, it is considered a more unforgivable sin not to give the state the money it deserves than to cause another person bodily harm).
Legislative branch: The legislative system of Guld is based on three branches. They act officially only as advisors and subordinates to the queen. In reality, the extent of their power varies, dependant on the leeway a queen is willing to great them and her own level of control over her court.
Military Assembly - the chiefs of staff. Their chief councillor is Secretary of Defence.
Territory Gathering - the dukes/duchesses of the seven territories. They don't have a leader, so they constantly squabble among themselves.
Board of Advisors - This is the official body for the various ministers. They can also sit on the Territory Gathering and Military Assembly. The advisors are traditionally the twelve richest Guldaran citizens.
Grand Council - Gathering of the councils. Once, the queens needed the support of the Grand Council for most important decisions. Queen Elysia has removed most of their power, nowadays their agreement is only required for changes in the constitution.
Juidicial branch: The judicial system works with judge, defence lawyer and public prosecutor. There are no freelance defence lawyers in Guld, they're employees of the courts. If people don't want to accept the local court's judgement, they may seek out their territory's duke. The queen is the third and final instance.
Executive branch: The queen is the executive branch.
Suffrage: Elections are outlawed in Guld
People and Population of Guld
Total population: 6 millions
Language: Guldan
Religion: Ancient Greek pantheon
Literacy: 60%
Life expectancy at birth: 58,7 years
Communications of Guld
Communications technology is widely spread in Guld even among the poor, for the simple reason that the government wants the people to receive the propaganda it has worked so hard to make up.
Country code: GU
Web TLD: .gu
Percentage of televisions: 78% of homes own a television
Percentage of telephones: 43% of homes own a telephone
Percentage of cell phones: 78% of homes own a cell phone
Percentage of radios: 99% of homes own a radio
Radio broadcast stations: There are only around 100 official broadcast stations, since you need governmental permission.There are many illegal broadcast stations of opposition groups, though.
Major radio broadcasters: There are four major radio stations, one is political and the other three don't mention politics except when they have to broadcast the government's propaganda.
Television broadcasters: All channels are controlled by the government in some way, even the private-owned ones. Five national state channels, seven "independent" channels, one regional state channel for each territory.
Internet hosts: The government provides free web space for all citizens, it's the only internet host in Guld
Internet service providers: The queen treats her people to "free internet access for free subjects" (and since there are no other internet service providers, her government can easily control to which contents the people get access).
The elite of Guld
Head of State:Queen Elysia. She believes that the most loving way to rule your people is to rule them with an iron fist. Under her rule, elections have been outlawed and the military budget has been dramatically increased. The queen may seem like an airhead, but underneath the expensive perfumes, pink ruffles and sickly-sweet smiles, she is a woman who firmly believes that the ends justify the means.
Secretary of the Interior: Prince Consort Constantine is the queen's most trusted advisor and a wealthy businessman in his own right. He's also the mastermind behind the queen's "Law & Order" policy. He will do whatever it takes to protect the economy's position of power, but he isn't interested in international affairs.
Secretary of State: Prince Theseus is Elysia's oldest child. He enjoys it to flaunt his complete disregard for all time-honoured Guldan traditions. Analysists expect the extremely ambitious youngster to cause the greatest political upheavel in Guld since it was discovered by the French in the 17th century, for no one who has met Prince Theseus believes that he will abdicate from his position as heir to the throne.
Secretary of Defence: Fleet Admiral Asphos of the Royal Navy, head of the Military Assembly. He is a harsh man, the word compromise doesn't exists in his vocabulary. He obeys the royal family, but only because it's tradition for the military to do so.
Secretary of Trade: Hestia Cormin is Duchess of the Corinth Territory, owner of Guld's largest Uranium mining company and Secretary of Trade. As such, it's a matter of course that she suffers from conflicts of interest. The Duchess, though, has an easy solution for this problem - she always chooses her personal gain.
Queendom of Guld World Factbook
Geography of Guld
Area: 122.000 sq km
Area comparative: Guld consists of one densely populated island with the same name, about the same size as Cuba and many tiny islands which are very sparsely populated, if at all
Coastline: Around 4000 kilometers
Maritime claims: Just their little islands and the territorial waters of 12nm
Climate: Tropical, dry and monsoon seasons
Natural hazards: Floods mostly
Elevation extremes: Deepest point is the ocean with 0 m, highest point the Penelope Mountain with 2131 km
Natural resources: Arable land, uranium, fish, lumber
Land use: Arable land, 15%, permanent crops 9%, other 76%
Irrigated land: 7%
Environmental issues: Waste is a big problem. In the less developed regions, people still dump their waste and sewage into the ocean. Deforestation. Air and water pollution. Many rare animals, some native only to Guld, have been wiped out.
Major cities: Royal City of Guld (710.000, administration, embassies), New Athens (430.000, education), Sparta City (570.000, industry), Corinth (410.000, company headquarters, finance, stock market)
Territories: Olymp Territory. This is the territory around Guld City, mild climate and posh settlements. It has a population of 1.300.000 and is located in the centre of the island. This territory doesn't looks any different than the surrounding areas of other cities, only with Greek-style architecture. Ruled by Duke Loren.
Athens Territory. Northern territory, moderate climate, hilly, pleasant land. It has a population of 650.000. Whilst New Athens itself is Guld's centre of education, the surrounding area is a centre of tourism and modern research facilities, as well as high-tech factories. Ruled by Duchess Dorman.
Corinth Territory. Southern territory, flat land. Population of 1.200.000. Corinth is not only the largest territory, it's also the richest. This is the international district of Guld with the white-collar workers, the skyscrapers, international airports and harbours. Duchess Hestia Cormin.
Sparta Territory. South-western territory, mountains and rocky land. Population of 1.100.000. This is the low-tech industry territory and, just like the namesake, also home to most of the military bases and weapons factories. Some Uranium mining. It is a poor, backwater territory with little influence in politics, even though most of the hard work is done in Sparta. Duke Rinz.
Lemnos Territory. Farmland in the south-east. Population of 800.000. Trout-fishing, beef-based agriculture. Duchess Skiros.
Crete Territory. Western territory, woodland. Population of 600.000. Much tourism and agriculture, some industry, especially mining. Another poor territory. Duchess Caran.
Rhodos Territory. All the little islands are grouped together in this territory. Population of 350.000. Fishing, some low-tech industry, tourism. Duke Harlorn.
Economy of Guld
Economy Type: Capitalism
Fiscal year: January-December
Population below poverty line: 38%
Unemployment rate: 9% (but more than a quarter don't earn enough to properly support themselves)
Income tax: 7%
Inflation rate: 5%
Labour force: 4,2 million
Industries: Uranium mining, trout-fishing, beef-based agriculture
Electricity: Since we mine our own uranium, our electricity demand is met by nuclear power plants. The technology isn't developed enough to export electricity, though.
Natural gas: No production. Some imports.
Oil: No production. Petrol is imported.
Agricultural products: Beef, fish, grains, lumber
Currency: Gulding
Currency code: GUNG (GUldiNG)
Nation code: TPGU (the Pacific Guld)
Military of Guld
Branches: Royal Guldan Navy, Royal Guldan Army, Royal Guldan Air Force, Royal Young Armed Forces
Military service age and obligation: 2 years of military service at age 17 for both genders
Manpower: 240.000
Available manpower: 4,2 millions (Guld considers everyone able to hold and fire a weapon fit for military service)
Percentage of total population: 3% of the population are soldiers
Expenditures: 21% of the budget is spent on the military
Government and Political Structure of Guld
Country Name: Long: Queendom of Guld (never make the mistake to call it kingdom, that's a grave offense for every patriotic Guldaran)
Short: Guld
Nationality: Guldaran (-s)
Government Type: Guld is an autocratic monarchy under the totalitarian rule of Queen Elysia III.
Guld's neighbours often sneer at them for being an "amazon" monarchy. Indeed all rulers have been female. It's an unwritten law in Guld that a male firstborn will always renounce his right to rule in favour of his sister. Political analysists expect a civil war and possible division of the country in case a male heir ever tries to claim the throne.
Constitution: Basically, the Guldan constitution gives all power to the queen and the companies, whilst it completely neglects to protect the civil rights and political freedoms of the people.
UN category: Iron Fist Consumerists
Capital city: Royal City of Guld (official name), Guld City (common reference)
Administration: Guld has seven territories, each one is ruled by a Duke/Duchess. A Dukeis appointed by the queen, this is commonly one of her more vocal and liquid supporters, but sometimes this position is also given to a rival to shut him up.
National holidays: The two major holidays are celebrated with military parades, banquets and fairs. One is the Independence Day on February 29th (also celebrated on March 1st), it honours the day when Guld first became an independent nation.
Then there is the Founding Day, September 17th, which marks the day of founding of the Queendom of Guld. Traditionally, this is also the day of the queen's "state of the union" speech.
There's a third national holiday, the queen's birthday. Queen Elysia's birthday is June 15th. The queen's birthday is more of a PR event than a political one. On this day, journalists are invited into the palace to interview the queen and everyone pretends to be one big, happy, loving family whilst they secretly plan to backstab their "beloved relatives".
Legal system: Guld has a harsh judicial system, maintained by a very large and powerful police force. The country, both the government and the society, expect complete conformity of all it's citizens. If someone fails to comply, they are fast and harsh in their punishment. Most punishments in Guld are fines. The rich can literally get away with murder, whilst the poor people are sent to jail even for minor offences because they weren't able to pay the fines (indeed, it is considered a more unforgivable sin not to give the state the money it deserves than to cause another person bodily harm).
Legislative branch: The legislative system of Guld is based on three branches. They act officially only as advisors and subordinates to the queen. In reality, the extent of their power varies, dependant on the leeway a queen is willing to great them and her own level of control over her court.
Military Assembly - the chiefs of staff. Their chief councillor is Secretary of Defence.
Territory Gathering - the dukes/duchesses of the seven territories. They don't have a leader, so they constantly squabble among themselves.
Board of Advisors - This is the official body for the various ministers. They can also sit on the Territory Gathering and Military Assembly. The advisors are traditionally the twelve richest Guldaran citizens.
Grand Council - Gathering of the councils. Once, the queens needed the support of the Grand Council for most important decisions. Queen Elysia has removed most of their power, nowadays their agreement is only required for changes in the constitution.
Juidicial branch: The judicial system works with judge, defence lawyer and public prosecutor. There are no freelance defence lawyers in Guld, they're employees of the courts. If people don't want to accept the local court's judgement, they may seek out their territory's duke. The queen is the third and final instance.
Executive branch: The queen is the executive branch.
Suffrage: Elections are outlawed in Guld
People and Population of Guld
Total population: 6 millions
Language: Guldan
Religion: Ancient Greek pantheon
Literacy: 60%
Life expectancy at birth: 58,7 years
Communications of Guld
Communications technology is widely spread in Guld even among the poor, for the simple reason that the government wants the people to receive the propaganda it has worked so hard to make up.
Country code: GU
Web TLD: .gu
Percentage of televisions: 78% of homes own a television
Percentage of telephones: 43% of homes own a telephone
Percentage of cell phones: 78% of homes own a cell phone
Percentage of radios: 99% of homes own a radio
Radio broadcast stations: There are only around 100 official broadcast stations, since you need governmental permission.There are many illegal broadcast stations of opposition groups, though.
Major radio broadcasters: There are four major radio stations, one is political and the other three don't mention politics except when they have to broadcast the government's propaganda.
Television broadcasters: All channels are controlled by the government in some way, even the private-owned ones. Five national state channels, seven "independent" channels, one regional state channel for each territory.
Internet hosts: The government provides free web space for all citizens, it's the only internet host in Guld
Internet service providers: The queen treats her people to "free internet access for free subjects" (and since there are no other internet service providers, her government can easily control to which contents the people get access).
The elite of Guld
Head of State:Queen Elysia. She believes that the most loving way to rule your people is to rule them with an iron fist. Under her rule, elections have been outlawed and the military budget has been dramatically increased. The queen may seem like an airhead, but underneath the expensive perfumes, pink ruffles and sickly-sweet smiles, she is a woman who firmly believes that the ends justify the means.
Secretary of the Interior: Prince Consort Constantine is the queen's most trusted advisor and a wealthy businessman in his own right. He's also the mastermind behind the queen's "Law & Order" policy. He will do whatever it takes to protect the economy's position of power, but he isn't interested in international affairs.
Secretary of State: Prince Theseus is Elysia's oldest child. He enjoys it to flaunt his complete disregard for all time-honoured Guldan traditions. Analysists expect the extremely ambitious youngster to cause the greatest political upheavel in Guld since it was discovered by the French in the 17th century, for no one who has met Prince Theseus believes that he will abdicate from his position as heir to the throne.
Secretary of Defence: Fleet Admiral Asphos of the Royal Navy, head of the Military Assembly. He is a harsh man, the word compromise doesn't exists in his vocabulary. He obeys the royal family, but only because it's tradition for the military to do so.
Secretary of Trade: Hestia Cormin is Duchess of the Corinth Territory, owner of Guld's largest Uranium mining company and Secretary of Trade. As such, it's a matter of course that she suffers from conflicts of interest. The Duchess, though, has an easy solution for this problem - she always chooses her personal gain.