Batavië

Batavië, officially the Bataafsche Republiek (English: Batavian Republic) is a country in Western Scandinavia. Bordering the Free Union of Engellex &amp; Blois to its southeast and Arendaal to its north, it shares sea borders with Éireann to the north and Tyskreich to the south.

Etymology
The name Batavië, commonly spelled as Batavia in English, has unknown origins. Etymologists have been puzzled with its origins for decades and have never once come close to finding its source or clear history.

History
Batavië was first settled around the 9th century, A.D. by Germanic and possibly viking explorers. Finding the area largely uninhabited and with a fine climate and fertile soil for an excellent crop output, it soon developed into a fiefdom. Few castles remain from this age, but there were at least 5 kingdoms, duchies or other forms of fiefdoms settled in what is now Batavië in the west of Scandinavia.

Eastern Batavië lies at the tri-point of the western Scandinavian island. The fiefdoms found out quicky that it was vital for the success of their lands for that area where the three spurs of the large island meet to remain in their control. To this day the three point area remains in what is now Batavië. In order to drive from Arendaal to the Freecities Union or vice versa, one must pass through Batavië to do so.

After a series of inter-fiefdom wars, which lasted about one century, Prince Wilhelmus van Daalen united the northern lowlands and the southern hilllands to form the Principality of Batavië. This principality lasted until the communist revolution of the 1940s.

During the Great War the peoples of Batavië were fighting their own grand battles for survival. The principality was no longer seen as fitting for the people and the country had failed to modernise with its neighbours. Prince Jan van Daalen II was forced to flee to Arendaal in the winter of 1951. A man by the name of Jap de Graaf had led a successful worker's revolution and soon established a people's republic ruled ruthlessly by the single-party system of the Bataafsche Arbijders Partij (Batavian Worker's Party). Jap de Graaf built the world's most notorious cult of personality and convinced almost everyone subservian to him that he was an immortal figure destined to lead his people. He kept the country mostly isolated until the 1990s when more trade was needed and kept his people always in the dark.

In November of 2009 a rebel group known as the Batavian Republican Army launched a violent campaign against police officers, Staatsveiligheid agents and the military. Its goal was to create a capitalist republic free of communism. Unable to fully defeat this guerilla group, which was well organised and funded by capitalist neighbours of Batavië, it led to confusion in the government. When Jap de Graaf died suddenly of old age in January of 2010, his son, General Karel de Graaf, was unable to organise his government well enough to stamp out the BRA opposition. His government soon collapsed and he, along with dozens of senior level military and BAP party officials Politburo men, fled the country.

Two middle ranking military leaders that remained in Vlaanderen, Colonel Piet van Dam and General Alex de Witte, organised what was left of the government and announced to the world that the first ever democratic elections would take place on 12 March 2010. The elections went ahead smoothly and the Bataafsche Sociall Democratische Partij won the majority of seats in the new federal parliamentary republic.

The current government faces labour unrest due to the newly introduced free market, a restless BRA penned up in the noth of Batavië around the city of Spa and a hunt for the communist leaders that fled. Staatsveiligheid intelligence believes that some of the former leaders are hiding in the Papal States, which has denied any knowledge of them being there.

One of the first acts of the Social Democrat government was to ask for Council of Nations peacekeepers to assist with the BRA violence. Infighting within the Security Council led to a veto stalemate and the Batavian government turned to the European Defence Federation for more immediate assistance. An EDF peacekeeping force, composing of roughly 7.000 servicemen and women, led by Montelimar and Franken, has so far been largely successful in maintaining peace and bringing aid to the cut-off people in and around Spa. Negotiations between the BRA and the Federal Government remain closed despite both groups expressing interests to restart them. It is unknown how long the EDF peacekeeping mission will remain in place.

Geography, climate, flora and fauna
About 35 per cent of the country remains below sea level. These low and flat areas lie mostly in the northern parts of the country. Dikes of two to four metres keep the sea at bay while these lowlands are mostly cultivated by farmers or left as wilderness. The southeastern parts of the mainland are adorned with low rolling hills and high population density. About 70 per cent of the population lives in the southeast in what is known as the Driehoek, a highly urbanised area of cities, townships and suburbs.

Windhoek Eiland, lying to the south of the mainland, is a sparsely populated island of mountains and open fields with cliffs on the southwest corner near the city of Windhoek. Under communist rule travel and access to the island was highly restricted as it was used for military training and secret operations. Only a few thousand people of civilian nature lived on the island to service the military. Today, with its vast and untapped mineral wealth, the island is becoming the most moved-to province in the country with many foreign private mining firms investing in infrastructure upgrades.

Administration and politics
Batavië has a Provincial Federal Republic in which the central government is located in Vlaanderen. The Parliament is a unicameral legislature with 662 seats. Working under a parliamentary republic system, the winning party or parties appoints its leader as Prime Minister for the position of Head of Government. Political parties than nominate candidates for the mostly ceremonial role of President. The President assumes the title of Head of State and performs duties such as signing off on legislature, accepting the new governments after an election, receiving foreign dignitaries and representing the people of the country rather than a government or party. Each province, of which there are six in Batavië, has its own legislature and Premier. They have different laws but must submit to Federal laws passed by Parliament in Vlaanderen.

Economy
Batavië is currently in a stage of transition from a heavily planned economy under communist rule to an open market system. Most utility industries remain under government control and ownership, however domestic and foreign private investors and corporations are beginning to enter the market. Under communist rule the country relied heavily on factory manufacturing and agriculture. Batavië's largest export still remains grain, however many of the older factories have been closed after they lost their government subsidies and funding. Workers have been told by the government that they will receive new jobs, but it is clear to most that this will not happen. Some factories are being refurbished to make new goods and the governments Economic Action Plan has allocated billions of nieuw rand to factory refurbishment and construction.

Mining is a fast growing and important sector of Batavië with nearly all mines located on Windhoek Eiland. Iron ore, steel, coal, gold, lithium and uranium are mined in heavy quantities with unknown reserves. The reserves are expected to be large.

Oil and natural gas deposits have been found offshore in the southeast. BP is the state-run oil and gas company founded to help develop and oversee domestic offshore operations and to market the oil and gas products both domestically and abroad. One of BP's strategy is to purchase joint stakes in foreign drilling projects and wells to help bolster its assets and capital as well as export capabilities. Investment from the government and foreign companies have brought in new deep sea drilling rigs and a new oil refinery is being built with help from a Belmontien company. The government says that there is more natural gas than oil and is planning to make natural gas extraction and processing its priority.

Infrastructure
With private cars just now becoming popular after the end of communist rule, Batavië's road system is considerably weak when compared to those of its neighbours. Great strides are being made with billions being invested in road construction and expansion. The local and provincial road systems are in good shape, but the national motorway system is in need of heavy expansion. Hundreds of kilometres of freshly paved motorways, or Autosnelwegen, as they are known in Dutch, are being built.

The railway system in Batavië is mostly run with diesel trains. The government has set out a goal to electrify all tracks by 2012, with all commuters and passenger tracks electrified by 2011. A new high-speed line connecting Vlaanderen International Airport to Vlaanderen and Braamfontein will be completed by the end of the summer as a first test. If successful the high-speed line will be expanded to connect with the cities of Hilversum, Poortstad, De Grenz and Leuven in neighbouring Arendaal.

Air travel in Batavië is restricted to international flights and the military as a way to conserve fuel and promote rail travel. It is frowned upon to fly short distances even if it saves time.

Education
The educational system in Batavië is run on a national level, not a provincial one, although budgetary matters are provincial. Primary and secondary schools operate with the same textbooks for all subjects nationwide. Boarding school is popular for secondary school students with no extra charge, although entrance exams for this option are difficult to pass without proper schooling.

The university system in Batavië is also national with all universities tuition free to all students in the country. A modest tuition fee is levied to foreign students, however the government wants to make citizens of the Northern Council exempt from this fee and be treated just like a Batavian student.

Demographics
Because of its sheltered communist past, most people are of Batavian descent. A new immigration and refugee acceptance policy has, however, begun to change this. Foreigners seeking refugee status find it very easy to apply for asylum in any Batavian embassy or consulate. If their application is approved they are flown to Batavië free of charge and provided with welcome money, a guidebook, a phone number for assistance, free Dutch classes for a year, government subsidised housing in newly built flat blocks and assistance in finding a job. The programme has made cities like Vlaanderen more colourful and international, but has come under criticism because of the government's ability to choose where it sends refugees.

Language
Dutch (Dutch: Vlaams) is the only official language while a growing number of minority languages are spoken mostly in major cities due to the government's refugee acceptance programme. Notably Arabic is widely heard.

Religion
With religions being banned under communism, nearly all people remain atheists and happily so according to recent surveys. New refugees have made Islam a new scene.

Health
Healthcare is completely universal and paid for by taxes.

Music
Classical music was the only type allowed under communist rule and still remains by far the most popular. Many famous composers nown throughout Europe come from Batavië, such as Jens Flemberg.

Inventions
Bicycle, answering machine, scissors, invisible ink, owls.

Cuisine
Herring, smoked salmon, beer, coffee, multi-grain bread.

Sports
Football and bicycling are the two most played and watched sports in the country.