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[Factbook] The Commonwealth of Varia


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| General Overview | History | Geography | Government | Economy | Demographics | Culture |


General Overview

COMMONWEALTH OF VARIA

Sodruzhestvo Variya (Oltvan)


Motto Dlya Luchshego Zavtra (For a Better Tomorrow)

Anthem : Prekrasnoe Daleko (Wonderful Future)


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The Polar Banner

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Map of Varia


Capital City Oltva
Largest City Verengard

Official Language Oltvan

Acknowledged Languages Severo-Polosnian, Livanian

Nationality
  • (32%) Oltvans
  • (27%) Polosnians
  • (19%) New Varians
  • (15%) Severnians
  • (12%) Livanians
  • (5%) Indigenous People

Religion
  • (73%) Borealists
  • (19%) Atheism
  • (8%) Others

Demonym(s) Varian(s)

Government Federal Semi-Presidential Republic (under One-Party rule)
  • President
Wojciech Kaminski
  • Prime Minister
 Alfred Kalējs
  • Assembly Speaker
Orhan Akhmetov

Legislature  
  • Upper House
States Assembly
  • Lower House
Commonwealth Assembly

Area 504,410 km2 (194,754 sq mi)

Population 13,476,965
  • Density
26.7/km2 (69.2/sq mi)

GDP PPP

$433,70 billion (154,397.2 trillion VL)

  • GDP Per capita
$32,181 (11.46 million VL)

Currency Varian Livre (VL)

Time Zone IAT+0

Date Format dd/mm/yyyy

Driving Side Left

Calling Code +177

Internet TLD .vr

Varia (vɑ:’ɾiɑ, va-RI-ya), officially the Commonwealth of Varia (Oltvan: Sodruzhestvo Variya) is a federation of eight nations, located in the northern hemisphere of Esferos, in the northern coast of the Doll-Guldur Continent. Varia borders the nation of Novasemita to the west, Novia Xeneia to the south, and the Thulian Ocean to the north. Varia covers a total area of 504,410 km2 (194,754 sq mi), and has a population of 13.5 million. Oltva is the capital city where the Commonwealth Government is based, while Verengard is the largest city by population and the financial centre of the nation. Varia is a multicultural nation, with no single ethnicity gaining a majority over the total amount of population. Despite this, Oltvan is considered to be its official language and serves as the lingua franca, being spoken by 32 percent of the population as their mother tongue. Varia’s climate is predominantly cold, with only a small area of warmer  continental climate in the southern regions.

Prehistoric human activity on Varian soil dates to around 10,000 BF, and the region has been continuously populated ever since. The territory of Varia has been multicultural, hosting different migratory people from time to time. The first of modern-day Varian ethnicities that inhabited the region is the Livans people, who settled on the very southern edge of the region in around 4,000 BF. The Severnians and Polosnians eventually invaded the region and pushed the Livans northward toward the Dalekie Mountains in around 2,100 BF and settled in the south. The Oltvan Great Voyage of the 3rd century saw several waves of Oltvan invaders defeating the former inhabitants and claiming much of modern-day Varian territory, bringing with them the Borealist faith. The Aurora Wars dominated the 4th century history of Varia, and The Kingdom of Oltva eventually emerged by the 5th century after King Vyacheslav united all factions of the Oltvan invaders. Between the 5th to the 9th century, Oltva expanded slowly over the other petty kingdoms of the Polosnians and the Severnians. However, a succession crisis and a state of anarchy ended the Golden Age of Oltva in 821 AF when the city of Oltva was sacked. 

The Eight Nations period lasted until the 12th century, filled with continuous wars while the region entered the age of enlightenment. Eventually, the Polosnian Queen Wyszesława completed a series of Polosnian expansions and united the eight Kingdoms under the Union of Varia in 1192. Varia remained a largely agrarian nation until the Varian Student’s Coup of 1291 forced the monarchy to agree on the Eight Nations Treaty of 1291, giving the minorities of Varia more rights, ending serfdom and bringing industrialisation to Varia. The new regime was soon dominated by wealthy aristocrats and industrialists, and the massive wealth gap triggered the 1321 General Strike and the end of the Monarchy. The newly proclaimed Commonwealth of Varia was unstable, however, and political disagreements led to the First Varian Civil War in 1324-1332 which ended with the dictatorship of Sviatopolk Ziminsky (1332-1351) and Yevgeniya Tavon (1351-1376). A state of anarchy enveloped Varia between 1376 until 1404 with the victory of the Varian Restoration Authority under Wojciech Kaminski. In 1408, constitutional reforms were implemented, but the Restoration Authority remained dominant over Varia to this day. 

Varia is a semi-presidential republic with its bicameral legislature comprising the Commonwealth Assembly and the States Assembly. Varia is considered a middling power and has a developing market with an upper-middle income economy. Varia has the fifth largest economy by total GDP and GDP per capita in Doll-Guldur, and its citizens enjoy average standard of living, and safety. Varia has a mixed-approach economic system, with both the government and private corporation contributing significantly to the economy as a whole. The state of Varia provides free education up to secondary education and universal health care coverage, though these services still lacking in terms of quantity and quality. Varia boasted hundreds of protected national parks and endangered habitats, and thousands of historic landmarks, supporting its developing tourism industry.


Etymology

The name Varia is an old Oltvan word that literally means "Various". The name was a shortening of the Union of Varian Crowns (Oltvan: Soyuz Varianskikh Koron), the name of the polity established by Queen Wyszesława in 1192. The name remained as the official name of the Commonwealth of Varia following the General Strike of 1321, in order to represent the various ethnicities and the multiculturalist values of the Commonwealth. There were attempts at renaming the Commonwealth, predominantly due to the name being very much descriptive in Oltvan. One such attempt was done by President Sviatopolk Ziminsky in 1333, into the Commonwealth of Polosnia, reminiscent of his own homeland. This attempt triggered a widespread protests across the country, which stopped the movement from ever going forward. Another attempt to rename it was in 1407, when several members of the Commonwealth Assembly argued to adopt the name of Commonwealth of the North (Oltvan : Severnoye Sodruzhestvo) or even the Polar Commonwealth (Oltvan : Polyarnoye Sodruzhestvo) but both did not receive widepsread support, the former due to its ambiguity, and the latter due to the fact that Varia was not located in the Continent of Polaris. 


Geographical Conditions

Varia is located in the northern coasts of the continent Doll-Guldur. Geographically, it is located between 1°30'30" East - 8°10'10"East and 50°40'10"North - 59°10'10" North and is very near with the Meridian of Marcarius. Varia is bordered by two other states; the nation of Novasamita to the west and southwest and the nation of Novia Xeneia to the south. To the north, Varia is bounded by the Thulian Ocean, specifically the Proxima Thulia Sea. Varian territory is relatively flat but rugged, similar to the make-up of the majority of Doll-Guldur's landscape. The region is marked by lowlands on its extreme north and south, separated by highlands and the Dalekie Mountains in the middle. The highest point in Varia is Mount Północna, literally means "Mount North" due to the view of the Northern Stars from it's peak. Varia is located near the divergent boundaries of Doll-Guldur's two tectonic plates to the south of Varia. The divergent motion of the tectonic plates caused the formation of rift valleys in the south and a tectonically active region that oftentimes creates earthquakes.

Due to the extremity of its northward location, Varia experienced high temperature variation between seasons. Temperature can fall to below -30° C in the northernmost point during winter, while in the south, in can reach 28 to 30° C in summer. The variation of temperature is caused due to climatic difference between the north and the south of Varia. South of the Dalekie Mountains, rain shadow effect caused the region to receive higher rainfall and is generally warmer, while north of the Mountains, the region is more colder and arid. Due to this, huge amount of Varia's territory is covered with Taiga Forests, with only a small and much more humid continental climate to the very southern point of the nation. Due to this phenomenon, the vast majority (78%) of Varia's population reside to the south of the Dalekie Mountains, while the north is mostly desolate with minor settlements near bodies of water and navigable rivers. 


Socio-Political Conditions

Varia is a multiethnic state, composed of the Eight Nations of the Commonwealth, and multitudes of smaller indigenous people. These Eight Nations are, in order of population, Oltvina, Polosna, Sodnia, Severnia, Belina, Ineria, Livania, and Yashelia. Each of these nations has their own language, and unique traditions and values. Throughout Varia's history, these nations has been at war with each other, united and reunited multiple times, ultimately leading to the formation of the Union of Varian Crowns in 1192. Ever since, the Eight Nations has been living under a single state, and cultural mix was unavoidable. From new foods, to clothing, and even new dialects were established by inter-cultural mixing that happened under the Union, and later the Commonwealth. Varia today is a federalised semi-presidential republic, and put heavy importance on the sovereign authority of its member states. None of Varia's member states are elevated above the other, with the exception of the imposition of the Oltvan Language for the sake of convenience. Cultural and traditional values were protected from harm, and each states will negotiate as if they are different nations in settling disputes. With years of intermingling and government emphasis on multiculturalism, a new cosmopolitan group emerged from Varia's diversity, the so-called New Varians, who does not indetify from any of the Eight Nations, instead wholeheartedly embrace the plurality of Varia as a multiethnic state. These people dominates the urban landscape of Varia, and has only grown in number with passing time. The more conservative member of society viewed the New Varians with mild suspicion, fearing a dilution of their cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the Varian Restoration Authority under President Wojciech Kaminski remained committed to the unity and cohesion of the Commonwealth.


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General Overview | History | Geography | Government | Economy | Demographics | Culture |


Geography

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Varia is located in the northern coasts of the northern continent of Doll-Guldur, and is part of the polar area of Esferos. Geographically, it is located between the longitude of 1° 30' 30" East - 8° 10' 10"East and the latitude of 50° 40' 10"North - 59° 10' 10" North. Varia’s easternmost point is very near the Meridian of Marcarius, and thus is part of IAT+0 time zone, domestically called Varian Time. Varia is bordered by two other states in Doll-Guldur; the nation of Novasamita to the west and southwest and the nation of Novia Xeneia to the south. To the north, Varia is bounded by the polar Thulian Ocean, specifically the Proxima Thulia Sea, which freezes over during winter. 

Landscape
Varian territory is relatively flat, with its highest point only reaching below 1.3 kilometres from the surface of the sea. However, Varia’s landscape is quite rugged, similar to the make-up of the majority of Doll-Guldur's landscape. Hills and valleys straddled the nation, stretching from the southwest point to its northeast. The region is marked by lowlands on its extreme north and south, separated by highlands and the Dalekie Mountains in the middle. The highest point in Varia is Mount Północna (1272 m from sea surface), while its lowest point is the Czamisto Depression which reached the depth of -10m from sea surface The highly diverse and rugged landscape of Varia is due to its proximity near the divergent boundaries of Doll-Guldur's two tectonic plates, wich separate a smaller northern landmass with the larger southern landmass. The divergent motion of the tectonic plates caused the formation of rift valleys which formed the stretched hills and canyons of Varia, as well as creating a tectonically active region that experienced earthquakes often. There are some minor surface volcanic activities, due to the nearby plate boundary, however most of Varia’s volcanic landscapes have been formed millions of years ago and are not currently active.

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Taiga coverage in Northeast Varia, in Polyar Rayon.

Climate
The vast majority of Varia lies under the Subarctic climate category due to the extremity of its northward location. On average, Varia experienced harsh and cold winters with temperatures averaging -20° C, and cold arid summers with average temperatures of around 18° C. The landscape of Varia also created a higher climatic difference between the extreme north and south of the nation. Temperature can fall to below -30° C in the northernmost point during winter, while in the south, it can reach between 20 to 25° C in summer. This difference is caused by the Dalekie Mountains, which despite its low altitude, forces southwesterly winds that carry moistures up to dry, causing a rain shadow effect that gives higher rainfall and humidity to the southern regions, while making the northern regions much colder and arid. However, the temperature variation does not affect the biome make-up of Varia, which is mostly composed of taiga forests, with a small coniferous and savannah coverage in the southernmost point.

 

 


Regional Division

Varia is divided into eight Commonwealth States, four Commonwealth Districts, and five Commonwealth Metros. The eight States governed their own territory, with their own elected governments and their own laws and constitutions. The States use their own local language in administration, have their own separate State Budget, and govern autonomously for the most part, with exception on defense, security, and financial matters which belong to the central government. Commonwealth Districts are regions that do not have their own autonomy, and are subject to the Commonwealth Government. The districts are headed by elected Governors, and have their own local legislatures, but lack most of the privileges afforded to States, including the right to raise their own taxes. Commonwealth Metros are similar to Districts, but they are led by elected Mayors. Both States and Rayons are further divided into Municipalities which are categorised into Urban (Cities) and Rural. Municipalities are governed by elected Mayors and deputies of the Municipal Councils, and are responsible for building and maintaining local infrastructures. For administrative and bureaucratic services, Municipalities are separated into Sectors, before being further divided into Communes. Communes comprise between 75 to 200 families, and are the smallest subdivision of the Commonwealth. Each Communes have their own unique customs and their own local financial arrangements, but are generally led by an elected Chairman.

Spoiler

List of Divisions: 

Commonwealth States

  • Oltvina (Severnyy Oltva)
  • Polosna (Kralowitz)
  • Severnia (Mosice)
  • Sodnia (Czamisto)
  • Belina (Cesis)
  • Ineria (Aniampole)
  • Livania (Marva)
  • Yashelia (Vilinsk)

Commonwealth Districts

  • Central District (Myagazsin)
  • Miltin District (Miltinsk)
  • Ogni District (Czarstvo)
  • Czerwony District (Rodnaya-Zemlya)
  • Polyar District (Tarnuull)

Commonwealth Metros

  • Verengrad
  • Ludzspils
  • Czamisto
  • Vilinsk
  • Oltva 

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