Nation/Mertagne

The Territories of the Mertian Commonwealth
Motto: Freedom, Peace, Prosperity
Anthem: Mertagne From The Ashes
Mertagne's location within Atlantian Oceania
Capital		Dannin
Largest city		Fligsive
Official languages		English, Mertian
Demonym		Mertian
Government		Constiutional Monarchy
-	King	Fernald I
-	Prime Minister	Frank Haversham
Establishment
-	Mertian Declaration of Independence	2185
-	The Corvidae War	2188
-	Acts of Union 2190	2190
-	The Right to Rule	2222
Area
-		4,040,232 km2 1,559,942 sq mi
Population
-	estimate	306,000,000
-	2220 census	305,361,093
-	Density	75.58/km2 195.8/sq mi
HDI (2222)		0.867 very high
Currency		Mertian Ducat (MDU)
Time zone		Atlantian Oceania Standard Time (UTC+0)
Date format		dd-mm-yy
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+049
ISO 3166 code		MRT
Internet TLD		.mr

The Mertian Commonwealth, commonly known as Mertagne, is a sovereign nation on the continent of Calania, in the region of Atlantian Oceania. Situated in the north of the continent, the Mertian Commonwealth consists of mainland Mertagne, and three northern islands, each a special administrative region of the commonwealth - Luwhel-Besny, the Septen Isles, and Fligsive. Mertagne sits in the Bekkside region of the continent, with Starblaydia to the east and Krytenia to the south. Mertagne also shares a maritime border with 95X in the north.

Mertians migrated across the Lake Bekk from the Former Inevitable Syndicate in a move for independence from the former fascist nation, an action which sparked the Corvidae War. While the colony was fighting the Inevitable Syndicate in a battle for independence, helped by several other ideologically aligned nations, nine delegates formed a council and declared independence. The war ended in 2190, with the Mertian Allied Powers securing victory, and sovereign right to the Inevitable Syndicate was handed over to the Mertian Government.

This supra-national entity - The Calanian Union - was short lived, as the Inevitable Syndicate was slowly overrun by climatic change. Issues in the Inevitable Syndicate encouraged the Mertian Government to propose a mass move over to the northern mainland - this effort, combined with lax migration laws, rapidly increased Mertagne's population. The final move from the south was completed in 2206, where the remaining land of the Former Inevitable Syndicate was purchased by NATION.

Resources from the purchase, as well as foreign support from regional and multiversal heavyweights, allowed the Mertian economy to thrive. Construction projects were put in progress across the entire nation, and in just 45 years the nation now has a robust economy built on the primary and secondary sectors.

Mertian Expansion still continues today, with the final territory in the Mertian Expansion Zone, Corones, being admitted to the Commonwealth as a mainland territory in 2223.

History

Mertagne can trace its roots all the way back to the central Calanian War of the Nine Kingdoms, which resulted in the creation of the United Kingdom of Fligsive and Magnaeus. Mertagne was a fledgling kindom, located on the border of the Mertagne Mountains, named after Krytenian explorer Guillemot Mertagne. Mertagne was annexed by the King of Magnaeus, and existed as a collection of three partitions. Mertagne's strong cultural identity was weakened by admittance to the Inevitable Syndicate, but its location far from the capital of Fligsive allowed Mertagne to be relatively untouched by national affairs.

In 2180, the Corvidae Party seized power of the Syndicate and began imposing laws that fit their fascist ideology. Growing resentment across the nation was quelled in areas close to the capital, but Mertagne grew a strong Anti-Corvidae sentiment, and declared independence in 2185 after a bitter conflict. In 2188, the Mertian Government enacted a plan, helped by the nation of Ruentenbach, that saw them sail across the Bekk and claim the former city-state of Leorudo. Corvidae intelligence discovered the move, and declared war on Ruentenbach and its allies, starting the Corvidae War which would last for two years.

After the Corvidae War, Mertagne found itself in control of the Former Inevitable Syndicate, with military occupation from allied powers across the country. Political and Infrastrucural focus was placed on the north and in Fligsive, and it was encouraged that people move from their homes in the south to contribute to the building of the new nation. Many did, but not in force until climate change caused by Corvidae operations in the Calanian Desert to the west of the nation produced an inhospitable environment for Syndicatians to live in. A terrorist incident in 2197 caused the city of Fligsive in the south to be displaced from its location for four years, which concerned governments worldwide. The city reappeared four years later as an island in the north, a shadow of its former self due to years of Euran and Mertian allied fighting against a Corvidae insurgent cell that was behind the attack.

Mertian expansion continued in the north, with increased activity due to the placement of the Mertian Expansion Zone in 2191. Many multi-national corporations assisted Mertagne in the colonisation efforts, and the Mertian Government accepted refugees from allied nations with open arms. Notible migrations include an influx of Licentians in 2193, an influx of Starblaydi in 2210, and a migration of Audioslavians in 2219.

In 2217, the Mertian government came under fire from many of its citizens, who felt that the agressive pro-expansion and pro-economy policies enacted by Parliament were being prioritized over those that were aimed at improving standard of living. An expenses scandal and rumours of corruption from other, richer governments called for an independent body with greater executive powers to police the government and ensure it was acting in the best interest of citizens. The Mertian Government responded to this by enacting a constitution, and passing the Right to Rule Decree, a democratic process to decide a future Mertian Monarchy that would have the ability to dissolve government. The process introduced the Royal Bond, and gave every Mertian citizen a chance to become the Monarch. Royal bonds could be given, and during the six month process, hundereds of thousands of bonds were traded to prominent figures across the multiverse. Notable contenders to the throne included Frank Haversham, member of the original Council of Nine and Administrator of Fligsive for many years, Julius Starblayde, who promised to annex all Mertian territory to Starblaydia if he ascended to the throne, Emma Clarke, leader of an Anarchist group that would instantly abolish the Parliament, Paul Hannes, CEO of a multi-national corporation, and Fernald Humboldt, a bookshop owner that was the subject of an internet campaign to appoint a 'normal member of society' to the throne. Humboldt won the Right to Rule in the final hours of the program, beating Paul Hannes by approximately five million votes. King Fernald was coronated in the spring of 2223.

Geography

Climate

Mertagne has a diverse climate, with a temperate deciduous forest climate in the south, and a colder taiga climate in the north. The nation experiences plentiful rainfall year round, with snow in the colder months. The prevailing wind is from the south and carries frequent spells of wet weather from across the Lake Bekk. The western part of the nation is typically drier due to its sheltered location. Snow is more common in the east of the nation due to the higher and more rugged ground.

Administrative Divisions

Mertagne is split into sixteen mainland provinces, known as partitions. The commonwealth also contains three special administrative regions, or SARs - Luwhel-Besny, the Septen Isles, and the City of Fligsive. The sixteen partitions contain further subdivisions into counties, each governed at the local level by a council.

Politics

The Mertian Commonwealth is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. King Fernald I is the head of state, and has several rights, including the right to dissolve parliament. The Constiution of Mertagne consists of codified law, international treaties, and conventions. Any update to the constitution must be finally approved by the King after it has passes through Parliament. The King cannot pass further changes to the constitution that cannot be changed in the future, as outlined in the only area of the constitution that cannot be changed.

Government

Mertagne has a parliamentary government that emulates the Westminster system. The parliament of Mertagne meets in Newell Forum and consists of 501 Members of Parliament elected from each of the nineteen parliamentary divisions.

The prime minister is Mertagne's head of government, and this position belongs to the leader of the political party that holds the largest number of seats in the Forum. The prime minister forms a cabinet of ministers appointed to lead the Government, and this choice is typically respected by the monarch.

The cabinet is drawn from minsters in the Prime Minister's party, and this cabinet exercises executive power. The current Prime Minister is Frank Haversham, who has been in office since the 16th September 2220. Haversham is the leader of the Progressive Democratic Party, a central party that holds roughly 55% of the Mertian Parliament.

General Elections are held every five years to determine the makeup of the Parliament, and proportional representation is used to determine the Members of Parliament for each county.

Foreign Relations

Mertagne is the founding member of The Calanian Union, formerly a loose association of nations but now an official international entity. Mertagne has close diplomatic ties with several nations within Atlantian Oceania outside the union, such as Valanora, Paripana, and Vilita. Mertagne is also said to have a "Special Relationship" with Audioslavia, and the two nations have had extremely close political and demographic relations since Mertagne's founding. The level of co-operation between the two nations has been cited as 'unparalleled'.

Mertagne also has good diplomatic relations with other nations in the 'Big Three' of Atlantian Oceania, Rushmore, and Esportiva. Nations such as Eura, Polar Islandstates, Apox, and Yttribia see Mertian trade and diplomacy on a regular basis. Many of these nations also have a personal interest in the commonwealth, as they were among the political heavyweights that contributed to the construction of the nation.

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