Vulshain

Confederacy of Vulshain Конфедераци Вулшаин
Flag of Vulshain Coat of Arms of Vulshain
Motto: "For freedom and equality as the Heavens have mandated"
Anthem: Vulshain, Our Motherland
Location of Vulshain on the Itur continent. Letters represent the Vulshainian provinces.
Region		The East Pacific
Capital (and largest city)		Kitsuniva
Official language(s)		Unonian and Lobonese
Ethnic groups (2011)		45% Vulpine 44% Lobo 11% Humans and other species
Official religion		Celiam Methodism, Laiatan Protestantism, and Vayan Catholicism (the three de facto and largest religions)
Demonym		Vulshainian
Government		Federal parliamentary representative democracy under a Semi-constitutional Elective Popular Monarchy
-	Confederate Monarch of Vulshain	King Samuil Rainard
-	Royal Confederate Premier	Cecilia Rainard
-	Chief Prime Minister	Adalberto Spencer (Independent)
-	Royal Speaker of Parliament	Kili Ankeremia (Yelizaveta Party)
Legislature		Royal Congress of Vulshain
Establishment
-	Arthor Dynasty of Vulshain	circa 3015 BC
-	City-State Alliance of Vulshain	circa 1529 BC
-	Confederal Union under Treaty of Velra's Will	circa 167 AD
-	Unification	June 4, 1342
-	Confederated Unified Kingdom of Vulshain	June 16, 1342
-	Constitution of the Confederacy signed	November 10, 1715
-	Becomes Grand Confederacy of Vulshain	November 11, 1715
-	Becomes Democratic Republic of Vulshain	March 13, 1958
-	Monarchy is restored	July 24, 1980
Area
-	Total	674,843 km2 km2  260,558 sq mi sq mi
-	Water (%)	9.5%
Population
-	2012 estimate	90,350,000
-	census	42.56
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$5,812 trillion
-	Per capita	$20,444
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$5,004 trillion
-	Per capita	$21,114
Gini (2008)		33.8 (high)
HDI (2011)		0.971 (very high)
PDAS (2008)		A-
Currency		Blue Riyal (₳) (VBR)
Time zone		VST (Meridian-5)
-	Summer (DST)	VDST (Meridian-4)
National animal		Fox and Wolf
Date formats		mm-dd-yy (AD)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.vul

The Confederacy of Vulshain (Lobonese: Конфедераци Вулшаин; Konfederatsiya Vulshain; Russian: Konfederatsiya Vulshain; French: Confédération des Vulshain; German: Konföderation Vulshain) is a large nation located in the East Pacific region on the northern continent of Itur, where the sea borders the southern, southwestern, and southeastern coasts. It is bordered by Laiatan in the west with forests and rivers between the two nations. To the northeast and east, the Ceylundis Mountain Forests of Vulshain act as a natural border between Vulshain and Dyr Nasad. To the north, the large Sesima Mountain Range and the Appalakit Mountain Range are located where taiga and tundra environments can be found. These mountains form the northern, northeastern most, and northwestern barriers between Dyr Nasad, Laiatan, Iskios, and Vulshain. To the south, Verania, situated in a strategically pivotal location in the center of the Gulf of Itur that divides Bai Lung's mainland, Vekaiyu, and Vulshain, Vulshain's southern neighbor effectively controls all sea traffic through the area between Raedion-Lucari and Vulshain. However, this hasn't negatively affected relations between the two nations and Verania and Vulshain have been on good terms for many years.

Vulshain is mainly inhabited by Vulpines and Lobos, although humans and a few other races live here as well. For most of its history, Vulshain has been a monarchy, although in the mid and late 20th century, the country became a democratic republic that quickly transformed into a fascist military dictatorship ironfistedly ruled by a crazed megalomaniac. With the aid and support of its neighbors and other foreign powers, the monarchy was restored. The nation is now hoping for a better future, one where all are viewed and treated as equals.

Symbols

National Flag

The National Flag of Vulshain contains many symbols that have important signifiance to the people of Vulshain. However, some of these symbols are associated with other meanings than those officially stated.

Long-tailed brown fox/wolf - Represents the two largest races in Vulshain: Vulpines (fox-like humanoids) and Lobos (wolf-like humanoids). Both races have played a major role in the history and establishment of Vulshain. The fox/wolf's brown color represents the earth and the people's love for their country. The long tail symbolizes the nation's rich past. However, there are some who also believe that the long tail represents the long journey made by prehistoric Vulpines as they traveled to ancient Vulshain from Vekaiyu.

Three gold suns - Represent courage, knowledge, and strength. The golden suns also represent the crown, while the gold color symbolizes prosperity.

Two white flowers - Represent peace and hope. The two flowers are white roses, although there is some debate that the flowers are actually lillies. Nonetheless, both the rose and lilly are the national flowers of Vulshain. The flowers' white color also symbolizes the monarchy, as white has often been associated with monarchism and monarchies thoughout history.

Blue field - Represents hope. Blue also symbolizes royalty, and represents the people's admiration for the monarch.

Red diamond with blue center - Symbolizes the blood spilt by those who fought and died to protect Vulshain. The red color also represents courage, loyalty, and honor exhibited by the soldiers of Vulshain. The blue center symbolizes what the defenders of Vulshain were fighting for: peace and freedom for all generations of Vulshain.

National Anthem

The national anthem of Vulshain was written in 1900 by Derrick Aleixo, son of King Maksimilian Aleixo. The anthem is played on national holidays and festivals, and is played at sporting events in Vulshain and abroad, according to the protocol of the organization that is hosting the games. When the anthem is played, all headgear must be removed and all those in attendance must face the Vulshainian flag, if it is present. Those who are in uniform must give a military salute when the anthem plays.

The anthem is played at the swearing-in of the new monarch after he/she takes the Oath of Royal and Confederate Ascension. The national anthem is also required to be played at the opening and closing sessions of the Royal Congress and the Confederate Administrative Cabinet, and for official state ceremonies. It is played on television and radio at the beginning and end of the broadcast day. If programming is continuous, the anthem is played once at 0600 hours and again at midnight. The anthem is also played on New Years Eve after a speech by either the monarch, Royal Confederate Premier, or the Chief Prime Minister. The national anthem maybe played at funerals of heads of state and other significant figures. In addition, although not in recent years, the anthem is played at the Royal Wedding.

Below are the lyrics:

Vulshain – our holy nation,
Vulshain – our beloved country.
A mighty will, great glory –
These are yours for all time!

Chorus:

Through unity of its peoples,
Unbreakable and strong,
Our great and wise country
Will overcome all adversities!

Chorus

May the sun, moon, and stars above our Motherland
Banish darkening clouds around
Light and truth all along
Guide our steps forever

Chorus

May the love of Vulshain
Brightly burn in our hearts.
For the sake of this glorious land
Let unity blossom

Chorus

Our loyalty to our Motherland gives us strength.
Thus it was, thus it is and always will be!
For we are the children of our Motherland - Vulshain!

National Seal

The National Seal of Vulshain

This is the national seal for the Confederacy of Vulshain. It has had very little change or modifications done to it since its creation after the end of the Wars of the Feuding Cities during the 14th century AD, with the exception of the name and motto, which were changed from the Confederated Unified Kingdom of Vulshain to the Grand Confederacy of Vulshain in 1715 then later, in 1904, when grand was dropped, leaving Confederacy of Vulshain. After the Monarchy was restored, it was simply changed to Vulshain. The motto was changed in 1715 from Vulshain Forever United by Courage and Peace to its current form, and has never been changed since then.

Geography and Climate

Geography

The country is divided into three geographic regions: the southern Gelato Coastal Plain, the central Savarin Region, and the northern Melizée Highlands.

Climate

While Vulshain is mostly temperate and cool, there are some differences between the three geographic regions of the country.

The Gelato Coastal Plain is influenced by the Gulf of Itur which keeps temperatures mild in winter and moderate in summer. Daytime high temperatures on the coast average less than 89 °F (31.6°C) during the summer. In the winter, the coast has the mildest temperatures in the country, with daytime temperatures rarely dropping below 40°F (4.4°C); the average daytime winter in the Coastal Plain is usually in the mid-60s. Temperatures in the Gelato Coastal Plain rarely drop below freezing even at night. The Gelato Coastal Plain usually receives only one inch (2.5 cm) of snow and/or ice annually, and in some years there may be no snow or ice at all.

The Gulf of Itur has less influence on the Savarin Region, and as a result the Savarin has hotter summers and colder winters than the coast. Daytime highs in the Savarin often average over 90°F (32.2°C) in the summer. While it is not common for temperatures to reach over 100°F (37.8°C) in Vulshain, when it happens, the highest temperatures are to be found in the lower areas of the Savarin. Additionally, the weaker influence of the Gulf of Itur means that temperatures in the Savarin often fluctuate more widely than the coast. The average rainfall is 23-27 inches (600-700 mm) a year. Temperatures in Kitsuniva, the capital of Vulshain, average 77°F (25°C) in the summer and 38°F (4°C) in the winter.

The Melizée Highlands are much colder than the rest of the country. Because of the mountains forming Vulshain’s northern borders, there is much more snow and ice here than one would find further south. In fact, the Melizée Highlands have on average between 36 to 99 days of snow a year. It is usually wetter here than it is in the southern regions.

Biodiversity

Main articles: List of ecoregions in Vulshain, List of mammals of Vulshain, and List of birds of Vulshain

From the Gelato Coastal Plain to the Savarin Region, and eventually to the mountainous Melizée Highlands, coniferous forest (taiga), mixed and broad-leaf forests, grassland (steppe), and semi-desert (fringing the Appalakit Mountains), as the changes in vegetation reflect the changes in climate. There are 110 mammal species and 469 bird species in Laiatan. A total of 33 animal species and 27 plant species have been included in the Red Data Book of the Confederacy of Vulshain as of 2000 and are now protected.

The Vulshainian elephant, a distant relative of the Indian elephant, is protected under law and is found mainly in the forests and jungles of the eastern region of Vulshain.

Demographics

Ethnicity

As one can see from the above table, Vulpines and Lobos form the majority of Vulshain's population. Humans, despite being a minority, are still treated as equals. Despite this, however, there are a few members among the Vulshainian humans who have been swayed by racist, anti-socialist, anti-royalist, and revolutionary anarchist ideals and beliefs. Still, there are humans who love the monarchy, who despise racism and intolerance, and would gladly and selflessly give their lives for Vulshain.

Religion

Vulshain is a nation of many different religions, due to the country’s strong belief in religious tolerance. The Constitution of the Confederacy strictly prohibits a state religion, as the Constitution makes it clear that there is a separation between church and state. However, Celiam Methodism, Laiatan Protestantism, and Vayan Catholicism are considered the de facto religions, mainly because of the fact that they are the largest faiths in the nation, although this is probably because Vulpines and Lobos make up the largest races in Vulshain. Methodism and Russian Orthodox Christianity are the most practiced branches of Christianity among humans, although there are few Russian Orthodox and Methodist Vulpines and Lobos. This is mainly because the Eastern Orthodox Church of Russia and the United Methodist Church are renowned for being the first human branches of Christianity to accept non-humans with open arms. Other religions like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and other branches of Christianity are practiced as well.

Languages

Unonian and Lobonese are the two national and official languages of Vulshain, due to the majority of the population. Russian and French are considered co-official languages, or secondary languages. Because of this, everything from signs to food wrappers are printed in Lobonese and Unonian, and occasionally in Russian and French. Lobonese and Unonain themselves have changed very little from their first uses in the 6th Century AD and 585 AD respectively, although new words have been added yearly to accommodate with technology.

English is rarely used in everyday life, excluding air traffic controllers and captains of ships. The language is currently taught in schools as one of the languages required to graduate from a Laiatanese high school. The 2011 Census indicates that roughly 32% of the country can speak Lobonese, Unonian, Russian, French, and English fluently, while 24% report they speak Lobonese and Unonian, and another language fluently. 42% of the country speaks Lobonese and Unonian as their only language, while 1% reports they don't speak Lobonese and Unonian at all.

Vulshainians are skilled linguists and thus, many, especially in the business world and politics will learn several languages.

Education

The history of both Vulshain and other nations are taught, although Vulshainian history is usually a little bit nationalistic, but is normally factual and extensive. The histories of other countries are also taught quite extensively as well, in order to promote a better understanding of how the world works. Thanks to taxes, the majority of schools are free. College is also free of cost. Many universities and colleges throughout Vulshain are renowned for being centers of the arts, science, and technology. To be admitted, one's achievements in grade school, along with other areas, are closely looked at. Normally, college can last from three to seven years. It is encouraged for students to go through graduate school, which is also free, but one is required to maintain a strict GPA of at least 3.0. Foreign languages are taught in many schools and universities.

Tourism

Tourism has become extremely popular, especially after the fall of Merrill Rivers' reign. Beaches and coastal cities are some of the main tourist attractions, as Vulshain's white and dark brown sandy beaches are considered unique and a reasonable place to enjoy warmer weather. Everyone from swimmers to sunbathers to rollerbladers to surfers to marine animal lovers come to Vulshain's beaches. Men wear shorts or pants. Unlike Vekaiyu, bikinis are extremely popular among Vulshainian women, and are designed for both swimming and leisure. However, many Vekaiyun immigrants and those influenced by Vekaiyun culture prefer one piece bathing suits instead. Many foreign tourists, especially from Vekaiyu, experience culture shock upon seeing beaches where the women are wearing bikinis, or even going around topless! There are a few topless and naturist beaches.

Children and adults alike come to see and enjoy the sight of dolphins and whales. The humpback whales that migrate through Vulshain's waters are protected by Confederate law, especially after the current monarch, King Samuil Rainard signed into law prohibiting the fishing industry from harming the whales and dolphins.

Historical locations, such as ancient settlements, intact marble statues honoring pagan gods, cathedrals, castles, pagan temples, and even historical cities, like Kitsuniva and Kitumang, are very popular destinations. Currently, the Royal Confederate Palace was offlimits to tourists, but King Rainard is trying, in vain it would seem, to allow guided tours of the Confederate Palace.

The northern parts of the nation are of a colder climate, and therefore have more snow than other parts of the country. Thus, skiing, ice skating, and snowboarding are enjoyed here. The famous Snow Spa is enjoyed by everyone, as there is even a hot spring here.

After the fall of the Republican Regime, a few labor camp prisons, such as the infamous Thanos Gate Labor Prison Camp, were transformed into museums to remind people of the atrocities that can arise from bigotry and hatred. It is hope that visitors will leave with the knowledge that such tragedies never happen again.

Vandalism of historical sites and monuments is strictly prohibited by law and usually carries the punishment of a huge fine and a couple of years in prison, followed by three years of community service. Tough, but this is no surprise as Vulshain takes pride in its history and culture.

Economy and Industry

Vulshain uses a mixture of a mixed economy and market socialism. This shows that Vulshain is willing to establish a compromise between socialism and capitalism. While there are some problems, so far this economic system has worked out as unemployment was in 2007 to be at 10%. As of February 2012, the unemployment rate dropped to a record low of 5%.

Weapons, aircraft, metals, textiles, technologies, and food account for a vast majority of Vulshain's exports. Before 1999, Vulshain was a major exporter of grain to Laiatan, but as Laiatan became more efficient in grain growing, Vulshain's grain exports slowly dropped by 2009. Vulshain now exports grain to other countries in the hopes of regaining the loss in profits in the grain industry.

Vulshain's economy is very strong in several sectors, such as defense, aerospace, information technology, engineering, metallurgy, and electronics. The government spends a lot of funding to research and further technology. Containable fusion energy has allowed for the advancement of cleaner fusion powerplants, which have slowly been replacing the nuclear fission powerplants. Nanotechnology has been achieved, although so far, nanotechnology has only been used in the medical field, but there has been a good bit of, although slow, progress made in using nanotechnology in other fields. Mining in the mountains has brought iron ore, precious metals and gems, and coal. Titanium and uranium deposits are also mined.

Farming is also important, and is plentiful due to the abundance of rainfall.

Tourism is a major part of the economy. Some experts have even gone so far as too state that tourism helped to bring the nation out of an economic depression following the Vulshainian Civil War.

Agriculture

Vulshain has always had a strong focus on agriculture, especially in the eastern and western parts of the country. Because of an abundance of rainfall in the Savarin Region, the region is quite famous as a center of agriculture.

The Gulf of Itur enables the fishing industry to be quite profitable, although Vulshain's fishing companies have to compete with Laiatanese fishing companies. Despite this, Vulshain's fishing companies are a major contributor to the nation's fish supply.

Energy

Vulshain is an up and becoming major energy producer in the region, mainly in fusion energy and renewable energy sources. While Vulshain does have a massive pipeline, it is nothing compared to Laiatan's. Vulshain's western neighbor has expanded into Vulshain per the SITO treaty. While oil and natural gas are abundant in the northern reaches of Vulshain, Vulshain isn't as rich in these resources as Laiatan is. On 1 January 2011, Laiatan said it had begun scheduled oil shipments to Vulshain, with the plan to increase the rate up to 300,000 barrels per day till mid 2012.

Vulshain mainly uses nuclear fusion power plants as a cleaner and more efficient energy source and is currently phasing out nuclear fission power plants in favor of fusion plants. However, Vulshain also operates wind and solar energy plants as well, due to the nation's strong stance on environmental protection. There are also several hydroelectric power plants along several major rivers.

Armed Forces

Vulshain's military is voluntary, although in case of a national emergency, an emergency draft can put into action. The only time this draft was used was during the Civil War that started in 2003. Recruits are required to serve a minimum of at least 15 months.

Holidays

Below is a list of the major holidays in Vulshain. Because of the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church, Christmas is celebrated twice, one for those who follow the Gregorian Calender and those who follow the Julian Calendar. Because of the fact that three de facto religions in Vulshain, Celiam Methodism, Laiatan Protestantism, and Vayan Catholicism have strong followings in the Confederacy, mainly among Vulpines and Lobos, you will notice that many of Vulshain's holidays are also celebrated in Laiatan and Vekaiyu. Please note that only holidays practiced in Vekaiyu and Vulshain will have their Unonian translation listed. In addition, non-religious holidays are in white, religious holidays are in green, and solstice holidays are in red.