Of Droughts And Flooding Rains
Gosh, is Tasmania a weird place. They had freakin' Marsupial Wolves until 80 years ago, and they still have miniature Marsupial Bears.
Union of the North
Costa Norte is coming, I promise! But I had a flash of inspiration as to how to flesh this one out, so here is the wikibox for the Union of the North:
(Hence why I'm up so late.)
The Nordic Union, officially known as the Union of the North or by its endonym Norden, is a political and economic union of four member states and three autonomous regions, located primarily in Northern Europe (in addition to Greenland, geographically part of North America). The Union aims to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within its internal market and maintain relevance in the international community through a coordinated foreign policy and armed forces. It also maintains a single currency, the Nordic krone, managed by the Nordic Central Bank.
The modern Union of the North traces its origins to the Northern Community (NC), established by the Tampere Agreement of 1952. Over time, as pan-Nordic sentiment grew in the nations of the region and governments feared isolation within the context of the Silent War, the Union has expanded its powers by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The Northern Community was renamed the Nordic Union in 1989, when a common Nordic citizenship was established, coupled with the abolition of internal passport controls. In 2011, a series of referenda in the member states approved proposed changes to the structure of the union, which would create a pan-national legislature, with direct elections to the Union Assembly and executive power shared between a nominated Secretary-General and an (indirectly) elected President. It also approved the creation of the Army of the North, a common armed force between the four member states. The referenda were approved in all member entities and, as a result, a new Charter was ratified in 2012 which reconstituted the Nordic Union as the Union of the North, and created the various new bodies approved by the referenda.
Through its policies, the Union plays a significant role in global relations and defence. It maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the G22. It is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, not allying itself with either the Commonwealth or League nations, however it has historically behaved in a more friendly manner towards Britain and its allies.
(Hence why I'm up so late.)
The Nordic Union, officially known as the Union of the North or by its endonym Norden, is a political and economic union of four member states and three autonomous regions, located primarily in Northern Europe (in addition to Greenland, geographically part of North America). The Union aims to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within its internal market and maintain relevance in the international community through a coordinated foreign policy and armed forces. It also maintains a single currency, the Nordic krone, managed by the Nordic Central Bank.
The modern Union of the North traces its origins to the Northern Community (NC), established by the Tampere Agreement of 1952. Over time, as pan-Nordic sentiment grew in the nations of the region and governments feared isolation within the context of the Silent War, the Union has expanded its powers by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The Northern Community was renamed the Nordic Union in 1989, when a common Nordic citizenship was established, coupled with the abolition of internal passport controls. In 2011, a series of referenda in the member states approved proposed changes to the structure of the union, which would create a pan-national legislature, with direct elections to the Union Assembly and executive power shared between a nominated Secretary-General and an (indirectly) elected President. It also approved the creation of the Army of the North, a common armed force between the four member states. The referenda were approved in all member entities and, as a result, a new Charter was ratified in 2012 which reconstituted the Nordic Union as the Union of the North, and created the various new bodies approved by the referenda.
Through its policies, the Union plays a significant role in global relations and defence. It maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the G22. It is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, not allying itself with either the Commonwealth or League nations, however it has historically behaved in a more friendly manner towards Britain and its allies.
Maybe IRL they had marsupial wolves until 80 years ago.
ITTL...
(I couldn't help myself, okay? But it is possible.)
How many Thylacines are left ITTL? BTW, isn't convergent evolution amazing?
Republic of Costa Norte
With my exams over, we now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
We will be seeing more of Costa Norte - I've got a map in the works which I hope to share eventually.
Costa Norte, officially the Republic of Costa Norte (Portuguese: República da Costa Norte), is a sovereign state in northern Australia. It occupies the Cape Torres Peninsula in the north-east of Australia, as well as the islands of the Torres Strait. Australasia is the country's southern neighbour, with which it shares its longest border. Costa Norte also shares a short border with Kidulia to the west, and a maritime border with New Guinea to the north.
The region that now makes up Costa Norte was colonised by Portugal in the early 18th century, after a number of other failed attempts at establishing colonies in the north of Australia. Incorporated into the Portuguese East Indies in 1722, the region was administered as the North Coast Province of the colony, until 1944, when it was occupied by Australasia during the World War in order to prevent a predicted Chinese invasion of the colony. At the end of the war, the colony was evacuated by the Australasian forces and returned to Portuguese control, under which it remained until 9 October 1975, when it gained independence as a part of the Coloured Revolutions.
Costa Norte is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. There are 56 known languages spoken in the country, and much of the population lives in its cultural communities, areas in which traditional ways of life continue to dominate with little influence from the outside world. The country is one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically. It is believed to have a number of groups of uncontacted peoples. Its only major city is Porto-Novo, which also serves as the seat of government.
Costa Norte is classified as a developing economy by the International Monetary Fund. Many Costa Norteans still live in strong traditional social groups based on indigenous hunter-gatherer lifestyles. These societies are explicitly acknowledged in the current Costa Nortean constitution, which establishes the right “for communities to observe their traditional ways of life". Many Costa Norteans have, however, migrated to the capital, Porto-Novo, in search of employment or better social prospects.
The nation is a member of the Australian Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Lusophone Community.
We will be seeing more of Costa Norte - I've got a map in the works which I hope to share eventually.
Costa Norte, officially the Republic of Costa Norte (Portuguese: República da Costa Norte), is a sovereign state in northern Australia. It occupies the Cape Torres Peninsula in the north-east of Australia, as well as the islands of the Torres Strait. Australasia is the country's southern neighbour, with which it shares its longest border. Costa Norte also shares a short border with Kidulia to the west, and a maritime border with New Guinea to the north.
The region that now makes up Costa Norte was colonised by Portugal in the early 18th century, after a number of other failed attempts at establishing colonies in the north of Australia. Incorporated into the Portuguese East Indies in 1722, the region was administered as the North Coast Province of the colony, until 1944, when it was occupied by Australasia during the World War in order to prevent a predicted Chinese invasion of the colony. At the end of the war, the colony was evacuated by the Australasian forces and returned to Portuguese control, under which it remained until 9 October 1975, when it gained independence as a part of the Coloured Revolutions.
Costa Norte is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. There are 56 known languages spoken in the country, and much of the population lives in its cultural communities, areas in which traditional ways of life continue to dominate with little influence from the outside world. The country is one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically. It is believed to have a number of groups of uncontacted peoples. Its only major city is Porto-Novo, which also serves as the seat of government.
Costa Norte is classified as a developing economy by the International Monetary Fund. Many Costa Norteans still live in strong traditional social groups based on indigenous hunter-gatherer lifestyles. These societies are explicitly acknowledged in the current Costa Nortean constitution, which establishes the right “for communities to observe their traditional ways of life". Many Costa Norteans have, however, migrated to the capital, Porto-Novo, in search of employment or better social prospects.
The nation is a member of the Australian Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Lusophone Community.
With my exams over, we now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
We will be seeing more of Costa Norte - I've got a map in the works which I hope to share eventually.
View attachment 464413
Costa Norte, officially the Republic of Costa Norte (Portuguese: República da Costa Norte), is a sovereign state in northern Australia. It occupies the Cape Torres Peninsula in the north-east of Australia, as well as the islands of the Torres Strait. Australasia is the country's southern neighbour, with which it shares its longest border. Costa Norte also shares a short border with Kidulia to the west, and a maritime border with New Guinea to the north.
The region that now makes up Costa Norte was colonised by Portugal in the early 18th century, after a number of other failed attempts at establishing colonies in the north of Australia. Incorporated into the Portuguese East Indies in 1722, the region was administered as the North Coast Province of the colony, until 1944, when it was occupied by Australasia during the World War in order to prevent a predicted Chinese invasion of the colony. At the end of the war, the colony was evacuated by the Australasian forces and returned to Portuguese control, under which it remained until 9 October 1975, when it gained independence as a part of the Coloured Revolutions.
Costa Norte is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. There are 56 known languages spoken in the country, and much of the population lives in its cultural communities, areas in which traditional ways of life continue to dominate with little influence from the outside world. The country is one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically. It is believed to have a number of groups of uncontacted peoples. Its only major city is Porto-Novo, which also serves as the seat of government.
Costa Norte is classified as a developing economy by the International Monetary Fund. Many Costa Norteans still live in strong traditional social groups based on indigenous hunter-gatherer lifestyles. These societies are explicitly acknowledged in the current Costa Nortean constitution, which establishes the right “for communities to observe their traditional ways of life". Many Costa Norteans have, however, migrated to the capital, Porto-Novo, in search of employment or better social prospects.
The nation is a member of the Australian Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Lusophone Community.
Very nice, is there a signficiant costa nortean diaspora in Australasia (i guess mostly for cheap labour)?
Are there some indigenous insurgencies in the hinterland? Indigenous protests in the capital? How are the politics of the country, is it dominated by a creole elite, by the same parties that existed during the independance?
What are the religions in the country? IRL East timor is the most catholic country in the world (after of course vatican), and one of hte most religious country, in fact historically the church was the only vector of portuguese influence on the island, are Costa Nortean as catholic?
Going back to your kidulia infobox, are there any remnants of the portuguese colonisation on what are IRL the tiwi islands, or in any of the other failed colonies, like a few forts,a small creole speaking population or a catholic population?
I just noticed on one of your first map that the western part of Papua was colonized by Portugal, could you expend a bit on it?
(Unrelated, but how many people live in Baudinia? i think that's the only australian country you didn't give the population)
Last edited:
There is. There was only a small diaspora until the mid 1990s, when discrimination was significantly enough reduced to convince many Costa Norteans to move there. Now the diaspora grows by the day, although limits have been placed on emigration to prevent half the country leaving for better living conditions in Australasia.
There are no real indigenous protests; the current system - "we'll leave you alone and you leave us alone" - works quite well. Those who want to migrate for better job prospects will do so; those who would rather maintain their traditional cultural practices will typically remain in the hinterland or smaller towns.
Politics is... unique in Costa Norte. There are two organised political parties; the centre-right Front for National Liberation and the left-wing Democratic Republican Party. However, at present, 56% of the seats in the National Assembly are held by independents; many elected on the strength of support from their own communities, but also many who insist they alone have the solution to the country's problems. The current Prime Minister is Noé Aak Kuuw Punchan, a centre-right independent, leading a government with the FLN and an eclectic mix of independents. The President is non-partisan and serves a primarily ceremonial role. The incumbent, author Boori do Mar, is currently leading a push for increased literacy.
Just realised that this is not in the wikibox; apparently not all wikiboxes on Wikipedia have them!
The in-universe explanation is that statistics on such things are variable and difficult to gauge with high enough accuracy.
However, the rough religious break up is as follows:
59% Traditional indigenous faiths
32% Catholicism
8% Other Christian denominations
<1% Islam
<1% Other faiths; irreligion
Christianity is strongest in the coastal regions, where the influence of Crown and Church was strongest. However, much of the coastal population still hold to their traditional beliefs, and in much of the interior, Christianity is almost unknown.32% Catholicism
8% Other Christian denominations
<1% Islam
<1% Other faiths; irreligion
Hope that helps!
For religion, see above.
Education in Costa Norte is fairly poor by international standards. Almost every child is given a traditional education based on their particular ethnic group's traditions, however formal education in literacy and numeracy is generally restricted to towns and cities, and then only to primary school level. There are only ten high schools in the country, and one university.
The adult literacy rate is 40.6%, with a slightly higher proportion of females to males.
No traces remain of the (very) brief attempt at Portuguese colonisation of the Tiwi Islands (whose inhabitants quickly repelled the Portuguese), or of São João, in the OTL Kimberley. However, Portuguese influences are strong in Aurukun, part of Costa Norte but on the other side of the peninsula to Porto-Novo. A settlement there initially failed but was reestablished 30 years after colonisation of Porto-Novo.
That's New Guinea. It was indeed colonised by Portugal. Expansion shall come soon.
The population of Baudinia is only 63,800.
More coming on Baudinia soon!
How could the population possibly be that low? You could get that population from only a few thousand settlers doubling their population every generation for 100 years. I'd guess that it'd be a few hundred thousand at the lowest, with my estimate being 2-3 million or so (it's not just Frenchmen that would be settling there, but also Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese, much like in OTL French Algeria), not even factoring in the Indigenous population.
EDIT: The French country in South Australia is called Auralia, Baudinia is Kangaroo Island, my bad.
Last edited:
Do you realize that the island is only about 4,000 km² large, it would be very unlikely it would have a few millions, that's about the size of mallorca, which has 800k people thanks to millenias of inhabitation an lots of tourism. I doubt the island even has the carying capacity for a million. And much less people would settle the island, since many would just choose to go to Auralia. A few/several hundred thousands strikes me as the highest plausible number, maybe 500k, under the best circumstances if somehow people there stuck on the island and never went to the mainland.
There hasn't been any aboriginal presence on the island until 2,000 years ago.
Oh, I thought that was the name of the French country in South Australia (I remember now that it was called Auralia), I forgot that it just meant OTL Kangaroo Island, my bad.
Don't worry, everyone makes mistakes.
As for Auralia (which you were originally thinking of, the population is just over 1 million, with a very significant indigenous population. The problem with having all those extra settlers is that the French still colonised Algeria ITTL (although much later), which means many settlers would chose to go just across the pond rather than halfway around the world. This doesn't prevent Auralia from being a diverse and interesting nation, though.
This was basically my thought process when determining the population.
Actually, it's the other way around. There was a small aboriginal presence until 2000 years ago, but since then the island was uninhabited until the 1830s.
Flags of Africa
And you know how I never do what I say I'll do next? (Although the things I've promised are coming.)
Well.
I went on a bit of a flag-making spree, and here is the result. I had great fun making these, and I hope you enjoy looking at them. There are a few hints about the geopolitical situation of Africa mixed in throughout, so internet cookies for those who can spot them!
Which ones are you favourites? Mine are probably Gabon, Eswatini, Sierra Leone and East Africa.
Oh, and if you have any questions (hopefully there will be some) then don't hesitate to ask!
Well.
I went on a bit of a flag-making spree, and here is the result. I had great fun making these, and I hope you enjoy looking at them. There are a few hints about the geopolitical situation of Africa mixed in throughout, so internet cookies for those who can spot them!
Which ones are you favourites? Mine are probably Gabon, Eswatini, Sierra Leone and East Africa.
Oh, and if you have any questions (hopefully there will be some) then don't hesitate to ask!
Let me ask you a question:And you know how I never do what I say I'll do next? (Although the things I've promised are coming.)
Well.
I went on a bit of a flag-making spree, and here is the result. I had great fun making these, and I hope you enjoy looking at them. There are a few hints about the geopolitical situation of Africa mixed in throughout, so internet cookies for those who can spot them!
Which ones are you favourites? Mine are probably Gabon, Eswatini, Sierra Leone and East Africa.
Oh, and if you have any questions (hopefully there will be some) then don't hesitate to ask!
- Why did Sokoto has used the same flag like the one that is used as OTL pre-2011 Libya?
- How Sierra Leone has gotten a similar flag to the OTL Nigeria in terms of colors?
Isaac Beach
Banned
And you know how I never do what I say I'll do next? (Although the things I've promised are coming.)
Well.
I went on a bit of a flag-making spree, and here is the result. I had great fun making these, and I hope you enjoy looking at them. There are a few hints about the geopolitical situation of Africa mixed in throughout, so internet cookies for those who can spot them!
Which ones are you favourites? Mine are probably Gabon, Eswatini, Sierra Leone and East Africa.
Oh, and if you have any questions (hopefully there will be some) then don't hesitate to ask!
Love that big red Nigerian flag, and Algeria’s is very aesthetically pleasing. Lots of green, which is always nice on a flag.
And you know how I never do what I say I'll do next? (Although the things I've promised are coming.)
Well.
I went on a bit of a flag-making spree, and here is the result. I had great fun making these, and I hope you enjoy looking at them. There are a few hints about the geopolitical situation of Africa mixed in throughout, so internet cookies for those who can spot them!
Which ones are you favourites? Mine are probably Gabon, Eswatini, Sierra Leone and East Africa.
Oh, and if you have any questions (hopefully there will be some) then don't hesitate to ask!
How can people like you make so many great flags?
My favourites would be Sao Tomé, Angola, Algeria and Azawad