Commonwealth of Nations
Formed as previous Imperial Dominions were granted independence, the Commonwealth of Nations serves as a large supranational economic and military organisation. Individual member countries may be independent nations or dominions of one of the British monarchies, most are bound together in acknowledging one of the British monarchs (Queen Diana of Scotland and England or else King Peter of Kemr) as the head of state. The Commonwealth is more than just an association of related cricket and rugby leages, it is also an economic and currency union and also a military and defence alliance.
Since the end of the Florida War in 2004, there has been an ongoing discussion between the members of the East Caribbean Province and the West Caribbean Province with other members of the former Florida-Caribbea to federate into a Caribbean League based loosely upon the North American League. Talks have generally stalled due to reticence on the part of French and Batavian colonies to repudiate their exclusive relationships with their motherlands. Other potential members would rather seek union with the NAL. Many other issues need to be hammered out before any kind of strong proposal can be issued.
There are two classes of membership in the Commonwealth: Full and Associate. Full members are bound to all aspects of the underlying Treaty and also partake in all Sessions and may vote as needed. Unlike full members, associate members do not participate in the economic and monetary union but still participate in the diplomatic and military aspects of the union, with special reservations provided by their individual treaties with the Commonwealth.
The 16th through 18th centuries was the era called the Age of Discovery. This was the time when European and Asian powers were exploring the world and establishing their political influence via colonies. All three British nations planted their colonial flags in every corner of the world, and upon formation of the Federated Kingdoms in 1805, created the British Empire, an organisation where each nation ruled over its own colonies but they all enjoyed a unifrom system of jurisprudence, currency and mutual defence. The 19th century saw the perfection of this empire and the 20th saw its change into a Commonwealth of equal nations that all have a share in the cultures exported from Britain during the earlier period.
During the postwar years, many countries that formed the British Empire sought a more independent existence. It was during this process that the Commonwealth was formed; it serves as a large supranational economic and military organisation. The Commonwealth is also a cultural union of sorts. Students everywhere in the Commonwealth study topics centered on the other member nations; cultural exchange programmes between schools and cultural organisations exist; sports teams engage in exhibitions and of course there are the Commonwealth Games where not only are national sports exhibited but also grand competitions in the major sports of cricket, football and the like are held.
The Member Nations and Territories of the Commonwealth
Ascension Island (K) is a Kemrese military installation in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean between Africa and America.
Australasia is a federation of four territories (the former British colonies of Geireinti, Kingsland, New South Cambria and English Australia) on the Australian continent, Van Diemens Land to the south of the mainland, the Kingdom of Aotearoa to the east, several island groups in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Antarctic territories of English Australia and Aotearoa.
Australasia is famous for its separatists. The remote nature of the Outback and the inaccessability of much of the northern coast have given rise to a number of "principalities" and "kingdoms" which are generally little more than self-aggrandised agricultural stations or small towns. For example, one small town along the north coast has sought for the last decade or so to secede from Australasia and submit to the Emperor of Ethiopia.
One small group of separatists in Hobart, Van Diemens Land, caused a bit of a stir in 2005 by calling for the province's secession from Australasia and then joining the Scandinavian Realm in stead. Cooler heads note that the separatists don't even understand how the Australasian government works, pointing out that the English crown hasn't governed the island directly in more than 70 years.
Cambrian Guyana lies along the north coast of South America.
Cambrian Arctic Ocean Territory
The Cambrian Arctic Ocean Territory consists of the King Constantine Islands, surrounding the north magnetic pole, in joint administration with the NAL and its Arctic Research Corps.
Cambrian Indian Ocean Territory
The Cambrian Indian Ocean Territory consists of several small island groups in the southern Indian Ocean west of Australasia.
Dominion of Cyprus lies in the eastern Mediterranean.
Polynesi Gemruis / Cambrian Polynesia
Cambrian Polynesia is composed of the Society and Austral Islands, dependencies of New South Cambria in Australasia. They are slated for independence as kingdoms within the Commonwealth in March 2006.
Cape Green (S, Cap. Praya); is a group of islands off the west coast of Africa.
East Caribbean Province
The East Caribbean Province consists of the Leeward Islands: Anguila Antigua & Barbuda (Scotland), St. Kitts and Nevis (England), Montserat (England); and the Windward Islands: Dominica (Scotland), St. Lucia (England), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (England), Barbadoes (England), Grenada (England) and Tobago (England).
In the aftermath of the breakup of <A HREF = "florida.htm">Florida-Caribbea</A>, the Lords Governor of the newly liberated FK territories met to discuss regional plans and issues that affect the whole region. In light of the continued situation in Tobago, which seems likely to end in violence given the intractability of the Lithuanian invaders, the issue of security and defence was uppermost in the discussions. The result was talk of forming a new country, the Caribbean League, whose constitution would be based upon that of the NAL.
England is one of the principals of the Federated Kingdoms, comprising the southeastern third or so of the British Isle. We know that the current Queen is Diana I, of the Second House of Plantagenet. She is the daughter of Elizabeth I, who abdicated quite recently.
Until the 19th century, the Monarch was expected to take direct control of the Government, but, after the Second Union of Crowns(England and Scotland with Kemr), this became difficult, as the Monarch tended to spend more time in Kemr than England. The King appointed the First Lord of the Treasury as his representative in Parliament. Unlike *here*, the title of 'Prime Minister' was never conferred upon him, and he is usually known as simply 'the First Lord'. When Victoria came to the throne, she continued to use him as a representative.
Parliament is composed of two houses, as *here*. These are the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There was no civil war *there*, and so, the two houses are significantly closer to equality, as far as power goes. Also, as a result of James III(James II *here*) never being deposed(which caused the creation of the British political parties), party lines are different, not really forming until the beginning of the 20th century. The main parties are: The Socialist Party, the Liberal Party, and the Conservative Party. Admittedly, the only party with a different name is the Socialist Party, but the Liberal and Conservative parties have different roots to *here*'s Liberal and Conservative parties.
The current First Lord is a Socialist by the name of John Smith. He has been in power longer than any other First Lord of that Party.
England is fairly evenly divided between Protestants and Catholics. The Protestants are largely based in the north of the country, the Catholics in the south. The Archbishop of Yorwich is a Protestant, and the Archbishop of Canterbury a Catholic. The Queen is, in fact, a Catholic, but also legally the head of the English Presbyterian Church.
England is interesting linguistically. Some dialects in Yorkshire have dropped the familiar form 'thou', and adopted 'you' throughout their speech, entirely confusing singular and plural. This can really confuse Englanders from other, more sane, parts of the country.
England is, in many ways, rather old-fashioned, though not quite Dunein standard. Cobbled streets are still the norm in small towns. Red telephone boxes may be spotted throughout the nation. England, is, as *here*, divided into counties, though many of these were eliminated in a recent reshuffle, and others simply do not exist, instead being inside Kemr(Non-existent counties include Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and others). It is a current issue how much autonomy these counties should be given.
England has an organisation, known as 'Her Majesty's Army'(The HMA), devoted to the dissolution of the FK. Due to its (innacurate) name, it will never be referred to by name, but simply called 'The Seperatist Group'. Its name has also given rise to several conspiracy theories about Diana's involvement in the organisation.
The chief regions of England are Kent in the southeast, Sussex in the southwest, the Midlands north and west of London, Northunbria in the northeast and Cumbria in the northwest.
English Guyana is a territory in northern South America.
Kingdom of Fiji
The Kingdom of Fiji was once a Kemrese colonial territory, but attained independence as a Kingdom within the Commonwealth. It is a power to be reckoned with in the region, and has its own brood of dependencies known as Fijian Polynesia: Phoenix Islands, Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, and the Cook Islands. King Thakombao V rules over the kingdom.
Gibraltar is The Rock. Long held by the English Kingdom as a gateway to the Mediterranean. It was wrested from Castile in 1704 during a long and protracted civil war in which England backed the other side; and once they got a hold of it they decided they didn't want to let go again. It has long been desired by Castille, who laid siege to it in 1727 and 1779-1783, and Castile continues to agitate for its return; but England and the FK do not seem likely to give it up. Gibraltarians have, since the Second Great War, desired full autonomy; but given the likelihood that Castile will simply invade, neither the locals nor the FK are willing to take the plunge. Local referrenda extended to the populace on returning to Castille have always gone down in resounding defeat. For now, it is likely that Gibraltar will remain an English Crown Colony but with considerable internal autonomy. It, along with Malta, host vital Royal Navy and Royal Air Force bases. The taxi tour to the top of the Rock is not to be missed. Watch out for the barbary apes, though - they are friendly, but like to steal things from unsuspecting tourists and will eat any food you have in hand! Don't miss the catchments and the tour of the caverns either!
Goodyear Island is a small English crown colony to the southwest of St. Thomas and Prince.
Duchy of Grand Fenwick
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick is located in the Alps along the French and Helvetian borders. It is the smallest country in the world not consisting solely of a radar platform, and rarely appears on maps because printers complain that no one can ever make out what the arrow and cryptic phrase "DUCHY OF GRAND FENWICK" actually points to. Grand Fenwick was founded in 1370 by Englishman Roger Fenwick, who, as he later said, rather took a fancy to the place and moved in. The only real resource of the duchy is grapes; and of course its chief export is wine, particularly the Pinot Grand Fenwick. The Forest is a favourite of hikers and naturalists; which has led to a nascent ecotourism firm in the Duchy. Mostly this involves young Henry Bascombe pointing out the woods to visitors and telling them to have a good time. If there is no guard on duty at the border, just go right on in.
The Hogg Islands, setting for Shakespeare's "The Tempeste", are more generally known as the Somer Island. See article below.
Hong Kong is the pearl of European colonies in China, is a major trading post and zone of cultural hyperexchange.
The Indo-British Union consists of Calcutta (E), Madras (S) Bombay (K) and the Malabar Coast, which itself is comprised of the coastal territory between Calicut (E) and Cochin (K). The Malabar Coast was a former Beihanguo (Chinese) colonial territory seized by Federated forces during the 1949 Oriental War. Following the League of Nations mandate, Malabar Coast has been integrated into the Indo-British Union.
Kemr occupies the southwestern third of the British Isle. The boundary between England and Kemr - known as the Ffens (fence) - runs up along the Pennines and down the river Ribble. See Brithenig for more information on the language spoken in Kemr.
Kingdom of Madagascar
The Kingdom of Madagascar is an island nation off the southeastern coast of Africa the people of which are an admixture of SE Asians, Austronesians, Chinese, Europeans and Africans. Most Madagascrians are Buddhist; the official language is Mandarin, though the traditional language brought from SE Asia nearly 2000 years ago is at the heart of a vibrant cultural fusion. The current manjacka or monarch is Queen Ranavalona IV. In the aftermath of the 1947 Oriental War, Madagascar came under the Commonwealth's sphere of influence. After the recent wars in China, Madagascar sought admission to the Commonwealth. The tayel is their unit of currency, and is equivalent to the pound; the ariary is equivalent to the shilling and the peni is equivalent to the penny.
Kingdom of Malta
The Kingdom of Malta is a small island in the Mediterranean, long administered by the Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. In the mid 19th century, external matters have been assumed by the Federated Kingdoms, leaving internal governance to the Knights. Malta is known for its ancient ruins and is a thriving tourist destination. It served honorably during the Second Great War as an airbase for Royal Navy dirigible fleets that harrassed Europe from the south and Africa from the north. The Maltese flag:
Kingdom of Mauritius
The Kingdom of Mauritius, discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and English before independence within the Commonwealth was attained in 1968.
Mauritius relies on tourism and the export of sugar and other agricultural products for sustenance. The population is predominantly African mixt with several European stocks. The official language is English, though there are pockets of French speakers. A Creole is spoken by everyone.
Kingdom of the Mosquito Coast
The Kingdom of the Mosquito Coast is a former English colony in Central America. It is an ecotourism haven and is famed for its undersea beauty.
North American League
The NAL-SLC encompasses more than half of North America. Most of the constituent provinces owe allegience to one of the British monarchs; but two provinces are subject to the Scandinavian monarch and several are Native provinces, owing allegience to no foreign powers.
Rhodesia was a Kemrese protectorate in the XIX century and later a dominion. In 1957 it attained independence within the Commonwealth but was invaded by Chinese forces from Chinese East Africa in the late 1980s. After two decades of revolt and border skirmishing, Kemrese and Federated forces engaged in all-out war and ousted the invaders. Since the end of the war, the reinstated government of Rhodesia has been busy repairing the damage done during the occupation and war.
The Salomon Islands
The Salomon Islands (R) is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean belonging to England.
The Seychelles (E, Cap. Kingston) is an island group between Madagascar and India in the Indian Ocean; agriculture and tourism are the chief occupations. RN and RAF bases round out the economic activity.
The Shetlands are a dependency of the Kingdom of Scotland.
Also known as the Hogg Islands, the Somer Islands lie well off the east coast of the NAL-SLC. Once the lair of corsairs and privateers, it was the setting for Shaxpear's "The Tempeste"; it now enjoys the fruits of tourism and is an international banking and tax haven. Somer Islands are an English Crown Colony.
Sultanate of Socotra
The Sultanate of Socotra (E, Cap. Adibo) is an island off the Horn of Somalia. It plays host to RN and RAF bases. The people of the sultanate, a mixture of Greek, Indian, Arab and Somali ancestry, are a majority of Nestorian Christians (whose communities date to the sixth century and survived the centuries of the rise of Islam due to isolation until very late) with a sizeable minority of Zaydist Muslims. Ghee and medicinals are the chief export; outside of Adibo, the economy is almost entirely by barter and the use of antique coins. The local diocese operates all Socotran schools.
South African Union
The South African Union is a member of the British Commonwealth, having been an English colony from 1795. A series of wars with the Batavian settlers to the north of the Cape Colony in the 19th century led to the formation of the Union of South Africa. South Africa sought independence from England in 1983 and thereafter sought admission to the Commonwealth. The Union includes Botswana and Rhodesia. And though the latter was siezed in 1995 by Chinese (Hunan) forces, who annexed the territory to Chinese East Africa; the recent wars in China allowed the English considerable success in their efforts to reclaim their lost territories.
Dominion of Southwest Africa
was a Batavian colony until seized by English forces during the Boer War. Reforms in the governance of southern African territories in the 1980s led to a formal separation from the Union of South Africa. The Etosha International Reserve, a vast restricted parkland, is coadministered by the Dominion and the Dalmatian Kongo.
St. Andrew and Providence
St. Andrew and Providence are islands of the southwestern Caribbean Sea and are dependent on the Kingdom of the Mosquito Coast.
Kingdom of Tahiti
The Kingdom of Tahiti was granted independence within the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 January 2006, per treaty with Australasia. Queen Elen Marau Pomare VI is the head of state; the head of government is the Prime Minister. Governance is through a council of elders (chosen from among the various islands of the country) and the Senad, or parliamentary body.
Saint Thomas and Prince
St. Thomas and Prince (K, Cap. Port Alegrey) is an island group off the west coast of equatorial Africa; tourism forms the economic basis, as well as catering to the RN and RAF bases.
The Swan Islands lie in the western Caribbean and are dependent on the Cayman Islands.
The Tokelau Islands became Andrew Morris' newest privatized island in 2009 after breaking away from Fijian control. They became an independent member of the Commonwealth soon after.
were bought from the Cambrian crown by wealthy businessman Martin C. Harman, also owner of Lundy off the Cambrian coast. Tortuga is an uninhabited island, now owned by Andrew Morris (Master of Lundy) and like Lundy is a national park. The curious constitutional arrangement between Lundy and the Kemrese province of Dûnein (which itself has a curious arrangement with Kemr proper) means that Tortuga is the only veritable Dumnonian colony in the world, apart from Britanny, which is presently part of France. It is largely an independent colony nation, personally owned by the Lord Proprietor of a semi independent bailiwick that depends on the person of the king of a country that has been in constitutional union with with another country for centuries. Suffice to say that even the eyes of experienced lawyers glaze over when dealing with Cambrian constitutional law. Cruises visit from Margarita and Batavian Antilles regularly.
Kingdom of Wallace Cay
The Kingdom of Wallace Cay, known as Belice in Castilian, is an Anglo-Native constitutional monarchy on the Caribbean Sea.
West Caribbean Province
The West Caribbean Province consists of Turc e Chaicoes (Kemr), and Caiman (Kemr).
|Calcutta | Cape Green | Cyprus | East Caribbean Province | England | English Australia | English Guyana | Gibraltar | Goodyear Island | Hong Kong | Kingdom of Mauritius | Mosquito Coast | Providence Islands | The Salomon Islands | The Seychelles | Socotra | Southwest Africa | Swan Islands | Wallace Cay|
|Bombay | East Caribbean Province | Kingsland | Scotland|
|Ascension Island | Cambrian Arctic Ocean Territory | Cambrian Guyana | Cambrian Indian Ocean Territory | Kemr | New Kemr di'll Ostr | Madras | Rhodesia | Saint Thomas and Prince | Tortuga Islands | West Caribbean Province|
|Other Full members|
|Aotearoa | Fiji | Grand Fenwick | Indo-British Union | Madagascar | Malta | Margarita Islands | NAL-SLC | South Africa | Somer Islands | Tahiti | Toga|
|Alyaska | Armorica | Bharatij Samrazj | Bengal | Ireland (including Guereintia and Montserrat) | Oregon | Thiruvithankur | Xrivizaja|