Forum:Territory application/AN113 - Respublika Ostrova Swjatoga Nikolaja
- Please fill in the information below to make a territory request.
 | Territory ID and proposed name |
|---|---|
| The Territory ID (from OpenGeofiction:Territories, e.g. AR123a) and proposed name of the country |
AN113 - Respublika Ostrowa Swjatöga Nikolaja (Republic of the Islands of St. Nicholas)
 | Physical geography |
|---|---|
| An overview of climate, topography and landscape of the country. It is advised to also create a sketch, you can add a link to this (hosted on imgur or similar) |
Topography / Landscape - Having been formed by volcanic eruptions, the islands generally have steep terrain. As a result of these eruptions, the soil on all three islands is highly fertile; however, due to the steepness of the majority of the islands' landmass, large-scale agricultural exploitation of these favourable conditions is difficult. Instead, the islands are largely forested, with tropical rainforest covering much of the non-urbanised area of the islands. Sand beaches line all three islands' coasts, though the southern island and parts of the central island are rockier. The islands are surrounded by largely untouched coral reef, though in recent decades they have been threatened by the expansion of the nation's offshore oil and gas exploitation projects. However, the expansion of the isles' tourism industry in recent years has facilitated calls to protect the coral reef, which the government has begun in part.
Climate - The islands have a consistent tropical climate, officially classified as a tropical monsoon climate. Temperatures rarely drop below 20c year-round, with mean highs of 32c in the summer months. There is a pronounced rainy season stretching from December-February, in which flooding of lower terrain occasionally occurs. However, the general hot weather allows for the tourism industry to operate year-round.
 | Human geography |
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| A brief description of the territory demographics, economic development, land occupation, infrastructure and mapping style |
Demographics - The archipelago has a population of 282,000 people, with the bulk concentrated along the coast of the central island. However, the population densities of the northern and southern islands, which have more suitable terrain for building, have considerably higher population densities. The capital city, Kuzneromörsk, which straddles the north-eastern bay of the central island, has an urban population of 36,000, and a metro area population of 66,000. There are other considerable built-up settlements on the northern island, which is highly urbanised, and the southern coast of the central island. The majority of the population - roughly 75% - are descendents of serf immigrants from Russian and German-cultured nations, who arrived in the 1800s, mostly to escape serfdom, or avoid persecution for a range of crimes. Some nobles of these ethnicities also immigrated to the island, and eventually formed the majority of the aristocracy which dominated the nation's governance until the early 1900s. Another 10% of the population consists of migrants from East Asian-cultured nations, who arrived enmasse in the mid-1900s. A further 5% of the population consists of the remnants of the islands' native populations, who mostly inhabited the northern and southern islands at the time of the first settlers' arrivals, and whose population was greatly reduced by disease and forced relocation. They now mostly inhabit the inland, rural villages of the central island, as well as the southern island. The remaining 10% of the population is a mix of immigrants of other origin, namely other Eastern European and Asian cultures.
Economic Development / Land Occupation / Infrastructure - The islands' economy is diversified. Traditionally, the islands' inhabitants relied on fishing, small-scale agriculture, and forestry. With large-scale urbanisation and huge population growth, land suitable for agriculture was mostly repurposed for housing, and increased demand led to overfishing. Since the mid-1900s, the discovery of modest oil and gas reserves, mostly offshore, has led to a steady increase in the supply of jobs, as well as a growth in national income. However, income inequality has risen. In addition to these industries, tourism has seen a boom in recent years, due to the government realising the need to establish more sustainable, equal forms of wealth generation. This was facilitated by the construction of the nation's first and only international airport on the northern island, and the improvement of transport links across the nation. Road and rail infrastructure across the nation remains largely undeveloped, with a light rail / tram system present only on the central and northern islands. The road network consists of only a few highways connecting major cities, mostly on the central island. The nation's towns, being largely cramped, are largely pedestrianised, with roads connecting different districts. The nation's GDP stands around $6.5bnUSD, with GDP per Capita roughly sitting at a modest $23,000USD, though this has greatly increased in recent years with the expansion of the tourist industry and financial deregulation, with the country becoming something of a tax haven for the wealthy.
Mapping Style - For the nation, I will combine inspiration from Caribbean nations, with sub-par infrastructure, for the poorer parts of the islands, with Central European-inspired urban planning for the cores of the settler towns. For newer districts of towns, I will incorporate American/Commonwealth/Suburban style grid-planning.
 | History & culture |
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| A brief description of the intended culture and language |
History - Evidence of native culture dating back thousands of years has been found on both the northern and southern islands, indicating their longevity as an isolated civilisation. It is thought that their population numbered around 32,000 prior to settlement by the immigrants, decreasing greatly upon their arrival due to the diseases and harsh subjugation they brought with them. The settlers arrived in the 1800s from Germanic/Russian-cultured nations (not exactly sure which in specific, I'll have to dig into lore / find out which nations would allow for this story to involve them) to escape persecution for crimes, or serfdom. Governance of the nation was first entrusted to an oligarchy of aristocrats and industrialists from these same nations, which was overthrown in the early 1900s by trade unionists. After these trade unionists failed to establish a stable form of governance, a military junta came into power, lasting until the mid 1900s, being replaced by a mostly-free democracy after its leader passed. The introduction of democracy led a second influx of immigrants, many from Asian cultures.
Culture / Language - The official language of the islands is a mixture of Russian and German, largely following the Russian grammatical structure, but with German linguistic influence. In some parts of the nation, particularly ethnically homogenous parts, some inhabitants speak the 'pure' versions of these languages, though this is uncommon, and not taught in schools, and, thus, dying out. The language is almost completely mutually intelligible with both Russian and German. The native language, though spoken by the native populace, is not recognised to any degree by the government, despite the best efforts of campaigners. The culture is, similarly, a mix of Russian and Germanic cultures, reflecting the ethnic roots of the majority of the country's populace. Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches are found on the island, as well as a few temples of the native faith, and, recently, various places of worship of the immigrant Asian communities.
 | Past mapping |
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| To support your request provide links to areas of OGF mapping which showcase your mapping skill. Mapping relevant to the requested theme & geography is especially useful | |
| The {{coord}} template can optionally be used to link to the OGF map - it results in a nice formatted link. Or you can paste in a URL. |
https://opengeofiction.net/#map=15/-10.6071/169.5415&layers=BN - Small town called Johnstone I've been working on for a few days now, wanted to try something in American style - as a European native, I find the grid system interesting, though completely foreign.
https://opengeofiction.net/#map=15/-12.4672/170.7996&layers=BN - Little Croatian-themed island project I worked on over a year ago, for fun, in a mapping style that is a lot more native to me. I'll come back to it.
https://opengeofiction.net/#map=15/-12.4074/170.7779&layers=B - Another small project I worked on a year ago, German-styled. Never got round to finishing it, but I have rediscovered my love for painting maps with silly lines.
| Username & date |
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| Sign and date the application by typing four tildes like this: ~~~~ |
Vjekoslav95 (talk) 00:16, 21 February 2025 (UTC)
 | Discussion |
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| Discussion for clarification & decision |
- Changed the nation's name in the 'Territory ID and Proposed Name' box to better fit the conlang. Couldn't work out how to change the title, though, but use the updated name for reference.
- My previous territory application didn't go amazing, I apologise for giving up on it completely - I chose the smallest island nation I could find because it better suits the sort of mapping I'm most interested in, and is a more realistic commitment.