Utterland
| 8, 55.709, 47.313 | |||||
| Utterland | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Capital and largest city | Uisteren | ||||
| Area | |||||
| • Total | 18715.41 km2 7226.02 sq mi | ||||
| Timezone | +2 | ||||
| Internet TLD | .ud | ||||
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Geography
Utterland is surrounded by Shilesia and Welstand-Westrijk to the west, as well as Vinnmark. To the south lies Ventria, with Ísztianország just to the east. The small nation of Kobáň is on Utterland's north border, partly separated by an arm of the Firth of Hetzer. Topographically, Utterland is a land of rolling hills, intersected by many rivers. The Firth of Hetzer dives deep into the west of the country, ending at the old city of Solsburg.
Capital
Uisteren is Utterland's capital, which is embedded in the Uisterse Heuvels to the south. Other main cities are Welle, Solsburg, Galmosen and Rijksbergen. Smaller towns and villages dot the countryside, but Utterland is on the whole fairly sparsely populated.
Provinces
[1]Welle
Welle covers the far northeast of Utterland, along the border with Koban. It is a hilly area, with its highest point at the tri-point with Estiensia and Koban, at an altitude of 500 metres above sealevel. The province is thinly populated, with Welle as its main centre of population.
[2]Over Hetzer
Over Hetzer lies on both sides of the southern end of the Firth of Hetzer, with the city of Solsburg as its main centre. It is the industrial heartland of the country, with centres like Ilmond, Ilvoorde, Putmuiden and the extensive Solsburg Docks. The west of the province, along the border with Shilesia, is mainly agricultural. The eastern shore of the First of Hetzer is the location of two nature reserves, see below.
[3]Hemmel
Hemmel lies in the centre of Utterland, and contains two larger cities. Hemmel, the county town, is situated on the shores of the Utter River. Mirkbos lies in a valley of the Borgense Park hills.
[4]Uisteren
Uisteren is the nation's capital.
[5]Galmosen
Galmosen stretches along the border with Shilesia and Vinnmark, reaching the highest point in Utterland at the Bovenmosen hill, at 750 metres above sealevel.
[6]Rijksbergen
[7]Briechen
Nature reserves
History
Before 1885
The territory of Utterland was part of Vinnmark until 1885. There was a large degree of autonomy, with the nobility more or less allowed to run affairs as they saw fit. The main landowners were the Duke of Schalmen, who took seat at Welle, the Count of Solsburg, who resided at Fort Solsburg. The Duke of Hemmel had decided to run his estate from Fort Merken, right across the river from, and in opposition to, Fort Solsburg. Following a number of unsuccessful attempts by Hetzer to cross the river and take Fort Merken, around 1712, the boundary line between their estates was made to be the River Utter. The Uisterse Heuvels, in the south, until 1834, was an area ruled by self-proclaimed leaders in the small towns and villages that dot the area.
The 1930s
Although Utterland was not directly involved with Vinnmark's 1934 civil war, the cities of Galmosen and Rijksbergen, which lie closest to the Vinn border took in many refugees, who fled the unrest. The housing estate on the eastern edge of Galmosen, off the Sterrenbeeldpark, was built to house them. A similar estate went up on the northern fringes of Rijksbergen. Although many of the refugees returned to Vinnmark in the late 1930s, a sizeable proportion of those cities' populations remains Vinn in origin.
Road and water links
Road network
Utterland has a good road network, linking the major towns and cities. There are nine primary routes, mostly dual-carriageways, which have motorway-like interchanges in the centre of the country. International roadlinks exist to the neighbouring countries of Vinnmark, Shilesia, Koban, Ventria and Ísztianország
N1 starts on the border with Ventria near Grammer and leads via Rijksbergen to Uisteren, then to the Ísztianország border near Vallenberg.
N2 starts on the Ísztianország border near Peringen and leads via Mirkbos to Solsburg.
N3 runs from the border with Shilesia to Solsburg, then south to Hemmel and Uisteren, then through the hill country of Uisterse Heuvels to Luikenberg, near the border with Ventria
N5 starts at Grammer and parallels the border with Ventria past Luikenberg, Houtenhage all the way to the border with Ventria near Moorbeek.
N6 runs from the Koban border at Loosteren to Uisteren through the Borgense Park hills.
N8 runs from the Vinnmark border to Rijksbergen
N9 runs from the Shilesia border to Galmosen, then southeast towards Uisteren.
Waterways
The Firth of Hetzer extends from the north (and west) into Utterland, ending at the city of Solsburg, which has a large dock- and harbour area.
Rivers
The River Utter empties into the sea at Solsburg, after being joined by a number of other rivers and streams. The two major tributaries are the Larie Water (which rises near Stoornenburg and the Mosen, which rises north of Galmosen.
Public transport
Railways
Railways in Utterland consists of a normal gauge railway network in the north and west, and a 950 mm narrow-gauge network in the south. A separate narrow-gauge network runs from Putmuiden to Hetterstrecht on the Firth of Hetzer. The line from Welle to Sterkerheide and on to Peklo (Kobáň) is 760 mm narrow-gauge.
International links
Narrow gauge network
- Connections with Ventria's narrow-gauge network exist at Luikenberg, Mankelei and Oosterheide.
- A narrow-gauge link into Ísztianország runs from the Briechen to Vallenberg spur.
The above lines are all a 950 mm gauge.
- The line from Welle to Peklo, in Kobáň, is a different narrow-gauge, to conform to the Kobáň norm of 760 mm.
International normal gauge links
- Ventria: from Rijksbergen through the border station at Grammer.
- Shilesia: from Blankendaal to Czechowice, Solsburg to Zaborze (and on to Hanviller in eastern Vinnmark), and Solsburg via Woudendijk to Ligota (and on to Kirchenburg in Welstand-Westrijk).
- Vinnmark: from Rijksbergen as well as Galmosen to Berles and Varlonge, and through Shilesia.
- Ísztianország from Solsburg and Mirkbos, as well as from Welle.
- Ísztianország south through Koban to Welle.
Ferries
A ferry service links Kobáň with the harbour at Hetterstrecht. Further ferry services across the Firth are under discussion. These may extend to Tircambry and Wesmandy when they become a reality.
Another ferry service connects Larinchem with Zonnevank across the Firth of Hetzer.
Buses and coaches
Air travel
Utterland's main airport is Luchthaven Putterwaard, located about 5 km east of Putmuiden and 10 km northnortheast of Solsburg.
Media outlets
Utterland Utterances
On-line news from the country can be found at Utterland Utterances.
