Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald
- This article is about the former state. For the successor state, see Realm of the Sovereign Lanzerwald. For the historical forested region, see The Lanzerwald.
| Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald Republiek van de Verenigde Steden in het Lanserwoud | |||
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| Motto: Met de hulp van de Here, en door samen op te trekken houden wij stand. In Istvanistani: With the help from the Lord, and by working together, we will last. | |||
| Anthem: Geef mij het Lanserwoud In Istvanistani: Give me the Lanzerwald | |||
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| Map versions | 17.6.1 - present. See also other maps of the Lanzerwald. | ||
| Capital | Oudorp | ||
| Largest city | Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen | ||
| Official language(s) | Cibolan-Diets, Southern-Cibolan Saxon, Alexandrian | ||
| Official religion(s) | Ludwiggian Reformed Church | ||
| Demonym | Lanzerwalder | ||
| - Adjective | Lanzerwaldian | ||
| Government | Republic | ||
| - Stadhouder | |||
| - Legislature | Steden-Generaal | ||
| Establishment | 1709 | ||
| Area | |||
| Population | |||
| Currency | Ludwigspfennig | ||
| Calendar | Norton calendar | ||
| Time zone(s) | CMT-10 | ||
| Mains electricity | 230/400 V - 50 Hz | ||
| Driving side | Right | ||
| Track gauge | 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | ||
| National website | staat.rsl | ||
| National forum | On the Bastion Union | ||
| National animal | Lanzerwaldesel | ||
| National food | Salted whitefish | ||
| National drink | Kräuterwasser | ||
| National tree | Juniper bush | ||
| Abbreviation | RSL | ||
The Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald (Cibolan-Diets: Republiek van de Verenigde Steden in het Lanserwoud, Ludwiggian: Republik der Vereinigte Städte im Lanzerwald) is an independent nation in South-East Cibola. The nation emerged after the dominance of the Republic Sankt Ludwigshafen, which was centred on Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen, waned following the Second Ludwiggian-Monovian War when the treaty Union of Oudorp was signed by the cities in the Lanzerwald. The nation is the official successor to the Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen. The primary language spoken in the Lanzerwald is Cibolan-Diets, in Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen the language South-Cibolan Saxon is the most spoken language, while Alexandrian is spoken in Louisville.
Demography
The Lanzerwald has a citizen population of 213,281 as of 1711, it is uncertain how many people still inhabit the Green who are not affiliated with the republic but according to estimations by the republic, this could be up to 50,000 people and most of them are considered to be Monovians. Inhabitants of the Lanzerwald are overwhelmingly people of eastern South-Cibolan descent with very few people originating from other continents. Roughly half of the citizens are considered to be Ludwiggian people, with the other half of the population considered to be ethnically Zandarijn. Most Ludwiggian people live in the area previously controlled by the Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen and most Zandarijn people live in the area previously controlled by the Dominion of Zandarijn.
Political system
The Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald is a representative democracy. The people are represented by a unicameral parliament that is called the Steden-Generaal. The elections are organised by the city districts, and it is possible that a political party only participates in a few cities, or just one. The republic does however have a system of proportional representation, when the cities have counted the votes in their districts, these numbers are added up by the central electoral committee and combined form the election results. There are a total of 100 seats to be distributed in the Steden-Generaal, which is expected to elect a stadtholder (Cibolan-Diets: Stadhouder) and a president (Voorzitter) as soon as possible, preferable in the first session of the new Steden-Generaal. The president presides over the sessions of the Steden-Generaal to make sure the proceedings happen according to the laws of the republic, and the rules and regulations of the Steden-Generaal. The president also invites members of the cabinet to the Steden-Generaal so they can be held acountable.
The stadtholder is the leader of the executive branch of government in the republic. Like previously mentioned he is elected by the Steden-Generaal as soon as possible after the elections. After the stadtholder is elected, he will present his cabinet, consisting of cabinet minsters and the Steden-Generaal will vote on all individual cabinet ministers. As a basic principle, the stadtholder and his cabinet ministers do not have any powers that normal citizens do not have, unless these powers have been granted them explicitly by the laws of the republic.
Formally an open political system, the Steden-Generaal is dominated by the Traditional Party, which has received over 95 of the 100 seats. Elections within the party often garner more attention than the general elections.
Economy
The economy of the republic is dominated by the agricultural sector. As of 1709, 57% of all working people were active in agriculture, most of them in arable farming, horticulture and fishing, in that order. Both in weight and value, over half of the production on arable land is wheat, a mix of wheat varieties is grown and in order to secure food security the republic promotes crop rotation and inter-cropping through incentives for sustainable farming practices and fines for unsustainable practices. Besides crops for human consumption, the republic also produces crops that are both suitable for human consumption and to make biodiesel, these crops include rapeseed and maize. The republic subsidises the planting of these three crops, wheat, rapeseed and maize, to make the republic less dependent on foreign nations in times of scarcity.
Besides farming on arable land, the republic is known for its extensive horticulture, predominantly floriculture. The republic produces flowers that are sold as bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths and crocuses. Production of such flowers mostly takes place in the region south of Oudorp that has the perfect climate for these flowers, as well as loam soil in which the flowers thrive. Around Louisville, the republic produces lavender, of which the oil is harvested and sold for its scent. Throughout the republic other flowers are also grown and sold dried, especially peonies, pansies and rose buds. The flower industry is part of the national identity of the Republic of the United Cities and a peony features both in the national flag and the national coat of arms.
While the Second Ludwiggian-Monovian War briefly ended all tourism to the Lanzerwald region, after the war the tourist sector was one of the first sectors to fully restore. Thanks to investments in better accommodations, at the end of 1709 the tourist sector was already bigger than it was before the war. Visitors to the republic are predominantly from Sanama and Xäiville Convention member states. Favourite activities for tourists are skiing, snowboarding and other winter sport activities. In the summer, tourists appreciate the relative quietness of the beaches in the republic, as well as the lush forests of the Lanzerwald. In the Spring, many tourists flock to the flower fields south of Oudorp to see the blooming bulb flowers. Around 2% of the Lanzerwaldian labour force are active in the tourist sector, most of them people below the age of 25.
International cooperation
Lanzerwald is a member of the Xäiville Convention, a membership that was inherited from Sankt Ludwigshafen. It is also a member of the Micras Trade Organisation. The republic is not a member of the Micras Treaty Organisation and opposed the creation of the Convention on Civil Aviation as it rejects civil aviation.
Military
The republic inherited the military organisation of Sankt Ludwigshafen, both the Kriegskorps Ludwigshafen and the Dragonerkorps Ludwigshafen, as well as the Zandarijn Liberation Army, all consisting of a single corps. These three corpses were merged into the Army of the Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald. Besides the army, the Steden-Generaal also established the Navy of the Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald.
Conflicts
- Lanzerwaldian-Whaler War (1709-1710)
- Uprising of Bisera (1711)
Religion
The official church of the republic is the Ludwiggian Reformed Church and the state takes an active role in promoting the spread of the Nazarene faith, for example by funding the translation of Scripture into Cibolan-Diets, a project that is known as the Stedenvertaling. At the same time the republic tries to prevent the spread of extremist and alarmist religious ideas, or theologies that promote inequality between races, sexes or that promote homophobia.
