Jääland

Jääland
Flag Coat of Arms of Jäärland Coat of Arms
Motto:
Anthem: File:National Anthem of Jääland.ogg
Map versions
Capital	Hellistelli
Largest city	Ukkonen, Kankylä
Official language(s)	Jääkieli
Official religion(s)	Church of the Holy Lance
Demonym	Jäärrish
- Adjective	Jäärrish
Government	Parliamentary Republic
- President	Petri Pukki
- Legislature	Senaatti.
Establishment	1678
Area
Population	2.7 million
Currency	Florian Dollar
Calendar
Time zone(s)	CMT±0
Mains electricity
Driving side	Right
Track gauge
National website
National forum
National animal	Bruin
National food	Meatballs
National drink	milk
National tree
Abbreviation	JAR, JA

Jääland (In Jääkieli: Jääland or Jäälanti) is a small nordic micronation in northern Apollonia. The capital and largest city is Hellistelli. Other major cities inlcude Ukkonen and Kankylä. Despite having a small population and located in the very north of Apollonia, Jääland attracts many tourists due to the various ski resorts and the cold weather. Jääland currently has a population of 2.7 million who mostly live in the central and southern parts of the country.

History

Jääland was founded in 1678 by a group of landowners (led by Petri Pukki) and the Church of the Holy Lance. The diocesan and parochial structure of the Church allowed for the ideas of building a state to spread. As such, most of the State is organized in parallel to the church. Shortly afterwards a group of Florians settled in the area and brought many Florian influences to Jaaland such as introducing the sport of ice hockey and baseball and cuisine.

Jääland's economy saw good growth in the late 1680s and early 1690s. With the establishment of Hellistelli International Airport as a trading hub for flights between Lyrica, Benacia and northern Keltia (through the Boreal Air Bridge), and the entry of Jääland into the Raspur Pact, Jääland developed its services in logistics and tourism.

By 1693, however, unemployment reached record levels, and Jääland entered a recession. This was due to diminishing trade from Elwynn, Benacia, and other parts of the Raspur Pact, due to the blockade of the Boreal Air Bridge by the Republic of Elwynn and Amokolia. Similarly, the service sector saw a blow with almost all foreign tourists gone. It is hoped that once the war in Northern Elwynn is over, Jääland's economy might recover.

Economy

Jääland's economy is relatively strong however relies on trade with it's major trading partner, the Confederate States of Floria.

Energy

Despite numerous protests, Jääland mostly uses nuclear power as wind power and hydropower combined don't provide enough for residents. Jääland also lacks fossil fuels domestically and so these must be imported from elsewhere. This includes uranium for nuclear power.

Transport

Public transport is difficult to operate in the country especially in the north. Jääland, therefore, has an extensive road system mostly used by internal cargo and passenger traffic. Hellistelli International Airport is the main international gateway with the airport serving as the hub of Air Jääland. In 1686 AN, construction of a national highway began.

Industry

Jääland's main industry is steel production and its main trading partner is the Confederate States of Floria with both exchanging goods regularly. Both countries operate a free trade and movement agreement with each other. other major trading partners include Elwynn and Hurmu. Since joining the Raspur Pact, Jääland has provided materials for weapon and vehicle production for the Pact bringing stable income to the nation.

Tourism

Jääland has many ski resorts which attract many tourists mostly from Floria. Jääland's tourist industry is steadily growing and Jääland's government hopes that tourism will be one of the main industries of Jääland in the future.

Education

In 1691, Jääland inaugurated its first university, the University of Jääland (Jäälannin yliopisto) with funding from the Raspur Pact (particularly from Elwynn and Floria) and Hurmu. With healthy links with other Raspur Pact member nations, it is common for Jääkieli students studying abroad in major Raspur Universities such as the Metzler University and University of Northcliff .

Culture

Religon

Around 68% of the citizens of Jääland follow the Church of the Holy Lance which was introduced by visitors from the Confederate States of Floria. However, like Floria, membership of the religion is declining as more people become more irreligious. Other notable religions in Jääland include Umraism and Yahudism.

The Church of the Holy Lance is an official state church, and therefore receives support from the state. It helped found the state, and as such, even by the irreligious people, is well regarded and respected. It is a unifier of the Jääland people and a carrier of Jääland culture.

Sport

Jääland's most popular sport in terms of fan attendance and TV audiences is ice hockey. However, the national sport of Jääland is baseball. The top-flight ice hockey league in the country is called the Jääland-Liiga which currently has 10 teams and the league is currently the only fully professional sports competition in the country. The winner of the league qualifies for the MHL Cup. Elite ice hockey players from Jääland often enter the Intercontinental Hockey League at some stage of their career and the nation provides the most foreign players to the league. The most popular teams in Jääland-Liiga are Jokerit Hellistelli,TPS Ukkonen and Karhut IFK. The national sport of baseball is mostly a semi-professional sport and many villages and towns compete in regional tournaments before each regional champion plays in the national championship, hosted by a team in turns from each region. Jääland provides roughly 5% of players in Super League Baseball and many play for the national team. The national team competed at the inaugural Micras Classic in April 2020 and finished 4th overall. Other popular sports include speedway, basketball and floorball. Football is not a popular sport in Jääland compared to other countries in Apollonia and the sport is played on an amateur basis. Therefore footballers of Jaaland usually move abroad to academies and universities in the Confederate States of Floria to continue their player development.

Language

The language of Jääland, Jääkieli, is considered by linguists to be located within a dialect continuum with the now extinct Straylightish. Today, the closest relatives to Jääkieli are Lakkvian, spoken in Hurmu, and Reinish, spoken in Normark

Music

Jääland is well known for its EDM and classical movement. Both regularly enjoyed by the general public and both play a pivotal role in Sunday church services.

Foreign relations

Due to its location, Jääland has little foreign relations. In order to function, it relies on the Confederate States of Floria for aid. There were calls for Jääland to join the Raspur Pact as the benefits of membership, in terms of security and access to global trading networks, would boost the fledgling nation's potential with the rest of Micras. The candidacy of Jääland for membership of the Pact was received in 1690 and approved by the Permanent Commission on 24.VIII.1690.

In 1690, Elwynnese and Hurmu authorities established close friendships with Jääland, with bringing Jääland along the Boreal Air Bridge that connects the Benacian and Lyrican continents. Both countries established embassies in Hellistelli the same year, bringing the total number of embassies in Jääland to three (Floria being the first one). In 1692, Sanama became the fourth country to open an embassy in Hellistelli.