Uralica

Official Names

 * English - Tribal State of Uralica
 * Finnish - Heimovaltio Uralikan
 * Russian - Племенной Государственный Уралики
 * (More to be added as linguistic database grows)

Official Short Names

 * English - Uralica
 * Finnish - Uralikka
 * Russian - Уралика
 * (More to be added as linguistic database grows)

Demonyms

 * English - n. "Uralican(s)"; adj. "Uralican"
 * Finnish - n./adj. "Uralikkalainen" (sing. and pl.)(note: not to be confused with "uralilainen" which refers to the Uralic ethnolinguistic group on the whole, as opposed to citizens of Uralica)
 * Russian - n. "Ураличец"/"Ураличцы" (masc.) "Ураличка"/ "Уралички" (fem.), "; adj. "Ураликский" (masc. nom. form shown)
 * (More to be added as linguistic database grows)

About Uralica
Uralica is a relatively new nation on PlanetBob, and is a proud member of the Christian Coalition of Countries, an alliance its leader KingJarkko agreed to join only some 24 hours after its official declaration of nationhood on 18 March 2008. Its capital is Syktyvkar and its currency is the Kanadalainen.

The People
With the present existence of Finland, Estonia, and Hungary, and the growing impingement of external societies upon the remainder of the Uralic peoples, Jarkko Salomäki, an ethnic Finn from Canada, began gathering together other members of the Uralic-speaking nationalities into a neo-tribal society, based on the principles of Christianity and commonalities in Uralic culture. The Christian leanings attracted the remnants of Mennonite societies in Russia as well. What resulted was a nation of astounding linguistic and racial diversity, united by a the common cause of a Christian life free from the shackles of any imperialistic influences. Salomäki eventually became KingJarkko, the first Tribal Chief of Uralica.

It is infamous for the fact that there are more official languages in this nation than in any other on Planet Bob (30, to be exact), however the people tend to use Finnish, Russian or even English when communicating between ethnic groups and in business.

Still, in theory, all Uralic languages as well as English, Russian, and the historic language of the Mennonites, Plautdietsch, ought all to have official status. Unfortunately, some languages (and even peoples) in the Uralic family are either extinct or close enough to it that this becomes impractical.

In practice, the current official languages are as follows: Finnish, English, Russian, Plautdietsch, Hungarian, Kven Finnish, Tornedalen Finnish, Karelian, Estonian, Võru, Livvi, Ludian, Veps, Komi, Permyak, Udmurt, East Mari, West Mari, Khanty, Mansi, Moksha, Erzya, Nenets, Nganasan, Selkup, Kildin Saami (Saam), Inari Saami (Sámi), Skolt Saami (Saame), North Saami (Saami), Lule Saami (Lule), and South Sami.

There are also several other recognised minority languages spoken. These include Bashkir, Tatar, French, Hebrew, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Enets, Latvian, and the last-known speakers of Vod, Liv, Ume and Pite Sami, and Ingrian.

There are almost no monoglots in Uralica, with 99.50% of the population speaking at least three languages, and an impressive 63.99% of the population speaking at least four languages. The most common language pairing among the small number of bilinguals was Russian and Komi, while the even smaller number of monoglots all falls above the age of 65. The most-spoken language is, surprisingly, Finnish, spoken by all but ninety-eight of Uralica's population. English and Russian are also very common, spoken by over eighty percent of the population each, however only 35% speak both.

One past criticism of Uralica was that there were very few Hungarians (who are Uralic) who resided in the nation, however KingJarkko factored this down to their relative isolation from the rest of the Uralic ethnolinguistic family (due to historical issues) and had extended invitations to any who are willing to join. More recently, this criticism has been shot down as a large number of Hungarians moved into Uralica at the end of May and beginning of June, taking KingJarkko up on his invitation. As of 4 June 2008, Uralica had given the Hungarian ethnicity Tribe status and the made the Hungarian language official.

Although the ideals of Christianity are the basis of the nation, there are also a number of practicing Jews (mainly Russian with the odd Finn, Hungarian, and Estonian) who comprise roughly 2.5% of the population (roughly 1 in 40). These Jews are often credited with keeping the infrastructure running as they observe Sabbath from Friday night to Saturday night and work on Sunday when the Christian majority observes a day of rest. One notable Uralican Jew is Russian Jew Dr. Ovdey Shlomov, one of the four Russian representatives on the Uralican Tribal Council (see below), who is one of KingJarkko's most trusted advisors in terms of educational matters. His nephew, Dinamo Kirov striker Khavkuk Shlomov, is probably Uralica's best-known footballer besides KingJarkko himself.

As for the Christian majority, it is quite diverse in its traditions. A number of formerly shamanistic peoples (the Samoyeds, Nenets, and Ob Ugric peoples for example) are now predominantly Uralican Evangelical Baptist, and KingJarkko actually commissioned the translations of the first full Bibles in their languages. The Russian Christians are Russian Orthodox for the most part with a minority of Baptists. The European Finns, Saami, Karelians, and Estonians are predominantly Evangelical Lutheran, although the Livonians, because of their close proximity to the Latvians and Lithuanians, are mostly Catholics (as are the Hungarians). The Mennonites are obviously Mennonites, however the similarity of the Uralican Evangelical Baptist movement to their tradition means many of them will attend those services. The North American Finns are quite varied, as are the Komis, Udmurts and "Volgaic Finns" (Mari, Mordvins).

The people of Uralica take pride in their education and have perhaps the fastest-growing literacy rate of any newer CCC nation. Their first university was recently constructed, called Uralikan Yliopisto.

The 20 largest cities and towns in Uralica are:


 * 1) Perm'
 * 2) Kirov
 * 3) Syktyvkar
 * 4) Ukhta
 * 5) Berezniki
 * 6) Glazov
 * 7) Solikamsk
 * 8) Pechora
 * 9) Kotlas
 * 10) Kirovo-Chepetsk
 * 11) Sosnogorsk
 * 12) Krasnokamsk
 * 13) Pazhga
 * 14) Kudymkar
 * 15) Gubakha
 * 16) Vuktyl
 * 17) Trakt
 * 18) Serov
 * 19) Punaturjin
 * 20) Emva

These are obviously not the only settlements in Uralica. See Article: List of settlements in Uralica.

Uralica has a daily newspaper, The Uralican Daily News of which some articles are available online. It is in print in all thirty of Uralica's official languages.

The Geography
Although Uralica is, for all intents and purposes, landlocked, there are a few major points of ingress by water. The Vyatka (Finn. Vijatka) River runs through Kirov, and while it doesn't go much further into Uralica, it is important in the sense that it gives Uralica a point of trade with several nations to its south as the Vyatka eventually meets up with the Volga River (via the Kama River) and flows into the Caspian Sea. A tributary of the Vyatka, the Cheptsa (Finn. Keppetta) River flows from Kirovo-Chepetsk east to Glazov, with its most navigable stretch ending at Belezino.

On top of this, the Vychegda (Finn. Vikitta) River flows through the northern suburbs of Syktyvkar and also through Kotlas, while one of its tributaries, the Sysola (Finn. Sussola) River flows through the main city itself. The Tivina (Russ. Северная Двина ,Engl. sometimes Northern Dvina) River connects this river to the western nations at Kotlas.

The Kama River also flows through Uralica starting at the northernmost point of Kama Reservoir (Finn. Kamantekojärvi, Russ. Камское Водохранилище) near Berezniki, and looping around towards Kainu before finally ending in the chernozem-rich plains north of Glazov.

The Izhma (Finn. Issimaa) River (which flows through Ukhta) connects to the Pechora (Finn. Pettora) River in the north, however intense pollution of the Pechora makes navigability of this river a bit trying at times. So it is seldom used for long-range navigation, which is somewhat unfortunate as this could open up other trade opportunities.

There is also the lesser known Mezen' (Finn. Messeni) River in the north-east. There is a plan to establish a small harbour at its mouth once Uralica's borders reach that far.

The area of Uralica in general is relatively flat (although the Ural Mountains run up the eastern border), making it ideal for growing crops in the fertile chernozem soils of the southwest. The northeast has poorer soil for crops and is mainly comprised of boreal forests and pastures. However, this area is very mineral-rich.

National Symbols

 * The Three Crosses (Finn. Kolme Ristea, Russ. Три Распятия) - the symbol of the nation's commitment to Jesus Christ.
 * National Flower - Cloudberry
 * National Bird - Eurasian Eagle Owl
 * National Animal - Eurasian Lynx

The Tribal Chief
(Fin. Heimopäämies, Rus. Племенной Начальник)

The Tribal Chief is elected directly by all the people, who have a single vote, and there is no ethnic division in voting. The term, as agreed via plebiscite, is for life, which is the main reason for the "neo-tribal" term coined to describe Uralica's modern spin on an ancient form of government.

The Tribal Council
(Fin. Heimovaltuusto, Rus. Племенное Совещание)

The Tribal Council is elected to aid the Chief in governing the nation according to the needs of the people and the principles of Christianity. The Council currently has 60 members plus the Tribal Chief.

In accordance with KingJarkko's original vision of "unity in diversity," each ethnicity, or "tribe," has fourteen members (after finally reaching this maximum number on 4 August 2008), for a grand total of 224 members. Before Uralica's foundation, the intelligentsia of the Uralic ethnicities spent much time deciding what these Uralic "Tribes" would be. The final setup looked something like this:


 * Finns (including North American, Tornedalen, and Kven)
 * Estonians (including Võru-speakers)
 * Karelians
 * Russians
 * "Livonians" - speakers of Livvi, Ludian, and Veps
 * Ob Ugrics (Khanty-Mansi)
 * Komi (including Permyak)
 * Mordvins (Moksha-Erzya)
 * Udmurts
 * Mari (East and West)
 * Eastern Saami (Kildin, Inari, Skolt)
 * Western Saami (North, Lule, South)
 * Nenets
 * Samoyeds (Nganasan and Selkup)
 * Mennonites
 * Hungarians

Often, the term "The Uralic Tribes" is used to refer to the people of Uralica collectively. (Fin. "Uralilainen Heimot," Rus. "Уралскые Племи")

There are no fixed ministries as there are in conventional modern governments. Instead, if any particular Council member(s) have useful insights on a given situation, they can speak on it freely with the Chief, whether it be in-session or in-person outside the Council Chambers.

Tribal Boards
Each of the 16 above-mentioned "Tribes" has a Tribal Board (Fin. Heimonjohtokunta, Rus. Племенное Руководство) which meets in various cities and towns (called Board Seats) to discuss the needs of the people of their particular "tribe." This group has fourteen members elected in a separate process plus a representative chosen from the Tribal Council members. Each Council member who is on their Board as well is expected to bring a report on any petitioners' requests, protests, and progress reports that have been brought before the board. The Board Seats are as follows:


 * Finnish Tribe - Kirov
 * Estonian Tribe - Vaahruše
 * Karelian Tribe - Usovuori
 * Russian Tribe - Solikamsk
 * Livonian Tribe - Emva
 * Ob Ugric Tribe - Berezniki
 * Komi Tribe - Ukhta
 * Mordvin Tribe - Orlov
 * Udmurt Tribe - Glazov
 * Mari Tribe - Valkoholunitsa
 * East Saami Tribe - Koryazhma
 * West Saami Tribe - Kotlas
 * Nenets Tribe - Vuktyl
 * Samoyed Tribe - Pechora
 * Mennonite Tribe - Pazhga
 * Hungarian Tribe - Trakt

It is at this level that there is the most interaction between politicians and non-politicians. Petitioners are allowed, and in fact, encouraged, to bring any significant issue of culture, infrastructure, finance, education, environment, or resources (among other important issues) before the Board. As of 15 June 2008, the shortest petitioner session of any board was ten minutes, by a Mr. Yoni Tsyplakov of the Komi tribe, simply requesting funds to rebuild a power main that was severed during Ionizer's attack on Pazhga, which took place 29 March 2008. The longest was four hours by a group of Mordvins that had heard about CCC's attempts to make peace with Beilliran being stymied by a lack of co-operation. The results of this were brought to KingJarkko by Mordvin Council Member Marat Pavlov, and this led to the near-immediate deployment of the Udmurt 1st Battalion into the same nation on reconnaissance.

Military in Uralica
Although a Christian nation, Uralica isn't known as a nation to shy away from war, as long as it squares with the Charter of the Christian Coalition of Countries. This young nation has been involved in four conflicts thus far while missing out on two before the fact and being ready to serve in what turned out to be a phony war for which the aggressor was "dinged for war-slot filling."

Article: War History of Uralica

All of the Tribes' members between the ages of 17 and 60 are required to serve in the military, however not all are required to fight. Squaring with their pacifist beliefs, the Mennonite Tribe's members serve either within the Medical Corps or the relatively new Emergency Relief and Human Development Corps (ERHDC) which is primarily used to aid fellow CCC nations or nations of CCC allies (in other words, if the treaty is above the level of NAP) in post-war and post-disaster emergency situations.

Uralica, being landlocked to date, lacks a navy, thus leaving five branches of the military.

Uralican Army
(Finn. Uralikan Armeija, Russ. Ураликская Армия)

The Uralican Army currently comprises 4600 troops of all tribes except Mennonite (for the above-mentioned pacifism reason) and this is grouped into 21 companies ranging from 200 to 250 troops each. Some are unitribal (for example the "Jarkko's Finns" Company) while others are divisions of tribes (the Komi and Permyak Companies, both within the Komi Tribe) and some are multi-tribal ("Bad Company," famous for its exploits against Amerzica, which is a combination of Nenets and Samoyeds).

These soldiers are usually called into duty in defensive campaigns, as aggressive wars are normally against the CCC's charter, however ghostbusting operations and special "Crusades" (when approved by the are CCC High Council) also within the rules.

Uralican soldiers have a reputation as being unpredictable by the enemy and incredibly efficient in what they do. Of particular note is Nenets officer Major Kirill Zholtok, who commanded four of Uralica's most storied battles - the Ionic Midnight Surprise in the Ionized-Jelly War, and the Battle of Roponz, Samoyed Raid, and Battle of Cerrito in "A Tale of Two Ghosts."

Uralican Air Force
(Finn. Uralikan Ilmavoima, Russ. Ураликская Βоенновоздушная Сила)

From the beginning of Uralica's military operations, KingJarkko has always advocated strong air power, and it's shown in every campaign Uralica has been involved in. Many of Uralica's most decorated military men and women are in the Air Force. None more so, though, than Estonian bomb-dropper Kaido Ojastu, who has served in every war Uralica has been involved in and decorated for valour every time. Quite recently, he became the tenth recipient of the Kunnianmitali, the highest military honour that can be bestowed upon anyone within Uralica.

The Uralican air force, while small, is feared tremendously. Nothing served to amplify this fear better than the Kirov Massacre of 11 May 2008, in which 11 aircraft (10 bombers, 1 fighter) were sent into Uralica in a desperate time-buying counterattack by Amerzica, and the fighter was the only aircraft to return.

Surprisingly, the launching of missiles is also under the jurisdiction of the Air Force.

Uralican Intelligence Agency
(Finn. Uralikan Vakoilunvirasto, Russ. Ураликское Агентство Сведении)

If Uralica needs to assess threats to its security, these guys are usually the first to be called in, and their campaigns are usually unnoticed until the damage has already been done. Espionage and reconnaissance are the main functions of this branch, however they aren't the only functions. Certain members also serve as links for information between Uralica, other CCC nations, and any allies during times of war.

Uralican Medical Corps
(Finn. Uralikan Lääketieteellinen Joukko, Russ. Ураликский Ммедицинский Корпус)

These men and women are not counted in the ranks of normal soldiers, but are still considered a part (and a vital one at that) of the military. They have separate honours for outstanding work in the field of military medicine, and outside of war work as doctors, nurses, and surgeons for civilians.

Emergency Relief and Human Development Corps
(Finn. Hätänavustus- ja Ihmiskehittyminenjoukko, often shortened to "HAIKJou"; Russ. Помощя-Человеческого Развития Корпус, often shortened to ПЧРК)

Who says Uralicans know nothing of compassion? Expressing the love of Christ through the short-term rebuilding of war-torn nations as well as long-term projects such as well-digging, provision of proper sanitation, and educational schemes are the callings of this group. It may seem odd to have such a non-military group within the military, however these guys are at the beckon call of the CCC's Ministry of Defence to help rebuild CCC nations that have suffered attack. Depending on the level of damage done, the operations can be quite extensive. All monetary and technological aid provided by Uralica to other nations goes through this branch.

Uralica within the CCC
Although Uralica's contributions to its alliance have been primarily military, Uralica is also an outspoken part of the internal security process, that tends to act as a voice of concern towards possible violations of the Charter. Uralicans have a tendency to keep an eye on events within the CCC closer than the people of most of that alliance's nations, and when something big happens, the number of petitioners sometimes overwhelms the Tribal Boards! Furthermore, the Tribes have garnered a reputation as a nation who has made an art of reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering. This was most evident during the eventually successful Nordic Ghost Conflict.

KingJarkko was nominated for the post of Minister of Security in the April quarterly elections, however declined, stating he preferred to remain on the sidelines for the time being. More recently though, he was made Grand Master of the Knights Templar order. The Chief has a reputation for his stern nature in battle, but also for his eagerness to help in any situation regarding the security of the Coalition, a reputation that, according to some CCCers who have been to Uralica, extends to his people as well.

Uralica produces marble in the more frigid north (Ukhta is a hub for transport of this good to other nations) while the chernozem soils of the south provide an excellent centre of growth for wheat. Both of these are traded to other CCC nations as well as a friendly nation or two from outside. Kirov, Syktyvkar and Ukhta are all important hubs of transportation as well. Syktyvkar and Kirov both draw many tourists.

Sport In Uralica
Although a young nation, Uralica already has many sporting opportunities, and has already developed some world-class talent despite the small size of the nation. Soccer is particularly popular, as is ice hockey.

Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey was the first sport in Uralica to officially be declared professional, in mid-April. Despite the fact that it was spring in Uralica, the hockey season kicked off immediately.

The Uralican Ice Hockey League (Finn. Uralikan Jääkiekkoliiga, Russ. Ураликская Хоккей-Лига) has ten teams that currently compete in a quadruple round-robin tournament.

See article: Uralican Ice Hockey League

The most notable Uralican ice hockey player is the so-called "Mari Gretzky," forward Matvey Kolpakov, who in the first quarter of the season (9 games) already has 12 goals and 11 assists. There are other talented hockey players from Uralica as well. Finn forward Marko Suominen, Udmurt forward Lazar Fedorov, Mennonite forward Kurtis Schaeffer, Estonian defender Vaino Lepp, Livonian defender Andi Kosk, and Mari goaltender Vasily Golubayev are among the best.

See article: Uralican National Men's ice hockey team

Soccer/Football
Despite being a relatively frigid nation, Uralica's most popular sport is soccer (football). KingJarkko himself is a left-back on one of the more popular teams, Sikkivukarin Palloseura (SiPS), and also captains the Uralican men's national football team. The Football League itself was founded 30 May 2008 but isn't set to begin play until 18 March 2009. Still, the League's teams have kept their skills honed by playing friendly matches against a variety of clubs from the CCC and other friendly alliances, most notably the New Polar Order and the Greenland Republic.

Upon the league's foundation, 36 teams entered three divisions, best known by their Finnish designations - the Bolakliiga, the Ykkönen, and the Kakkonen. The League is controlled by the Uralican Football Federation. (UPL)

See article: Uralikan Jalkapalloliiga See article: Uralican men's national football team

Important events in Uralica's history
Main Article: Important events in Uralica's history