Schneereich

Nation Information
Schneereich is a growing, developing, and established nation at 126 days old with citizens primarily of German ethnicity whose religion is Jainism. Its technology is first rate and its citizens marvel at the astonishing advancements within their nation. Its citizens pay extremely high taxes and many despise their government as a result. The citizens of Schneereich work diligently to produce Pigs and Cattle as tradable resources for their nation. It is a mostly neutral country when it comes to foreign affairs. It will usually only attack another nation if attacked first. Schneereich is currently researching nuclear technology for the use of nuclear power plants but believes nuclear weapons should be banned. The military of Schneereich has been positioned at all border crossings and is arresting all drug traffickers. Schneereich does not allow any form of government protests. Its armed police forces work quickly at "dissolving" any and all government protests. It has an open border policy, but in order for immigrants to remain in the country they will have to become citizens first. Schneereich detains individuals who participate in the slanderous comments about the government. The government gives foreign aid when it can, but looks to take care of its own people first. The government of Schneereich will trade with any other country regardless of ethical consequences.

History
The government of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) built a small research base in Antarctica in 1987. It was named Südpolstation 1. A few years later, it was abandoned as the GDR collapsed and was absorbed by the neighboring Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). In 1994, 86 East German loyalists emigrated to the abandoned research base to rebuild the East German state. They landed at the base on 9 September. Although the base was incredibly uncomfortable, the settlers researched the technology that allowed the base to be fully habitable, and it grew into the city of Eisburg. Around this city, a nation grew, and it was accepted into the United Nations and the Random Insanity Alliance under its new name, Schneereich (which translates into "Snow Empire") on 5 May 2007. The nation was run by the Volkskammer (People's Chamber), which in turn was dominated by the Sozialistiche Ennheitspartei Schneereich (Socialist Unity Party of Schneereich, SES). On 19 June, 2007, the totalitarian government was overthrown from within, as many of its members had been planning a revolt. The nation converted itself to a democratic rule. The first elections, held on 11 July, 2007, resulted in a landslide victory for the Sozialistiche Partei Schneereich (Socialist Party of Schneereich, SPS), a left-leaning but democratic party. This democratic reformation was short-lived, though, as a hard-line group of monarchists have transformed the former democratic socialist republic into a conservative monarchy. This was ironically achieved by rigging the September 2007 elections. The new king ordered a massive increase in the size of the military, with Schneereich recruiting thousands of fresh soldiers and purchasing airplanes, tanks, and missiles. He also began a nuclear weapons program, which is now in its early stages.

Politics
The state of Schneereich, despite its socialist roots, and its democratic enlightenment period, has become a conservative monarchy. Decisions are made either directly by the king or by his appointed advisers. The population, however, is not very supportive of the monarchy. Unfortunately for the majority, the monarchy has a strong and fervently loyal military force, with about 1 soldier for every 3 civilians. This military is extremely well-equipped with modern small arms, tanks, airplanes, and missiles. The most controversial issue within Schneereich as well as with the international community is its nuclear program, which has a stated goal of creating warheads.

Economy
Although Schneereich primarily produces livestock, the nation imports various industrial materials and assembles such products as steel, microchips, automobiles, and asphalt. The construction industry is also booming, as well as environmental research focusing on radiation cleanup. Eisburg is the major industrial center, although the city of Gletscher has become the economic capital of the nation. The economy is currently strong, with the average daily income at about 105 DM per capita. Taxes are relatively high in Schneereich. The nation has a progressive income tax, and the effective tax rate is 28%.

Transport
Snowmobiles are the most prevalent form of private transportation in Schneereich. Recently, the government has made a move towards electric snowmobiles. The electricity is provided entirely by solar power, effectively making the electricity and domestic transport sector carbon-neutral.

The capital city of Eisburg has a large and bustling harbor.

The nation's only airport, also in Eisburg, was upgraded in 2007 from the small airstrip constructed for Südpolstation 1 in 1989 to a larger facility. It is be capable of servicing large passenger jets like the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747. Scheduled flights to other RIA nations all over the world operate daily. However, RIA laws do not permit aircraft to travel directly between Schneereich and non-allied nations. A top-secret revolutionary system is in place to prevent the runway from becoming icy. The system was designed for military use, but the commercial aviation industry progressed faster than the nation's air force, and it was used for civil purposes before being put to military use. Gletscher has a smaller airport using the same technology. It is capable of handling small passenger jets like the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737.

Recently, a Maglev system running from Eisburg to the nation's second-largest city, Gletscher, was constructed. There is currently a movement to have it extended throughout the nation to link nearly every large city.