Aurianus

Aurianus is a small, developing nation comprised of citizens primarily of Caucasian ethnicity. The Aurianan state religion is Christianity. After a prolonged period of isolation resulting from previous foreign policy decisions, the nation has re-emerged on the world stage, although as a result it is currently behind the rest of Europe in terms of technology. Its citizens pay extremely high taxes, however are aware that in order to compete with modern nations this is a necessity to improve infrastructure and technology levels.

The citizens of Aurianus work diligently to produce Rubber and Water 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. Aurianus is currently researching nuclear technology for the use of nuclear power plants but believes nuclear weapons should be banned. The military of Aurianus has taken a strong stance against the drug trade, as due to it's open borders agreements with surrounding nations it is seen as an easy target for the drugs trade. New policy dictates that the Aurianan military will now be positioned at all border crossings and is arresting all drug traffickers.

Aurianus allows its citizens to protest their government but uses a strong police force to monitor things and arrest lawbreakers. It has an open border policy, but in order for immigrants to remain in the country they will have to become citizens first. Aurianus believes in the freedom of speech and feels that it is every citizen's right to speak freely about their government. The government gives foreign aid when it can, but looks to take care of its own people first. Aurianus will not make deals with another country that has a history of inhuman treatment of its citizens.

History
Aurianus' beginnings can be traced back to 235 AD when the Romans constructed a fort, forum and small village in modern day Auriana, then known as Auris. This date can be traced due to various archeological hints to be found in the construction and architectural techniques visible in the various remaining Roman structures in Auris, as well as carbon dating and comparison to similar structures in neighboring areas, the origins of which are well documented.

During the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fourth century, it is widely believed that Auris was overrun by Germanic tribes, and almost all records were destroyed during the sacking and pillage of Auris, which lay in ruins for several centuries.

In the thirteenth century, sometime between 1237-1242 AD, Aurianus was founded by the then Count Cariala of Auris, unifying the population of several small farms and villages in the locality, creating the Great Kingdom of Aurianus. Despite its grandiose title, the Kindom's population numbered only in the hundreds, and in addition, it lacked the wealth to develop much beyond an insignificant and vulnerable principality. It was during this time that the first census was conducted and official records for the Kingdom began. Power was located in the small village of Aurola away from the crumbling ruins of Auris.



Count Steffan's discovery in 1307 AD of the final resting place of Saint Auri, long believed to have died in the Alps on a pilgrimage to reach France around 23 AD, lead to construction of a Cathedral, and subsequently this brought a constant stream of Christian pilgrims, along with the opening of trade routes which brought increasing wealth to the Kingdom.

Subsequently, Aurola grew in population, but due to the harsh terrain surrounding the village, it was unable to expand to meet the rise in population. In 1320 AD the population had grown to nearly 300 according to the census conducted that year, and Aurola had undergone a change of name to Auri in honour of its patron saint and unknowing benefactor.

Few records exist between 1323 AD and 1430 AD, but documents in the capital's grand library can date the re-settlement of what was formerly Auris to 1431 AD, when the Roman ruins were selected as the site of the new capital, Auriana.

Auriana was built in a renaissance, neo-classical style, but was also influenced by the architecture of its neightbours giving it a distinctly Swiss/Austrian feel. In addition, the Roman ruins were retained and rebuilt to their original appearance as a legacy of the region's historied past.

The renaissance treated Auriana and Aurianus well, and the capital grew to be a reasonably significant centre of Art and Culture, during which time several galleries, libraries and museums were added to the city by its benefactors. It was also during this time that the Constitution was amended from a Feudal to an Aristocratic Caste system, and in 1489 AD, the leader's title and style were altered to 'Crown Prince/Princess'.



In 1679 AD the Great Plague reached Aurianus, despite its isolation, probably due to trade routes and pilgrims. A great deal of the population was lost during this time, and at its lowest ebb in 1681 AD, Auriana's population reached as low as 1,700 from an estimated 4,000.

Lacking a powerful military, Aurianus became increasingly vulnerable to the imperial overtures of Austria and France, and their expansion posed a threat to a relatively wealthy but unprotected Aurianus. As a result, in 1797 AD, Crown Princess Catherine made the decision to close all but the most essential trade routes, and severely limit the number of pilgrims permitted to enter the Kingdom, the ramifications of which could not have been forseen. In closing down the borders, Crown Princess Catherine had essentially ensured that the encroaching industrialisation of Western Europe would hardly reach the isolated Aurianus until well in to the twentieth century.

Despite this fatefully bad decision, Catherine was a much loved monarch, and was the first ruler to truly refine and embrace the powers of the Crown. Under her rule, the culture of Aurianus and in particular, Auriana was greatly expanded as Catherine comissioned the building of the Aurianan Hermitage, one of the finest galleries in all of Europe, as well as a series of sculptures and ornamental parks throughout the capital in a similar fashion to her inspiration Catherine the Great of Russia. Often portrayed with a quill in hand, she was also a renowned poet and philosopher of the age, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential women in European history at the time considered as the first 'renaissance woman'

From 1832 AD until 1894 AD, Aurianus saw very little change, and although a constitutional crisis had looked imminent in the early part of the century, the excesses of the French Revolution ensured that the Aurianan aristocracy ably argued the case against a similar revolution, protecting the constitution as it was until the early twentieth century.



In 1914 AD news of the brewing troubles in Europe reached Aurianus' doorstep, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este was assasinated and shortly thereafter Austria declared war on Serbia in retaliation, leading to the outbreak of World War I. Although Aurianus remained neutral it could not escape the era unscathed, as it reacted to the changes around it. Increasingly the old modes of governance through hereditary rule and the aristocracy were being either swept aside as in France and Russia, or supplanted with Parliamentary democracies and otherwise as in Britain with the royals left as little more than figureheads.



The result was the creation in 1919 AD of a new constitution wherby advisors to the monarch were to be elected by the people, introducing an element of democracy, whilst the office of the Crown Prince was to be staffed by individuals hand selected by the monarch. A further change was introduced in 1939 AD, when a clause was added mandating that the Crown Prince/Princess be elected by the general public, albeit candidates were limited to members of the Aurianan royal family.

During World War II Aurianus claimed neutrality, but was nevertheless occupied by Nazi soldiers due to its strategic location as a listening post. Crown Prince Florian operated a policy of non-alignment and thus allowed the Nazi forces to conduct their business whilst refusing to aide them in any way. Regenta Astrid, the wife of Crown Prince Florian famously acted as an Allied spy during this time and provided the Allied powers with tactical information, whilst also secretly harbouring fugitives in the royal palace with the knowledge of her husband.

After the Nazi withdrawal in the dying days of the war, Aurianans began to realize that in order to influence world events they would need to modernise, and keep pace with the rest of Europe. Whilst Auriana has maintained neutrality it is now represented in NATO and the UN, and has a small but effective standing army for the purposes of national defense.

With the election of Crown Prince Martini in 2010 the country looks set to continue to modernise and engage with the outside world on an even greater level, with current projects and investment in infrastructure and technology being of prime importance.

Geography
Aurianus is a small and relatively uninhabited nation located in the central Alps. It's territory comprises mostly mountainous regions, with freshwater lakes to the north-west. Largely untouched, the only major conurbation is the neo-classical capital Auriana (a UNESCO world heritage site since 1998) and it's neighbour, the more traditional and quintessentially Alpine village of Auri.



Auriana
Aurianus' capital city, Auriana, known as 'The Misty City' due to the frequent mists caused by rising warm air meeting cool mountain air, has been continuously inhabited since at least as early as 235AD, as reflected by records held in the Great Library of Auriana. Located in a small natural caldera in the central Alps, the land around the city is naturally fertile as a result of meltwater from the nearby mountains. The city itself is largely influenced by its Germanic and Austrian neighbours, but also has strong neo-classical elements due to its Roman occupation during the high period of the Roman Empire.

Today it is a cosmopolitain city with a great cultural heritage, containing museums, art galleries, libraries, cathedrals, statues and monuments - a legacy of its rich and varied past. A lack of investment due to internal strife and a xenophobic foreign policy has resulted in Auriana, and Aurianus itself being somewhat left behind in terms of infrastructure and technology, but this situation is rapidly being reversed under Crown Prince Martini's leadership.



Demographics
Aurianus has at present a population of around 3100 citizens, although this is expected to increase by as much as ten times in light of expansionist foreign and economic policies adopted by Crown Prince Martini.

At present the only centres of population are the traditional village of Auri, the citizens of which numbered 327 at the last census, and the more cosmopolitain capital city Auriana, with a population of 2773 citizens at the last census (2007).

The official language is Aurianan, which is similar in structure to Aurianus' second languages Italian and French, which are also widely spoken. Although not an official language, German is spoken by around 57% of inhabitants, particularly in Auri village itself.

According to the CIA World Factbook men in Aurianus have an average life span of 78.52 years, women of 85.72 years, while the combined average life span for the two sexes is 82, making it fifth in the world for longevity

Climate
Auriana has am Alpine climate, with temperate summers and very cold winters. It is not uncommon for snow to cover even the lower lands of the country for the majority of the winter.

Politcs
Aurianus is a hybrid monarchy/representative democracy system, with the head of state weilding nearly absolute executive power. The head of state or Crown Prince/Princess is a publically elected official, although must be a member of the Aurainan royal family to stand for election.

The Crown Price/Princess, then selects his or her executive office in a similar fashion to the United States, whereby members of the executive are not elected officials. This is counterweighted by the Aurianan Senate of Advisors, which is divided into various policy offices, the members of which are elected on an independent platform. There is no party system present in Aurianus.

The Crown Prince/Princess serves a four year term, for a maximum of two full terms, although this can be extended by a supermajority in the Senate of Advisors, although this as yet has never occured. The Senate of Advisors comprises 26 members, elected every 4 years at staggered 2 year intervals, thereby ensuring a certain degree of stability within the chamber.

The Senate is responsible for approving laws and reviewing policies set by the executive office of the Crown Prince/Princess, and if a majority do not ratify any law or policy brought before the Senate, said law or policy can not be implemented.

All political activity of the executive office is housed within the Crown residence at the Aurianan Great Palace, whilst the Senate is housed in the Great Senate House in central Auriana.



Economy
Aurianus has a relatively robust economy in relation to other small nation states, and whilst it's income tax rate of 28% does somewhat discourage international investment, it's comparitively low tax rates on capital gains tax and across the banking sector in general has resulted in a strong financial sector relative to Aurianus' size.



Aurianus also benefits greatly from it's status a UNESCO world heritage site, which is owed to it's Auriana's status as an almost untouched example of large scale renaissance architecture. As a result, the tourist trade accounts for almost 55% of Aurianus' income, with an estimated 1.5 million visitors per year.

Aurianus' chief exports are bottled spring water bottled at source in the outskirts of Auri, and rubber, produced on a small scale on the outskirts of Auriana in discrete processing plants at the foothills of the city.

It is home to Aurianan Airlines, and the National Bank of Aurianus, the country's two largest corporations, which are currently traded on the Italian FTSE MIB stock exchange.

The Aurianan national currency is the Euro, prior to January 1st 1999, the Aurianan currency was the Aurianan Lira, which was linked to the Italian Lira.

Military


Aurianus currently has a small but effective standing army of 524 soldiers. Historically Aurianus has tended not to maintain any kind of official military, tending to rely on local volunteer services raised from the general population in it's early days, whilst typically depending on it's neighbours to defend it since the early 18th century. Aurianus' experience of German occupation during the World War II resulted in the policy being reviewed and subsequently a small defensive force was established.

Whilst the Aurianan military has grown in recent years and currrently stands at around 500 soldiers, it still maintains a policy of non-aggression. Even with such small numbers, the Aurianan military is an elite, effective force and is increasingly called upon to partake in UN peacekeeping duties.

The military is controlled by the Aurianan High Commander, and whilst he or she is normally selected by the Crown Prince/Princess, the position can be held by the monarch themselves should they choose to do so. Presently Crown Prince Martini has direct control of the military, although the majority of operational control is delegated to his senior Generals.

Transport
Road network There are 120km of roads in the country, the main road being the Aurianus Expressway, linking Auriana with it's neighbours. The mountainous terrain makes road construction difficult, and thus the majority of road connections take the form of a network of tunnels criss-crossing the mountains.



Airports There is one small international airport (Regenta Astrid International Airport) in Aurianus located roughly 30 miles south east of Auriana. The airport is capable of receiving jets no larger than an Airbus A320/Boeing 737, and is serviced solely by Aurianan Airlines, with weekly flights to Paris, London and Frankfurt, as well as daily flights to Zurich, Vienna and Milan.

Railways No railink currently exists in Aurianus, although plans for a highspeed link to Turin have been suggested by the government, however due to the current world economic crisis, the plans have been placed on hold.