Cooperative Countries of a Shared World

[lincolnwall]

Official Name:  The Magellanic Kingdom of Tierra del Fuego and Valdivia
Common Names:   Magellanic Kingdom, Tierra del Fuego, Valdivia
Territorial Description:   The island of Tierra del Fuego in southern Patagonia, extending north to the Chiloe Archipelago on the Pacific coast, plus the Argentine province of Santa Cruz.
Capital:   Punta Arenas
Government:   Insular constitutional monarchy with a hereditary line of succession to a figurehead throne. Divided into 6 provinces which each elect a delegation of 10 members to the unicameral Magellanic Assembly. The provinces are adjusted to have approximately equal population after every 5-year census. It has a functioning multi-party system with 3 parties usually vying for a plurality nationally. The party with the largest number of seats (usually in coalition with smaller parties) designates a Premier, who is almost always the most senior member of that party. The Premier is a powerful leader who is de jure head of government but also de facto head of state with many executive powers granted him or her by the monarch.
Level of Freedom:   Moderately high. The Kingdom is fairly isolated from other states, so the government has a reasonable level of control over the national media, but the level of propaganda is low. Citizens enjoy a high level of personal freedom and democratic principles are well ingrained in society.  
Population: 4 million
Languages:   Modern Latin (85% first language, 99% total), Mapudungun (15%, a few elders monolingual), Yaghan (very few native speakers and declining; mostly ceremonial). The dialect of Latin is very divergent from that of the Iberian peninsula, and referred to as Magellic. Latin and Mapudungun co-official, recognized by law and citizens may choose to have any legal or other documents printed in either language.
Religion:   53% Christian (almost all Roman Catholic), 40% non-practicing or irreligious, 7% other.  
Level of Technology and Development:   Average. Fairly large gap between urban development and rural areas (mostly populated by Amerindians and farmers of mixed ancestry), but in the last century road networks have improved dramatically. There has long been a regular ferry service between the main island of Tierra del Fuego and the mainland, which in the last half-century has seen major upgrades to both its ferries and terminals. Much travel in the southern islands region is conducted by boat, while the mainland has a (somewhat dated) rail transport system in addition to its roads. 21st centurie technologies such as the internet and cell phones have started spreading through the populace, originating in Punta Arenas and has yet to spread to the further reaches of the country. There is an abundance of fresh drinking water. The economy is dependent on trade (mostly through the port of Punta Arenas), agriculture and some light industry.
History:    Francisco Magellan embarked on his voyage of circumnavigation in 1519, funded by the Crown of Aragon. However, upon reaching the (to be named) Strait of Magellan, the crew of his 5 ships were devastated by scurvy and all manner of other ails and were forced to anchor in Tierra del Fuego and relied for a year on help from stunned but curious natives. The crew, mostly of Iberian origin, befriended the natives and a settlement was founded at what is now Punta Arenas. The following year, a revitalized crew returned to Europe with proposals for a new colony. The Crown prepared and funded a colonization expedition, and nearly went off without a hitch. But Castile learned of the voyage and conspired to stop them, sending a fleet of ships to pursue, but they turned back after being defeated in a short skirmish. This caused friction for the next century and a half, boiling over in the Magello-Castilian War in 16__-__. With the backing from most of Europe the Aragonese prevailed, after which the colony declared itself an independent kingdom. Its independence was recognized by the Holy Roman Empire of the Latin Peoples in 1699 and remained an absolute monarchy until republican reforms in 1887. The Magellanic Kingdom has not been involved in any major conflict since then.
Interesting Fact:   In the absence of a major power to construct the Panama Canal, the seaport at Punta Arenas sees large shipping volume and remains an important stop for shipping and travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

[lincolnwall]

I like your country a lot, but Portugal did not exist after 1450 according to one of the earlier histories.  Can you edit your history to be consistent with the rest of the world? Since Castile's history mentioned its colonies going independent later, perhaps it would have been Aragon (the Holy Roman Empire of the Latin Kingdoms) who founded the colony?

Ah yes I didn't factor that in. Aragon will work, I'll edit it to that history.

[lincolnwall]

Official Name:  The Caucasian Federation
Common Name:  Caucasia, The C.F.
Territorial Description:  The Caucasus Mountains; OTL Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Caucasian Russia
Government:   Federal republic comprising 10 semi-autonomous states drawn along entho-linguistic lines. Each state has its own government with separate executive, legislative and judicial branches; the national federal government (with equivalent structure) has ultimate authority over all states. A President is elected by FPP every 3 years with unlimited re-election. There is a bicameral legislature – the upper Senate and the lower Assembly. Elections occur simultaneously every 3 years, always the year before a president is elected.
Capital:   Rustavi, in the state of Sakartvelo (OTL Georgia)
Population: 20 million
Religions:   No state religion. Armenian Orthodoxy 47%, Zoroastrianism 30%, Islam 20%, other 3%. Religious tolerance is very high.
Languages:  Diverse range of languages. The most commonly spoken are: Kartuli (Georgian) 31%, Azeri 25%, Hayeren (Armenian) 19%, all others 25%. All languages with over 2000 speakers have official status nationally (though states may give smaller regional languages higher status), but Kartuli, Azeri and Hayeren are used as lingua franca depending on the region.
Level of Tech and Development:  Medium. Relative isolation from western powers has meant modern technologies have yet to become widespread. Most innovations that have spread have come from the Persian Empire, but are mostly limited to the few larger cities.
Level of Freedom:  High, but somewhat unbalanced. Officially, all states are equal under law, but in practice, the more populous states often achieve higher representation in the federal government. However there is little abuse of power and the media are generally free and open.
History:   For centuries the Caucasus region was inhabited by a diverse range of ethnic and linguistic groups, mostly living in traditional agricultural, nomadic or settled communities. Occasionally two or more groups would come into conflict over territory, resources or the politics of marriage, but feuds were not long-lasting and the region has been largely peaceful. It is believed that long ago several different religions were practiced, but Zoroastrianism was the first to unite large swathes of people under one belief system. Beginning in ____ Christianity arrived (though mostly confined to the Armenians), and by ____ Islam had conquered much of the less populated northern region, pushing back Zoroastrianism to the southeast. Religious tensions increased through the 19th century, and nearly led to what could have been a lengthy and destructive war. However, in 1923, Khvtiso Lazarashvili, a Kartuli speaker and Zoroastrian from Rustavi, crusaded in the name of peace and religious tolerance. He was successful, and in 1931, upon the federation of the states, he was elected the first President in a landslide. As a result, some ethnic Kartulians consider their ethnic group to be somewhat superior within the nation. The country has remained peaceful domestically, though the 21st century has seen the rise to prominence of a Zoroastrian fundamentalist political party, creating rumours of unrest.
Interesting Fact:  The CF elected its first female president in 2012, Zohal Akhoian.

[lincolnwall]

Official Name: United Republic of India
Common Name: India
Territorial Description: India, Nepal, and Bali (primarily)
Capital: New Delhi
Government: Parliamentary republic
Head of State: President Sunder Vijay
Head of Government: Prime Minister Hitesh Rajiv
Level of Freedom: High
Population: 487 million
Languages: No official language.  Hindi (43%); Sanskrit (35%); Urdu (18%); Various regional languages (3%); Others (1%)
Religion: No state religion.  Hinduism (68%); Islam (14%); Buddhism (13%); Christian (2%); Sikh (1%); Jainism (0.6%); Others (0.4%)
Level of Technology: High.  The government has prioritized low taxes and limited regulation to attract business, and many multinational corporations have been established there.  Several major universities are also located there.
History: In the late 16th and early 17th century, Emperor Sidarth attempted to wage a series of battles to gain control of all Hindu territory, and succeeded only at conquering Bali and Nepal.  In the 18th century the English and French established colonies along the coastal areas, and despite attempts by the natives to drive them out, the state is currently on good terms with both.  In 1913, an uprising led to the overthrow of the imperial rule, and a parliamentary republic was officially declared.  The following year a constitution was drafted that included voting rights for men 21 and over.  In 1942, women were given the right to vote despite major opposition from many religious Hindus, and in 1954, after a movement by 18-20-year old activists, the voting age was lowered to 18. 
Other Interesting Facts: Has been somewhat successful at controlling its national debt as part of its focus on economic growth.  While many different ethnicities exist, the nation has only elected one Prime Minister that is not of Indo-Aryan descent.

Can you edit this to include a Person's State of the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth?

[lincolnwall]

I'd like to stake a claim, which I will make in a couple hours, in the area of Finland/Estonia/Northwestern Russia. Please leave this area open.

[lincolnwall]

I'd like to stake a claim, which I will make in a couple hours, in the area of Finland/Estonia/Northwestern Russia. Please leave this area open.

Are you going to take your turn, lincolnwall?

Yes, I wasn't able to take it when I originally intended. It will be up in a few minutes

[lincolnwall]

Official Name: Democratic Republic of Finland
Common Name: Finland, Suomi (Finnish), Soome (Estonian)
Territorial Description: OTL Finland, Estonia, all lands surrounding the Gulf of Finland, Karelia, extending to the White Sea coast
Government: Presidential parliamentary republic. A president is head of state and elected every 3 years and can serve for a maximum of 3 terms. The upper house of the parliament is elected every 4 years and the lower house every 2. The First Minister is the head of government and is elected from the lower house, but in a separate section on the ballot. There are 9 provinces, which do not elect their own governments but exist primarily for administrative purposes.
President: Matti Ekkonen
First Minister: Janno Kask
Level of Freedom: High
Population: 10.5 million
Languages: Standard Finnish is the majority language, but co-official with Estonian and Karelian. Finnish 60%, Estonian 29%, Karelian 11%.
Religion: No official religion, and the vast majority of the population profess to be non-religious; a small minority follow various Christian denominations.
Level of Technology and Development: Very High
History: The current Uralic language-speaking (i.e. Finnish, Estonian and Karelian) realms were largely agricultural regions in their early history. Beginning in the 12th and 13th centuries, the the Swedish made some incursions into Finnish lands, but were mostly peaceful. This contact lead to the development of a more settled lifestyle which spread to the east and south. By the early 1400s, the native Finns were becoming nationalistic and secretly gathered together an army of rebels from the surrounding territories, led by the Finn Orvo. They were successful in driving out the Swedes; and the Finns, Estonians and Karelians have remained on good terms since. Until the 1800s, the region and its peoples had limited contact with others, aside from occasional contacts with Baltic peoples to the south and the Swedes. Through the saga of the Pan-European wars the countries remained intentionally neutral and began to move towards a national union based on their shared history and culture, and after PE2, the politically vague region was unified under a single government as a precaution in case of future wars. With the threat of PE3 looming, the country sought to solidify its political structure, and drafted a full constitution in 1930 outlining the form and powers of the government and state, establishing a capital at Viipuri. A small reserve military was created, but the Republic reiterated its neutral stance and was not involved in the conflict. After witnessing the destruction of PE3 across Europe, Finland quickly began to reform and modernise and has emerged as a highly developed society in the fields of education and technology.
Interesting Fact: The Democratic Republic of Finland is home to the headquarters of the global tech giant Savo.

[lincolnwall]

I'm still interested, though it becomes tricky to take into account all of the different aspects of the history. I'll get an idea for a certain country, then realize it contradicts a neighbouring one and have to start over.

Currently working on something in the western US.

[lincolnwall]

Official Name: Tal' n' hÉirean
Common Name: Bhruadair ar (after the founding Bhruadair family), New Ireland (controversial)
Territorial Description: OTL Kansas, eastern Colorado, parts of Wyoming and Nebraska
Capital: nua Corcagh
Government: State controlled by a ruling family (the Ó Niadh family since gaining power in 1971). The ruling family assumes all executive and law-making powers; their rule is totalitarian but gentle and the ruling families have always been on good terms with the common people. There is nothing resembling a political party system; rather, extended families (tealaighsin) vie for power and transitions of power have almost always been peaceful.
Cennairagh ar n' Rialtealaighsin (Leader of the Ruling Family) Fionn Ó Niadh
Level of Freedom: Medium-to-High: Most countries, especially its larger neighbours, view the country as backwards and undemocratic; however, the people of Bhruadair ar actually enjoy a high level of personal freedom, as the ruling family does not meddle directly in citizens' personal lives.
Population: 9.4 million
Languages: Gailg 99% (New World Irish, very divergent from standard Irish and increasingly so). The very few other languages spoken include indigenous languages spoken by remnant native populations in the northwest. Immigration is virtually nil. No other languages are taught in schools, and very few know another language nor is is common at all for people to travel to other countries.
Religion: Catholic (unofficial) ~90%, the rest could be classed as "spiritual but not religious".
Level of Technology and Development: Moderately high, increasing. Since the population is not commonly in contact with other cultures, the Rialtealaighsin is responsible for introducing new technologies. Agriculture is the largest sector of the economy, though mining is more important in the mountainous west.
History: The existence of Tal' n' hÉirean is the result of timely historical events. During the late 1500s, Ireland was in the midst of a devastating famine caused primarily by drought. Thousands were dying of starvation and hundreds of thousands more faced either death or displacement. The New World offered the best promise of a new life. Many saw the new colony of Jamestown as the best option due to its mild climate and vast new areas of land to be claimed. In the early 1600s (there is debate among families as to the date), 6 large ships set forth from the Port of Cork carrying thousands of settlers bound for Jamestown, only a few short years before Ireland and the other Celtic countries were invaded by England-France. They were allowed to settle, but soon found that they were treated like second-class citizens by the British colonists. With no home to return to, and facing persecution in the colony, in 1668 the Bhruadair family rallied the Irish in Jamestown to the promise of a new, free Irish land to the north. The promise struck a chord and later that year, virtually all Irish families travelled north to the unclaimed lands along what is still known as the Old Irish Road.
         The Bhruadairs are venerated as founders of the country, but their rule lasted only until the 1690s, when the Tóibín family rose the prominence. In total there have been 8 hereditary Rialtealaighsin since then, the Ó Maoldúin family ruling for the longest period from 1769 to 1838. Tal' n' hÉirean has always staunchly defended its traditional method of governance against the encroachments of foreign governments, particularly Jalissalia and New Caledonia. The current Cennairagh (since 1996), Fionn Ó Niadh, has successfully integrated modern technologies into the largely traditional society, and it is estimated that 62% have cell phones, which are modified for Gailg.
Interesting Fact #1: Gailg, descended from 16th century Irish, is so divergent from Irish, mostly in pronunciation but also in spelling and some grammar, that most linguists consider it a separate or "daughter" language of Irish, similar to OTL Dutch and Afrikaans.
Interesting Fact #2: The northwest portion of the country has never been settled by the Irish and retains a small indigenous population and healthy wildlife. As of 2011, the Ó Niadhs have announced that the native population will be granted autonomy over the region, as recognition of their enduring culture and lifestyle compatible with the local wildlife.

[lincolnwall]

Nobody else?