Cooperative Countries of a Shared World

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Official Name: Jalissalian Republic
Common Name: Jalissalia
Territorial Description: Northwestern North America
Capital: Uostas Tsilchotin
Government System: Power is divided between a 211-member Parliament (elected every three years) and a President (elected every five years). The Parliament includes 61 regionally elected members and 150 distributed according to the nationwide popular vote.
Current Government:
President Vincas Tapardžukas (---) (2010-)
Parliament - Prime Minister Diana Katauskas (PP-VMJ-C) (2004-)
91 Harmony with Creation (conservative, environmentalist, protectionist)
58 People's Party (strongly populist)
42 Voters' Movement for Justice (basically latte-liberals)
9 National Rally (far-right nationalists)
8 Centre (duh)
1 Kreutzerist Workers' Revolutionary Party (Johann Kreutzer is ttl's Marx-analogue)
1 Liberty Movement (whacko libertarians)
1 Independent
Level of Freedom: High
Population: 32 000 000 (44% Lithuanian/other European, 40% mixed, 11% native, 5% other)
Languages: Lithuanian (which slight variations from old-world Lithuanian)
Religion: 36% Catholic, 19% Eastern-Orthodox, 8% Jewish, 3% native religions, 2% other, 32% non-religious
Level of Technology and Development: High
History: After Lithuania's final subjugation of the the city-states of Pskov, Rostov, and Novgorod in 1668*, it turned its attention on the New World. Thriving settlements formed along the Pacific Coast over the next two centuries. The colonists finally seized independence while the Empire was preoccupied with the great rebellions of the 1820s, which reduced Lithuania to less than one-fourth its former size (geographically).
Since then, Jalissalia has for the most part been uninvolved in war, focusing more on domestic affairs. It is now a cultural hub (especially literature-wise) and Lithuanian is the most widely-spoken second language across most of North America.
Interesting Fact: The English name 'Jalissalia' is derived from Lithuanian 'žalia šalis', or 'green land'.


*the gist is that the Russian states never unite under Moscow, and the Grand Duchy (later Empire) of Lithuania ends up with hegemony over much of Southern Russia. They expand their control from there.
note: whoever ends up claiming the Quebec area, please replace the red in the disputed areas with your country's colour.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Guys, remember to throw in a micro-state once in a while.

Official Name: Sultanate of Zanzibar
Common Name: Zanzibar
Territorial Description: the island of Zanzibar (duh)
Capital: Zanzibar City
Government: nominal Sultanate with a three-person elected Advisory Council that pretty much runs everything.
Level of Freedom: Medium -- Zanzibar's elections are free and faultless, and freedom of religion is inviolable. Dissent is strongly discouraged, though.
Population: 2.6 million (17% Arab, 16% African, 11% European, 8% East Asian, 10% others, 38% some combination of the preceding)
Languages: More or less the entire native-born population speaks an Arabic pidgin and at least two other languages; the official languages are _____*, _____*, Arabic, Swahili, Cantonese, and Malay.
Religion (approximate): 15% Ibadi, 10% Shi'a, 5% Sunni, 5% other Muslim, 15% Roman Catholic, 10% other Christian, 25% other (mainly Indian religions), 15% non-religious
Level of Technology and Development: High.
History: Unlike in OTL, where Portugal "discovered" Eastern Africa long before any of the other European powers got there, several of TTL's colonial powers entered the western Indian Ocean around the same time. The Sultans of Zanzibar, as a result, managed to keep their independence (although not their hegemony over vast swathes of Eastern Africa) by playing the various nations off against one another, which has worked for over three centuries by now.
As an unassociated city-state, Zanzibar became a trade hub (well, more than it was already) and remains Africa's preeminent commercial centre to this day.
Interesting Fact: Zanzibar has the world's highest GDP per capita at 266 513 Zanzibar Pounds** (roughly equivalent to OTL US$105 000). However, this is very poorly distributed.



*languages of whichever colonial powers were in the area.
**Whose currency is going to be our TTL standard? I'll change this whenever we decide.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Official Name(s) Republic of Choka
Commonly known as: Choka
Territorial description: OTL Sakhalin
Government: Republic
Capital: Khoe
Population: 316 029
Religions: 55% Roman Catholic, 25% Eastern Orthodox, 15% native religions, 5% other
Languages: Lithuanian (official) 95%, French (official) 85%, English (official) 45%, Ainu 15%, Nivkh 15%, Ul'ta 5%
Ethnic groups: 46% European (Lithuanian/French/English), 32% native (Ainu/Nivkh/Ul'ta), 22% mixed
Level of Tech and Development: Moderately high
Level of Freedom: High.
History: The nomadic peoples of Choka Island had been tributaries to mainland powers more or less continuously until 1722, when the Lithuanian Empire established a trading post at the village of Khoe. Over the next few years, Lithuania would expand its influence, razing the Hokkaidan colony of Ootomari in 1727. A unified Principality of Choka was soon established as part of Lithuania.
During the collapse of the Lithuanian Empire in the 1820s, France-England, using questionable tactics, installed one of King Charles III's nephews as Prince of Choka. They maintained (very loose) control until 1904, when it was decided that stifling the various independence movements was not worth it anymore.
Oil was discovered in the new Republic of Choka four years later, and remains by far its primary industry.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Inspired by the works of Obregulan [Rule of the Workers] writer Ronaldo Espirito (this timeline's Karl Marx), […]

1 Kreutzerist Workers' Revolutionary Party (Johann Kreutzer is ttl's Marx-analogue)

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Official Name: State of the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth
Common Name: Siberia
Territorial Description: roughly what we would in otl refer to as Siberia.
Capital: New Jerusalem (ca. 150km downstream from OTL Yakutsk)
Government: 451 legislators elected to five-year terms; their decisions can be vetoed by the Russian Orthodox Church (usually referred to as the "Siberian Orthodox Church" to avoid confusion with the decidedly less tyrannical ROC seated in Moscow)
Level of Freedom: Theocratic hellhole
Population: 43.5 million (almost entirely East-Slavic)
Languages: Old Church Slavonic is the official language, although Moscovian, Plescovian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, etc. are also widely spoken.
Religion: almost entirely Siberian Orthodox
Level of Technology and Development: Low
History: Starting in the mid-16th century, Lithuania had used Siberia as a dumping ground for criminals, subversives, and the like. With the ascension of Grand Duke Narimantas in 1662, that population gained another subgroup -- non-Catholics. Millions of Russian-Orthodox and Jewish families were given a choice between conversion and exile. Those who went east had a horrendous death rate; those who remained did not fare much better, at least until Narimantas's son Švitrigaila, who was far less distrustful of the converts, came to power the following decade.
The policy of dumping non-Catholics in Siberia remained, though, and the population of Siberia at the time of the collapse of the Lithuanian Empire was largely composed of deeply religious Russian Orthodox people with a burning hatred for the Lithuanian government. And so, in 1823, they declared the independence of the SHKE, which is virtually identical today to how it was then (with some exceptions, including the expulsion of Jews, mass emigrations of comparatively more liberal-minded people, various peripheral territories lost over the course of five wars, and the occasional permitted technological advance)
Interesting Fact: Siberia's ongoing nuclear program is causing tremendous concern worldwide, and neighbouring countries have been quietly preparing an invasion.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Oldiesfreak ↓↓

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Official Name: Kingdom of Baden
Common Name: Baden
Territorial Description: North Baden, South Hessen, Breisgau, Ulm
Capital: Friedrichsburg (near otl St. Leon-Rot, ie half-way between Bruchsal and Heidelberg)
Government: Constitutional/Figurehead Monarchy (King Ernst III ruling since 2008); a 95-member Parliament is elected at least every five years.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Leonhard Mathy (WCF/Durlach, PM since 1998)
Currency: Gulden (BGU)
Level of Freedom: High (exception: see below)
Population: 8.5 million
Languages: German
Religion: mostly Roman-Catholic
Level of Technology and Development: High
History: The Margraviate of Baden, based in the upper Rhine valley, was one of the numerous small German states comprising the Holy Roman Empire of the German Peoples, and its early history is not notably different from those of Bavaria, Oldenburg, Saxony, etc.
Baden, aligned with Aragon, came out of PE1 (which caused the dissolution of the HREGP) with massive gains to its north, including the commercial centre of Frankfurt. It was also elevated to the status of a Kingdom. Over the next ca. 120 years, Baden remained for the most part neutral, excepting frequent skirmishes with its neighbour Württemberg.
In 1953, Baden became one of the founding members of the German League, whose mission is to promote co-operation and cultural and economic exchange between the various German states.
Interesting Fact: The members of Parliament are elected from single-member districts which have not been redrawn since their initial formation in the 1840s (except for the addition or removal of territories on the border to Württemberg). The resulting population inequality has caused questionable electoral conditions; for example, in the last election (October 2008), the ruling Wählerbewegung für Christliche Fürsorge (Voters' Movement for Christian Welfare) received a majority in 51 districts while winning only 42% of the overall national vote. The Badische Kreutzeristische Arbeiterpartei (Badensian Kreutzerist Workers' Party) meanwhile received a majority in 41 districts while winning 54% nationwide. The remaining three districts were won by independents. Even party stalwarts are now growing tired of the WCF's refusal to discuss electoral reform; the BKWP is likely to gain anywhere from 5 to 25 seats this October.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

afleitch, you might want to change your history to avoid contradictions with others.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Ernest, you need to include Baden -- afleitch ignored my claim.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Also, Afleitch, can you make sure your history of White Russia conforms to the established history of the world?  I think there are a few mentions of Lithuania in some other countries, but it shouldn't take any major changes.

Well, the area should have been Lithuanian until PE2 at the earliest (the same goes for lincolnwall, I think) so it depends on what you mean by 'major'.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

1820s - PE1. Apparently begun with a Castile vs. Aragon conflict that ended with an Aragonese victory. Baden was allied with Aragon, and the war led to the dissoultion of the German Holy Roman Empire.
While not formally stated, I would assume the Lithuanian Empire's collapse has something to do with PE1 since it happened at the same time. New Caledonia and Siberia become independent. Castile, the Holy Roman Empire (Germany), and Lithuania were all on the losing side?

The states comprising the HREGP were scattered between both sides (some were neutral -- see Bavaria)
That's why it dissolved -- there had been wars between component states before but not on this scale.