Republic of Antarctica

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The Republic of Antarctica was founded in Nov Jamesland. Although the country claims land amounting to an area greater than that of all nations but one, it is not recognised by other countries and has no permanent population, and can thus be considered a micronation also.

History

At the time of writing, Antarctica is still in the stages of infancy as a nation. It was founded in November 2004 by James Baker, self-appointed Chief Advisor to the President among many other things. Elections, held on November 2nd 2004 (by a pure coincidence, the same date as the elections in the USA), saw Katie Ferneyhough voted in as President. However, Her Excellency resigned not long afterwards, to be officially replaced by Alexander Kirby on November 12th. The country's first parliamentary elections were held on November 19th, with Damian Foster being chosen as Prime Minister.

Politics

As the name suggests, Antarctica is a republic. Supreme power is given to the President, who, once elected, is ruler for life, or at least until resignation. The voice of the people is Parliament, headed by the Prime Minister, who aid the President in the running of the country. Parliament's membership changes at each election; these happen regularly (every three months). Antarctica is divided into several provinces, based roughly on territories already created by other nations, each ruled by a Governor - who is, for the present time at least, also a Member of Parliament. The Republic of Antarctica is currently administered from Lichfield in the United Kingdom.

Presidents

  • Katie Ferneyhough (2004)
  • Alexander Kirby (2004-)

Members of Parliament

November-February 2004:

  • Damian Foster (Prime Minister)
  • Adam Smith (Governor of Byrdland, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for

Information)

  • Charles Swannie (Governor of Rossland, Deputy Prime Minister)
  • Thomas Clements (Governor of Maudland)
  • Matthew Cubillo (Governor of Enderbyland)
  • Oliver Griffiths (Governor of Wilkesland)
  • Alexander Pace (Governor of Peninsula)

Geography

See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Antarctica Wikipedia article]. The Republic claims the entire continent of Antarctica, a total land area of 14 million sq km, approximately 13.72 sq km of which is covered in ice. It is therefore larger than every country except Russia. It has no land borders with other countries, but 17,968 km of coastline. On average, Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period. The continent is mostly uninhabitable. Antarctica's terrain is about 98% continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock. Its natural resources (iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, as well as coal and hydrocarbons) are unexploited. The highest point is the peak of Vinson Massif in the Ellesworth Mountains, which is 4,987m above sea level. None of Antarctica's land is irrigated or given any particular use by humans. The warmest places in the country are along the coast in January, when the temperature averages slightly above freezing point. Western Antarctica is warmer than Eastern Antarctica due to its higher elevation; the most moderate climate being on the Antarctic Peninsula. Natural hazards include gravity-driven winds, blizzards, cyclones and volcanism. The biggest environmental issue is the ozone hole over much of the continent. The Republic of Antarctica is divided into six provinces: Peninsula, Maudland, Enderbyland, Wilkesland, Rossland and Byrdland, all covering roughly equal areas. Although the provinces act as local government divisions, they do not have the same power as US states (they are more like British counties). Contrary to the opinion of certain citizens, Antarctica has no grasslands and certainly no badgers.

Economy

At present, there is no economic activity on the continent. Possible commercial ventures include fishing and tourism; concerns over the environment will limit industry. The basic unit of Antarctic currency is the antar (Φ), which is divided into 100 ticas (†). At the time of writing, Antarctic banknotes are undergoing manufacture, but none have yet been officially released.

Demographics

The present population of Antarctica varies between 1000 and 4000 scientists over the course of one year, but none of these consider themselves Antarctic nationals (they come from a variety of nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty). At the time of writing, all citizens of the Republic live in and around Lichfield in the United Kingdom. Anyone can apply for Antarctic citizenship and the benefits this brings, including those scientists already living on the continent. Antarcticans are allowed to stay citizens of their original countries also.

Culture

Due to its young age, Antarctica has no specific culture as yet. Antarcticans often greet each other with the words "Hail Antarctica! Hail the President!" The national sport is (fittingly) ice hockey. Other national symbols include the flag, the as-yet-unwritten national anthem and the national bird, the penguin.

Miscellaneous Topics

The official language of Antarctica is English. Theoretically, the Internet country TLD is .aq, but no websites use this. There is no international telephone calling code. Antarctica straddles every time zone, but the government uses Universal Co-ordinated Time (UTC), primarily because this is the time zone of the UK, where the goverment is currently situated. Antarctica publishes a simple newspaper (at somewhat erratic intervals), the 'Antarctica Announcer'. The Republic of Antartica has nothing to do with 'the People's Republic of Antarctica' in John Calvin Batchelor's 1983 novel. The Republic of Antarctica has not signed the Antartic Treaty, which aims to preserve the continent for scientific purpose and forbids military action (as a result of this, the Republic has has no army), but aims to follow its guidelines (as far as is possible) all the same. In the event of citizens of the Republic inhabiting the continent, there would be minimal interference with scientific activity. Indeed, one of the Republic's primary aims may be to aid research. A citizen of Antarctica is an Antartican, but the general adjective used to refer to the country should be 'Antarctic'. Alternatively, Antarctican may be used in this context also. The Republic of Antarctica is a member of EIFA, the English-Language Intermicronational Football Association, although it has yet to play a match.

External links

Republic].

Online].

[http://www.createforum.com/phpbb/index.php?mforum=antarctica&sid=f6262e6998c03bf357bb55a25a69a7cb Official forums].

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