by Max Barry

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36

Land of Townside | Overview



Overview


Land of the Town Beside the Sea


...Royal Union Flag

...Townsider Blue Ensign

Commonwealth Flag

Coat of Arms


Motto

Nulli expugnabilis hosti
(Latin: Conquered By No Enemy)

Royal Anthem

LinkGod Save the King

National Anthem

LinkI vow to thee, my country


Map of Townside and neighbours...

Detailed map of Townside......


History

British control (Colony)

1786

Responsible government

1854

LinkDominion declared

1899

LinkStatute of Westminster adopted

1940

Capital
and largest city

Townside Borough (city-state)

National language

English (de facto)

Ethnic groups

64.8% Townsider
35.2% other

Religion

43.9% Christian
- 23.9% Church of Townside
- 20.0% Catholic Church
46.2% No religion
10.0% Other religion

Demonym

Townsider
Townie (colloquial)

Government

Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Monarch

HM The King

Governor

Admiral Sir Norwood Williams

Lieutenant Governor

Chief Justice Warwick Huntingdon-Stafford

Premier

Benjamin Chancellor

Legislature

Parliament

Upper house

Island Council

Lower house

House of Assembly

Area

Total

18,448 km2

Water (%)

0.11

Highest elevation

2,935 m (9,629 ft)

Population

July 2023 estimate

323,981

July 2022 estimate

319,856

Density

17.6/km2

GDP

2022 estimate

$19.439 billion

Per capita

$60,000 [Permission granted]

Gini (income)

28.2
low

Gini (wealth)

0.902
very high

HDI

0.976
very high

Currency

Townsider pound (TSP; £)

Time zone

Penrith Mean Time (PMT)

Summer (DST)

PMT+01:00 (PST)

Date format

dd/mm/yyyy

Driving side

left

Internet TLD

.ts

Townside, officially the Land of the Town Beside the Sea, is a country in the Western Isles. The 18,362 km2 country is a twin-island nation comprising of the larger Deliverance Island and the smaller Queen Elizabeth II Island (formerly known as Christmas Island until September 2022). The islands are located to the southeast of Najimam, east of San Jimenez, and north of Dormill and Stiura and Roendavar.

Townside has a temperate climate, with mild summers and cool winters. Its climate also exhibits oceanic features similar to other coastal areas in the Northern Hemisphere, with moist air from the ocean ensuring relatively high humidity and stabilising temperature.

The capital is the Borough of the Town Beside the Sea (Townside Borough), which is the country's only urban area, located on the north of Deliverance Island around the mouth of the Everflow River. The borough was named after its literal geography, and lends its name to the country as a whole. The rest of the country beyond the borough is known as Lafonia. The island has been permanently inhabited since 1786 when the British settlement was established. Forming part of the British Western Isles, Townside was governed under royal charter until 1856, when it became a crown colony. The first labourers were taken to Townside between 1786 and 1800 in what were known as the First, Second, Third, and Fourt Fleets, but a full plantation economy did not develop, and the immigration largely ceased by the end of the 18th century. The economy instead became maritime-focused, with the colony serving as a base for merchants, privateers, and the Royal Navy. Its proximity to Gael resulted in it becoming an Imperial fortress, an important British naval and military base in the Western Isles, with vast funds lavished on its Royal Naval Dockyard and military defences.

While the defence sector still contributes a sizeable 10% to the national economy (kept alive by the ongoing sovereignty dispute with Najimam), the "twin pillars" of the country's modern economy are offshore financial services (40% of GDP) and tourism (30% of GDP). Tourism has been a significant contributor to Townside's economy since the 19th century. Meanwhile, the country only became a prominent major regional offshore financial centre and tax haven for regional businesses and wealthy individuals after [World War II], largely as a result of the state not charging taxes on any income earned or stored.

Townside is a unitary parliamentary democracy with a bicameral parliament located in Townside Borough. The House of Assembly (the lower house of Parliament) dates from 1854 when it first met after the colony achieved responsible government. The Island Council (the upper house of Parliament) and the Executive Council (the formal meeting of the Cabinet) were formed in 1824 when they were split from the Governor's Council. The premier is the head of government and is formally appointed by the governor and lieutenant governor jointly. The governor and lieutenant governor are appointed by The King to be his joint-representatives in the country. Townside does not have a single independence date. Rather, Townside's sovereignty developed over time. Townside achieved responsible government in 1854, was declared a self-governing British Dominion in 1899, and in 1940, the Townsider parliament adopted the Statute of Westminster, which removed nearly all of the British Parliament's authority to legislate for the Dominion, and effectively made Townside a largely sovereign nation in its own right.

With a GDP per capita of $60,000, Townside has the highest GDP per capita in the Western Isles, but the country is wracked by extremely severe wealth inequality and a deeply entrenched social class divide, with a handful of influential individuals (the so-called “Four Families”, or the “Bunyip Aristocracy” according to detractors) holding outsized influenced over a country often termed to be the personal playground for the rich and powerful. Additionally, the country's idyllic image and safe, clean streets hides a regional underground centre for organised crime and black market activity, known as Townside's "Underbelly". Nevertheless, the country's apparent economic success and outwardly peaceful appearance attracts many unwitting workers from around the region. Immigrants from almost every country and territory in the Western Isles reside in Townside.



History

The old that is strong does not wither.



Geography

Not all who wander are lost.



Culture

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.



Politics

The crownless again shall be king.



Law

Better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer.



Religion

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace



Military

Conquered by no enemy.



Economy

In the long run we are all dead.



International

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step



Trivia

From such trivia, I believe my soul was born

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