Socialist Republic of Dorvik

Dorvik is a country at the northern end of the continent of Artania.

Geography

 * See Geography of Dorvik

Dorvik consists of five regions, by population:
 * Kordusia, in northern Atria, is the most populous county. It is notable for its strong winds year-round.
 * Dorvan, consisting of two islands in the southwest, is the location of the capital, Fairfax. It is the location of Dorvik's largest river, the Vinisk river.
 * Largonia, on the southwest Atrian coast, is a favorite holiday destination.
 * Miktar, on the southeast coast, is cold, rural and isolated.
 * Mothar, an island in the northwest, is very foggy, and the interior is covered by bogs.

The national bird is the Lesser Spotted Kwonmbongo Bird, which lives in forested areas of Atria and Dorvan. It used to also live in small pockets of Mothar, but due to foresting, it has gone extinct there. Also inhabiting southern Dorvik is the Greater Spotted Kwonmbongo Bird, which migrates south to central Artania during winter and can only be seen in Dorvik from June through September.

History

 * See History of Dorvik

Dorvik was first settled around year 50. It was early divided into three major tribes. The most notable and powerful of these was the Dorvin, a communal people who inhabited the northern tip of Atria.

The Lormans were a tribe localised around the Dorvan region, and Mothar was home to the Mothin tribe, who were very similar to the Lormans. They engaged in many wars, most ntoably the 300 years war from 767 to 1063 (ended by the Neptune Accord), and the War of Revenge or War of Imperial Conquest (depending on where you came from) from 1063 to 1389.

Meanwhile, much of the mainland had united under King Egbert I (The Mighty Uniter), from Paddock, as the Kingdom of Dorvik. In 1326 Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Kingdom, and the newly empowered clergy ruthlessly executed Druids until the 1390s plague.

Demographics

 * See Dorvish Demographics

In general, it is thought that the people of both Atria and Dorvan, and possibly Mothar, are all descended from a common ancestor in Largonia about year 0. This ancestor may be related to the people of Aloria or Kirlawa. However, the people of Mothar may not be descended from this ancestor, and may instead have come to their homeland across the sea, either from Dovani or Davostan.

About 52% of the population is Episcopalian, another 34% is other Protestant, and the remaining 14% are either Atheist, Agnostic, Neopagan or another religion.

Each of the original three tribes had its own language. Atrian disappeared soon after the import of Christianity, and there is no known record of it. Mothin died out after Mothar was united with Dorvan. Lormann is the only native language surviving, but it is losing its popularity due to global cultural influences and ever growing majority of English speakers. It did not suffer the same fate as Atrian when Christian missionaries arrived because they arrived later, after the language had already been written. In modern times, English is far and away the dominant language.

Culture

 * See Dorvish Culture

Rural life, as in Miktar or Mothar, tends to be simple and peaceful, mostly based on agriculture & mining though increasing urbanization has had its influence.

Painting is uncommon, but Dorvik has a strong history of sculpture, rooted in folk art. Although not a major producer of literature, Dorvik has its fair share of authors and books.

The national anthem is Beloved Homeland, Dorvik. It takes its roots from several Dorvish historical music types: traditional folk music, classical and even contemporary. Film is important, especially in Lormann. Radio and TV were stronger in the past, but have taken a hit due to the temporary banning of non-state broadcast media.

By far the most popular sport in Dorvik is Ice Skating Badminton though soccer and golf are slowly increasing their popularity.

Bread, fish, dairy and hearty vegetables make up the staple Dorvish diet. Hard ciders are very popular.

Economy

 * See Economy of Dorvik

The Dorvish currency is the Dorvikian Dolgar. The internet country code is .dk.

Dorvan is often considered the breadbasket of Dorvik and most food & chemical industry is located there; Mothar has a thriving fishing & shipping industry. Southern Dorvik is fortunate enough to sit on a large iron-rich continental shield though there are some copper, nickel and opal found as well. Steelworking and appliance manufacturing have traditionally been big industries, having grown out of the old blacksmithing trade but today technology & electronics companies, service sector and forest industry employ most of people, and medical industry is also a prominent employer in these days. Largonia is the centre of the tourism industry but it has also moderate banking & insurance sector.

Infrastructure includes air, rail, sea and road travel. All road signs are written in English and Lormann. The Trade Union Congress is the overarching trade union organization, employer unions such as Industrial League of Dorvik forming counterbalance.

Government

 * See Government of Dorvik

Dorvik has a unicameral legislature called the House of Representatives. Prime Minister has the dominant role in domestic politics but foreign policy is still mainly in the hands of the President.