Lindenholt

Lindenholt, pronounced, officially the Kingdom of Lindenholt, is a medium-sized unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy located in Western Vestea. The roughly 73 million Lindians live in one of the country's nine provinces which border Umbrellia and Ripuaria to the south, ? to the east, ? to the north and to the west, separated by the ?-sea, lies Nordal.

The country's capital and largest city is Artwingen, with the second and third largest cities being Stokfort and Dorningen respectively. The three cities host some of the largest sea ports in the world, as the rivers on which they lie are considered to be the lifeline of the Western Vestean hinterland.

By virtue of its expansive river systems, Lindenholt has a long history of trade that ranges from medieval trading leagues and a global colonial empire to modern times, where it is considered a key economy within the Vestean Union. Another major theme of Lindian history is that of innovation and progressive thought, which was a key factor in the nation's unification during the Fifteen Years' War.

Today Lindenholt boasts a highly-developed market economy and ranks in the top ten largest economies of the world. Lindenholt is member of Vestean Union, the Aureizone, org and org. It's high standard of living combined with fully legalised abortion, prostitution, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, a liberal drug policy and extensive civil rights and liberties underline the nation's liberal character and complement it's high standard of living.

Etymology
A forested area stretching from the Brusseland marshes in the west to the eastern bank of the Sonnae river was known to the !Romans as Tilia Silvestris (lit.  forest). While the linden tree was found in Lindenholt at this time, nothing in the historic record suggests that the tree was overly represented in its forested areas. Instead, this etymology likely traces its history to decorative woodcarving art and shields made from by the Tilian tribes inhabiting the area.

After the fall of the Roman Empire and during the Early Middle Ages, the meaning of Tilia Silvestris had come to encompass most of what is considered modern-day Lindenholt. It was also during this time that the literal old- translation of the name gained popularity among its rulers and inhabitants when referring to the  realm north of Umbrellia.

Demographics
The National Bureau for Statistics (Rijksbureau voor Statistiek) counted that on 1 January 2020 Lindenholt had a population of 75,882,740. Of those 33,6 million people live in one of the thirty largest cities' metropolitan areas. Lindenholt's population density is around 280 people per square kilometre, although it should be noted that this figure is an average for the entire country. In reality the western provinces of Lindenholt are much more densely populated than the north and west, which are largely rural.

In 1900 Lindenholt had a population of around 34 million people. Over the past 100 years the population had almost doubled, as in the year 2000 Lindenholt reached a population of almost 70 million. In 2015 the National Bureau for Statistics registered a birth rate of 13 births per 1000 inhabitants. Coupled with a positive migration rate, Lindenholt's population has an annual growth rate of 0.6%.

According to the National Bureau for Statistics there are 7,8 million. According to estimates of the Lindian LGBTQ movement, there are around 3.8 million self-proclaimed members of the community.

Language
Lindenholt's national language is. Schools across the country teach and instruct students in the language's standardised variant. Standard Lindian is predominantly spoken in the urbanised west, whereas a dialect continuum exists in more rural parts of the country. These dialects are collectively known as plat (lit. flat) and are used in informal communication with community members. Due to the widespread use of Standard Lindian in the media, official communications and schools, the overwhelming majority of platspeakers are fully fluent in the Standardised language. Over the past years some dialects have come under threat of extinction. While speakers of several of these dialects have made efforts to gain official recognition, such efforts have yet to amount to any recognition by the Lindian government.

The National Bureau for Statistics' census reports that 96% of the population has an at least intermediary grasp of the Lindian language. The same census reports that around 38% of Lindian above the age of eighteen were conversationally proficient in, most of them centred in areas bordering Umbrellia. is the most spoken foreign language, with 85% of Lindians above the age of eighteen reporting conversational proficiency.

Religion


Irreligiousness, atheism and agnosticism are on the rise in Lindenholt, and form the largest religious group with nearly 56% of the population declaring themselves as one of the three aforementioned groups. Historically, up until the 1960's, the vast majority of Lindians were either or. Traditionally, the Sonnae river forms a rough border between the Calvinist north and Catholic south, although pockets of both denominations can be found far from the "border". Heintsbergen lies completely north of the Sonnae river, yet it is still considered to be a traditionally Catholic province.

While Lindenholt used to be a majority Calvinist nation up until the 1950's, the shift towards irreligiousness that took place over the course of the late 20th century was mainly centred in the Calvinist north. This has made Catholicism the largest Christian denomination in the country. Despite this, many persons that claim Catholicism as their faith are non-practising. The largest concentration of practising Catholics and Calvinists can be found in rural areas of the province of Elstergouw, where several districts within the province form the Lindian Biblebelt.

Starting during the industrialisation period, the urbanisation of Lindenholt led to cities with mixed religious and political backgrounds. Generally, the main zuilen (lit. ) of Lindian society were recognised to be the socialists, liberals, Catholics and Calvinists; with  forming a smaller pillar represented mostly in large cities. Each pillar created their own social institutions such as schools, universities, news papers, radio and television channels, political parties, stores, sport and hobby clubs, and trade unions. Despite often living in mixed neighbourhoods, members of each pillar only made use of their own pillar's social institutions. Marriages outside of one's own pillar were taboo, and there was little social interaction between members of differing pillars. This voluntary segregation is the pillarisation of Lindian society.

During the Second World War, members of each pillar had endured the horrors of the war together. This, along with the post-war generation of Lindians being wealthier, better educated and more outspoken eroded the boundaries set by the pillars. The rise of irreligiousness, the rebellious character of youth in the 1960's, a sense of unity instilled during the war and the coming of immigrants eventually brought a total end to pillarisation during the 1970's.

Lindenholt is a secular state, with strong influences from. This is a relic from the government's strict policy of religious neutrality during pillarisation. While the Lindian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, institutions funded or operated by the state act with a strict neutral religious character. Government employees are not allowed to display or otherwise disclose their religious affiliation. A similar situation exists in publicly funded education, where students and teachers may not visibly display their religious status through wearing religious symbols such as necklaces with a cross, headscarves or a. Religion has also come to be regarded as a strictly private matter in society, with those who adhere to a religion often only actively practising it at home, or at a place of worship.

Health
Lindenholt has a mixed healthcare system that unites aspects of universal socialised healthcare and market competition. Lindian healthcare is internationally considered to be of high quality and standards. It ranks high on areas such as patient rights and freedom.

Ordinarily, an extensive network of general practitioners are the first point of contact for the ill. They provide an easily accessible point for medical advice or treatment, and are tasked with referencing patients to a hospital or specialist. Principally, hospitals only treat patients that have gotten a reference from their general practitioner; this allows hospitals to treat those that have a need for more urgent or complex care. All hospitals (more formally, medical centres) in Lindenholt are open to the public, however there is a distinction between privately owned medical centres, public medical centres and academic medical centres.

Academic medical centres serve as teaching and research hospitals that are directly owned by an affiliated medical school or university. Generally they provide care to patients that are to undergo advanced medical procedures, suffer from rare conditions or have developed serious complications. Privately owned hospitals form the majority of Lindian medical centres, they provide care to any patient that is referred by a general practitioner. Treatments and care are provided for a profit, however the government bears responsibility for the quality and accessibility of the care. The central government reserves the right to buy out a private hospital when the requirements for quality, accessibility or patient satisfaction are at stake. At that point, these hospitals become public hospitals until the problems they face can be resolved. The vast majority of public hospitals are those that service rural areas, many of these hospitals are unable to turn a profit without sacrificing quality of care. Hence, the government accepts that they run at a loss while preserving their capacity and quality.

Obtaining an insurance plan from a private insurer is mandatory for all Lindians. The government mandates that the most basic insurance plan includes a wide-range of treatments and any acute medical procedure performed at any of the medical centres in Lindenholt. In addition to this, the government sets the maximum deductibles and maximum premiums for the most basic insurance plan. Similarly to any mandatory insurance, insurers are not allowed to discriminate based on age or risks such as pre-existing conditions or current health status. Because of competition and market forces, the average basic insurance has a monthly premium of around 130 Aurei (where the maximum for 2020 is 153 Aurei) and a deductible of 220 Aurei (with a maximum of 350).

Prehistoric Lindenholt
Archaeological records show that the area that is modern-day Lindenholt has been inhabited by humans for at least 40,000 years. It is evident that  groups roamed the country during the last ice age, and settled the land around 8000 BC. Lindenholt's geography required canoes for travel, as sediments left by glaciers during previous ice ages left a flat, low-lying landscape dotted with shallow lakes and bogs. These groups built canoes to fish and traverse marshlands and rivers.

Modern humans were not the only inhabitants of Lindenholt at this time. According to archaeological findings, had inhabited Lindenholt during the late. Evidence suggests they intermingled with the later arriving modern humans and died out somewhere between the end of the ice ages and the introduction of agriculture. It is widely believed that the overwhelming competition from modern humans is what drove the Homo Tiliaensis to their extinction.

Around 5000 BC, members of Central Vestean tribes migrated to modern-day Lindenholt. They brought agriculture and animal husbandry, which was quickly adopted by local tribes and cultures. The advent of agriculture led to an increase in pottery. Different cultures were distinguished by patterns applied to pottery used to store grain, other crops and fluids. Prehistoric Lindians were milk drinkers and brewed alcoholic drinks such as early beers. These cultures were the so-called Beakercultures, they include the Spike, Dent, Line, Spiral an Bundle groups that were named after the decorations found on their pottery.

Between 4100 and 3200 BC the Beakercultures started burying important tribesmen in. These grave monuments are mainly visible in what is now the province of Atenland. Solid ground in that area, compared to the marshes that made up the rest of Lindenholt, served as good foundations that allowed for the preservation of these graves. Evidence exists of dolmen whose heavy megaliths had sunk in to the soft ground of other areas in Lindenholt. Around fifty well-preserved dolmen remain in the province, mainly as tourist attractions.

Around 2000 BC an important trading route along the Sonnae river brought to Lindenholt, ushering in the. During the bronze age the country also saw a significant increase in population. The introduction of the oxen plough made cultivating the heavy clay soils possible, which increased the food supply.

Tilian tribes
The !Celtic expansion that took place across Vestea reached Lindenholt around 1000 BC. Celtic tribes settled areas in the provinces of Hoveland and Brusseland. Archaeological excavations in these areas suggests that the so-called Heathcultures introduced iron to Lindenholt, this marked the start of the.

Newly introduced metalworking allowed for the creation of higher quality tools; which in turn led to increased crop yields. This allowed for a rise in population but also allowed for the number of people not involved in agriculture to increase significantly. From 800 BC onward trade and crafts developed, which led to the creation of the first urban centres. These urban centres usually evolved from being market places and areas of commerce in to fully fledged settlements. Around 700 BC several of these settlements had reached a population of around a thousand. As attacks from raiders and hostile tribes were frequent, most urban areas were protected with wooden and earth fortifications.

Triggered by climatic changes in the north of Vestea, Tilian tribes migrated from !Allentyr to the north of Lindenholt. Settlements around the areas of Seigerberg, Elkenstad and Beutrecht were founded by them around the same time as the !Celts founded settlements near cities such as Reurink and Veurink. Archaeological evidence shows that the settlements were abandoned and rebuilt several times before the !Roman period, after which they survived in to the modern era.

Most of the wealth at this time was centred around settlements with access to a river or the sea. Compared to the area of Tilian settlement, !Celtic areas lacked these vital trade routes. This weakness allowed Tilian tribes to expand in to areas previously settled by !Celtic peoples. Two centuries before the arrival of the !Romans any significant !Celtic influence in Lindenholt had faded.

Geography
Lindenholt encompasses a total area of 354,188 km². When bodies of water within the country are excluded its total land area is 343,917 km²; making 2.9% of Lindenholt's area water. The prime meridian runs through the capital city of Artwingen, the western and eastern most points are at [?]° and [?]° longitude respectively. Its most northern and southern points are at latitudes [?]° and [?]° respectively. Lindenholt's highest point is recorded to be [x] at [?] metres high, while it's lowest point lies [?] metres below sea level.

The country's physical geography is defined by low-lying river estuaries in the west, open plains in its centre and rolling hills right on the eastern border. Large areas of western Lindenholt were reclaimed from the sea, as well as from bodies of fresh water. Somewhat similarly, areas more inland were reclaimed from peatlands. Three important rivers discharge in to the sea on the country's western coast. Those rivers, the Sonnae, Kreugel and Arkas play a key role in Lindenholt's culture, history, society and economy. Alongside the previously mentioned rivers the Hove and Waads rivers are also considered to be important waterways, as are various man-made canals meant primarily for inland shipping.

The country is divided in to nine provinces that hold limited political power and mostly serve an administrative purpose. The western provinces of Sonnemonde, Dorningen and Kreugelen are the most populous, whereas all the provinces bordering them to the north, south and east are of a more rural character. Each province is subdivided in to districts. They are responsible for providing services such as public transport, the collection of waste, maintenance of local infrastructure and water management. Each district is subdivided in to several municipalities that represent the various localities within the district.

Geology
Lindenholt can be subdivided in to five main geological areas, based on the sediments that can be found on the surface. While these areas are unique considering their history and geology, a feature almost all of Lindenholt's surface area shares is the lack of surface-level solid rock formations. In fact, almost all of the outcrop is aged at less than a million years old, which is a rare phenomena considering Ardin's age.

The oldest sediments can be found in the country's east, where during the second to last (150,000 - 380,000 years ago) advancing ice sheets formed. Impermeable layers of can be found along the edges of these hills, whereas their peaks are made up of the sandy sediments present before the glacial period. After this period, but before the most recent glacial period (110,000 - 11,000 years ago), the majority of Lindenholt was covered by a prehistoric sea. The seabed was left exposed after the glacial period set in and sea levels dropped, which resulted in Lindenholt becoming a. During this time deposited sand on the surface, leading to the formation of so-called dekzand areas that are found throughout the country but are most present in the provinces of Brusseland and Hoveland.

The country's north east was defined by raised bogs, called hoogveen, which was formed by its impermeable sandy sediments causing water to pool on the surface. Later these areas became peatlands. They were used for the extraction of peat, although most of them were reclaimed for farming and animal husbandry during a period stretching from the middle ages to the late 19th century. Other bogs, such as laagveen, could be found near the country's coast in the provinces of Kreugelen and Heelde. While the majority of sediments on the coast are of, the melting permafrost after the last glacial period caused the formation of swamps in some lower-lying areas. Almost none of these have survived in to the 21st century. In addition to marine clay, makes up an important segment of Lindian sediments. Fluvial clay is omnipresent around the banks of all rivers in Lindenholt, however the area between the Sonnae en Kreugel rivers in the country's centre is almost completely made up of fluvial clay sediments. This can be attributed to the meandering rivers depositing clay before moving their paths over a period of thousands of years.

Climate
Overall, Lindenholt experiences a temperate oceanic climate with mild winters and cool summers, classed as in the. Within Lindenholt, can be found more inland where, due to their distance from the sea, these areas experience conditions that tend towards a.

Lindenholt receives anywhere between 690-900 millimetres of precipitation on a yearly basis. Most rainfall is equally distributed throughout the year, although in autumn and summer months rainfall is more frequent. Snowfall occurs infrequently during a period from November through March, however the small amount of freezing days and subsequent rainfall mean that snow disappears rather quick. Temperatures rarely rise above 30°C during summers and seldomly drop below -10°C during winters.

Largest cities
Most of Lindenholt's urban centres can be found in the country's west, largely along the coast. Cities located more inland are often situated on the banks of major rivers such as the Sonnae and Kreugel. A called the Kern (lit.  "core") that spans from Artwingen to Beutrecht is Lindenholt's most populous and most densely populated urban region. The metropolitan areas of Stokfort and Dorningen, respectively the second and third largest cities in the country, have a similar population density of around 1250 persons per square kilometre. The fourth largest city, Beutrecht, is part of the Kern, whereas the 5th and 6th largest cities (Kreugeldam and Seigerberg) are located more inland - the latter being 30 kilometres removed from the eastern border.

Parliament
Lindenholt is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, meaning that the main legislative powers fall in to the hands of the parliament, which is called the States General (Staten Generaal). It is a assembly with 623 representatives that are elected via. The States General convenes at the Bewindshof in Artwingen. All members of parliament can propose and vote on legislation and motions, which pass voting when a simple majority is reached.

Parliamentary elections are held every four years or when a sitting cabinet resigns, usually as a result of a. Candidates for a parliamentary seat are put on a party list and elected according to the. The party with the most seats after an election can form a government by gaining the support of a parliamentary coalition and can create a cabinet, this process is called . Lindenholt has a multiparty system, and an outright majority by any party has never occurred in Lindian parliamentary history.

Once a new parliament goes in to session, members of parliament can vote to elect members to the Presidium, which includes the speaker. Each party can put forward a total of three candidates for the nine available positions, after the candidates have been announced members of parliament can vote until there are only two candidates left for each of the eighteen positions. At this point, a decides which candidate will be awarded the position. Unlike in other countries, members of the Parliamentary Presidium retain their status as member of parliament, however they are barred from taking part in debates whilst exercising their presidium duties.

Political parties
Currently, there are seven parties represented in the Lindian parliament. These parties range from the left to the right in their political ideologies, with their position in parliament symbolising their political stance. While Lindenholt has always been a multiparty democracy, it was only after the pillarisation of Lindian society had ended that such a wide variety of political ideologies were represented in the States General. The largest and most influential players before this were the Calvinist (GSP) and Catholic (KU) Christian democratic parties alongside the social democratic Lindian Labourers Party. A small, yet adequately represented party was the Liberal People's Party which, at the time, was a party. During pillarisation, all parties had a loyal and well entrenched voting base, meaning that election results were always roughly the same.

The first large shift in Lindian politics happened in 1964, when members from the Liberal People's Party split off to form their own, centrist political party, the Union of Democrats. They found that the continuous cooperation of the LVP with the conservative KU and USP had pushed their party to the right. In the subsequent elections the UVD managed to rally students and other social liberals to take part in the political process. During the 1964 elections the UVD became larger than the LVP, making them kingmakers for the next cabinet. UVD leadership decided to form a government with the left wing Lindian Labourers Party.

Up until the 1980's, Lindenholt would be led by coalition governments of the Lindian Labourers Party and the Union of Democrats. The time period from 1964-1980 is known as the Steegmans-era, where LAP prime minister Albert Steegmans was the longest serving prime minister in Lindian history. It was during this time that the LAP switched from being a traditional social democratic party, campaigning solely for worker's rights and left wing economics, to being a contemporary social democratic party that also fought for civil rights and socially left wing ideals.

Another major shift in the political landscape came in 1980, when the two largest Christian democratic parties (KU and GSP) merged to form a united Christian democratic party. Lindian society had gotten less religious since the 1960's and the leaderships of both parties realised that a single party would have a greater chance of winning elections. This tactic worked, as the United Ecumenistic Alliance (VOA) saw large successes during the 1980's and 1990's.

In 2004 fractions of the VOA and LVP split off from their respective parties to form Change '04 (V'04). This party, frustrated by the VOA's and LVP's cooperation with the LAP and UVD, which they deemed to be too left wing, aimed to be a right wing counter movement.

The 2010 retirement pensions reform of the UVD government caused V'04 to split. While the fiscally conservative party supported the move, a somewhat more populist wing of the party decided to split off to form the United Seniors (VS) party. In recent years VS evolved from a one-issue political movement to a fully fledged right-wing populist party.

Cabinet
Officially the Council of Ministers, or simply the cabinet, is the main executive body of the Lindian government. Its members consist out of ministers, secretaries, deputy prime ministers and the prime minister. In most circumstances members of the cabinet are elected members of parliament, however the separation of powers in the Lindian constitution prevents MPs from holding cabinet positions. Thus, members of the cabinet temporarily cede their seat to their political party, which in turn selects a member from the party list to fill the minister's parliamentary seat.

The current cabinet has a total of x ministries that are headed by an equal number of ministers. In addition to the ministers, there are also secretaries which are the head of a secretariat which assumes responsibility over certain portfolios from their overarching ministry.

Royal house
Lindenholt is a constitutional monarchy were the role of the monarch is described by the constitution. The constitution stipulates that the monarch enjoys individual ministerial responsibility, meaning that they cannot be held responsible for their actions. While the government operates in name of the monarch, neither the King nor any member of the royal house hold any political power. In fact, members of the royal house are bound to political neutrality by law.

Nowadays the monarchy functions as a national symbol with the aim of playing a unifying role within Lindian society. Members of the royal house often participate in charity events and represent Lindenholt in international gatherings. The current King's brother is the chairman of the Lindian Cancer Society, while his mother has been a long time member of the World Autism Fund.

The current monarch is King Maximilian IV of Stokfort, and his heir apparent is Prince Maximilian V.

Administrative divisions
Lindenholt is a decentralised unitary state, meaning that most areas of governance fall in to the hands of the national government, while administrative and cultural tasks are delegated to more local governance. The country's nine provinces are the largest of those local governments. They form an administrative layer between the national government and districts. The provincial governments deal with matters such as spatial planning, energy, environmental protection, the regional economy and cultural affairs. Elections for provincial councils are held every four years, with political parties represented on the national level being the most represented.

The 75 districts (landschappen lit. landscapes) of Lindenholt can be seen as a local technocratic government. Where the provinces deal with broad affairs based on party politics, the districts are tasked with providing services such as public transport, water management, welfare, agriculture, waste collection, and regional infrastructure. Each district has an executive board consisting out of a fixed number of experts that are appointed by the most local form of governance in the countries; the municipalities.

Most urban areas fall under a single municipality, while larger cities can comprise multiple municipalities. In rural areas several villages may band together as a single municipality. Every four years inhabitants of a municipality can elect members to their municipal council. Local parties make up a majority of parties represented, though the local wings of national political parties are also widespread. The municipal councils elect mayors and aldermen, who in turn form the municipal board.

Transport and infrastructure
Lindenholt's infrastructure is modern and of good quality. Urban areas are connected through well-maintained motorways called Rijkswegen (lit. national roads) that have no mandated speed limit. Smaller population centres are connected with motorways that have a speed limit of 130 kilometres per hour. In total the Rijkswegen network has a total of 14,435 kilometres of. Rural areas of the country are connected with provincial roads where a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour is in effect. In total Lindenholt has around 650,000 kilometres of roads, 231,000 of which are located outside of city limits.

Most major urban areas have access to the Hogesnelheidslijn (HSL), which is the country's high speed train network that, in addition to linking Lindian cities, also provides fast connections to Allentyr, Ripuaria and Umbrellia. Almost all small to medium-sized cities are serviced by conventional intercity lines or more local S-train connections.

Lindenholt has twelve airports that serve international destinations, with an equal amount of regional service airports. The three largest airports are, in order, Artwingen Antende airport with 71 million passengers, Dorningen Arkasmonde airport with 26 million passengers and Stokfort Maximilian airport with 12 million passengers. Lindenholt's national carrier, !Cool name for an airline flies to hundreds of international destinations from their hubs in the three aforementioned airports.

Freight it commonly transported over roads and sometimes via rail, although the vast majority of heavy cargo is shipped via waterways. A large network of canals in addition to the naturally present rivers make for cheap and efficient transport routes across the country and in to the Vestean hinterland. Because of this, Lindenholt has one of the largest inland shipping industries in Vestea, with around 30,000 registered ships.

Owing to a culture of biking, urban, suburban and most rural areas have excellent cycling infrastructure that includes anything from completely isolated parallel cycling paths to clearly indicated cycling lanes on roads.

Cities have substantial public transport systems that connect destinations within the city to surrounding dormitory suburbs. While regular bus links are omnipresent (even in rural areas), metro lines only exist in Artwingen, Stokfort, Dorningen, Beutrecht, Kreugeldam and Seigerberg with the latter being the only city in that list which does not have a complimentary tram system. In addtion to all of this, most towns and cities have connections to regional S-train networks that connect them to the surrounding areas.