Lindenholt

Lindenholt, pronounced, officially the Kingdom of Lindenholt, is a medium-sized unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy located in Western Vestea. The population of almost 76 million Lindians live in one of the country's nine provinces which border Umbrellia and Ripuaria to the south, Anglea to the east, Allentyr to the north and to the west. Separated by the Amica Sea on Lindenholt's western coast 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 (Before 800 BC)
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 (800 BC - 11 AD)
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.

Roman period (12 - 410)
[I need to know what the Roman Empire (Agrestic Empire?) was like before I write any of this. The dates are just guesses based on RL.]

Early Middle Ages (411 - 1000)
[I need to know how the Roman fell and what followed it. Do we have a Charlemagne? Should I make one of my own? How did the HAE form and how did Lindenholt become a part of it?]

High Middle Ages (1001 - 1250)
The past centuries saw the decline of the Vikings, as tribes in Allentyr were. This had brought about a steady increase in economic activity and population growth in Lindenholt and the broader Nordismar region. With the threat of Vikings being completely subdued in the 11th century, the seas and estuaries of northern Ventismar were once again safe for trade ships. This meant that at the start of the, there was a brief period of peace. In Lindenholt, the powerful class of warriors and mercenaries that had risen to combat the threat of Viking invasion now found themselves without much of a job. In order to appease them they were integrated as in to the Lindian court culture, the so-called . Around this time, serfs which had been placed in positions of power and responsibility, the so-called, were also integrated in to the court; often serving as knights.

The period of peace led to an increase in economic activity, which in turn led to a large and rapid growth in population. This growth would prove unsustainable however, as farmland available for new serfs was running out and the demand for food, trade goods and employment was growing. Largely unsettled bog lands, collectively called hoogveen, found primarily in the north east of the country provided the answer to these problems. While work on reclaiming these areas for settlement and agriculture had started in the 9th century, the reclamation process was accelerated considerably in the 11th century. This was by and large due to the introduction of the modern iron plough. The iron plough, which replaced the ancient wooden, allowed farmers to plough the heavier clay and peat soils of the hoogveen deeper than was possible with the ard. Ploughing deeper improved the poor soil conditions and fertility of the reclaimed areas.

While the introduction of the modern plough and adoption of the made the reclaimed lands more habitable and fertile for select crops, it had still not increased soil fertility to the point where it could support the widespread cultivation of "bread grains", such as  and. Most reclaimed areas were suitable for the growing of, weeds, grass and. As a result, most of the hoogveen were primarily used for animal husbandry.

Since the reclaimed lands had no native population to speak of, a colonisation effort to populate these areas was necessary. Since the introduction of feudalism, serfs had been bound to the land where they were born. It was a common courtesy among fiefs and lords to extradite serfs that had moved or fled from the land they were bound to. Many hoogveen fiefs would break this tradition, as they pledged that new settlers would not be extradited to their previous lord, in addition to promising more liberties and a decreased tax burden. This was done in order to persuade serfs to settle the newly reclaimed parts of the country. The favourable laws in the hoogveen led to a mass exodus of farmers and serfs from all across the country to reclaimed regions. Presented with the threat of losing their able bodied men, several lords and fiefs called for the standardisation of feudal practices. This led to the Treaty of Elkenstad, while it did not bring much more liberty to the serfs (as they were still bound to their lands), universally abolished feudal practices such as corvée and socage.

Heavy rainfal and storms in 1146, combined with an already high water level and the inability of the local fief to pay for water defences led to thousands drowning and extensive damage being done all along the path of the Sonnae and Kreugel rivers. The aftermath of the flood saw King Conrad II seize all the flood defences in the Lindian Realm. Instead of each of the fiefdoms being responsible for the maintenance of their own water defences, this responsibility would from now on lie in the hands of the Crown.

Guldebond and States General (1251 - 1516)
Developments during the 11th through 13th centuries, such as the reclamation of the hoogveen, crop rotation, new methods of conserving fish and a significant increase in population all allowed for a period of significant economic growth. This led to an increase in artisanry, in turn facilitating the rise of big cities such as Artwingen, Dorningen and Stokfort. The resulting increase in trade strengthened merchant guilds around the realm. The guilds, which had no obligations to the feudal system, rose to become a dominant force in 13th century politics. Their wealth allowed for the formation of a powerful merchant class that vied for a rank equal to that of the nobility and clergy. In many cities the merchant elite received such privileges, however in some areas of the country feudal levies had to wage war with mercenary armies paid for by the guilds in order to maintain the status quo. Throughout the 13th and 14th century, feudal lords were making ever increasing concessions to the cities, and by the 14th century most cities had either far reaching autonomy or were outright independent.

The independence and autonomy of Lindenholt's trading cities allowed them to cooperate with each other in areas such as trade and monetary policy. While guilds that serviced multiple cities had existed before, the creation of the Guldebond in 1283 allowed for almost all major cities in the realm to unify their trade practices. The Guldebond's member cities would use a single currency, the guilder (Gulden). In addition to that, it operated a combined fleet tasked with defending free passage of ships to member cities along the Lindian coast and within the river system and set up s in cities that were not members of the league.

The Guldebond's influence would become most apparent when in the early 15th century. When king Conrad III died without an heir in 1378, the Guldebond and merchant classes across the realm supported [...], a Lindian nobleman who could trace his lineage to that of [...Charlemagne], as Conrad III's successor. Most of Lindenholt's nobility and clergy however wanted to transfer the royal title of Lindenholt to whomever held the title of Holy Agrestic Emperor. This served their interest, as the Lindian nobility could vote in the elective imperial system. In addition, the resulting (most likely Umber) king of Lindenholt would have to split their time between managing multiple large realms; meaning that the autonomy of the Lindian fiefdoms would increase significantly.

With this prosepct, the Lindian nobility formally invited emperor [...] to the vacant throne, which he accepted. As was first through, the lack of oversight by what was in essence a foreign king, led to the crown delegating many of its previous tasks to the individual fiefdoms. By the early 15th century however, the negative effects of the high autonomy had started to show themselves. The most notable of these problems was that, since the crown had delegated their water management duties, multiple catastrophic floods had occurred. This was mainly the result of small fiefdoms proving unable to afford the upkeep and construction of dikes and levees. In addition to this, laws that were valid throughout the realm before had come to be repealed, upheld or amended in the various fiefdoms. This increased trade barriers.

The 1408 Stokfort flood and ever increasing trade barriers prompted the Guldebond's member cities to convene in 1409. There they decided to invite all the fiefdoms of the realm in order to discuss and attempt to resolve the problems that were brought about by the decentralisation. It would take this so-called Diet of Beutrecht until 1416 to reach their first meaningful agreements. The Diet of Beutrecht came to the conclusion that it needed legitimacy and the ability to manage the treasury. After succesfully petitioning the emperor, he authorised the Diet of Beutrecht, which he renamed as States General, to manage the Lindian Realm's defence, finances, laws and foreign affairs in his name. In addition, he instructed the States General to choose a governor (Stadtholder) for the Lindian Realm. While the concept of a States General was not unknown at the time, the Lindian States General's inclusion of the merchant classes could be considered a new development.

Age of Reformation (1517 - 1599)
The, whose expenses had risen significantly during the 15th century, attempted to balance his budget through the sale of indulgences. This, combined with other factors, were a cause for friction within the Catholic faith. It was this discontnet that prompted George Cramer (Joris Kraemer), a member of the clergy, to write and post his on the cathedral of Ellijn's doors in 1517. This event is widely recognised as the start of the protestant.

Throughout the 16th century, Lindenholt would be the centre of the Reformation, being the birthplace major denominations such as [..]ism and. By the 18th century however [...]ism only comprised a small number of reformed Christians in Lindenholt, with Cramerism being the most dominant Christian denomination in the country. [...]ism is kept alive mostly in areas outside of Lindenholt, such as northern Umbrellia, [...].

By the late 1520's the first reformatory wave had swept Northern Vestea. While [...] had gained a moderately sized following in Lindenholt, many areas of the country remained overwhelmingly Catholic. During that time the States General refused to take action against the Reformation, as it saw no harm in the religious diversity. In fact, during this time many important office holders and merchants took part in the Reformation; mainly motivated by not having to pay expensive indulgences. Unlike the lax attitude of the States General, the Holy Agrestic Emperor, Jordeau de Sagât, fiercely opposed the prospect of Protestantism becoming entrenched. To this end, he tried to adopt policies that persecuted all of those involved with the Reformation.

The Lindian States General opposed this move, however as it was accepted by an imperial majority, it became law. Despite this, Lindenholt and several other realms in Umbrellia chose not to enforce the new laws. In response to this the Emperor threatened to seize the assets of non-conforming nobility. At this point the States General decided that it would be up to the individual fiefdoms themselves whether or not to respect the imperial law. Given their proximity to non-reformed Umber areas it was primarily fiefdoms located in the current day provinces of Brusseland and Hoveland that conformed to the imperial law.

In 1535 the treaty of Antiennes was signed. Among other things, it ruled that [...]ism was the only acceptable Christian sect, next to Catholicism, and that rulers were allowed to convert between one or the other freely. In practice the Empire's discrimination was still upheld however. By this point however, [...] was no longer the only significantly sized Reformed denomination however. Lindian adherence to the treaty was put in question by the States General, who in turn decided against its full implementation. Like many of the Lindian Realm's violations of imperial law, this too was disregarded.

Until 1555 both the, de jure accepted, [...] and unaccepted denominations grew. Especially in areas where fiefs had converted to [...], mainly to the north of the Sonnae river. [Umb please confirm] In 1560 (?) Jordeau de Sagât's successor became emperor. He reversed the course on accepting the Lindian Realm's tolerant stance regarding other protestant sects. Under the threat of military force, in 1560 the States General accepted to actively combat large protestant sects such as the Cramerists. This was done primarily by no longer allowing the construction of their churches, breaking up their assemblies and arresting prominent leaders. These measures caused riots within cities throughout Lindenholt, leading up to the first.

[Need to add Lindenholt's independence that follows from violence against Cramerists because they stormed churches]

Lindian Republic (1600 - 1792)
[Need to know about how we colonised and what was happening in Vestea around this time]

Kingdom of Lindenholt (1793 - 1913)
[Need to know what happened during the early 1800's, the industrial revolution and whether or not we're having African (Anetal) colonies. War with Ripuaria/Umbrellia could be added in.]

World Wars (1914 - 1945)
[We should start planning this out.]

Cold War (1946 - 1990)
[Same for this.]

Postmodern Era (1991 - present)
[We need to iron out whether the Cold War is still ongoing. Otherwise, this could be written with national events; unless some important things (9/11-esque) things happen in the 21st century.]

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 360 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.

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. Lindenholt has always been a multiparty democracy, however only after the pillarisation of Lindian society had ended did such a wide variety of political ideologies get represented in the States General. The largest and most influential players during this time were the Cramerist (GSP) and Catholic (KU) Christian democratic parties, alongside the social democratic Labourers Party. A smaller, 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 GSP 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 Labourers Party.

Up until the 1980's, Lindenholt would be led by coalition governments of the Labourers Party and the Union of Democrats. The time period from 1964-1980 is known as the Steegmans-era, where AP prime minister Albert Steegmans was the longest serving prime minister in Lindian history.

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 Ecumenical Alliance (VOA) saw large successes during the 1980's and 1990's.

In 2004 former entrepeneur and media personality Koen Breman formed Change '04 (V'04). This party was frustrated by VOA and LVP's cooperation with the AP and UVD, which they deemed to be too left wing. V'04 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 V'04 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.

Economy
Lindenholt has a highly developed market economy, with the x largest nominal GDP in the world at $4 billion. As a member of the Vestean Union and Aureizone, Lindenholt makes up x% of the Vestean Union's and x% of the Aureizone's respective GDPs. Import and exports comprise a significant part of the Lindian economy. In 2017 the country had a trade surplus of around $x00 billion, making it one of the largest exporters in the world.

The factors that are most commonly cited for Lindenholt's status as one of the largest exporters in the world are its extensive rail, road and waterway connections to the rest of Vestea's largest economies, the resence of a well-educated labour force as well as its large manufacturing industry. Lindenholt's largest exports include machinery, motor vehicles, chemical, electronics, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products such as foodstuffs. While the extraction of natural gas in Atenland is a major industry, Lindenholt's economy lacks other natural resources and is therefore dependent on importing those. Up until their discontinuation in the late 20th century, iron and lignite mining were also major industries.

Lindenholt is home to the headquarters of a large number of diverse BigCorpList corporations, with the top ten largest companies including the likes of Rijksautowerken (automotive), Multilever (foodstuffs), AITE (insurance), Artwingen-Louis Investment Bank (banking), Aerobus (aerospace), Dekker (industry), DAME (automotive), Reijnen ((pertro-)chemical), Agricola (agriculture) and Jager (automotive).

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 88 million passengers, Dorningen Arkasmonde airport with 31 million passengers and Stokfort Maximilian airport with 21 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.

Energy
Lindenholt is one of Ardin's largest consumers of energy. The majority of its energy is sourced from fossil fuels, most notably natural gas. Emission reduction targets set by the current and previous governments have managed to cut Lindenholt's emissions from 100% in 1990 to 81% as of 2018. This reduction in green house gas emissions was largely achieved through the use of more efficient and less polluting systems. It is expected that emissions relative to 1990 will be at 70% by 2020 and will be below 50% by 2035. These latter gains will mostly be the result of large zero emission energy generation projects.

As of 2020 the total energy supply is dominated by natural gas, making up roughly 74% of energy sources. Most of Lindenholt's natural gas originates from the Atenland deposit and is used in heating homes (decentral use) and electricity generation (central use). As Lindenholt is a net exporter of gas, much of the remainder is exported to other Vestean countries. The vast majority of buildings in Lindenholt are connected to an underground natural gas network, where central heating systems and cooking stoves use it. Whereas this was almost universally the case twenty years ago, the advent of commercially viable heatpumps, solar collectors and district heating has allowed for an increasing amount of buildings to be disconnect from the natural gas network. By 2025 the first residential buildings with a hydrogen powered central heating system are to be realised. It is expected that by 2030 at least 25% of buildings within the country use any of the mentioned alternatives for heating, with targets set for 100% in 2050.

Petroleum and coal power only make up an insignificant share of total energy production for heat or electricity. Fossil fuels are still widely used in mobility, with gasoline and diesel fuels overshadowing alternative energy sources such as hydrogen, biofuels or fully electric vehicles. The majority of public transport busses run on compressed natural gas, however in recent years it has become a trend to replace ageing internal combustion engine busses with electric ones. In order to promote the use of electric and hybrid vehicles the government has instituted various tax schemes, in addition to sponsoring the creation of an extensive fast charging network throughout the country.

Nuclear power played a large role in electricity production up until the early 2000's. The Aarlouw nuclear accident resulted in a partial meltdown leading to a minor release of radioactive material to the atmosphere. All twelve of the then operating nuclear power plants were decommissioned in the years following the incident. While plans to refurbish and reopen the facilities had been proposed at various times, no such initiative has gained support due to the age of the reactors and costs for building new reactors.

Renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar, are growing quickly. The combination of solar and wind electricity is set to overtake electricity generated by natural gas in 2024. The flat terrain of the Lindian countryside is beneficial for the harvesting of wind energy; because of this terrain however Lindenholt is unable to use hydroelectric or geothermal power sources. Large investments made by both the government and private sector in the construction of off-shore and on-land wind farms have allowed Lindenholt to take a leading position in the construction and design of wind turbines. Currently four major wind farms are under construction, projected to provide power to around 2 million households in total. Solar power is yet to see large scale projects such as these; instead the adoption of solar panels is spearheaded by individual homeowners and housing associations. It has become a growing trend for farmers to devote some of their farmland and pastures for solar panels as well. In 2020 15% of Lindian households was equipped with photovoltaic panels, a figure that is expected to double by 2030. Biomass power plants also make up a considerable portion of Lindenholt's electricity supply.

Media
Freedom of the press and media is guaranteed by the Constitution of Lindenholt. This has allowed for the development of a free, diverse and sometimes assertive media landscape. Despite ending in the 1970's, its effects are still visible in newspapers, television and radio broadcasters.

The government finances, but exerts no direct influence over, the Lindian public broadcaster (Rijksomroep, often shortened to RO). The public broadcaster has three main television channels (RO1, RO2 and RO3) that are freely available to all households with access to television (>99% of Lindian households). RO1 is reserved for bi-hourly news broadcasts, talkshows and sports. RO2 is primarily used for series, documentaries and has a more varied broadcasting schedule. RO3 is aimed at younger audiences, with its own news broadcast aimed at children and programming whose audience ranges from toddlers to adolescents.

With the exception of the public news broadcasts (journaal), no television or radio programmes are produced by the public broadcaster. Instead, television and radio programmes are wholly produced by private (though often government subsidised) broadcasters which are a remnant of Lindenholt's pillarisation. Airing time is dictated by the amount of members this broadcaster has.

Completely private broadcasters that do not receive government funding also exist. Private broadcasters make up about 40% of the audience share on television. Despite public TV having the majority of audience share, around 70% of the radio audience listens primarily to private radio stations.

Similarly to television and radio, news papers are still influenced by their pillarised past. Just as is the case elsewhere in the world, interest in printed newspapers is declining. In recent years this has led to the end or fusion of several prominent newspapers. While most newspapers continue to print their paper editions, some of them have made a complete switch to digital issues, the most notable example of which is the Artwinger Courant, which is the most subscribed newspaper in Lindenholt and the most popular source of English-language Lindian news worldwide. News collecting and summarising news sites, such as Vandaag.ln have also gained popularity. They source their news from several sources and condense it for their audience. Satirical and often controversial news sites such as De Azijnbode and the rebellious satirical right wing news site Deugd.ln have also seen a rise in popularity.

Sport
There is no officially defined national sport of Lindenholt, however according to a survey conducted by Vandaag.ln the most popular practised sport is. Football is also the sport that is most watched on television. Around 18% of respondents claiming to practice a sport at least weekly reported they play hockey, whereas 52% of answers on the survey were for football. 10% of respondents play tennis on a weekly basis. The remaining 30% was split between a multitude of different sports.

The Lindian Secretariat for Sports estimates that around 53% of Lindians between the ages of 18 and 24 are part of some sort of sports association. This number is even higher for ages 12 through 18, with a percentage of 68%. This can be attributed to the Lindian education system taking great measures to promote sports, especially team sports, seeing them as an important instrument for a healthy body and a healthy mind.

Sports usually associated with Lindenholt are, and. Korfball was a popular sport until it lost its popularity over the course of the 20th century, in favour of football. Ice skating and cycling are still widely practised in their respective seasons.

Professional sports are dominated by. Lindenholt's premier football league, the Rijksliga consists out of eighteen football clubs from around the country. All football matches of the Rijksliga are broadcast by public broadcaster RO1. While football has the largest audience share of all televised sports other sports with significant audiences include cycling, ice skating, tennis and swimming.

During the Ardin Games season there is an increased interest in. Lindenholt has competed in the Ardin Games since the start of the modern games. Lindian athletes have been successful contenders, ranking [x] in the world for medals won.

Cuisine
Lindian cuisine is best described as rustic, largely shaped from its location and the historical needs of labourers and farmers. Lindenholt's location makes it so that grains, potatoes, dairy, fish and meats play a large role in the kitchen as ingredients. are known around the world to be typically Lindian, though the choice of pastries and desserts is not limited to just that. Ingredients for desserts are largely based on Lindenholt's location, with puddings being a common dessert as well as dairy based. pies from Heintsbergen province are also commonly eaten.

Vast pastures have allowed a well-ingrained dairy culture to develop. On average a single Lindian drinks 50 litres of milk and eats around 20 kilogrammes of cheese on a yearly basis. Lindian cheeses, popular across the globe are a large part of culinary culture. Cheese is traditionally eaten on a sandwich (boterham) or as a snack in the form of small cubes; usually accompanied by sausages such as.

Fried foods enjoy large amounts of popularity among Lindians. , and  being the most iconic. Chips are thicker than the international standard, and can be eaten with a multitude of sauces; the most popular of which being. Lindenholt's colonial empire has also brought oriental styles of food, such as, to the dinner table. A patat oorlog, chips served with satay sauce, is a good example of this mix of east and west. Lindenholt's maritime history also made fish a food for the masses. Battered and fried fish like and  are traditional snacks, usually served and eaten at marketplaces.

Other popular seafood dishes range from simple snacks like, raw brined herring served with onions, to somewhat more complicated dishes such as Brusseland's traditional mussels, oysters and smoked eels.

Breakfasts are simple and usually only involve whole grain bread (volkoren) topped with cold cuts, cheese or sweet toppings such as, chocolate spreads, peanut butter or thick apple syrup. Gingerbread, called, and (krentenbol) are also a common sight on breakfast tables. Both are usually topped with butter before eating. In recent years eating corn flakes or other breakfast cereals has gained popularity as well. Common breakfast drinks include milk, tea, coffee and fruit juices.

Lunch is more diverse as it can include similar items eaten during breakfast such as whole grain bread topped with cheese, cold cuts or sweet toppings. However, it can also be of a more caloric character and include fried snacks like, fried fish, and chips. Soups are also often served as lunch.

Dinner, served around 6 PM in most cases, is a lot less intricate than other Vestean cultures. Traditional home dinners only have a main course, omitting any appetisers and desserts. Although tea, coffee and something that would typically be considered dessert is usually served several hours after dinner. This simplicity is part of Calvinist culture that most of Lindenholt adhered to. Southern areas that were more influenced by Catholicism have a more elaborate style of eating that is best considered a mix of Umber and Calvinist traditions.

Main courses are mostly season based, with foods usually eaten around the time that they would be harvested. Winters feature pea soup called and dishes like, whilst spring usually features  asparagus dishes. Stereotypically, the Lindian main course will consist of boiled potatoes (whole or mashed), any type of meat (beef, pork, poultry, less often mutton or lamb), a sauce or gravy and boiled vegetables.