Frennia

Frennia (: Fräntland, pronounced:), officially the Republic of Frennia (Frennian: Fräntischer Republik) is a country located in Central Vestea bordered by Camlia to the north, Lindenholt and Umbrellia to its west, Vellemia to its south, and Anglea in the east. The nation's population of around 38 million inhabit a total area of 116,544 square kilometres – making Frennia more densely populated than all its neighbours. While the country is landlocked, it can access the Amica Sea through the Sonnae and Kreugel river systems.

Frennia is divided in to 18 districts which hold limited political powers within the country's unitary polity. Most power lies in the democratically elected parliamentary constitutional republic style of government based in the country's capital and largest city Amzing. Frennia is a member of the Vestean Union, having joined the pact in 1984.

The country traces its origins to the Tilian language speaking Frennians who settled modern-day Frennia in the first centuries of the common era. In the 5th century CE the Frennians invaded the Agrestic Empire held areas of Lindenholt, Ripuaria and eastern Umbrellia, leaving a cultural mark that can still be observed today. While Frennian invader fiefs founded realms outside of their homeland, Frennia itself is a younger nation. The Kingdom of Frennia was founded in the 9th century by king Otto the Great. Frennia successfully retained its independence upon the formation of the Holy Agrestic Empire and profited from trade with the Lindian, Vellemian and Felsinian states in a period lasting from the middle ages up until the age of colonialism. Frennia's high population density and good trade links to the !med and Amica Sea allowed it to take a key role in the development of art, philosophy, science, literature and culture during the enlightenment and industrial eras.

Frennia's trade and industriousness reflected on to its current reputation on the world stage. Frennia ranks high on human development indices and boasts a competitive, export oriented, market economy. A member of the Aureizone, the country hosts the Vestean Central Bank in Amzing and, next to its VU membership, is also a member of org org and org.

Etymology
The country's name "Frennia" was adopted from the  native name of the country, Fräntland. The compound word directly translates to "the land of the Fränt", Fränt referring to the Frennian people that inhabit the country. While the direct relation between "Frennian" and "Fränt" is well-established, the etymological origins of the people group's name is still disputed. The most widely accepted theory is the word's connection to the ancient-Tilian word *friaz, which is a cognate of the frei or Rewish free.

Frennia's speaking neighbours Camlia and Lindenholt both use Frentland as their exonym for the country. Historically, speakers of referred to Frennia as Dolníson, which translates to "lower Sonnae". Referring to Frennia lying downstream of the Sonnae river. Modern Vellemian uses the agrestisized root in its contemporary naming, Frensko. The Umbèrge refer to the country as Frénanie, which finds it origins in an alternate Agrestic name for the country which had fallen out of use: Frenania.

Demographics
An estimated 38,109,888 people lived within Frennia's borders on January 1 2018. Frennia has a population density of 327 people per square kilometre, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The country is highly urbanised, with more than half of the population living in a major city. Around 80% of the population lives within 30 kilometres from a waterway connected to the Sonnae-Kreugel river system.

With 10 birth per 1000 inhabitants, a death rate of 8 per 1000 inhabitants and a net positive rate of migration, Frennia's population is growing. In 2018 this growth was measured to be at 0.4%, and is modelled to remain at a similar level until the 2030's when population numbers are predicted to stagnate at around 38 million. If this prediction is correct, then the country will have doubled its population from 19 million in 1935 to 38 million in 2035.

A major factor in the country's population growth is migration. A sizeable community of Asqalani guest workers live spread throughout the country, particularly in major cities. The largest group of immigrants however are VU-citizens that can freely reside in the country.

Language
Frennia's national language is. It is a spoken in multiple countries like Tross and Anglia that was standardised in the late 19th century. Proficiency of the standardised Frennian language in Frennia is around 95%, however numerous local dialects are still widely used. Particularly on the country side by older generations.

While some dialects are recognised by the government, only the standardised language enjoys official status. Schools give instructions in Frennian and all students take compulsory classes in. Many students are required to study a second foreign language. Most often this is either or, although the number of students taking  classes has risen significantly in the past decade. The same can be said for students learning the Asqalani language, of which a high number of native speakers live in the country as guestworkers. Around 80% of the country's population claims to speak Rewish on a conversational level. 31% claim the same for Lindian, 18% for Umbèrge and 5% for Asqalani.

Religion
Frennia is a predominantly nation. While, like most of Vestea, irreligiousness is on the rise, around 61% of the country's population claims adherence to the Catholic branch of Christianity. Despite this, only 21% of Catholics claim to be practicing according to a 2019 poll. Around 10% of the nation follows any of the protestant branches of the Christian faith. The majority of them are concentrated in the Lauker and Satte districts bordering the Lindian province of Elstergouw. 4% of the country claims Joguenism as their faith - the vast majority of whom being immigrants from Asqalan. 23% of the population has no religious affiliation.

Health
The Frennian health services have a good reputation for patient satisfaction and quality of care. Frennia, being a developed nation, has a negligible rate of child mortality and a high life expectancy of around 79 years for men and 81 for women. The most common causes of death are cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Rates of obesity have noticeably increased over the year, but overall Frennians are healthier than years prior. Consumption of alcohol and tobacco for instance have seen a significant decline since the 1990's. Mainly through a change in cultural attitudes. The legal drinking age is 16, whereas purchasing of tobacco is allowed for those over 18. The consumption of drugs is illegal.

The entire healthcare system operates under government control. There is a limited number of private clinics, mostly meant for very specialised, alternative or optional treatments. The vast majority of health practices are done by the government-owned health industry which includes a nationalised health insurance, the Gesundheidsfonds. It insures all inhabitants of Frennia for their basic medical expenses. Private insurers provide coverage for treatments outside of the VU or at private clinics.

Geography
The 116,544 km2 area of Frennia can be subdivided in to six geographical areas. In the west, the districts of Satte, Lauker and Hochmark are defined by the Sonnae river. This area, collectively known as Mittelsonne is flanked by the !mountains/hills in Umbrellia to the west and the Upper Sonnae plateau bordering Vellemia to the south. The second geographical area is the country's core consisting of the districts of Bunde, Niederbraul, Fränheim and Krögelland. This area is the most densely populated part of the country, home to a relatively flat landscape that was formed by the presence of two major rivers: The Braul and the Kreugel (Krögel in Frennian). Here the capital Amzing is also located on the banks of the Kreugel. The Braul joins with the Kreugel near the city of Arlach and continues in to Lindenholt eventually flowing in to the Amica Sea at Stokfort. The Sonnae and Braul are connected through an artificial canal that stretches the width of the district of Bunde.

The districts of Anzell and Oberbraul in the south are hilly and near the border with Vellemia considered to be mountainous. Fällsgau and Kölfel make up a fourth area which has a geography typical of Central Vestea, consisting of open plains mixed with rolling hills. On the western border with Lindenholt, a hilly and forested landscape can be found. Particularly in the districts of Nuremwald, Obenkrögel, Heifels and Westheid. The remaining northern districts of Aufmark, Lennfeld and Ostheid have landscapes dominated by heathlands, similar to that found in Camlia which borders two out of the three named districts.

Climate
Frennia's climate can be classified as a (Dfb). It is a temperate climate with warm summers and cold winters. Temperatures reach 35 degrees Celsius in summer and -15 degrees Celsius in winter. Mountainous areas of the country are affected by Alpine climates.

Politics
Frennia is a parliamentary republic. The government consists of the president, who carries out mostly ceremonial duties and is elected by a joint meeting of all district legislatures and the prime minister's cabinet, who hold executive powers. The parliament, formally the National Diet (Staatstag), has a controlling role over the government and can vote on laws. The National Diet has a total of 185 representatives. They are elected through a proportional party-list voting system. Like in other parliamentary democracies, the leader of the largest party in parliament is tasked with forming a government and in almost all cases becomes prime minister.

Frennia does not have an electoral threshold, however candidates must clear the electoral quotient in order to gain a seat in parliament. While this is true for 180 out of the total 185 seats of the National Diet, the remaining five seats are distributed among parties that fail to clear the electoral quotient. The top five largest parties that fail to clear the electoral threshold each get a single representative. Currently nine parties are represented in the National Diet. The largest party is Mitte (literally: Centre). It is a centre-right coalition of Christian democrats, liberals and conservatives (79 seats). The second largest party is the Labour party (Partei der Arbeit) which adheres to social democratic ideals (74). In third place there is the right-wing populist People's Party (15 seats) and the fourth largest with 12 seats is the left-wing BEWEGUNG (literally: Movement). Minor parties each receiving one seat are the Cramerist Union, Pirate Party, Farmers' Voice, Flora and Fauna and Blitz.

The current government is formed by prime minister Sieger Steinbrenner's Mitte and the Labour Party.

Administrative divisions
Frennia is divided in to 18 districts (Bezrirken). Frennia is a unitary state, meaning that the districts only hold limited powers relating to their locality. Examples of this are infrastructure, public transport, spatial planning, cultural affairs and environmental regulations. The district councils are also tasked with overseeing their municipalities (Gemeinden), which form the next layer in Frennia's local administration. Finally, a joint session of all district councils assembles every four years to elect the country's president.

The municipalities, of which there are approximately 1200, carry out tasks similar to the district council but on a much smaller and more local scale. In addition they are responsible for organising public services such as waste collection and education. The municipalities are each headed by small municipal councils ranging from 12 to 50 in size.

Economy
Frennia boasts a highly developed market economy where export of industrial goods plays a big role. It has a nominal GDP of x, which ranks it x in the world and makes up x% of the VU's total GDP.

The largest trade partner is Lindenholt for both imports and exports, followed by other VU neighbours. The largest exports are in the automotive and industrial machinery industries, with home appliances taking an important third place.

Transport and infrastructure
With over 210 thousand kilometres of paved roads, Frennia hasa highly developed and dense road network which is vital for its commerce and trade. Of the previously stated number around x kilometres are. These expressways are well-maintained by the state and connect virtually all urban centres of the country. Similar to Lindenholt, these motorways (Autobahns) have no mandated speed limit in areas far from built up regions.

Almost all major population centres are accessible via rail links, with many smaller cities being accessible through local train services. All of the country's rail infrastructure is owned and operated on by the national rail company (Staatseisenbahngesellschaft, SEG). While the country's rail infrastructure is of good quality, something Frennia lacks are high speed rail links. The plans for a fully fledged high speed system are still in planning phases. Currently high speed trains from Umbrellia continue at standard speeds between Baurlen and Sansky Hrad in Vellemia before joining the Vellemian high speed network. Construction on a high speed line here is set to start in 2021. By 2023 the high speed line between Seigerberg and Trottenburg will be finished. Then the first Lindian Hogesnelheidslijn trains will start servicing Trottenburg from Artwingen via Seigerberg. In the 2030's a high speed connection between Artwingen and Amzing should also have become a reality.

The country's largest airport is Amzing's June 3rd International; with 47 million passengers anually. The second and third largest airports belong to Trottenburg (10 million) and Baurlen (7 million). The country's flag carrier (Frennische Fluggesellschaft), FF, flies to 81 international destinations from its hub in Amzing.

The Sonnae and Kreugel river systems that flows through the country handles most cargo shipping. The country's longest canal, the Sonnae-Braul canal, connects the two river systems. The problem of lacking suitable waterways in the north and east was resolved by the construction of a dedicated cargo rail line servicing those areas - the Iron River (Eisenfluss). It connects Amzing to Noremholz, Adehal, Wittenkau, Enesloh and Urnerich. An extension to Camlia was opened in 2015. The construction of the Iron River's first section was started in 1947, and eventually led to a significant increase in development and wealth in the country's north and east.

Energy
A majority of Frennia's electricity is generated through nuclear power plants which are spread throughout the country. The second largest source of electricity are natural gas power plants, with a distant third spot reserved for coal fired power plants. Renewables such as wind, solar and hydroelectric only make up a combined 15% of electricity production. This number will rapidly increase in the coming years however, as the construction of two wind parks in Fällgau district is set to double wind energy output by 2022. The Herzsprung Hydropower Plant is planned to start operations the year after, providing the country with 900 MW of clean electricity. In addition, the rapidly decreasing price of solar energy and recent government subsidies for those installing solar panels will aid only aid in quickly transitioning the country away from polluting forms of electricity generation.

While Frennia can already supply itself with electricity, the country still remains a net importer of energy. This is because the nation's homes are almost universally heated through natural gas imported from abroad. Most notable Lindenholt and Camlia. For this purpose two major gas pipelines were constructed in the 1970's. Frennia itself has no known deposits of gas or petroleum, the countries is rich in coal however.