[Dr House]

Thread to continue this discussion.

[Falx]

Yeah, primary includes all resource gathering and it makes more sense I think to have that than a "manufacturing" sector that is actually mostly mining and drilling.

[Dr House]

In that case, it would probably look something like this:

GDP sector composition:

Primary- 35%
Secondary- 13%
Tertiary- 52%

Labor force sector composition:

Primary- 27%
Secondary- 15%
Tertiary- 58%

Our actual manufacturing consists of light industries such as textiles, which are fairly labor-intensive and thus produce a lower output per worker than the overall economy. Our only heavy industry is shipbuilding (in which we are a World leader), as well as rail transportation equipment.

[Falx]

Yeah, that looks good.

[Vanasalus]

GDP sector composition: 7% Agriculture, 41% Industry, 52% Services

Good.

Now, we are still a country, which recently got rid of a dictator, right. Then, there should be a reference to massive milarty budget, inherited. Alongside the poor public finances... high debt to GDP ratio... high interest rates...

And, Dr House. I apologize for my laziness: Can you show all basic information about to country, so far. That will be easier to review and comment.

Thanks,

[Dr House]

Republic of PoFo

This page was last updated on 17 May 2009

http://www.freewebs.com/aurumcorporatio ... cpofo2.png


Background

Viking occupation began around 900-1000 CE, establishing most of the major ports/cities, and leaving a lasting cultural identity. No evidence has been found of previous settlement, but no comprehensive archaeology has been done. The decline of the Vikings around 1300 CE left the islands relatively isolated and self-sustaining, with only some trade with another Viking settlement, Iceland, several hundred miles to the north. British and French explorers encountered the islands in 1512 CE, finding a Scandinavian patriarchal monarchy called the Bjarga dynasty. The sparsely-populated island's population exploded as British, French, and Dutch protestants began immigrating. The port cities thrived under a merchant class, as the islands were a popular stopping point for shipping to North America. Peasant immigrants moved further inland, making a large agrarian economy.

By the 1600s, the Bjarga dynasty swore allegiance to the British crown, and several forts were constructed. In exchange for their allegiance, the island was left largely on its own, though trade with French and Dutch merchants was eventually eliminated. After the American Revolution and during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, the islands brashly declared independence in the Declaration of Sovereign Monarchy", sending the British governor, Sir Ralph Browne, to sea in a rowboat. With American and French backing, controlling the North Atlantic trade routes, and using the British forts, Onnela staved off British naval assault, and was granted independence in 1827. For two decades, trade with the British was limited, and Onnela developed strong ties to continental Europe and North America. In 1854, relations with Britain were normalized.

A Parliament was established in 1844, though only land owning men were allowed votes, with the Bjarga dynasty itself owning most of the farmland. The Industrial Revolution saw the development of monopoly industry in inland coal and natural gas fields. Railways soon connected most of the two main islands. The introduction of industry also saw a massive expansion of population and migration of an industrial working class. In 1892, the Bjarga family was formally dismissed by Parliament, and after a small standoff, rioting peasants and workers removed the dynasty and its land-owning Parliament from power, introducing universal suffrage.

The new government met in conflict for several years as socialist and workers' groups rallied against the upper class and monopolistic business practices common in the country. By WWI, an additional rift was introduced by the issue of being involved in the war. Eventually, in 1916, Onnela joined the British and French. In the post-war world, an oil boom brought in new profits lost by the shipping industry, and continued to fuel the rift between classes. The island-nation fared well through the Great Depression, thanks to high agricultural production, further raising tensions between rural Scandinavians and urban European industrialists, who had skimmed most of the profit from the interwar proceeds. Onnela, like Iceland, had little involvement in World War II, declaring itself free to trade with anyone; though never attacked by Germany, Onnela naturally supplied Britain and served as a fueling point and port for American traffic.

Onnela ratified the UN Treaty, but the signing was overturned by the next Parliament. Such changes in policy were common in the Cold War era. Oil production fell in 1954 and never reached a higher point; by the 1980s it had turned into a net importer of oil, but national gas and geothermal energy resources were not tapped because of an oil cartel. Torn between communist and capitalist populations, Onnela voted in a socialist party in 1958. A CIA-backed coup on August 23rd, 1959 overthrew the Parliament by militarising the ports. A puppet government put an ethnic English dictator, Thomas Ryan, into power in the newly created office of President. He dissolved Parliament several times, and clashes took place several times in the coming decades, notably in 1969, 1972, and 1979. In 1988, with support from Soviet intelligence, take control of several ports. US-backed militia responded quickly, cutting off the island and restoring order. In 1994, Ryan died, leaving no clear successor.

At one point, in 1997, three different parliments existed, each declaring itself sovereign. Division continued in a period of instability that lasted until 2004, when Western Europe mediated the created of a new constitution. The constitution was ratified by majority popular vote in 2006, and the first elections of the new Parliament began in April 2009.



Geography

Location:
Large island in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of France and south of Iceland


Coordinates:
40º 10' North, 27º 25' W

Area:
Total: 269,588 sq km

Area - Comparative:
Slightly larger than Great Britain

Maritime Claims:
territorial: 12 nm
fishing zone: 400 nm

Climate:
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers

Terrain:
Mixed, high cliffs and mountains in the north, interior plain with low hills in the south, lightly forested

Elevation:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
highest point: Olmso Mountain, 1,487 m

Natural Resources:
coal, oil (on and offshore), natural gas, silver, limestone, lumber, thorium

Land use:
arable land: 69.2%
permanent crops: 6.6%
other: 39.2%

Total renewable water resources:
62.8 cu km

Natural hazards:
tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, violent storms

Environmental issues:
Water pollution, air pollution, soil erosion, stop mines,

Environmental agreements:
N/A

Geography - note:
strategic location on air and sea routes, population evenly agrarian and urban


People

Population:
19,736,383 (2005 Census)
21,531,345 (2009 Est.)

Density:
79.87/sq km

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.9%
15-64 years: 67.1%
65 years and over: 12%

Population growth rate:
2.2%

Birth rate:
16.33 births/1,000 population

Death rate:
10.2 deaths/1,000 population

Life expectancy at birth:
75.8 years

Nationality:
noun: Pofoite(s)
adjective: Pofoite(s)

Ethnic groups:
Scandinavian 42%, English 21%, French 11%, German 9%, Irish 8%, Arabic/Persian 4%, Jewish 3%, other 2%

Religions:
Protestant 92%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2%, other 2%


Languages:
English (official): 94%, Onnelian-Norwegian 4%, other 2%

Literacy:


total population: 94%

Education expenditures:
N/A


Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Pofo
conventional short form: Pofo

Government type:
Parliamentary republic

Capital:
name: Tyrby
time difference: UTC -3
daylight saving: none

Administrative divisions:
N/A

Independence:
Several (to be updated)

Constitution:
Adopted 2006, effective April 4, 2009

Legal system:
Based on English common law

Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: none
head of government: Prime Minister (to be decided)

Legislative branch:
100 seat parliament

Judicial branch:
?

Political parties:
Social Liberal Democrats, Conservative Alliance, Pan-National League, People of Pofo, Liberty Caucus, Socialism Now, Revolutionary Front, The Humanist Party

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Blue Planet Alliance

Diplomatic representation:
N/A

Flag description:
N/A


Economy

Mostly dominated by oil and gas production, with large sectors in shipping, fishing, coal mining, and agriculture.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $774 billion (2009 Est.)
Per Capita: $36,000

GDP (Official Exchange Rates): $634.25 billion (2009 Est.)
Per Capita: $29,500

GDP - real gowth rate: 5.2%

GDP - composition by sector:
agricultural: 7%
industry: 41%
services: 52%

Labor force:
11 million (est)

Labor force - by occupation:
agricultural: 10%
industry: 22%
services: 58%

Unemployment rate:
8.4%

Household income:
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 48.6%

Investment (gross fixed): 24.1% (2009)

Budget:
?

Public debt:
?

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9%

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
9%

Stock of money:
?

Stock of quasi money:
?

Stock of domestic credit:
?

Market value of publicly traded shares:
?

Agriculture - Products:

wheat, rice, other grains, potatoes, turnips, fruits, vegetables, beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, fish

Industries:
steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminium, barite, thorium and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; rail transportation equipment; glass and crystal; shipping; software and telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate:
7% (2007 est.)

Detailed income info:

GNI (Atlas method): $20,500
GNI (PPP): $24,900

Median salary rate: $19,500
Median household income: $26,000

Personal income distribution by decile:

Bottom decile: $0-$3,420
2nd decile: $3,420 - $6,360
3rd decile: $6,360 - $10,570
4th decile: $10,570 - $13,900
5th decile: $13,900 - $16,400
6th decile: $16,400 - $21,850
7th Decile: $21,850 - $27,000
8th Decile: $27,000 - $39,000
9th Decile: $39,000 - $59,300
10th Decile: $59,300 - up

Average work week: 44 hours

Average wage rate: $8.75/hour

We still have to decide on trade data, health indicators and the state of the finances the military government left us with. Most likely the government's budget is cracked and scrambled, with massive debt, deficits and very little money in the Treasury coffers.

[ingliz]

How much oil are we producing compared to Saudi? 1/2, 1/4, less

[Thunderhawk]

1) I suspect the island would have been refound by John Cabot if not by another British explorer before 1500s. Older ties (however small) with Europe would be likely.

2) The mid 1600s and the late 1700s were horribly cold in Europe. Even Onnela's position in the gulf stream would not have protected it much (the Thames river froze over, as did large parts of the Baltic sea).

3) Population. ~20 million is a pretty substantial population, where did it come from? If very little of it is from "recent" immigration then that would have made the island substantially populated in the past, which makes me wonder how it could have stayed subserviant and not been a place of note or rebellion (for atleast the British).

3.1) I request that notable chunks of land be marsh land. To have been generally unusable as farmland until drained, but not until the industrial revolution was it cost effective to drain and reclaim those lands.
->
Rich Pofo merchants buys swamp land. Reroutes rivers, sets up dykes. Drains swamp. Turns into farm land. Populates by less uppity immigrants leaving Europe.
->
Rich Pofo merchant is now a land holder. Gets seat in Landowner's parliament. Like many nouveau rich he becomes an ardent conservative.

Repeat for a couple rich merchents.


4) There is no mention of European immigration from the mid 1800s, this strikes me as odd. 1848 was the year of revolutions in Europe which resulted in a notable population exodus from Europe to American soon afterwords, and thats in addition to the occational revolt/civil war/etc..

5) To help mix up the populace ideology a bit better, perhaps have Onnela be a place of note for dissident groups leaving/fleeing their troubles during the late 19th C and early 20th C. ?
ex:
Spanish Republicans, WW1/WW2 draft doggers/deserters, etc.. which would have made 3 distinct groups: The native farmers/labourers and the cosmopolitan City folk you mentioned, and the more recent immigrants "stealing" jobs from the natives and "bringing down" the cities. Thus hated/used by both of the other groups.

[Zagadka]

Thanks for the bond rating update.

[Falx]

2) The mid 1600s and the late 1700s were horribly cold in Europe. Even Onnela's position in the gulf stream would not have protected it much (the Thames river froze over, as did large parts of the Baltic sea).

As it turns out the Thames froze because of the London bridge at the time slowing the currents down by a substantial amount, not because the weather was exceptionally cold.

[Zagadka]

Well, the "mini-Ice-Age" is well documented, but I don't think we need to give it too much weight in our history. We're not writing a textbook, just a social background.

[Vladimir]

notes on history;

A Parliament was established in 1844, though only land owning men were allowed votes, with the Bjarga dynasty itself owning most of the farmland. The Industrial Revolution saw the development of monopoly industry in inland coal and natural gas fields. Railways soon connected most of the two main islands. The introduction of industry also saw a massive expansion of population and migration of an industrial working class

No industrial revolution, let alone monopoly industry, could have happened under a real monarchy; that would require abolishment of feudal institutions, serfdom and rise of rich peasantry, swelling numbers of landless peasants as well as capital legislation. Neither would be possible with a ruling monarchy. So either shift the revolution back, or shift industrialisation forward

In 1892, the Bjarga family was formally dismissed by Parliament, and after a small standoff, rioting peasants and workers removed the dynasty and its land-owning Parliament from power, introducing universal suffrage.

Unlikely; property-censured suffrage would be far more likely, with universal suffrage likely to be introduced only after the war-time rifts that are mentioned later on.

[Vera Politica]

I'm very surprised there aren't more Catholics than Muslims. Considering the significant Irish immigration. Catholics aren't even its own category.....!?

[Holt]

agricultural: 7%
industry: 41%
services: 52%

Industrial sector is unrealistically large in proportion to the rest of our GDP, considering that PoFo is supposed to be rich in natural resources and its only significant secondary industry is ship-building.

[ingliz]

South Korean shipbuilding 4% of its economy by GDP.

[Dr House]

How much oil are we producing compared to Saudi? 1/2, 1/4, less

I'll have to get back to you on that one, but our oil production is probably comparable to that of Alberta. It's a very large chunk of our industrial output and an even larger portion of our export performance.

I'm creating the census data with input from Dave, who knows significantly more about economics than I do, so I'll finish up the rest of it tomorrow when he's back at the office.

Industrial sector is unrealistically large in proportion to the rest of our GDP, considering that PoFo is supposed to be rich in natural resources and its only significant secondary industry is ship-building.

I'm counting natural resources as part of the industrial sector. The CIA does.

[Thunderhawk]

I'll have to get back to you on that one, but our oil production is probably comparable to that of Alberta.

Will you be including natural gas deposits?
(compare to Norway, Scotland, Newfoundland, etc..)


I also find the religious brake down a bit odd.

I believe Norse (neo)Pagan should be listed in the religious section. Greece has ~ 2000 members following its old (reconstructed)religion, and Greece has ~10 million people. If its not going to be recognized officially, atleast place the (neo)pagan temple as a political pressure group beside the blue planet alliance.

[ingliz]

House:

The old regime was a libertarian state?

Under Alberta’s New Royalty Framework, energy royalties are expected to increase by approximately $1.4 billion in 2010, an increase of 20 per cent over revenues forecast for that year under the current regime.

If, like Saudi, oil revenues account for 75% of government revenue how did the old regime run a "blue water" navy etc etc? Your figures don't add up!

$4 billions pa. would be the minimum cost of a viable fleet with ancillary support.

$11 billions pa. is your total government budget.

A government spending less than 2% of the state's GDP would not come anywhere near covering this indulgence. What you have set up is ridiculous!

[Dr House]

Ingliz:

I'll have to get back to you on that one, but our oil production is probably comparable to that of Alberta. It's a very large chunk of our industrial output and an even larger portion of our export performance.

I guess that's not enough, so it obviously has more.

[Dr House]

The government did not and does not currently feed off of oil revenues, which is why there is such massive inequality. Petro-wealth is not redistributed. The majority of oil production is owned by Pofon Mobil and other overseas oil firms, so what the government did and how much oil we produce have little to do with one another.