Ardmore
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Ardmore (Gaelic: Ardmór), officially the Ardmori Cooperative, is a country consisting of several islands off the western shore of Levantia in the Odoneru Ocean.
Ardmori Cooperative Ardmóri Comarchun (Garán Gaelic) | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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Motto: Aonaichte ann an Obair, Aonaichte tro Eachdraidh ("United in work, united through history") | |
Anthem: Syndic's March | |
| Capital and largest city | Dunvál |
| Official languages | Garán Gaelic |
| Demonym(s) | Ardmori |
| Government | Unitary syndicalist republic |
• Chair of the Board of Labor(?) | Kellen Melns |
| Legislature | Board of Labor |
| Establishment | |
• An event | A date |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 18,276,501 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $552,352,413,222 |
• Per capita | $30,222 |
| Currency | Ardmori Syndic (ARS) |
The people of Ardmore, known as Ardmoris, are considered members of the Garán people, sharing this identity with the people of Carolina. Much of their heritage results from the blending of Gaelic and Gothic cultural traditions that occurred in Carolina and adjoining areas in the years leading up to the collapse of Great Levantia. Garáns are thought to have invaded Ardmore and settled it in the mid-6th century, though no unified Garán polity emerged on the main island of Great Ardmore; loose alliances of mainland cities and tribes were formed with the newly established Garán cities and tribes on the island. The area was briefly incorporated into the early Levantine Empire and subsequent Southern Kingdom of the Levantines, but fell out of Carolina's orbit and subsequently became an independent Christian kingdom in 1004. Its people retained cultural and economic ties with the mainland while beginning to spread out throughout the remaining islands of what became known as the Ardmori Archipelago, settling New Ardmore by the late 11th century and displacing the Gothic people living there. At the end of the medieval period, Ardmore was a relatively centralized power, allowing it to become a major colonial power during the age of exploration. Largely unaffected by the sectarian disputes that caused the Great Confessional War, Ardmore became prosperous in the 16th and 17th centuries, with its colonial holdings greatly expanding due to the increased number of Protestant settlers looking to go abroad. The uneven prosperity of Ardmore, combined with a greatly uneven period of industrial development in the 18th and 19th centuries, lead to considerable class resentment and domestic problems. The growing rifts between the parts of society lead to the Ardmori Civil War, which resulted in the establishment of a syndicalist republic in Ardmore. The Civil War resulted in the partition of the country into Ardmore and New Ardmore, which existed briefly as a constitutional republic under the personal leadership of the last Prince-Regent of the Kingdom of Ardmore, and subsequently as a protectorate of Kiravia. Ardmore today is a relatively developed nation which is adjacent to, but not part of, the Levantine Union's political and economic sphere. Although an outspoken critic of Urcea and Levantine foreign policy in general, and despite its revolutionary form of government, Ardmore has been making an effort to more closely align with Levantia in recent decades.
Etymology
"Ardmore" likely derives from ancient Paleo-Levantine people who inhabited the islands probably known as the Ardmen, and originates in Adonerii sources.
Geography
Ardmore is comprised primarily of five islands, the largest of which - Great Ardmore - comprises the vast majority of the nation's land mass and contains nearly all of its population. It sits entirely in the Odoneru Ocean, and to its east it shelters the Mirana Sound.
The Aciriani nation experiences mainly three kinds of climates; in the southwestern Griffe peninsula a marine climate can be experienced, making the summers warm and humid with cool and damp winters. Rainfall is common during both seasons, and during summer the temperatures can go up to 30°C, and during the winter it can reach as low as 15°C. The mean average temperature of the year is 11°C. Majority of the nation experiences a lessened maritime climate, resulting in hot summers and cold winters. In the mountainous Montanaro region of the southeast a subarctic climate is experienced, making the region notably colder than rest of the nation. Summers are short and mild, while the winters are cold and snowfall is common. During summer fog is a common sight in the valleys when moisture coming from the ocean gets trapped between them.
History
Pre-Kingdom history
Prior to the arrival of the Garán people to Great Ardmore, a wide variety of people are thought to have lived on the island and the adjoining parts of the archipelago. Adonerii cities were established on the island by 600 BC, representing the furthest northern outposts of that civilization. The Adonerii cities were relatively sparsely populated compared to the rest of the Latinic world, and few historical records survive from them. From what records do exist, historians believe the islands were mostly populated by a Paleo-Levantine people likely known as the Ardmen, from which the islands get their name. Very little is known about the Ardmen, though they continued to inhabit the interior of the island when it became a tributary of Great Levantia in ca. 50 BC. Great Levantine influence on the island was limited, with the few urban centers largely sending tribute to Urceopolis with little to no Levantine military influence on the island. Like much of the area, the earliest peoples of Great Ardmore - both Latinic and Ardmen - relied on fishing. The islands were not especially prosperous and were not along the main, Crotona-based trade route between Sarpedon and Levantia, and were considered a backwater during antiquity.
As Great Levantia entered terminal decline, the region of what is today Carolina became a pourous frontier which saw the emergence of the Garán people as a blend of invading Gothic people and indigenous Gaelic people. Continued invasions of Goths lead many borderlanders to seek new lands elsewhere, and the first Garán warbands are thought to have arrived in Great Ardmore in the late 400s in small numbers, serving as mercenaries by the coastal cities against the Ardmen tribes in the interior. A major invasion of the island by Garáns occurred at some point in the mid-6th century, with the lightly populated island easily overcome by the numerous mainland invaders. The Ardmen and Latins, long thought by historians to have been slaughtered, were likely incorporated into the new social system, and many Ardmoris today are thought to have some descent from Ardmen.
Establishment of kingdom and medieval period
Main Article: Medieval Ardmore
Early modernity and colonial golden age
Industrialization and social decline
Civil war
Modern period
Government
The government of Ardmore, officially known as the Ardmori Cooperative, functions as a left-wing Marxist syndicalist republic. Ardmore's political system is structured around the principles of cooperative ownership, direct democracy, and worker control of the means of production. At the core of Ardmore's governance is the principle of syndicalism, wherein economic and political power is decentralized and vested in autonomous worker-owned cooperatives. These cooperatives, organized by industry or locality, serve as the foundational units of Ardmore's political and economic structure.
Executive
The executive branch of Ardmore is composed of the Board of Labor, which acts as the highest administrative authority. This Board is comprised of representatives elected from various syndicates across the nation. The Board of Labor is responsible for overseeing the implementation of policies, coordinating among different sectors of the economy, and representing Ardmore in international affairs. The Chair of the Board of Labor, though nominally a mere presiding and administrative officer of the Board, serves as the de facto chief executive of Ardmore and directs the policy decisions of both the Board while serving as President of the Syndicalist Party.
Legislative
Ardmore's legislative branch consists of the General Assembly, an assembly of delegates elected by popular vote from local syndicates and communities. The General Assembly is tasked with drafting and approving legislation, as well as ensuring that the policies enacted align with the principles of Marxism and syndicalism. Decision-making within the General Assembly emphasizes consensus-building and participatory democracy, with deliberation and debate playing a central role in the legislative process.
Judiciary
The judicial system in Ardmore operates on the basis of popular justice, with an emphasis on community involvement and conflict resolution. Disputes are typically resolved through local assemblies or specialized tribunals composed of elected representatives from the affected communities. The judiciary's role is to interpret laws, mediate disputes, and ensure that justice is administered fairly and in accordance with Ardmore's principles of equality and solidarity.
Political Parties
While Ardmore is officially a single-party state (under the auspices of the Syndicalist Party), political pluralism is encouraged within the framework of syndicalist principles. Various political factions and movements exist within Ardmore, advocating for different approaches to achieving the goals of socialism and worker empowerment. These factions participate in open debate and dialogue within the General Assembly, contributing to the ongoing evolution of Ardmore's political landscape.
International Relations
Ardmore adopts a policy of international solidarity, actively supporting movements for social and economic justice worldwide. It seeks to establish cooperative relations with other nations based on mutual respect, non-interference, and the promotion of socialist principles. Ardmore is a member of several international organizations and alliances dedicated to advancing the cause of global socialism and challenging the dominance of capitalist imperialism.
Culture and demography
With a population of 69,542,000 in the 2035 census, an increase of 6% over the last five years since the 2025 census, Cohes birth rates far outstrips its immigration from other countries with 5.72 births per woman. In 2035, 756,696 live births occurred compared to 556,696 deaths, while immigration in the country only accounted for 0.4% growth. Historically this population growth has existed since the 1970s. The average life expectancy for men in Cohe is 80.2 years, while for women the life expectancy is 84.5 years. Median age for the population in 2035 was 25.5 years, a decrease since 2025 when the median age was 28.2 years.
Economically stable with a strong, easily available healthcare system enables the high growth of the nation from native sources, though detractors have observed the low immigration due to harsh border controls. Yytusche-Helvanic citizenry have been noted to take advantage of the capable healthcare system in Cohe, leading to several protests and dissent within State and Federal Legislatures on the issue. In 2035, 20,000 live births were of Yytusche or Helvanic origins with the parents being of not Cohen citizenry and on temporary visas or student statuses.
Cohen population density stands at 141 per square kilometer (365.2 per square mile). High population concentrations occur to the south and coastal areas of the nation with the largest cities, where 78.3% of the population resides. In these areas, population density triples in some regions, while in rural areas to the north and mountain regions it can be as low as 30 per square kilometer (78 per square mile).
Ethnic Groups
Cohe is an extremely homogenous country throughout its history, though most of the population can be considered a mix between the native Cohen, Yytusche, and Helvanic ethnicities. As a direct result of this, for the most part surveys regarding ethnicities are self-reported, reflecting more the culture and history of individual families and persons than the larger communities. Despite this, a majority of citizens regard themselves as Cohen, reflecting a strong push towards naturalization within the country. Overall, 70% of inhabitants are of native origin, the next largest group being Yytusche citizens at 20%, while Helvanics are third at 7%.
Economy
The economy of Ardmore is structured around the principles of cooperative ownership, worker control, and collective decision-making. Rooted in the ideology of Marxism and syndicalism, Ardmore's economic system is designed to prioritize the needs and interests of its citizens while fostering social and economic equality. Ardmore generally has very high levels of income equality and quality of living, though its median income falls far behind that of most of its Levantine neighbors.
At the heart of Ardmore's economy are worker-owned cooperatives, which serve as the primary units of production and distribution. These cooperatives are organized across various industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, services, and technology. Each cooperative is democratically managed and operated by its members, who collectively make decisions regarding production, investment, wages, and distribution of profits. In Ardmore, workers have direct control over the means of production through their participation in cooperative decision-making processes. This democratic approach to management ensures that the interests of workers are prioritized, and decisions are made in the collective interest of the community. Workers are empowered to elect their representatives, establish workplace policies, and participate in strategic planning to enhance productivity and efficiency. Decisions within Ardmore's economy are made through a process of participatory democracy, wherein all members of the cooperative have an equal voice in shaping economic policies and priorities. Key decisions, such as investment strategies, production targets, and resource allocation, are made through consensus-building and open debate within the cooperative assembly. This inclusive decision-making process fosters a sense of ownership, responsibility, and solidarity among workers, leading to greater efficiency and innovation.
Resource allocation in Ardmore is based on the principles of equitable distribution and social justice. Cooperatives collaborate with each other and with local communities to ensure that resources are allocated efficiently and fairly, taking into account the needs of both present and future generations. Economic planning is guided by the principles of sustainability, self-sufficiency, and environmental stewardship, with a focus on promoting economic development that benefits the entire society. Ardmore places a high priority on social welfare and the well-being of its citizens. Basic necessities such as healthcare, education, housing, and food are considered fundamental rights and are provided to all residents free of charge. Social safety nets, including unemployment benefits, pensions, and disability support, are established to ensure that every member of society has access to a decent standard of living, regardless of their economic status.
International Trade
Ardmore engages in international trade based on principles of mutual benefit, solidarity, and fair exchange. It seeks to establish cooperative relations with other nations that share similar values and principles, prioritizing partnerships that promote social and economic justice on a global scale. Trade agreements are negotiated transparently and democratically, with an emphasis on protecting the interests of workers and safeguarding Ardmore's sovereignty and autonomy.
Power Production
Pre-Second Great War, Cohen power production was entirely coal driven with smaller, more local plants producing for localized, unconnected power grids in singular townships and some isolated counties. In the midst of the industrial pull immediately prior to the Second Great War, the main producer of power within Cohe would still be the use of coal, which could be found in major abundance within the country itself. However, power plants along the length of the Alps provided for much of the major population centers while some of the new hydroelectric power plants along the twin rivers gave power to nearby areas. A rudimentary national power grid was in development, though such progress would be interrupted. These areas would prove to be significant military targets during the war by strategic bombing, both in order to disrupt domestic production as well as to attempt to flood portions of the country in order to disrupt military efforts and maneuvers.
During the war itself, emergency programs would lead to multiple underground power plants in order to protect such things from strategic bombing. As small as could be to power such things as factories and lighting for search lights, they lacked mass output to maximize concealment, lessen the chance of a bomb strike, and conserve resources and fuel. Often near rivers, many such plants relied on underground streams for power while other operated in the far more usual coal manner. Produced to roughly the same specifications under the Board of Engineers and the Cohen Army Corps of Engineers, injuries would prove to be high due to construction faults, bombing, and a series of sabotages from insurrectionist movements. Nevertheless, these emergency plants would provide power and enable Cohe to keep active. Following the wars end these emergency plants would cease operation due their scale of power production.
Following that period, most of the power structure for Cohe was rebuilt during the late 1950s, though significant advancements in energy technology would lead to a vast experiment. In 1957, construction for the Pored XB-01 Plant began, the idea of such unlimited energy widespread, and uranium deposits in the alpine regions would be put to work. In 1963, construction of the plant was completed and it produced enough power to provide for not only the testing area but the surrounding power grid itself. After control testing for several years the station would be expanded and designated the Pored Nuclear Plant in 1965 and continues to operate normally even today with modification. The success of the Pored station would lead to the construction of nearly a dozen other similar nuclear plants across the country and today such power contributes to nearly 3/4ths of the total power output of the country.
More recently, renewable power sources have spread across the country, mainly in terms of wind power. Large farms of wind turbines can be found along the length of the Diamode Alps, reliant upon the omnipresent high winds within that area. Such wind plants contribute both to the practical research efforts in perfecting the technology as well as local power grids and ensuring a sustainable, continuous source of power is present in the region. In addition to this, solar technology has made a recent rise in the 2020s in an effort by consumers to lessen the costs of power for their own households, leading to many private houses as well as some affordable housing projects to have roofs lined with solar paneling.
Transportation
Personal transportation has a mix of automobiles and public transportation, though numbers of usage vary between urban and rural parts of the country. With an extensive highway system developed and built in the 1990s, per-capita vehicle ownership for Cohe is approximately 430 vehicles per 1,000 Cohen in 2030, leading to 30,100,000 active vehicles in the nation in the same year. Due to urban congestion recent attempts have been made in furthering public transportation to include an underground subway system linking Miden with outlying districts and regions as well as railed subways within the city, enabling most of the urban population to go about their day without ever requiring to drive. As a result of this, more recent surveys in 2035 indicate the average Cohen adult (accounting for all drivers and non-drivers) spends 30 minutes driving every day, traveling 18.6 miles (30 km). With this decline in personal automobile usage, the government has instituted buy-back policies, either selling the vehicles abroad following refurbishment or recycling them for other use. Due to cheap and prolific nuclear technology, many newer vehicles are electrically powered. In 2035, surveys indicated that approximately 60% of current vehicles (Then estimated to be approximately 26,400,000) were compact vehicles.
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The Cohe Highways Commission (CHC) operates a network of highways within the country, employing a limited toll system within areas about the Yytuskia-Helvana and Cohe border. This significant cost to trucks frequenting the system has been the subject of much criticism by free trade advocates in both nations as many view it in a predatory light. However, no other roads within the nation hold toll roads. CHC is funded mainly through this and the federal government’s Ministry of Interior and is charged with maintaining the network. Roadwork occurs throughout the year and employs a significant portion of the population. More recently the CHC has begun to link up the mainly isolated networks of highways and rudimentary roads between the south and north portions of the country through a series of tunnels at the shallowest portions of the Diamode Alps with the purpose of streamlining the extraction of those resources located in that region.
The railway network within the nation originates from the coal mining efforts in the late 1890s and is laid out as such. With various lines moving from the Alpine regions, where such coal mines were, to nearby cities and even terminating seemingly at random when the power plant at the end is no longer in operation, on the whole the railways are unorganized prior to the middle 1900s. With the war in full swing, the need to move such war materials and personnel gave rise to a centralized underground rail system from centralized mining areas in the Alps to staging areas in the middle of the country before spreading to various refineries and factories. Some of these rail lines are still in use by several steelworks companies. More recently in 2022 reforms have been given in the form of high speed rail networks between cities for the civil populace with efforts underway by local governments to remove and recycle the earliest rail lines in Cohe due to their disuse or refit them for a wider gauge to be used by modern rail. These government efforts have come under critique by various smaller groups as destroying Cohen history and revaluing certain pieces of land while varied environmentalist organizations have lauded the effort to modernize the national infrastructure. In 2035, out of twenty three lines marked for recycling nine have been dismantled with another seven more than halfway in progress.
In terms of the airports, Cohe sports a singular international hub marked with the name of the Middle International Airport (Providi: Bliski Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy, often abbreviated to BMPL) which operates over a 7,627 acre land. Serving 20 million passengers in 2035, it is by no means the busiest airport in the world with a total of three operating airports. BMPL is currently in a state of modernization in order to lessen power constraints with the addition of better lighting, a simplification of the power grid, and minor provisions for independent emergency generators.