Küsbergland

The flag of Küsbergland, unchanged since the country's foundation. The Edelweiss flower symbolises freedom, its petals represent the six original Cantons of Küsbergland, and the red-and-white at its centre the blood spilled in the struggle for freedom.

### Official languages

Küsbergische German, Altyrian German, French, Polish

### Culture

Swiss, Austrian [Regional], Polish [Regional]

### Area

Central Southern Iapetus, between Floviania and the Tamberian Federation.

### Creator

Nyxana

The **Free State of Küsbergland** (Küsbergische German: *Freistaat von Küsbergland*, Polish: *Wolne Państwo Kuesbergland*, French: *État Libre de Kuesbergland*), officially contracted to **Küsbergland**, is a country in central southern Iapetus. It gained independence from [country] in 1449. The country is made up of 11 Cantons, each of which have a degree of autonomy from the central government. It borders Ersetia to the west, the Tamberian Federation to the south and east, and Lasowska to the north.

Its capital, Emmerich, located in Küsberg Canton, is also its most populous city at 1,389,000. The official language of Küsbergland as a whole is Küsbergische German, while Altyrian German, French, and Polish also have official status in the Cantons where they are most commonly spoken. Namely Freimark, Laufennau, Sankt-Josef, Zurnier, and Ettersee for Altyrian German; Biawil for French, and Gniebórz, Laufennau, and Romaindorf for Polish.

Küsbergland is a semi-direct democracy with a federal governmental structure; this system has been in place without major alteration since Küsbergland first achieved independence in 1449. Historically it has been socially and politically conservative, although this is far from a universal belief.

## History

### Six Cantons (1449 CE - 1519 CE)

Küsbergland gained its independence from [country] in 1449 CE, in the Diet of Altmark.

### Eleven Cantons (1813 CE - present)

Küsbergland remained neutral in [WWII analogue], citing both their small population & military, while also noting publically that the mountainous terrain of the country would make it "Not worth the effort to invade."

## Geography

Küsbergland is extremely mountainous, as the country is situated on the north-western spur of the Iapetan Alps. As a result of this, most of the country consists of river valleys between tall mountains, with several large lakes also forming within these valleys. The exceptions to this are the western and northeastern border regions, which are both significantly flatter, and the so-called Central Valley, where a large proportion of Küsbergland's population lives. This region is also where the capital of Emmerich is situated.

## Government & Politics

Küsbergland is a semi-direct democracy with a federal governmental structure; this system has been in place without major alteration since Küsbergland first achieved independence in 1449. The Staatshaus manages day-to-day government, while major policy issues are decided by public referendums.

The two houses of the Staatshaus are the Federal Assembly of Küsbergland, also referred to simply as the "Federal Assembly", and the Council of States.

Seats in the Federal Assembly are allocated based on a system of proportional representation dependent on the population of each canton, while the 22 members of the Council of States (two from each Canton) are elected by a system determined by each canton independently. Members of both the Federal Assembly and the Council of States only serve as members of parliament part-time, and serve 4 year terms. Elections are traditionally held in May, with the last taking place in May 2020.

The Grand Council constitutes the federal government, directs the federal administration and serves as collective Head of State. It consists of 7 members, and is elected for a four-year mandate by the Staatshaus, which also exercises oversight over the council. The council's members are almost always drawn from members of the Staatshaus. The President of the Grand Council is determined by a vote amongst the members of the Staatshaus from among the seven members, traditionally in rotation and for a one-year term; the President chairs the government and assumes representative functions, but has no additional powers.

Historically Küsbergland has been socially and politically conservative, although this is far from universal, and socially progressive movements have gained more in popularity. The current President of the Grand Council is *Inja Brönnimann* of the *Christian Democratic Party* (CDP).

### Federal Assembly of Küsbergland

Clockwise from left: Central Alliance (50 seats), Liberal Party (45 seats), United Labour Party (38 seats), Edelweiss Party (35 seats), Green Party (13 seats), Christian Democratic Party (10 seats), Gniebórz Patriotic Front (4 seats), Other (5 seats).

### Council of States

Clockwise from left: Edelweiss Party (5 seats), Liberal Party (4 seats), United Labour Party (4 seats), Central Alliance (3 seats), Christian Democratic Party (2 seats), Green Party (2 seats), Gniebórz Patriotic Front (1 seat).

### Grand Council

Clockwise from left: Noel Maag (EPK), Henryk Smołka (EPK), Ryan Hochuli (VAP), Michelle Risch (ZA), Inja Brönnimann (CDP), Bettina Rademacher (LPK), Philip Rottmayr (LPK).

All numbers are as of the 2020 election.

## Economy

Küsbergland is rated as one of the wealthiest countries in the world per-capita. It has enjoyed a stable, prosperous, and comparatively high-tech economy for almost all of its history. It is rated as one of the "least corrupt countries in the world", while its financial sector is rated as "one of the most corrupt in the world".

Deposit insurance policies and a strong culture of client confidentiality in the banking sector have contributed to this, along with disclosure of client information being considered a serious social and criminal offense, this having been criminalised in 1916. Banks are prohibited from disclosing balances or client information to tax authorities, with the only exceptions to this being if either the client has produced a written statement of consent, or if a financial crime has been directly linked to the bank account.

Bankers who maintain offices exclusively in Küsbergland are shielded from foreign states' lawsuits, extradition requests, and criminal charges, as long as they remain within Küsberger legal jurisdiction, and haven't broken Küsbergland's own laws. In terms of financial secrecy, bankers working in Küsbergland and abroad at Küsberger banks "have long adhered to an unwritten code similar to that observed by doctors or priests".

Since 1997, banking secrecy has been formally embedded within the Küsberger Constitution, thereby making it a federally-protected constitutional right. This controversial decision sparked much criticism from anti-tax-haven activists worldwide.

## Demographics

As of 2020 (185th National Census), Küsbergland has a population of 9,473,000. Its most populous city, and its capital, Emmerich, is located in Küsberg Canton and at 1,389,000 inhabitants, contains 14.7% of the country's population.

### Languages

Küsbergland's 4 official languages are Küsbergische German, Altmarker German, Polish, and French. In the 2020 Linguistic Census of Küsbergland, 61.1% of the population responded with Küsbergische German as their primary language, 23.2% responded with Altmarker German, 10.0% with Polish, and 3.8% with French. Of the remaining percentage, English was the most frequent response (0.7%), followed by Dutch (0.3%).

## Culture

Küsbergland has a long held tradition of home baking, which while once a vital necessity for the small nation, is now a tradition of more cultural than practical significance. It also played a major part in the origins of Küsbergland's internationally renowned confectionary industry. As a result of this, Küsbergland has the largest number of household bread machines per capita in the world.