Spotlight On: AMERINDIA

Amerindia


AREA
169,000 sq.m. (8th)
POPULATION
3,913,000 (15h)
DENSITY
23 people per square mile.

CAPITAL
Santa Fe
STATES
None (organized into tribal territories)

RELIGION
Various (tribal based)
LANGUAGE
Various (tribal based), English

NATL INCOME
120 billion.
MEDIAN INCOME
$30,735 (18th)

ECONOMY
Amerindia’s economy is below average. The government has a generally isolationist slant, and due to its insistence on an organized tribal structure and civic life, is slow to adapt and adopt new technology. Its cities, including Albuquerque and Tucson, have declined since the Division. There are significant possibilities in natural resources and mining, but the dominant environmentalist faction of the government has refused to utilize those resources. As a result, the nation has developed a largely independent structure that precludes financial growth, although the westernmost corner’s proximity to Nevada has made it a trafficking point for illegal goods. Recently the ANTU nations have tried to incentivize Amerindia to producing cotton. The cost of living is low.

OVERVIEW
Like Deseret-Utah, Amerindia was created in the Redivision of 1994, carved from the former nation of Arizona (in existence from 1981-1994, comprising the former states of New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Utah) after frequent cultural clashes between the four states. From the beginning, the nation organized along tribal lines instead of political parties, and allowed any immigrant from any other nation immediate citizenship and land ownership if that immigrant could prove Native American blood. Amerindia does not maintain a strong international relevance or economic position. Corruption in the administration of first President Wilma Pearl Mankiller led to a massive infrastructure overhaul by popular 2nd President, Ben Nighthorse Campbell. The administration of Texican immigrant Thomas Jeffrey Cole was overturned when it was revealed that Cole had promised the Texican government drilling contracts in Amerindian land, and allegedly further cession of Amerindian territory to the growing Texican Empire. Cole was removed in a joint Navajo-Chippewa coup led by Mark Maryboy and current president Winona LaDuke. Amerindia remain a poor nation, but one that has more successfully made the transition to a green economy than most.

HEAD OF STATE





Winona LaDuke,
Chippewa Tribe










Mark Maryboy,
Navajo Tribe

Spotlight On: MONTANA

Montana
(including the Nevada Territory)


AREA
647,000 sq.m. (3rd) (counting Nevada Free Zone)
POPULATION
12,933,000 (12th)
DENSITY
23 people per square mile. (17th)

CAPITAL
None (capital rotates as state capital of current president).
STATES
Lakota (Rapid City), Absaroka (Billings), Wyoming (Casper), Colorado (Denver), Montana (Helena), Idaho (Boise), Lincoln (Spokane), Oregon (Bend), Sierra (Susanville)

RELIGION
Protestant, various
LANGUAGE
English, various

NATL INCOME
620 billion
MEDIAN INCOME
$47,963 (12th)

ECONOMY
Montana’s economy is generally weak. With the exception of the Denver-Boulder metropolitan area, none of its cities are competitive internationally. It is not a member nation of the American Northeast Trade Union, preferring to maintain its staunch independence. Montana trades almost exclusively with Heartland, meaning that many goods not grown in those two nations (like saltwater fish, citrus, and wine) are often highly expensive. Montana does have enough coal, gas and mining resources to support itself and to export to a certain degree. Years of firmly minarchist government and the trading situation have contributed to a highly Spartan lifestyle; however, the government unofficially tolerates international smuggling in its unorganized Nevada territory. The cost of living is low.

OVERVIEW
Montana is a country rich in land and resources, but weak on the international stage. Built from many of the least populous states of the former USA, and landlocked and covered in many areas by the at times impassable Rocky Mountains, Montana has positioned itself as a staunchly libertarian society, with a very small federal government and no fixed national capital. Federal elections are held every three years with no possibility of a second term, and the national capital temporarily becomes the capital of the state the president has been elected from. A period of environmental conservation led by the Mountain Party presidencies of Cecil Andrus (Idaho) and Gary Hart (Colorado) was followed by a movement towards greater internationalism after the Redivision of 1994. President Richard Cheney (Mountain Party, Wyoming) sought a stronger centralized government and control of formerly federal military bases at Cheyenne Mountain, as well as involvement in the developing conflict between Atlantica and Texico (on the Texican side). A decentralist backlash saw the next three elections dominated by increasingly minarchist presidencies, concluding with a `night watchman’ state under Richard Mowell (Constitution Party, Lakota), a former Sheriff chosen by lottery. This experiment in governing led to a drastically weakened economy, and the Constitution Party was roundly defeated in the latest election by businessman Peter Coors, running on the promise to make Montana a stronger economic presence.

HEAD OF STATE






President Peter Coors,
Mountain Party










Vice President Dirk Kempthorne,
Mountain Party

Spotlight On: SUPERIOR

Superior


AREA
247,000 (5th)
POPULATION
11,348,000 (13th)
DENSITY
45 people per square mile. (16th)

CAPITAL
Minneapolis, Minnesota
STATES
Manistique (Marquette), Wisconsin (Eau Claire), Minnesota (St. Paul), Arrowhead (Duluth), Dakota (Fargo)

RELIGION
Protestant, various
LANGUAGE
English, German, various

NATL INCOME
672 billion
MEDIAN INCOME
$59,218 (7th)

ECONOMY
Superior’s economy is slightly above average. It is not a member nation of the American Northeast Trade Union, but trades freely with (and in large part depends on) those nations and Canada. Its few large cities have a healthy industrial base and an emerging technological field, although they have been suffering a `brain drain’ of hi-tech experts to Canada, Pacifica and Socali. It exports cattle, wheat and timber. Superior is so dependent on trade with Canada that it has considered being annexed by the nation. The cost of living is middle-to-low.

OVERVIEW
Superior was created in the Redivision of 1994 out of land from Lakeland and Montana, due to the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, heavily independent, feeling unrepresented in the Lakeland political system. The name was chosen for the lake under which it is situated after first president Walter Mondale and Foundryan president Gus Grissom could not agree on which nation should keep the name Lakeland. Superior has attempted to establish an international presence, and has enjoyed stable government, a low crime rate, a generally tolerant social climate, and a gradually improving economy. However, trade issues and a spiraling deficit due to infrastructure needs and a struggling health care system have convinced many in the government, specifically current President Paul Wellstone and his Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, that Superior should consider a proposed annexation by Canada. The Independence Party led by former President Jesse Ventura has staunchly opposed this.

HEAD OF STATE





President Paul Wellstone,
Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party










Vice President Tammy Baldwin-Azar,
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

Spotlight On: HEARTLAND

Heartland


AREA
395,000 sq.m. (4th)
POPULATION
21,512,000 (7th)
DENSITY
54 people per square mile. (15th)

CAPITAL
Kansas City, Missouri
STATES
Wabash (Evansville), Illinois (Springfield), Ozark (St. Louis), Iowa (Des Moines), Missouri (Kansas City), East Kansas (Topeka), West Kansas (Colorado Springs), Nebraska (Lincoln), Oglala (North Platte).

RELIGION
Protestant, Baptist
LANGUAGE
English

NATL INCOME
1,230 billion
MEDIAN INCOME
$57,157 (8th)

ECONOMY
Heartland’s economy is generally medium-to-strong, but varies greatly with natural agricultural cycles, being based almost entirely off of agriculture. It maintains informal trading with most countries, serving as the primary source of certain foods for some like Dixieland, Montana, Superior, Deseret and Amerindia. It has enough natural resources to be generally self-sufficient, although these are in decline. Its economy is almost entirely agricultural export-based, although it does have to import important goods such as cotton and timber from other nations, so its prices are heavily regulated. Its cities, including Kansas City, St. Louis and Omaha, do have some financial strength, but not enough to truly drive the economy. The cost of living is generally median-low.

OVERVIEW
Heartland maintains a powerful position in continental politics due to its central positioning and agricultural importance. It has experienced times of dire poverty and high crime, as its fortunes fluctuate yearly with the agricultural yield. Heartland became the site of a bitter war with Texas in the 1980s, when that nation forcibly annexed Arkansas and Oklahoma. Though Arkansas voted to allow the annexation, Oklahoma at first did not, leading to a bloody conflict between Texican guards and the Oklahoma Resistance. At the time, Heartland was in a serious economic slump, and eventually did allow Texas to purchase the land. Heartland gained more land in the Redivision of 1994 (in former Illinois, Indiana, and Colorado) and has since repaired relations with Texico. For the most part, the administrations of Heartland have been populist, conservative-agrarian focused, and control of the region has reverted to its pre-Division Republican Party dominance. Current President John Ashcroft (R-Ozark), serving his second nonconsecutive term, has come under scrutiny for increasingly theocratic remarks that many in ANTU nations worry is an indicator of a future alliance with Dixieland.

HEAD OF STATE





President John Ashcroft,
Republican Party










Vice President J.C. Watts,
Republican Party.

Spotlight On: TEXICO

Texico
(The Texican Empire)


AREA
594,000 sq.m. (3rd)
POPULATION
42,792,000 (1st)
DENSITY
72 people per sq.m. (14th)

CAPITAL
Dallas, East Texas
STATES
Louisiana (Shreveport), Arkansaw (Little Rock), Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), East Texas (Fort Worth), Alamo (Austin), Comancheria (Amarillo), West Texas (Lubbock), Tejas (Corpus Christi), New Mexico (Roswell).

RELIGION
Protestant, Catholic, various
LANGUAGE
English, Spanish

NATL INCOME
2,175 billion
MEDIAN INCOME
$50,838 (9th)

ECONOMY
The Texican Empire has probably the strongest economy on the continent. It’s extremely rich in both natural resources and farmland, and its cities like Houston, Dallas and Austin are heavy centers of industry, finance, chemicals, defense, engineering and high-tech growth. As a result, it has the rare ability to be almost completely independent of foreign nations. It does, however, make a significant amount of money from exports to smaller countries, especially in the Caribbean and Central and South America. It generally runs competitively to the ANTU nations and is viewed as an aggressive expansionist, both in terms of business and territory (Texico recently annexed three states from the government of Mexico, almost doubling its size and population). Texico does maintain trade with Dixieland, Appalachia and Mexico, and occasionally, Heartland. The cost of living is median in most areas.

OVERVIEW
Texas was originally the only new nation created by the Division of 1980 made up of a single state (outside of Alaska and Hawaii). This was due both to its size and its extraordinary resources and independence. Three men – Governor John Connally and Senators George Bush and Lloyd Bentsen – were almost single-handedly responsible for the construction of the new nation and its position as a strong international presence right from the beginning. After President Bentsen was assassinated in a Dallas motorcade in 1983 by a Mexican-Marxist radical, President Connally implemented an aggressive foreign policy and economic structure, and by the end of the decade, Texas was firmly established as a plutocracy, with the dominant Lone Star Party being tied heavily into business and the oil industry. In the late 80s, Texas annexed Arkansas from Heartland (wanting access to the Mississippi River), and later invaded Oklahoma, leading to the bloody Oklahoma Border War. Both states would eventually fall to Texas, as would most of Louisiana. In 1996, Democrat Phil Gramm was elected, but soon proved in the eyes of the international community to be merely a figurehead administration designed to allow the Lone Stars a convenient return to power. The administration of Tom Delay almost led Texico (as it had been called since a famous speech by President G. Bush spelling out Texico’s manifest destiny to control Central America) to war with Atlantica and other ANTU nations over the territory of Cancun, which the Mexican government was considering selling. In early 2004, Mexican-Marxist suicide bombers destroyed part of the Alamo in retaliation for what they viewed as Texico’s harmful economic and immigration policies. Texico immediately mobilized its forces and sent tanks rolling across the border into three Mexican states, where they were greeted as liberators by a populace sick of the weakened and corrupt Mexican PRI party. Texico still holds territory in Mexico, despite condemnation by the international community, and the situation has devolved to a legitimate border war between the two nations. There is some question whether new president John Ellis Bush will resolve the situation in peace by withdrawing troops, or escalating the fighting by a full-scale attack on the rest of Mexico.

HEAD OF STATE





President John Ellis Bush,
Lone Star Party










Vice President Karl Rove,
Lone Star Party.

Spotlight On: NEORLEANS

Neorleans


AREA
10,000 sq.m. (20th)
POPULATION
1,717,000 (17th)
DENSITY
172 people per sq.m. (8th)

CAPITAL
New Orleans
STATES
None

RELIGION
Catholic, Vudun, various
LANGUAGE
French-Cajun, English, various

NATL INCOME
40 billion
MEDIAN INCOME
$23,582 (19th)

ECONOMY
The economy of Neorleans is seriously struggling. Neighbor to two aggressive, hostile nations (Dixieland and Texico), Neorleans has so little farmland and industry that its only substantial export is shellfish. It is a member of the American Northeast Trade Union, and is highly reliant on it for necessarily cheap imports. Trade to and from the nation is also problematic; ships traveling north on the Mississippi pass through four other nations before reaching the ANTU bloc; however, Neorleans does control the mouth of the Mississippi and has levied substantial taxes on foreign ships, coming under heavy fire. It is also dependent on the channel between Florida and Cuba. Neorleans does have some strategic oil reserves and is mostly energy independent. It is also popular for its tourist trade in the city of New Orleans. Income is low, and a large portion of the populace is destitute. Cost of living is fairly low.

OVERVIEW
Neorleans was created by charter of the United Nations in 1992, out of land that had belonged to Dixieland. The heavily African-American population was coming into conflict with the administration of white Louisiana Governor David Duke, and the problem was exacerbated when foreign black activists like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton promoted the idea that blacks from all over Dixieland move to the city of New Orleans in order to overpower the electorate and elect a black state government. When their gambit worked and Ernest `Dutch’ Morial was elected, a white backlash ensued. Jackson was assassinated by white radicals, and the region fell into rioting. Governor Duke sent the National Guard in, with over a thousand deaths as a result. Dixieland was forced to give up a portion of the delta to the black separatists, while most of the remainder of Louisiana it would cede to Texico in the 1994 Redivision. Today, Neorleans is a struggling, poor nation, utterly dependant on trade with other nations. It has maintained its black majority in populace and elected officials. In 2007, much of the area was devastated by Hurricane Melissa, setting the struggling nation back even further, but ANTU and international aid prevented a total collapse. The nation has recently undergone an increased militarization, under perceived threat of annexation by both Texico and Dixieland.

HEAD OF STATE





Governor Donna Brazile,
Democratic-Equality Party










Lt. Gov. William Jefferson,
Democratic-Equality Party

Spotlight On: FLORIDA

Florida
(The Florida-Disney National Corporation)


AREA
39,000 sq.m. (17th)
POPULATION
14,601,000 (10th)
DENSITY
374 people per square mile. (2nd)

CAPITAL
Orlando, Kissimmee
STATES
St. Augustine (Jacksonville), Kissimmee (Orlando), Cypress (Fort Myers), Biscayne (Miami), The Keys (Key West), Tampa (Tampa)

RELIGION
Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Various
LANGUAGE
Spanish, English, Various

NATL INCOME
718 billion (estimated)
MEDIAN INCOME
$49,202 (10th)

ECONOMY
Florida is unique in that it is a nation owned entirely by a corporation: in this case, the Disney Corporation. The nation’s economy is co-dependent with that of Disney since 1990. Generally the economy is strong, maintaining a membership and free trade with the American Northeast Trade Union. Its big cities, including Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville, are centers of light industry and electronics, but the vast majority of the nation’s income depends on international tourism. Unlike most other ANTU nations, it has struck extensive deals with Russia for free trade of natural resources, and in return, Florida has become one of the most popular tourist destinations for middle class Russians. Florida has risen to a place of prominence in Caribbean trade, and has a crucially important trade agreement with Cuba. It is also the largest North American exporter of citrus. Its mostly service economy does make it susceptible to the economies of other nations. The cost of living is middle-to-high.

OVERVIEW
Originally part of Dixieland, the Florida panhandle was sold by President Fob James to the Disney Corporation in 1990. Dixieland had been struggling financially, and was promised favorable trade and other amenities with the new corporate nation. Florida is now governed by an elected Executive Governor, but the Governor’s actions and decisions are largely subject to the whim of the Board of Disney, making the un-elected Executive President of the Disney Corporation the effective leader. Florida is run like a corporation along the governing mandates set by long-term Executive President Michael Eisner (now President Emeritus). Under the leadership of Eisner and numerous Executive Governors, Florida made extensive trade deals with Cuba and Russian Alaska, and joined ANTU, on which it is highly reliant. The popular perception of Florida is a nation with an almost completely content populace; in reality, the government has come under heavy internal criticism from revolutionary, progressive, anti-capitalistic, and independent parties aimed at returning the nation to a non-corporate system of government. In addition, some other nations have cited Florida with quality of life crimes like excessive curfews, draconian laws and the forced deportation of the nation’s criminal and homeless populations.

HEAD OF STATE





Executive President George Mitchell,
Disney Corporation










Executive Governor Mel Martinez,
Democratic Party.