Neu Westfalen

New Westfalen (German: Neu Westfalen) is a country in the South Pacific, located approximately 1500km east of New Zealand. Neu Westfalen is a former German Empire colony and joined the Alliance of Independent Nations on the 13th of March, 2013. It is named after the German state of Westphalia for its tranquil hills, meadows and rivers which are a common feature throughout the land.

Early History
Neu Westfalen was first colonized by small numbers of German settlers in 1845 who sort new colonies to match those of the major Colonial Empires. This land was previously uninhabited due to it's remoteness, however ancient settlements have been found indicating that it was inhabited for at least some of it's existence. Exactly what caused the extinction of these stone-age people remains a mystery, although famine and/or a climate shift seem the most likely causes.

Colonial Period
From 1845 to 1919 (74 years) Neu Westfalen was a colony of the German Empire, being one of only two German outposts in the Pacific its population were soon joined by smaller numbers Dutch and British settlers in the late 1800s. Although no Dutch or British authority was ever instituted given that Neu Westfalen remained solidly under the German Empire until World War One. The people of Neu Westfalen remained more or less loyal to the German Empire throughout it's colonial period, and were often told stories about an impending British invasion should Germany's position in Neu Westfalen be undermined; which did have some legitimacy given Britain's dominance of the South Pacific.

World War I
During the early stages of World War I 20,000 recruits were shipped to Europe by the German Empire to fight along side the Central powers, these journeys were very dangerous given Germany's relative lack of naval power. Consequently 6,885 were intercepted by British, and later American, Warships and would remain POW's until the war's end. These reinforcements ended in 1916 when the British Navy put Neu Westfalen under blockade, allowing no ships of any significant size to leave the country's waters.

The Invasion of Neu Westfalen
On 2 June 1916 New Holland (supported by the British Navy) launched and amphibious invasion of Neu Westfalen along its western coast. Their troops were to land and take the island quickly and with little casualties, however their was fierce German resistance. Despite the heavy coastal bombardment from British Naval warships (which was responsible for 1 in 7 German casualties) New Hollander forces were forced into a tactical withdrawal after a month-long stalemate. During the campaign there were over 8500 New Holland casualties and over 10000 Neu Westfalen casualties.

Although the invasion had ultimately ended in failure New Holland troops would return several years later after Germany's defeat forced it to renounce all her rights over her overseas possessions to the Allied Powers, including therein Neu Westfalen. On the 28th of June, 1919 the Treaty of Versallies gave the mandate for Neu Westfalen to New Holland, whom would oversee its transition into a democratic nation by 1925 - when it was granted independence; but remained in free association with New Holland until 1938. It choose not to join the League of Nations however.

World War II
New Holland troops were again sent to Neu Westfalen during World War II to ensure that security and order was kept as Nazi Germany conquered Europe; given that a vocal minority of Neu Westphallians were in favour of joining the Axis Powers. Neu Westfalen initially chose to remain neutral however.

War in the Pacific
After the attack on Pearl Habour Neu Westfalen realized it could no longer remain neutral in WWII, as the Japanese war machine could eventually reach their shores. They declared war on Japan a week later on December 14th, 1941, after intense debate on both sides of the fence. Although the British petitioned them to fight the war in Europe as well, Neu Westfalen had no strategic interest in doing so, nor did most Neu Westphalians like the idea of fighting against their fatherland. The Independent Neu Westfalen military saw its' first action in the South Pacific along side American and QANHNZAC (Queensland, Australia, New Holland & New Zealand) forces, most notably in the Battle of Midway where it's naval forces fought with the American fleet in a battle that turned the tide of the war. One of their two participating battleships NWS Westphalia still survives to this day as a tourist attraction in Port Lantea. However as they lacked any major aircraft carriers Neu Westfalen's role was mostly fleet air defense.

Post-War Period
After the war's end Neu Westfalen turned down American-led proposals to join the ANZUS treaty and resumed it's mostly neutral foreign policy, this would continue throughout the Cold War and early 21st century. The only exceptions being to demand an end to French nuclear tests in the Pacific, not because Neu Westfalen is a reactionary anti-Nuclear state (like New Zealand) but because they objected to the use of radioactive weapons in such close proximity to the native Polynesian populations in the area. They also entered the Korean war alongside UN troops; due to their fear of Communist expansion causing a domino effect in the Pacific region.

Acquisition of the Spira Islands
In 1951 Indonesia sold a set of several small islands to Neu Westfalen for $20 million USD. Located just south of Indonesia these islands were acquired for their marine fishing value. Today a small population of approximately 15,000 reside on the islands, including the Spira Military Base, which was established in 1978 when Indonesia disputed their claim to the island. The Indonesians claimed they had been "ripped off" given the recent discovery of oil in the surrounding seas; totaling an estimated value of $124 billion in reserves. It remains a disputed territory however only Indonesia refuses to recognize Neu Westfalen's claim to the islands.

Modern Government
Since 1925 Neu Westfalen has used a Non-partisan (no-political parties) Federal Democratic system using one Central house of power with 100 Provincial Administrators. Constitutionally-enforceable public referendums are guaranteed by the Neu Westfalen constitution. The first elected national Chancellor was Tobias Kaufman (aged 52) in 1925, he led Neu Westfalen for 15 years before retiring. National and Provincial elections are now held simultaneously every 5 years. After independence Neu Westfalen adopted more conservative and pacifistic foreign and social policy stances, choosing not to involve themselves in the internal affairs of other nations; which critics claim is a "fortress island" mentality. Regardless Neu Westphalians continue to strongly identify themselves with their Germanic heritage, which can still be seen in it's judicial and bureaucratic systems. Immigration quotas are traditionally kept small (no more than a thousand or so per/year) and are only offered to highly-skilled workers who fill in-demand industries. Given its close links with Germany, the Netherlands, New Holland and Britain immigration has primarily come from these sources, however small numbers of skilled Japanese and Korean migrants have settled in Neu Westfalen since the 1970's.

International Relations
Neu Westfalen maintains excellent diplomatic relations with New Holland, Queensland, Mirani, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Japan and South Korea but has sometimes clashed with American and NATO foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. Since joining AIN Neu Westfalen has entered into the QNNDP Mutual Defence Pact with New Holland & Queensland, forming a close military partnership with each.

Geography
Neu Westfalen is located approximately 1,500km of the east coast of New Zealand's North Island and is approximately 272,500 km2 in area. Neu Westfalen consists of a primary island (Neu Westphalia) with two small islands dotting its northern coast and two in the south. Its climate is mostly temperate but can range from sub-arctic to sub-tropical depending on the season.



Economics
Neu Westfalen's primary industries are its: Fishing/Seafood Industry, Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Drilling, Mining (Platinum & Rare Earth Elements), Heavy Engineering, Finance and it's IT/Computer Engineering Industry. Its primary trading partners are New Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Germany, Netherlands, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Russia, China and the United States. Neu Westfalen is an export-focused economy whose people enjoy a high standard of living, however the cost of living is fairly high given its geographic isolation.