Asgard

Asgard (Asgard: Asgaror), officially the Asgard Republic, is a Unitary Semi-presidential Constitutional republic consisting of 4 States, three Unincorporated Territories. Asgard is located on the Kerguelen Continent, the most habitable southern continent on Earth.

About 60% of the population live in the urban areas along the coast line. Asgard's capital is Triton, with a population of 4.13 million, it is the largest city in Asgard. Aluumen is the second largest city, with a a population of 2.07 million.

Asgard joined the Alliance of Independant Nations in April 2012.

History
The continent was discovered by the Breton-French navigator Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen de Trémarec on 12 February 1772. The next day Charles de Boisguehenneuc landed and claimed the area for the French crown, naming it the territory of Kerguelen.

Soon after their discovery, the continent was regularly visited by whalers and sealers (mostly British, American and Norwegian) who hunted the resident populations of whales and seals to the point of near extinction, including fur seals in the 18th century and elephant seals in the 19th century. Since the end of the whaling and sealing era, most of the species have been able to increase their population again.

In the past, a number of expeditions briefly visited the islands, including that of Captain James Cook in 1776.

In 1827 the French started a coal mining operations on the continent.

Between 1825 and 1847, 250,000 French people emigrated to area. These settlers benefited from the French government's communal land and the application of modern agricultural techniques that increased the amount of arable land. Starting from the end of the 19th century, people of European descent became full French citizens.

The territory of Kerguelen, along with the islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul, and the Crozet archipelago were officially annexed by France in 1893, and were included as possessions in the French constitution in 1924. The territory was then divided into four colonies, each with its own administration: Asgard, Breton, Bruguière and Nespirah. The Act of Union 1930 merged the colonies of Kerguelen into The United Territories of Kerguelen and included the unincorporated territories of Trémarec Island, Heard Island and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

In 1954 French President Charles de Gaulle held a plebiscite, offering independence, the poll resulted in a landslide vote for complete independence from France. The nation was now known as The Asgard Republic, with the name taken from it's most populous state and Renard Firmin was elected as the first President.

President Renard Firmin brought about a modernization drive that brought considerable demographic changes to Asgard. Villages underwent significant change as urbanization increased. New industries emerged and agricultural employment was substantially reduced. Education was extended nationwide, raising the literacy rate from less than thirty percent to over eighty percent.

Asgard has since prospered and grown to have a population of over 9million.

States and Territories of Asgard
Asgard has 4 states — Asgaror, Nespirah, Breton and Bruguière — and three unincorporated territories — Trémarec Island, Heard Island and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

Foreign Relations
Over recent decades, Asgard's foreign relations have been driven by a close association with France and the United States, and by a desire to develop relationships with Africa, Asia and the Pacific. In 2011 Asgard attended the Sixth East Asia Summit as a guest of the host, Indonesia in the hopes of joining the organisation in the future. Asgard is a member of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, known informally and more commonly as La Francophonie (or, more simply, Francophonie)is an international organisation representing countries and regions where French is the first ("mother") or customary language; and/or where a significant proportion of the population are francophones (French speakers); and/or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture.

Asgard has pursued the cause of international trade liberalisation. Asgard is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organisation, and has pursued several major bilateral free trade agreements, most recently the Asgard – United States Free Trade Agreement and Closer Economic Relations with New Duveland, with another free trade agreements being negotiated with China (the Asgard–China Free Trade Agreement) as well as with Japan and South Korea by mid 2015. The Asgard–Cattala Free Trade Agreement was discussed at the AIN Summit and formally agreed upon in September 2013. Asgard is in continuing free trade talks with Histalpol and holds Observer status in the Organisation of Black Sea Economic Zone.

Economy
Aided by Independence in the 1950's and the subsequent modernization drive that followed, Agard has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a highly skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for vast majority of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for about 50% of output and exports. Since 2000, Asgard has been in the midst of a sustained economic upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports. This and robust finances offered the government considerable scope to implement its reform programs aimed at increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining the state's role in the economy. Strong exports of commodities and the strong profitability of Asgard's banking sector has increased inflation in recent years.

The list below includes the largest companies by revenue in 2011:

Health
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 * colspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |Asgard Republic
 * colspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |Asgard Republic
 * colspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |Asgard Republic