New Duveland

Mirani is an island country in the pacific, north of New Holland, west of Australia and south of New Caledonia. Along with many other countries in the Pacific, it was a former British colony, and is a member of the Alliance of Independent Nations. Mirani started out as a slow growing nation, as at the time, there was nothing to be mined. For many years, the only thing Mirani could export was Sugar Cane. The discovery of oil and other ores in and around the Big Island made what the nation is today. HDI, Life expectancy grew higher and matched those of Australia and New Zealand. Many people moved to Mirani to seek jobs, many stayed. Today, many people from all nations live in Mirani along with the natives whom still make up a considerable amount of the population. The population continues to grow expecting to reach 2 million inhabitants before 2020 and is expected to double in size from 2011 to 2031.

Early History
The earliest trace of native Mirinioan settlement goes as far back as 1300 BCE. Native Mirinioan people are very closely related to the New Caledonian Polynesians. They are said to be highly artistic, creating many statues, pottery, structures and artwork throughout the islands. They were very skilled in agriculture and canoe making, able to get from island to island when sea levels were lower than they are today.

British Discovery
The British first sighted Mirani on the 12th of September 1774, during the second voyage of Captain James Cook. It was named as Mirani after communicating to one of the local chiefs of Mirani Island (Now Capital Island) The island chain was soon mapped after. From then until 1810, very few sporadic contacts with the island chain were recorded. Contacts became more frequent after 1810, because of the interest in Miranian sugar cane.

Settlement and Early History
The first settlement in Mirani was called Crestvew, founded on the 9th October 1792, ten years after the discovery of the island. Named after the view of the waves. This remained as the only settlement for many years, as many islands were deemed to be too steep to build on, and the big island was yet to be fully explored. At the start of the 19th century, towns started to be established throughout the island. It was part of the New South Wales colony, but later becoming it's own British colony.

19th Century
The islands stayed relatively un populated, with the native Mirinioans living in tribes, some not knowing european presence among the islands. The natives were friendly to the european arrivals, helping a crashed vessel in the rocky coast off Crestview, helping to rescue all on board in their native boats they use to travel from island to island. Unlike Australia, the natives were not decriminalised and were some or the first natives to be seen as true citizens. Women were able to vote in December 1890, and all native Mirinioans were able to vote in 1894, exactly one year after the first election.

20th Century
Mirani was asked to join the Australian Federation, along with many other countries, but denied through a colony-wide vote and become an independent 4 years later on the 25th March, 1905. Almost 89% of the population disliked the idea of becoming an Australian state. Referendums took just over 3 months to be sent out and added up, this added up to 100,412 people voting NO, with only 12,410 voting yes. This then brought up the name change of Mirani Island to Capital Island. More and more people, from all over the world kept moving to Mirani, creating a very big mix of ethnic groups. This led to the establishment of the first Chinatown, Eurotown in Mirani. Today, there are many more variations of these towns, the biggest still being China Town, taking up 3 blocks just outside Crestview CBD.

World Wars and the Great Depression
Mirani was reluctant to join the First World War, stopping all exports and imports from enemy nations. Mirani ended up sending 1,400 troops, but were recognised as Australian troops, not Miranians. 1,247 troops came back form the war unhurt, those who were hurt were sent to Sydney to be treated, and the ones who did not make it, were buried back home in Crestview, were several monuments were erected throughout the city.

The Great Depression hit Mirani relatively hard by the great depression, many citizens were out of work. The government handled this by building vast new structures throughout the nation, including a large dam in north of the Capital island, and a birdge linking the island to the Big Island, which were both massive tasks. The bridge allowed automotive and rail connection and encourage growth throughout the Big Island. The dam also helped deal with the constant flooding of the region, and supplying water to the entire island and some of the Big Island via a pipe on the newly constructed bridge.

In the Second World War, Mirani was severely bombed by the Japanese in a undetected attack, damaging parliament house and the bridge connecting Capital Island to the Big Island. The United States and Australia helped prevent further bombings and also a failed invasion to occupy the islands. Mirani sent out approximatly 2,500 troops, this time however, they were sent out as Miranian Soldiers instead of being labeled as Australian. They were sent to help the Australians at Port Moresby, of the 2,500 troops, only 1,722 returned back home. The injured were sent to Sydney again, and the dead were buried in the same funeral as those who lost their lives in the First World War. Many more memorials were built across the country.

Discovery of Oil
In 1954, a geographical study was commenced to see what the island and ocean bed were made of, the results showed that area has very large quantities of oil and natural gas, all in rich of current technology. The government approved the construction of two offshore oil rigs, and many natural gas plants on the Big Island. But it could not be within 100km or a city, town or other settlements over 500 people. All of Mirani's oil is domestically produced, and there is such a large deposit of oil, that it will last for the considerable future. There are currently plans to build two more offshore oil rigs. This started a huge economic expansion, Crestview changed rapidly from a small city of 100,000 to a city with over 1 million inhabitants today (2011 census).

Today
Nowadays Miranians have high life expectancy, high living conditions, some of the highest in the world. The discovery of oil led Crestview to turn into a huge economical centre, with many skyscrapers in the CBD. Crestview is by far the largest city in Mirani, it has almost 900,000 more inhabitants than the next largest, Seatown, with a population of 220,546 citizens. The island nation is heavily developed to high standards. The government is very concentrated on the environment, with 50% of the islands uninhabited national parks.

Asylum Seekers
In 2012, Mirani become Australia's new plan for their large Asylum Seeker problem. These 'boat people' would be sent to Mirani and placed into detention centres for 5 years, and will be educated about Mirani, largely teaching them English and how to fit in with Miranian society and culture. After the 5 years of being in the detention centre, they are able to be sent out to the public after a series of tests, if they score above 70%, they will be able to become a citizen of Mirani and able to live and work in the country. There is a limit of 5,000 a year, and in return Australia has signed a policy saying, that if ocean levels continue to rise, they will relocate those affected to Canberra.

Politicts
Mirani is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy, divided into 8 divisions. Mirani's constitution is not codified. Elizabeth II is the Queen of Mirani and the head of state. The Queen is represented by the Governor-General, whom she appoints with advice from the Prime Minister. The Governor-General can review cases of injustice and make appointments of ministers, ambassadors and other key public officials, and in rare situations the Governor-General may use reserve powers (e.g. the power to dissolve Parliament if the country is in a state of emergency) The powers of the Queen and the Governor-General are limited by constitutional constraints and they cannot normally be exercised without the advice of Cabinet.

Customary authority
Mirani will allow citizens from AIN countries whom have good and excellent relations will be allegeable for 2-3 months of free visas respectably. Citizens of Neutral countries will not receive any free visas. Citizens from strained AIN nations relations will have to go through a small series of checkpoints to be able to get into Mirani. Rules are even tougher for AIN countries that have hostile relations with Mirani will not be able to enter the country unless they go through a long series of questions, this stops potential dangerous personal to get into the country.

Military
Mirani has 15,000 enrolled troops who can be called up in case of an attack. Mirani is in a military and economic bond with New Holland (NH) and Riyadh Islamic Federation (RIF) called Riyadh–New Holland–Mirani Pact or RIFNHM for short. This pact greatly improves and increases Mirani's defence. Mirani has also made a deal the RIF allowing them to construct and run a naval base located in one of the many islands of Mirani.

Status
Mirani is an Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, meaning that is is part of the Commonwealth, there have been talks of independance, there was a short lived political party which supported the movement, but after one vote it was clear that the citizens of Mirani did not want to become a republic, as many say Mirani has all the benefits of a republic without becoming one. In recent times, a new National Anthem is being considered, and may come to be in coming years.

Administrative divisions
Mirani is divided into 8 different administrative divisions, each having a capital city. they are, in alphabetical order, Big Island, Capital Islands, Capricorn Islands, Gips Islands, Jennis Islands, Jervis Islands, Seastern Islands and Western Islands. It has been stated that when the population increases to over 2 million citizens, the divisions will be turned into states, allowing more opportunities for the population. They will keep their current form, except for the Capital Islands and Jervis islands, Capital Islands will become the capital district, with only the island which Crestview is located on. The rest of the islands in the division will be transferred to the current Seastern Islands division.

Geography
Mirani is part of Zealandia, it was a fragment of the ancient Gondwana super-continent. Zealandia separated from Australia 60–85 million years ago. Mirani separated from Australia 60 million years ago, subsequently drifting in a north-easterly direction, reaching its present position about 45 million years ago. The island has a very rugged terrain, with high mountains spanning through the centre of the island, many rivers and creeks flow constantly with rain almost daily in the highlands. There are archipelagos, atolls and various other islands. These islands can range from smooth to very rugged. The tallest mountain in Mirani is Mt. Teitei, which stands at 2,643m tall. There are various deep sea coastal areas and very shallow areas. There is a large volcanic activity, many volcanos dominate the landscape. The island is also prone to earthquake activity. Such dramatic events included as the volcanic eruption of Mt. Mura in 1969, resulting in the deaths of 50 people from lava flows and the 1984 7.2 earthquake, resulting in devastation in the kingston area and sinking some areas by 1m, submerging parts of the city.

Climate
The climate is tropical, with hot and humid period from November to March with temperatures between 26°C and 29°C, with cooler and dryer period from June to August with temperatures between 19°C and 22°C, oceanic influence and the trade winds attenuates humidity, which can be close to 80%. Rainfall differ greatly within the islands, with it much more likely to rain in the Big island other than the smaller islands. There are dry periods which are the effects of El Niño. Between December and April. Cyclones are common in these periods can cause winds to exceed a speed of 100 kilometres per hour with gusts of 250 kilometres per hour and very abundant rainfall. The highest recorded temperature was recorded on the 28th of December, 2012 at 39.0 degrees Celsius, the coldest recorded was -1.1 Degrees Celsius in an unusually cold winter, cold winds from the Australian Alps and Southern New Zealand merged over the islands, allowing it to snow on Mt. Teitei, the only recorded time that is has snowed in the country.

Environment
There are many unique species of plants and animals, especially Birds and reptiles. There is a great diversity of species, genera and even families are unique to the island surviving nowhere else in the world. Most of these animal and plant species live around the Matuaiwi mountain range, which spans the length of the island. There have been many areas that are preserved areas and national parks. There are many issues with plants and animals in and around urban areas, to deal with this problem many city councils relocate animals to other areas uninhabited buy humans, and many new areas are being planted with native vegetation.

Flora
Mirani’s fauna and flora come from ancestral species isolated on the island when it broke away from Gondwana many millions of years ago. Not only endemic species have evolved here, but entire genera and even families are unique to the islands. Plants are very similar to that of New Caledonia's, with some species or plant very similar to native New Caledonian flora. There are many species of ferns and eucalyptus trees making up a majority of forests on the island. One particular noticeable fauna species is the Rahi Para, a fern which can grow up to 3m wide, mostly around coastal areas.

Any endemic flora can not be removed without a permit, all endemic species are considered protected and if a person is caught removing an endemic will be fined up to $1000 Miranian dollars.

Fauna
Mirani is home to the endemic Kāfu bird, which is the supporting animal of Mirani's coat of arms, is very notable for being one of the smartest birds in the world, using tools to break open nuts and seeds, and also completing complex tasks which require several different steps to complete. It makes some of the most complex tools of any animal studied beside humans. The bird is able to run very fast as it is a flightless bird only using it's wings to glide and climb trees. It is the second surviving member of monotypic family Rhynochetidae, order Gruiformes, the only other bird from this family is New Caledonia's Kagu bird. There is also the endemic Whirā Skink, which is the other animal supporting Mirani's coat of arms. It is very rare and only found in the mountainous areas of the big island.

there are 14 endemic fish species, 1 fish being entirely endemic to a Brooke River. 12 endemic species of decapod crustaceans in the rivers and lakes of Mirani some of which live in very small, isolate areas. Any endemic species to Mirani can not be legally hunted or captured in any way, as well as endemic flora, they are all considered protected.

Demographics
At the last census in 2011, the population reached 1,445,654. Roughly 500,000 lived outside of the capital, Crestview. Population growth grew enormanosly when the discovery of oil and other natural resources was announced. It is still strongly growing, with the percentage frowing higher and higher every year. Natural growth is responsible for 73% of the growth, the other 27% is due to net migration. The growth rate was strongest in the Capital Islands, at 4.07%, and the lowest in Seastern Islands at 0.7%. Over 42% of the population is under 20. The total fertility rate went from 3.1 Children per women to 3.9. This is due to the government encouraging births to increase the population even more.

75.8% of all civilians live in the capital, Crestview. This is mainly due to, at the time or the 'Oil Rush' which was centred around Crestview, and at the time, the city was the largest of anything in the entire region, everyone moved to the city. This was before the major Transportation Act which helped connected many cities together, which slowed Crestview's growth down a bit, as it was easier to live out of the capital. The proposed construction of two more offshore oil rigs will greatly increase the population even more, but this time it is said that it will be centred around Fernston and Seatown.

Currently 95.4% of people in Mirani live in Capital cities, the highest percentage in the world.

Ethnic Groups
In 2011, 62.4% of the total population were born in Mirani, this included the two largest groups, Native Mirinioan and Miranian eith European ancestry. Other large groups were 15.2% European, 13.1% Australian, 5.4% Oceanic, 2.9% Asian and 1.1% other. The fastest growing ethnic group was asian, going from 1.9% in 2009 to 2.9% in 2011, this is partly because of the Asylum Seekers agreement with Australia and also improving relations between races. Racial violence is little to non existent in Mirani.

The Mirinioan people are part of the Melanesian group and are indigenous to Mirani. The social organization is traditionally organised into small communities. According to the 2011 census, Mirinioan ethnic groups make up 32.2% of Mirani's total population. There is little to no difference between Mirinioan, Europeans and other settlers. Fitting in well with other groups. The government has been very successful in eliminating any differences between every ethnic group.

Europeans first settled Mirani when Britain established a penal colony in the islands. Once the convicts had completed their time, they were given their own land to settle and build on. According to the 2011 census, of the 665,406 Europeans in New Caledonia 442,627 were native-born, 222,779 were born abroad. Europeans who were born in Mirani with ancestral ties are referred as Rānungās, often settling in the large cities and capitals. Anyone born overseas, european, australian or asian are referred to as Piwhēnuās. And those who are true natives are referred to as Mirinioan (after the language), this name is used so frequently, it is now the official name for native Miranians.

Languages
English was taught to the natives upon first contact, and they returned it with the europeans, teaching them the Mirinioan language. Mirinioan is still spoken and is largely taught in all schools, much of the population is fluent in both English and Mirinioan. This is due to strong connections with Mirinioan tribes, each tribe teaching english to another. At the 2011 census, 100% of people aged over 15 stated they could read and write english and 78% stated they knew both english and Mirinioan fluently.

Mirinioan is taught from kindergarten to the end of high school, being compulsory to all students. Other languages are taught, which varies from school to school. Students can choose a language to study after year 8, the most popular language taught are French, Spanish and German.

Religion
The largest religious group is Roman Catholic, including most Europeans and Miranians. And increasingly large amount of people have stated in the 2011 census that they have no religious beliefs. 52.4% stated themselves as Roman Catholic and 40.5% stated themselves as having no relgion, 8.1% stated as other, either Muslim, Buddhist etc..

Economy
Mirani has the largest economy in the oceanic region, (Excluding AUS, NZ, NH & QLD). With a GDP of US $31.8 billion. The nominal GDP per capita was US$28,188 in 2011. Much of the wealth is centred in the 3 largest cities, Crestview, Seatown and Shoreline. The currency Mirani uses is the Miranian Dollar (MND), buying at a rate of $1 MND to $1.04 USD.

The GPD grew rapidly once oil and natural gas was discovered and exported. All oil and natural supplies all of Mirani's oil and gas needs, and produces more than the country can handle. This results in large amounts of exports and little imports of oil and natural gas. The oil is some of the finest quality in the world, being imported to all corners of the globe.

97.6% of Miranians are employed, 2.4% are unemployed. Taxes are raised and unemployed citizens receive $300 a week and live in public housing supplied by the government. There are services for the unemployed, where they can go to receive free meals and education to find jobs. There are generally no homeless people on the streets, as if one is found they are imediatly put into multi-story public housing.

Few areas are suitable for agriculture, only areas on some smaller islands and coastal regions of the big island which results in 23% of all imports being food. Mirani is one of the largest producers of Sugar Cane, Yams, coconuts and pineapples. Tourism is very heavy, the recorded amount of tourists in 2011 was just over 1 million. Many cities (other than crestview) tallest buildings are resorts or hotels, many of these are along the coast which is why so many people live in coastal areas. Tourism makes up the most amount of Mirani's jobs.

Culture
Mirinioan Wood carving is a traditional tribal society which includes totems and masks. Kōpere, a sphere used to catch fish is hand crafted. Pūoro taonga is a musical instruement used in religious ceremonies to community gatherings, but are only allowed to be played by men, this goes back to religious beliefs. The Mirinioan Museum, designed by Australian architect Kyle Stephens, opening in 2001 is an icon of Mirinioan culture which also shows the history of the country. The Amīharo is local music, which is a mix of modern music and in some cases can use a Pūoro taonga for a beat.

Media
Mirani Daily is the only nationwide newspaper in the island nation, reporting major national and international news to every island in the nation.

There are 7 radio stations that broadcast throughout the nation: Radio Mirani, Triple S, Double Jay, In the Now, Till you drop, Broani and Vision. All these radio stations are broadcast to all islands except for Vision and Broani, which only operate in Crestview.

There are various T.V stations, the main news groups being Channel 49, Channel 3 and Channel 24. These station bring daily news. 24 and 49 report news every hour, 3 has news after 6pm to 6am, and in the midday there are kids shows. Other news channels are: Loopey, Kiriata, Taita and ōi. These channels broadcast movies, animated T.V shows, reality T.V and many more different types of shows. All T.Vs have been switched to digital and more 'sub' channels are planned for the future, including 3K, (3 for kids) a show entirely dedicated to Kids T.V shows, and will make 3 become entirely news.

The news shows are shown to be very free and not biased, always trying to show the full side of a story. (news channels)

Sports
Mirani is dominated by three major sports, which are both heavily influenced by Australia. These are the Australian Football League (AFL), soccer and Cricket. There are many large stadiums in Crestview and other large cities. Soccer is slowly growing larger and larger, and might soon take the lead with most participation per 1,000 civilians. There are regional events where people will compete for the best. The regional finals will be held in each division capital and then the final will be played in the capital.

Infrastructure
Mirani has a very high developed transportation infrastructure, much higher than other nations in the pacific area.

Road
Mirani has a relatively small highway network, connecting the major cities or Crestview, Ferston and Seatown. It goes through many regional centres, used mostly by trucks. At it's widest, it is 2 lanes wide both ways. The road network is very large, many islands have very well developed road networks, improving transportation throughout the region.

Rail
The rail network is much larger than the highway and road network, it is more efficient in bringing in goods across the country and links Crestview, Fernston and Seatown, and may more small towns on the big island. It is mainly used for industrial trains, but more and more public trains. Crestview is the only city to have a large train network, linking all the major suburbs to the CBD and connects to the bridge to the big island, where people will switch trains and go on a different, faster train that connects all large regional cities, including Seatown and Fernston to the capital.

Air
There are various international airports in Mirani, the largest being Crestviews which is being relocated to the big island, connected to Crestview via a large bridge. (The same of that used by the highway and rail networks) Other airports can be used if Crestview International is damaged or unusable in any way, either floods, cyclones or earthquakes. Flights come in from every continent daily, major airport destinations are Sydney, Auckland, Hong Kong, Brisbane and Victoria. Other desirable destinations are Dubai, Los Angeles, Suva and Taiko.

Water
Ferry terminals are located in every large coastal city with a population exceeding 500 people, and every large island in Mirani has at least 1 ferry terminal. Ferries are one of the main transportation methods for Miranians, in some areas it is the only way to get from place to place. There are also various cruise lines that tour the islands in the milder months, these cruises can come from Australia, New Zealand or from a world cruise trip. The largest ferry and cruise terminal are located in Crestview. Large ferries run to New Caledonia, New Zealand and New Holland. These specially built ferries can accomidate 90 passangers and have room for 30 cars. Built in Seddon, NH. Every 15 minutes a ferry sets off from Crestview to Victoria, every 30 minutes a ferry leaves to Auckland and every hour one leaves for Noumea. There are also cruise lines which travel to Australia and Queensland, docking in various ports from Sydney to Townsville. There are various ports in Mirani, the largest deep sea port is Crestview's. There are various other small ports in all capital cities and nearly all large islands, along with a ferry service, a small port.

International Relations
Mirani has many excellent relations with many other countries, and many in AIN. Currently Mirani has no hostile or strained relations with any country. Mirani has many of it's own embassies in various countries, and there are many embassies from other countries located in Crestview. Currently, these are the countries with Excellent relations with Mirani: Asgard, Atarashima, Cattala, Illium Empire, Histalpol, Kingston and Boyce, New Holland, Queensland, Shihaisha and the Riyadh Islamic Federation. Countries with good relations are those as following: Atlantsia.