[Week 6 Task] Oh Auldia!

I, Ewan Marceau, President of the Independent Sovereignty of Auldia, hereby present to you some valuable information about the beautiful country over which I preside.

Auldia

Flag: [image=http://ninnet.homestead.com/files/auldia.jpg]
(St. Andrew's Cross symbolises Scotland; Fleur-de-Lys and blue and gold royal colors symbolise France)

Map (political): [image=http://ninnet.homestead.com/files/auldmap.jpg]

History

In the early part of the 21st century, over 700 years after the original Auld Alliance between Scotland and France was penned, an extraordinary revival of the indestructable link between these two countries occurred, thanks to the philanthropic efforts of a Franco-Scottish American couple with a penchant for linguistics. The two countries decided, as a token of their love for one another, to establish an entirely new country in honour thereof, under mutual sovereignty by citizens of French and Scottish origins, although politically independent from the mother and father nations. This new country would be known as Auldia.

People

The Auldians are a proud people, highly traditional and with a strong sense of the inherent love that exists between the French and the Scottish, and thus, between themselves and their fellow countrymen. This love pervades all aspects of their daily life.

Population: 4,201,138

Nationality:

• noun: Auldian (English) / Auldien(ne) (French)
• adjective: Auldic (English) / auldique (French)

Ethnic Groups: Scottish 47%, French 45%, Québécois 5%, Nova Scotian 1%, American 1%, Other 1%

Languages: English, French (both official), Auldic Creole*, Scots Gaelic

Religions: Non-denominational Christian** 38%, Roman Catholic 29%, Protestant 28%, Other/Unaffiliated 5%

Government

Country Name:

• conventional long form: The Independent Sovereignty of Auldia / La Souveraineté Indépendante d'Auldie
• conventional short form: Auldia / L'Auldie

Government Type: representative democracy

Capital: New Edinburgh

Currency: Auldic Dollar (1 $ AULD = 0.76 £ = 1.24 $ US = 1.1 EUR)

Geography

Climate: Inland, warm summers and cold, snowy winters, especially to the north and west. In the southeast, hot, dry summers and very mild winters near the coast. In the northeast, wet, mild summers and cool winters.

Terrain: Hills and mountains in the north and rocky highlands on the northeast coast; rocky mountains in the south and stretching to the southeast coast. Flat, open fields in the west. Dense coniferous forests in the north, and some coniferous woods in southern mountains; trees are otherwise mostly deciduous. Agriculture is common in all areas except far north.

Miscellaneous

The government of Auldia refuses to make any political or economic agreements with an English government official; all diplomats and representatives of the United Kingdom must be Scottish by birth.

The national motto is "Alba gu Fraing. Vive l'Ecosse."

The national flower is the Fleur-de-Lys.

The national instrument is the bagpipes.



* Auldic Creole has formed as a sort of lingua franca between citizens who speak English or French exclusively. It is largely a blend of the two languages, with almost an even distribution of word parts originating from each. Most vowels are merged to suit a medium of pronunciation. French nasal vowels are generally only slightly nasalised by native Scottish English speakers, and most speakers of Auldic Creole tend to maintain either the alveolar or uvular 'r' trill (utilized in Scottish and French dialects, respecitvely); whichever is used in their native tongue.

** Although the majority of the original settlers of Auldia were either Roman Catholic (mostly French) or Protestant (mostly Scottish), over time, intermarriage has dissolved many denominational differences and the majority of