Overview of the Mother Country

Overview
The Empire of Great Edmundia is a large, powerful country which inhabits an entire continent, spanning inland deserts, oceans and forested areas along the coast. It is the Mother Country of the Edmundian Empire, an Empire which spans half the world. It is a constitutional monarchy ruled by King Edward I, with a democratically-elected Prime Minister serving as the Reigning Monarch's second-in-command.

Great Edmundia is very developed, with advanced public transport services, public healthcare and law enforcement. Most citizens are quite religious, conservative and moralistic. There are many restrictions of civil and political rights, but these are more than compensated for by a complete absence of crime and recreational drug use.

Geography & Environment

Related: States and Territories of Great Edmundia

Great Edmundia is on its own seperate continent. It is surrounded by water, with the Edward Strait to the northwest, the Edmund Strait to the northeast, the West Edmund Sea to the north, the South Edmund Sea to the south and the Libertian Ocean to the east. The Overseas Possessions of The edmund islands and New edmundia are directly north of Great Edmundia.

The climate along the coastline is temperate, with a variety of biomes supported. On the east coast, many temperate forests flourish. The west coast is home to mangroves, salt marshes and swamps. Further inland, hot deserts cover a lot of the continent. However, in the centre of Great Edmundia, a giant lake exists called the Great Edmundian Lake. This lake supports lush tropical rainforests around it. There is also a mountain range in the north of the country, the Great Durras Range, home to the tallest point in Great Edmundia, Mt Durras(2,228m) as well as a thriving alpine environment. The Great Durras Range is also Home to many Great Edmundian ski resorts.

Many of these environments have been cleared for development by humans, but a majority has been preserved by the Great Edmundian National Parks and Wildlife Service(GENPWS).

Economy

The economy of Great Edmundia is well advanced, as the nation is the economic centre of the Edmundian Empire and a financial powerhouse in its own right. The nation is also very capitalist, with more than half of the economy reliant on private industry. The only state-run enterprises are essential governmental services, such as the emergency services, the military, law enforcement and various administrative elements.

The Great Edmundian economy is heavily geared towards weapons manufacturing, and the nation produces military equipment both for its own use and for export. This export has mainly been within the Empire, although some pieces have been sent to other allies such as Squids milky way. Another chief export of Great Edmundia is lamingtons, and a large quantity of the cakes have been exported to The Interdimensional Community. Other major industry sectors include retail, uranium mining and wood chip exports.

The transportation system in Great Edmundia is heavily diversified. Major cities and towns are linked with large highways designed to take large trucks and cars. Rail lines also connect communities. However, in regional areas, many of these rail connections are steam trains geared towards tourism. Ferry services link communities along the shores of the Great Edmundian Lake. Many major cities also have airports and are serviced by many airlines including national carrier Air Edmundia.

Industry regulations in Great Edmundia are surprisingly stringent for such an economically free country. Products manufactured in Great Edmundia are renowned globally as some of the safest in the world. A government watchdog, the Great Edmundian Consumer Affairs Bureau(GECAB), oversees consumer affairs and regulates safety. Environmental regulations are also strictly enforced by the Great Edmundian Environmental Protection Agency(GEEPA). Large financial penalties apply to individuals and companies that break the law.

The country does have several large-scale businesses, mainly in the Arms Manufacturing sector. Corporations such as Edmundian Aerospace Engineering(EAE) have become so large that they are viewed by many economists as 'too big to fail'. Great Edmundia also hosts several large banking corporations such as the Imperial Bank, the GSFBC(Gladesopolis and Sable Ferret City Banking Corporation) and the Bank of Great Edmundia.

The primary source of power in Great Edmundia is coal-fired power stations, which make up about 70% of all electricity generated. Large-scale hydroelectric schemes produce about 20% of Great Edmundian power. 5% is produced by oil, 3% is produced by biofuels, 2% is generated by wind power and 0.1% is generated by alternate means such as solar. Uranium is mined in Great Edmundia, but it is either exported or used to produce nuclear weapons, and the nation does not rely on nuclear power for electricity at all.

History

The history of Great Edmundia and the Edmundian continent is split into six distinct periods; Pre-History, Early Four Kingdoms Period, Middle Four Kingdoms Period, Late Four Kingdoms/Early Modern, Early Empire, and Modern. Throughout their troubled history, the Edmundians have endured constant wars, fighting and hardship, shaping the nation as well as its culture.

Government

Related: The Imperial Government

Great Edmundia exists as a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. While the Reigning Monarch, King Edward I, acts as the head of state and retains many executive functions, the day-to-day operation of the Imperial Government is left to the Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister is Horacio Horsegel.

The foundations of the current system of government are laid within the Democratisation of the Empire Decree 2019, enacted by King Edward I. The provisions of the Decree have since been further codified in the Constitution of the Empire, which was passed through the Imperial Parliament in early 2020. In drafting these documents, the King referred heavily to principles contained within the Central Edmundian United Republic's Proclamation of Liberty and Constitution.

There are five levels of government that operate within Great Edmundia. These include:

• The Imperial Government - administers the entirety of the Edmundian Empire including Great Edmundia, and handles matters including defence and foreign affairs.

• The Great Edmundian Federal Government - oversees national matters, such as enforcement of federal laws, National Parks and other national institutions.

• State/Territorial Governments - administer matters such as state policing and heritage listing.

• Local Councils/County Administrations - provide localised services such as municipal garbage collection, local parks, local policing and other municipal functions.

Separation of powers is also a major principle contained within the Constitution. There are three major levels of government, which include:

The Executive Branch

The Legislative Branch

The Judicial Branch

Elections and referenda are conducted at an Imperial level by the Imperial Electoral Commission. At a Federal level, the Federal Bureau of Elections oversees ballots for the Federal Parliament of Great Edmundia.

Corruption remains an issue within all levels of government in Great Edmundia as well as in almost all Overseas Possessions. The Imperial Government has responded by establishing the Imperial Anti-Corruption Administration(IACA), which serves to fight corruption throughout the Empire. In recent years, the success of the IACA has grown, largely in part due to the successful efforts of its Director, former prosecutor James S. Reilly.

Civil Rights

Great Edmundia has had a patchy record for civil rights, and has often come under attack from the international community for the treatment of its citizens. However, the lack of rights is more than justified by the huge increases in safety seen in the nation. Law enforcement agencies in Great Edmundia enjoy broad powers, such as the authority to install security cameras in public places, detain suspects without warrants and use drones for surveillance. This has led to drastic decreases in Crime and Recreational Drug Use not seen anywhere else in the world.

People

The population of the Empire of Great Edmundia is distributed quite evenly. About 60% live in major cities, while 40% reside in regional towns and in remote and rural areas. A vast majority of citizens are bilingual, being able to speak both English and Native Edmundian, as both languages are featured in the Great Edmundian national curriculum. A portion of citizens are also able to speak Brasilistani and some are able to speak native Gladesville islander.

Ethnicity	Sample	%	Description
Continental Edmundian		50%	This ethnic group are native to the Edmundian continent. They were the first ethnic group to be included in the Empire of Great Edmundia. They were the original inhabitants of the Four Kingdoms of the Edmundian continent.
Gladesville Islander		25%	This ethnic group is native to Gladesville Island, an island on the Northwest coast of the Edmundian continent. They have a distinctive accent that is different to the Continental Edmundian accent.
Brasilistani Edmundian		15%	This ethnic group was added to the Mother Country when the Empire annexed parts of Brasilistan during the Brasilistan Wars. They are full citizens of the Empire, but have been allowed to retain their unique Brasilistani heritage.
Imperial Edmundian		10%	These people are from all over the greater Edmundian Empire. They have migrated from the Empire's Overseas Possessions to Great Edmundia, mainly in search of better opportunities. A large majority of these came before the Great Edmundian Government prohibited immigration.

Culture

Related: The National Anthem of the Empire

The culture of Great Edmundia is very conservative and moralistic, with an emphasis on obeying the law and hard work. Citizens generally have little to no sympathy for anyone who falls outside this, such as criminals, drug addicts and the unemployed, and many see these outcasts as sub-humans. Citizens also tend to be quite militaristic and turn to violence easily when things don’t go their way. They are generally suspicious of immigrants, a sentiment which led to the prohibition of immigration.

There are several interesting aspects of Edmundian culture. These include an unconditional love for lamingtons and shawarma, a genuine love for the police and an appreciation of law and order. There is also vehement racism directed towards any group of people against the Empire.

Education in Great Edmundia is mainly used as a tool by the government to install good Edmundian values into the younger generation. All children must learn the lyrics to Advance Edmundia Fair, God Bless Edmundia, Rule, Edmundia! and The Blue-Striped Banner before they are allowed to graduate. They are also required to be fluent in both English and Native Edmundian. There are baseline levels of literacy and numeracy set by the Great Edmundian Government Ministry of Education, but these are very basic. There is also more of an emphasis on the arts as opposed to STEM. Tertiary education is available, but only about 40% of high school graduates choose to continue with further studies.

Fashion is very conservative in Great Edmundia. Citizens, both men and women, are greatly encouraged not to wear too much revealing clothing. However, art is promoted readily, with hundreds of galleries throughout the country. All levels of government are committed to funding the arts, and, in consequence, culture is flourishing.

Museums in Great Edmundia have become major tourist attractions due to their size and their content. In particular, major cities boast sprawling museum complexes such as the Imperial War Memorial and the Gladesopolis Museum of Natural History in Gladesopolis, the Ferret Museum and the Four Kingdoms Museum & Research Centre in Sable Ferret City, the Imperial Intelligence Museum in Polecat and the Imperial Games Museum in Rydesville.

Technology

Technology in Great Edmundia is not very well advanced due to the lack of education and scientific advancement. The most progress has been made in terms of military technology.

Advanced military capabilities have existed on the Edmundian continent since the time of the Four Kingdoms, when each of the different kingdoms attempted to develop bigger and better weaponry to outdo each other. Once Edmundia unified, the technological expertise from these Four Kingdoms have all contributed to today’s advanced military capabilities. Some of Edmundia’s weapons capabilities include large Star Destroyers capable of travelling outside the Solar System, a Lunar Base on one of the planet’s two moons, AR-AR Stompers and the Maximum Area Defence force-field technology.

International Relations

Foreign policy for Great Edmundia has mostly been dictated by the actions of its military. The first nation the Edmundians came across was the Cicerians on Ingda. Although diplomatic relations were established for a short period of time, the Cicerians were subsequently invaded by the True Edmundian Armed Forces. Great Edmundia has also participated in various conflicts around the world and beyond, becoming embroiled in intergalactic wars such as the Civil War in The Galactic Empire of Britain.

Currently, foreign affairs in Great Edmundia are administered by the Imperial Government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Military

Related: The Imperial Armed Forces, The Armed Forces Hymn

Great Edmundia is world-renowned for its strong military. This military strength stemmed from the era of the Four Kingdoms, when the Edmundian kingdoms constantly vied to out-do each other in terms of military might. This tradition is reflected both in modern Great Edmundia and the greater Edmundian Empire. Great Edmundia maintains a standing National Guard capable of defending the continent from any external threat. It also contributes heavily to the Imperial Armed Forces, the military force maintaining and defending the Empire. Furthermore, Great Edmundia maintains a vast network of national security and intelligence agencies such as the Great Edmundian Secret Intelligence Service (GESIS) and the Great Edmundian Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division (GESHIELD) capable of identifying and responding to external threats.

[size=100][b]Assets of the Great Edmundian National Guard[/b][/size] The Great Edmundian National Guard is a branch of the National Guard, a reserve branch within the [url=https://www.nationstates.net/nation=great_edmundia/detail=factbook/id=1040497]Imperial Armed Forces[/url]. The GENG only has air and land capabilities. The Great Edmundian Federal Government normally exercises control over the deployment of the GENG; however, in times of war, command is handed over to the Imperial Department of Defence.

Asset	Qty	Origin	Quality
Spending (total)	4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Great Edmundian Royals
Spending (/personnel)	200,000,000,000,000,000 Great Edmundian Royals
Personnel	20,000,000	Great Edmundia	Excellent
Reserves	10,000,000	Great Edmundia	Good
Infantrymen	5,500,000	Great Edmundia	Excellent
Special Forces	500,000	Great Edmundia	Excellent
Small Arms	30,000,000	Great Edmundia, Greater Edmundian Empire	Excellent
Heavy Armored Vehicles	3,000,000	Great Edmundia, Greater Edmundian Empire	Excellent
Light Armored Vehicles	4,000,000	Great Edmundia, Greater Edmundian Empire	Excellent
Aircraft	3,000,000	Great Edmundia, Greater Edmundian Empire	Excellent
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles	500,000	Great Edmundia, Greater Edmundian Empire	Prototype