Zeeduyn

Zeeduyn (Duynish: ), officially the Federated Counties and Cities of Zeeduyn, is a   located in eastern Amphia. It has a total land area of 22806 km2 and total population of 12.8 million. Zeeduyn has land borders with Zusea to the north and Almia to the south, and is situated between the Saardel and Pintsch rivers and on the Neptic Ocean. The capital and largest city is Havenstad, with a population of 1.5 million, followed closely by Apelrade, the judicial capital of 1.2 million.

Gijs-Jan Krommendijk is the current Prime Minister, having been elected to the post in 2018, and he leads the Executive Council in the role of the country's supreme executive organ. As a, Zeeduyn divides state power between the Federal Parliament, the courts, and the executive, which consists of the Executive Council and the Prime Minister. The Federal Parliament is a, with representatives elected from the eleven provinces via a. The Parliament elects a candidate for Prime Minister, conventionally the leader of a major party or coalition.

Lowcountry Confederation
In response to undefined threat, probably Almia, the seven duchies of the lowcountry formed a loose in 1604. Each duchy retained its independence, but all seven acted in unison for self defense, and collaborated in matters of state and trade. Practically, the authority of the duchies was gradually centralized, with royal marriages commonly occurring between ducal families, until all seven effectively were one state.

Transition to republic
In 1683, the seven duchies formally formed a republic, with the capital being Apelrade, the most central ducal seat. Each of the seven dukes retained authority in the form of the executive council, which occupied the role of the republic's head of state. The head of government was a prime minister appointed by the members of the executive council, who acted with a certain measure of independence yet was required to follow the directions of the executive council. In addition to the seven dukes, a parliament was formed, made up of the duchies' most influential merchants and aristocrats, which elected two members of the executive council. At this point, two additional principalities joined the republic, and each was granted an executive seat.

Under the newly centralized government, Zeeduyn expanded its reach in trade and exploration, establishing a number of trading posts throughout the Neptic.

Centralization
In order to feed the coastal cities' growing populations, Zeeduyn invaded a pair of minor kingdoms further inland, both of which were added to the republic in 1739. In response to this military threat, and lured by the economic potential of access to the open sea, the duchy of Velsburg joined Zeeduyn by treaty in 1741, and the duke was granted the title of. The city was tasked with overseeing commerce on the Pintsch river and preventing invasion from Almia; as a result of joining by treaty, Velsburg remains somewhat independent from the Republic.

Acquisition of Cartageña
During some war with Hyspania, Zeeduyn acquired the Hyspanic colonies of Santoña, Manzanedo, and Carajón as part of the peace settlement, which form modern-day Cartageña. In 1836, a battalion of troops were stationed in the colonial capital of Stana Inéz. Several demonstrations occurred in response to the presence of these troops, and during one Duynish marines opened fire on Cartageñero demonstrators, killing nine. The Dyunish troops were immediately removed to a frigate in the harbor, but the colonists nevertheless seized control of an armory, holding the garrison hostage for several weeks, before executing all of them. In response, the Duynish colonial authority occupied Santa Inéz, burning much of the outskirts to the ground.

A number of militia groups formed to resist the Duynish handling of the incident, attacking Duynish forced across all three colonies, and eventually driving marines out of the major cities, thereby forcing the Duynish colonial authorities to admit defeat.

Decolonization
In response to international pressure, in 1964 parliament approved a plan to transition control of most of Zeeduyn colonies to native governments; this process was completed in 1993, with Zeeduyn giving up all of its colonial holdings except for five overseas territories in the Neptic ocean, all of which remain under the control of the republic.

Geography
Zeeduyn has a total area of 22806 km2, including water bodies, and a land area of 20414 km2. Zeeduyn is geographically very low compared to sea level, with 58% of the country less than one meter above sea level and 5% below sea level. The highest point is only 381m above sea level, and is on the western border of the country.

The Saardel on the north border is the third-largest river in Amphia by volume. Approximately 10% of the country lies within the Saardel river basin. The southern border with Almia is formed by the Pintsch river, which drains 20% of the country's land area. 32% of Zeeduyn's area drains into the Rustigbaai, a bay sheltered from the Angust Sea by Golfbreker Peninsula. The country's coast is largely formed by the low-lying Befort Islands, which shield the Befort and the mainland coast from the Angust Sea. Large sections of the Befort Islands are protected wildlife areas, and the and salt marshes along the coast are rich in biodiversity The islands extend well beyond the country's mainland border with Almia, and are home to Zwarts Light, the southernmost point in the country.

The western border of the country is formed principally by the Zwartgeul river, a tributary of the Saardel, and the Cilvo, a tributary of the Pintsch.

Overseas Territories
Zeeduyn has five overseas territories that were not a part of the decolonization process between 1964 and 1993. All five are islands in the Neptic Ocean; Westerleen, Eindorf, and Waalselt are in the West Neptic, south of continental Zeeduyn, and Isla de Perla and Grootrif are in the East Neptic, south of Valeya. Eindorf is also the principal launch side of the Zeeduyn Nationaal Ruimteprogramma (ZDR), the Duynish national space program, and has four launch pads and a 4.2 km runway for spacecraft landings.

Politics and government
Politics in Zeeduyn operate under the framework of a , in which the role of  is carried out by the Executive Council, a body composed of representatives of each of the eleven provinces. Each province receives a single vote in the Executive Council, but may send as many representatives as it wishes. The Executive Council is charged with declaring war and peace, signing or vetoing laws, and other executive tasks. Many of these executive responsibilities are carried out by the Prime Minister, who acts as the. The Prime Minister leads the popularly-elected parliament, and organizes the cabinet. As the secondary organ of the executive branch, the cabinet is charged with the day-to-day operations of the government, whereas the Executive Council primarily concerns itself with broader concerns, such as foreign relations. The judiciary is independent of the legislative and executive branches; provincial judges are nominated by popular referendum within each county and confirmed by parliament, whereas federal judges are nominated by the cabinet and confirmed by the executive council, with the advice of the parliament. Judges on the thirteen-seat supreme court are appointed to ten-year terms by the Executive Council, subject to removal by a supermajority in the parliament.

Foreign Relations
Zeeduyn is a member state of the Amphian Compact, an and military alliance containing the largest  in the world. Much of Zeeduyn's foreign relations are guided by its membership in this organization. The country's longest land border is with Almia to the south, and forms the heavily-monitored Pintsch Marches.

Administrative Divisions
Zeeduyn, as a, is composed of eleven provinces, which have limited autonomy from the federal government. Of these eleven provinces, three are independent cities, seven are counties, and one is a duchy. The three cities, Havenstad, Apelrade, and Keizerbeek, are home to 27% of the country's 12.8 million citizens, with the seven counties home to 65% of the remaining population and the Duchy of Velsburg home to the remaining 8%. Velsburg retains its formal role as a duchy because it joined Zeeduyn by treaty in 1741 rather than being acquired through conquest or formed by royal charter.

The eleven provinces are the base representative units of the federation, although elections are overseen by the 118 municipalities, and each province is entitled to proportional representation in the Federal Parliament based on population. Under federal law, provinces have five core responsibilities: Managing water and land rights sustainably, ensuring public safety through an established police force, developing regional public transportation, preserving local cultural heritage and traditions, and overseeing elections to municipal and county courts, legislatures, and executive offices. Velsburg has the additional right to have independent cavalry as a result of its privileged status. Taxation is a right reserved for the national government, although local legislatures may submit proposed taxes to the Federal Parliament that can apply within that county. In much the same way, counties are largely financed by the national government, augmented by taxes on vehicles and the sale of petroleum.

Armed Forces
Zeeduyn has one of the world's oldest independent navies, dating to the 1570, and the branch continues to be the most significant part of the armed forces,as the other typical branches of service are subservient to the Republican Navy. The role of army is fulfilled by the Republican Marines, and the de-facto air force is the Naval Air Arm. As the superior organization, the Republican Navy is disproportionately large. It consists of two amphibious assault ships, one joint support ship, three cruisers, eight frigates, five offshore patrol craft, and dozens of patrol boats, as well as three submarines and a number of amphibious support and resupply ships. Practically, the Republican Navy is a sizable portion of the Amphian Compact's amphibious assault capacity; the littoral nature of much of the country's coast and the assumption that any military operations will take place multilaterally allow the branch to be uncharacteristically focused on amphibious operations over other realms of battle. The Republican Navy is commanded by the Admiral-Superior, an officer of the Navy who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Executive Council. The collective headquarters body of the Navy and its subservient services is the Republican Admiralty.

The Republican Marines, the country's de-facto army, is generally considered to be one of the most mobile armies in the world, and is highly skilled at conducting amphibious operations. The majority of the land vehicles operated by the Marines are either amphibious or easily loaded onto a landing craft or amphibious assault vessel of some type. The Air Arm is comparatively small but nonetheless well-equipped: it consists of mainly helicopters and ground-attack aircraft, but also includes long-range bombers,, fighters, and some advanced UAVs.

Economy
Zeeduyn's economy is based on shipping, fishing, agriculture, and international banking.

Demographics
Zeeduyn has an estimated population of 12.8 million, as of June 2019, and has a population density of 562.4 /km2, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world.