Federal Commonwealth of Nixland
 Flag
| |
| Anthem: Star of the South | |
 Map of Nixland, territory in green | |
| Capital | Swynport, Republic of Bransfield, Federal Commonwealth of Nixland |
| Largest city | Marambio, Republic of Bransfield, Federal Commonwealth of Nixland |
| Official languages | English Esperanto Latin |
| Recognised national languages | German Spanish |
| Recognised regional languages | (none) |
| Ethnic groups | British Chileans Argentines others |
| Religion | none |
| Demonym(s) | Nixlander |
| Government | Provisional one-party constitutional commonwealth |
• Lord President | Her Excellence, Amanda Bonnet |
• Chancellor | vacant |
• Ministers | vacant |
| Legislature | Federal Diet |
| Establishment | |
• First Constitution | 20 June 2014 |
• Second Constitution | 20 December 2014 |
• Third constitution | 11 July 2016 |
• Fourth constitution (provisional) | 2 October 2020 |
| Area | |
• Total | 340,000 km2 (130,000 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | N/A |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 1455 (2016 census) |
• Density | 0.004/km2 (0.0/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | N/A |
• Per capita | N/A |
| HDI (2020) | 0.8 very high |
| Currency | Nixlandic Mark United States dollar (de facto) |
| Time zone | UTC-04:00 UTC-05:00 (Alexander Island) |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy; |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +694 (proposed) |
| Internet TLD | .nx (proposed) |
Nixland (/nɪks[invalid input: 'ɫ']ænd/, Latin pronunciation: [niksland], Esperanto pronunciation: [niksland]), officially the Federal Commonwealth of Nixland and formerly the Federal Kingdom of Nixland, is a planned proto-state primarily located on the Antarctic Peninsula, and formerly possessing numerous minor territories outside Antarctica. This nation currently consists of 1 federal state and 1 territory. At roughly 130,000 square miles and a population of 1,455, Nixland would be the 66th largest and 2nd least populous sovereign state upon recognition.
Etymology
The name Nixland derives from the Latin word "Nix" meaning snow, referring to the land’s cold climate, and the Germanic word "land" meaning "area or region" in virtually all Germanic languages.
Simplified Pronunciation
Simplified pronunciation of the name is Niks-land.
History
Discovery and Exploration
The first land south of the parallel 60° south latitude was discovered by the Englishman William Smith, who sighted Livingston Island among the northern islands of present-day Nixland on 19 February 1819. A few months later Smith returned to explore the other islands of the South Shetlands archipelago, landed on King George Island, and claimed the new territories for Britain.
The most likely first sighting of the mainland Nixland, and therefore also of the whole Antarctic mainland, was probably on 27 January 1820 by an expedition of the Russian Imperial Navy led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. But the party did not recognize as the mainland what they thought was an icefield covered by small hillocks.
Three days later, on 30 January 1820, Edward Bransfield and William Smith, with a British expedition, were the first to chart part of the Antarctic Peninsula. This area was later to be called Trinity Peninsula and is the extreme northeast portion of the peninsula, upon which the site Nixlandic capital of Swynport is now located. The next confirmed sighting was in 1832 by John Biscoe, a British explorer, who named the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula as Graham Land.
The first person to land on the continent is also disputed. A 19th-century American seal hunter, John Davis, was almost certainly the first, as he claimed to have set foot there on 7 February 1821. But, sealers were secretive about their movements and their logbooks were deliberately unreliable, to protect any new sealing grounds from competition, and therefore his claim is not accepted among all historians.
Between 1901 and 1904, Otto Nordenskiöld led the Swedish Antarctic Expedition, one of the first expeditions to explore parts of Antarctica. They landed on the Antarctic Peninsula in February 1902, aboard the ship Antarctic, which later sank not far from the peninsula. All crew were saved. They were later rescued by an Argentine ship. The British Graham Land Expedition between 1934 and 1937 carried out aerial surveys and concluded that Graham Land was not an archipelago but a peninsula.
Early Colonization
The United Kingdom reasserted sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the far South Atlantic in 1833 and maintained a continuous presence there. In 1908, the British government extended its territorial claim by declaring sovereignty over "South Georgia, the South Orkneys, the South Shetlands, and the Sandwich Islands, and Graham's Land, situated in the South Atlantic Ocean and on the Antarctic continent to the south of the 50th parallel of south latitude, and lying between the 20th and the 80th degrees of west longitude". All these territories were administered as Falkland Islands Dependencies from Stanley by the Governor of the Falkland Islands. The motivation for this declaration lay in the need for regulating and taxing the whaling industry effectively. Commercial operators would hunt whales in areas outside of the official boundaries of the Falkland Islands and its dependencies and there was a need to close this loophole.
Under the ambition of Leopold Amery, the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, Britain attempted to incorporate the entire continent into the Empire. In a memorandum to the governor-generals for Australia and New Zealand, he wrote that 'with the exception of Chile and Argentina and some barren islands belonging to France... it is desirable that the whole of the Antarctic should ultimately be included in the British Empire.'
This encroachment of Britain and other foreign powers was a matter of immense disquiet to the nearby South American countries, Argentina and Chile. Taking advantage of a European continent plunged into turmoil with the onset of the Second World War, Chile's president, Pedro Aguirre Cerda declared the establishment of a Chilean Antarctic Territory in areas already claimed by Britain.
Argentina had an even longer history of involvement in the Continent. Already in 1904 the Argentine government began a permanent occupation in the area with the purchase of a meteorological station on Laurie Island established in 1903 by Dr William S. Bruce's Scottish National Antarctic Expedition. Bruce offered to transfer the station and instruments for the sum of 5.000 pesos, on the condition that the government committed itself to the continuation of the scientific mission. British officer William Haggard also sent a note to the Argentine Foreign Minister, Jose Terry, ratifying the terms of Bruce proposition.
In 1906, Argentina communicated to the international community the establishment of a permanent base on South Orkney Islands. However, Haggard responded by reminding Argentina that the South Orkneys were British. The British position was that Argentine personnel was granted permission only for the period of one year. The Argentine government entered into negotiations with the British in 1913 over the possible transfer of the island. Although these talks were unsuccessful, Argentina attempted to unilaterally establish their sovereignty with the erection of markers, national flags and other symbols. Finally, with British attention elsewhere, Argentina declared the establishment of Argentine Antarctica in 1943, claiming territory that overlapped with British ( 20°W to 80°W) and the earlier Chilean (53°W to 90°W) claims.
In response to this and earlier German explorations, the British Admiralty and Colonial Office launched Operation Tabarin in 1943 to reassert British territorial claims against Argentine and Chilean incursion and establish a permanent British presence in the Antarctic, resulting in the establishment of the first research stations in Antarctica. The move was also motivated by concerns within the Foreign Office about the direction of United States post-war activity in the region.
A suitable cover story was the need to deny use of the area to the enemy. The Kriegsmarine was known to use remote islands as rendezvous points and as shelters for commerce raiders, U-boats and supply ships. Also, in 1941, there existed a fear that Japan might attempt to seize the Falkland Islands, either as a base or to hand them over to Argentina, thus gaining political advantage for the Axis and denying their use to Britain.
In 1943, British personnel from HMS Carnarvon Castle removed Argentine flags from Deception Island. The expedition was led by Lieutenant James Marr and left the Falkland Islands in two ships, HMS William Scoresby (a minesweeping trawler) and Fitzroy, on Saturday 29 January 1944.
Bases were established during February near the abandoned Norwegian whaling station on Deception Island, where the Union Flag was hoisted in place of Argentine flags, and at Port Lockroy (on February 11) on the coast of Graham Land. A further base was founded at Hope Bay on 13 February 1945, after a failed attempt to unload stores on 7 February 1944. Symbols of British sovereignty, including post offices, signposts and plaques were also constructed and postage stamps were issued.
Operation Tabarin provoked Chile to organize its First Chilean Antarctic Expedition in 1947–48, where the Chilean president Gabriel González Videla personally inaugurated one of its bases.
Following the end of the war in 1945, the British bases were handed over to civilian members of the newly created Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (subsequently the British Antarctic Survey) the first such national scientific body to be established in Antarctica.
The postwar period saw a marked increase in the number of research bases as Britain, Chile and Argentina competed to make claims over the same area. Meteorology and geology were the primary research subjects. Royal Navy warships were dispatched in 1948 to prevent naval incursions and in 1952, an Argentine shore party at Hope Bay (the British Base "D", established there in 1945, came up against the Argentine Esperanza Base, est. 1952) fired a machine gun over the heads of a British Antarctic Survey team unloading supplies from the John Biscoe. The Argentines later extended a diplomatic apology, saying that there had been a misunderstanding and that the Argentine military commander on the ground had exceeded his authority.
Antarctic International Treaty and Later Colonization
In an attempt at ending the impasse, Britain submitted an application to the International Court of Justice in 1955 to adjudicate between the territorial claims of Britain, Argentina and Chile. This proposal failed, as both Latin American countries rejected submitting to an international arbitration procedure.
Negotiations towards the establishment of an international condominium over the continent first began in 1948, involving the 7 claimant powers (Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Norway, Chile and Argentina) and the US. This attempt was aimed at excluding the Soviet Union from the affairs of the continent and rapidly fell apart when the USSR declared an interest in the region, refused to recognize any claims of sovereignty and reserved the right to make its own claims in 1950.
An important impetus toward the formation of the Antarctic Treaty System in 1959, was the International Geophysical Year, 1957–1958. This year of international scientific cooperation triggered an 18-month period of intense Antarctic science. More than 70 existing national scientific organizations then formed IGY committees, and participated in the cooperative effort. The British established Halley Research Station in 1956 by an expedition from the Royal Society. Sir Vivian Fuchs headed the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica in 1958. In Japan, the Japan Maritime Safety Agency offered ice breaker Sōya as the South Pole observation ship and Showa Station was built as the first Japanese observation base on Antarctica.
France contributed with Dumont d'Urville Station and Charcot Station in Adélie Land. The ship Commandant Charcot of the French Navy spent nine months of 1949/50 at the coast of Adelie Land, performing ionospheric soundings.[90] The US erected the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station as the first permanent structure directly over the South Pole in January 1957.
Finally, to prevent the possibility of military conflict in the region, the United States, United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and 9 other countries with significant interests negotiated and signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. The treaty entered into force in 1961 and sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, established freedom of scientific investigation and banned military activity on that continent. The treaty was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War.
A baby, named Emilio Marcos de Palma, was born near Hope Bay on 7 January 1978, becoming the first baby born on the continent. He also was born farther south than anyone in history. Subsequently, at least 10 other children have been born at the same base in addition to multiple others elsewhere.
In 1991 a convention among member nations of the Antarctic Treaty on how to regulate mining and drilling was proposed. Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and French Prime Minister Michel Rocard led a response to this convention that resulted in the adoption of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, now known as the Madrid Protocol. All mineral extraction was banned for 50 years and the Antarctic was set aside as a "natural reserve, devoted to peace and science".
Since northern and western Nixland has the mildest and most hospitable climate of all Antarctica, the highest concentration of research stations on the continent can be found there, as well as the only civilian settlements, and it is the part of Antarctica most often visited by tour vessels and yachts. Occupied bases include Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, Bellingshausen Station, Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base, Rothera Research Station and San Martín Base.
Independence and Early Government
The beginning of Nixlandic independence was with the passage of the first Constitution of Nixland (then known as Zukeland) which founded the Kingdom of Zukeland on 20 June 2014, written and ratified by Amanda Bonnet at the age of 12, albeit heavily drawing from the consntitution of Flandrensis. Apart from being the political beginning of the state, it also saw the creation of the first version of the familiar Nixlandic black-white-and-blue tricolor as well as the adoption of most of its present-day national symbols.
The first Flandrensis-based was soon replaced by a very different second constitution, inspired by the governments of the German Empire, United States, and the United Kingdom which reformed the nation as a federal constitutional monarchy, forming the Federal Kingdom of Zukeland on 20 December 2014. This constitution established the foundation for the following third constitution which was ratified on 11 July 2016 and under which Zukeland, later Nixland operated under for over 4 years. During the period following the passage of this constitution the country saw its first census (albeit a rudimentary one) and gained its first non-government citizens before falling into disorganization and inactivity due to the preoccupation of Queen Amanda I with academics and art.
Reform and Recent Government
The recent revival in government organization began with the foundation of the Bonnetist party by Amanda Bonnet in late 2019. This led to an ideological shift in the Nixlandic government culminating in the passage of the fourth constitution on 2 October 2020 which abolished the monarchy and instated a provisional one-party government, with Queen Amanda I becoming Lord President Amanda Bonnet. Nixland has been and continues to be uniquely characterized by its isolationism within the international community and for its embrace of experimental and unorthodox ideologies and programs.
Geography
Nixland is situated upon the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding islands, with the country stretching 2111 km (1311 mi) from its southwesternmost point to its northeasternmost point, however, this distance is reduced to 1529 km (950 mi) if only the continental mainland is measured, and the country stretches across two time zones (those being UTC-4 and UTC-5). More precisely, Nixland is comprised of all Antarctic lands east of 80W, west of 53W (however, in addition to the South Orkney Islands), and north of 75S. The country contains approximately 340,000 km2 or 130,00 mi2, making it roughly the size of Finland, slightly smaller than Germany, and slightly larger than mainland Norway. Geography, landscape, climate, fauna, and flora vary significantly within the country, with the long thin mainland dominated by the large mountain range of the Antarctandes and surrounded by the large Alexander Island to the west and numerous lesser islands and archipelagos in the north, west, and northeast, many of which are characterized by volcanic activity due to the Bransfield and Larsen tectonic rifts that surround Nixland.
Climate
The climate of Nixland, while generally cold and polar, varies greatly within the country due to its large variation in latitude and altitude as well as conflicting sea and air currents. The west coast of the country is significantly warmer and milder than its east coast thanks to warm oceanic currents landing upon the west and the central mountains blocking travel to the east. Consequently, the climate may vary from dry polar ice cap in the south and mountainous interior, to wet oceanic tundra in western, northern, and coastal regions, to even borderline marine boreal climate in the northernmost islands. An example of Nixlandic climate can be found below in the monthly climate averages of Esperanza, Republic of Bransfield, Nixland, a settlement just north of Swynport.
| Climate data for Esperanza (1961–1990, extremes 1945–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.5 (63.5) |
15.9 (60.6) |
17.2 (63) |
13.3 (55.9) |
14.0 (57.2) |
13.0 (55.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
17.0 (62.6) |
14.3 (57.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.5 (63.5) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
0.3 (32.5) |
1.3 (34.3) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−11.1 (12) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−15.1 (4.8) |
−15.0 (5) |
−14.7 (5.5) |
−11.1 (12) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.5 (16.7) |
−13.2 (8.2) |
−20.9 (−5.6) |
−26.0 (−14.8) |
−29.6 (−21.3) |
−30.0 (−22) |
−38.4 (−37.1) |
−32.0 (−25.6) |
−32.6 (−26.7) |
−23.2 (−9.8) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−9.7 (14.5) |
−38.4 (−37.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 56.2 (2.213) |
65.0 (2.559) |
75.5 (2.972) |
59.1 (2.327) |
54.4 (2.142) |
47.4 (1.866) |
54.1 (2.13) |
72.1 (2.839) |
62.2 (2.449) |
56.4 (2.22) |
65.0 (2.559) |
59.0 (2.323) |
726.4 (28.598) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 14 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 177 |
| Average snowy days | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 181 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 82 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 80 | 80 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 93.0 | 127.1 | 89.9 | 60.0 | 31.0 | 12.0 | 21.7 | 43.4 | 87.0 | 136.4 | 144.0 | 161.2 | 1,006.7 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 3.0 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 2.8 |
| Percent possible sunshine | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 22 |
| Source #1: Weatherbase (temperatures),<a href="#cite_note-weatherbase-12">[10]</a> NOAA (precipitation),<a href="#cite_note-NOAA-13">[11]</a> Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (precipitation and snowy days)<a href="#cite_note-SMN-14">[12]</a><a href="#cite_note-SMN2-15">[13]</a> | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows),<a href="#cite_note-meteoclimat-16">[14]</a> <a href="/wiki/Deutscher_Wetterdienst" title="Deutscher Wetterdienst">Deutscher Wetterdienst</a> (sun, 1982–1990 and humidity, 1982–1995)<a href="#cite_note-DWD-17">[15]</a> | |||||||||||||
Fauna and Flora
Despite the country's frigid climate and geographic isolation, Nixland is inhabited by several species of fauna and flora, being the most biodiverse region of the Antarctic. The coastal regions of the mainland and most of the islands are home to Antarctica's only flowering species, the Antarctic hair grass (Deschampsia antarctica) and Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis), as well as various mosses, lichens, and algae. The most common lichens are Usnea and Bryoria species, and crustose lichens such as Xanthoria elegans and Caloplaca can be visibly seen on coastal rocks.
Antarctic krill are found in the seas surrounding Nixland and the rest of the continent as well. The crabeater seal spends most of its life in the same waters feeding on krill. Bald notothen is a cryopelagic fish that lives in sub-zero water temperatures in Nixlandic waters. Vocalizations of the sei whale can be heard emanating from the waters surrounding the Nixlandic coasts.
Penguin species found in Nixland, especially in the islands and northern mainland, include the chinstrap penguin, emperor penguin, gentoo penguin and the Adelie penguin. Petermann Island is the world's southernmost colony of gentoo penguins. The exposed rocks on the island is one of many locations on the peninsula that provides a good habitat for rookeries. The penguins return each year and may reach populations of more than ten thousand. Of these, the most common in Nixland are the chinstrap and gentoo, with the only breeding colony of emperor penguins in West Antarctica an isolated population on the Dion Islands, in Marguerite Bay on the west coast of the peninsula. Most emperor penguins breed in East Antarctica.
Seabirds of the Southern Ocean and West Antarctica found in Nixland include: southern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides), the scavenging southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus), Cape petrel (Daption capense), snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea), the small Wilson's storm-petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), imperial shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps), snowy sheathbill (Chionis alba), the large south polar skua (Catharacta maccormicki), brown skua (Catharacta lönnbergi), kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), and Antarctic tern (Sterna vittata). The imperial shag is a cormorant which is native to many sub-Antarctic islands, the Antarctic Peninsula and southern South America.
Also present is the Antarctic Petrel, Antarctic Shag, King Penguin, Macaroni Penguin, and Arctic Tern.
Government and Politics
Currently, Nixland is governed as a one-party constitutional federation, functioning as a provisional government-in-exile to manage and ease the country's transition both from monarchy to democracy and from micronationhood to nationhood. However, Nixland was formerly, and throughout most of its history as an independent state, governed by a semi-presidential federated constitutional monarchy until the enactment of the fourth constitution. The Federal Diet and Federal Council have been preserved from the previous government, albeit now very weakened to a dominant Lord President. Amanda Bonnet serves as the current Lord President of Nixland beginning with the abolition of the monarchy and formerly ruled as Queen Amanda I prior to said abolition. The current government structure is laid out by the 2020 Provisional Constitution of the Federal Commonwealth of Nixland, ratified upon 2 October of that year and serving as the country's supreme legal document ever since.
However, despite the retention of the Diet from the previous government, the current Federal Diet is of a far different nature as the collective members of the Bonnetist Party of Nixland (which itself was founded and is headed by Lord President Amanda Bonnet) all serve as members of the Diet, in contrast to the previous system in which the members are elected by the Nixlandic citizens. Despite the increased legal power of the Lord President, all enfranchised citizens of Nixland are able to propose a bill which is then reviewed by the Federal Diet and the Lord President for approval as a law.
Furthermore, the Lord President themself serves as both the Head of State and Government, the Commander in Chief of the Nixlandic military, and possesses a limited capacity to declare war and conclude peace. The Lord President possesses the capacity to establish ministries and wields significant influence in all three traditional spheres of government.
The Supreme Federal Court of Nixland is nominally separate from the Federal Diet, but in practice is effectively the same body as the Supreme Federal Court is likewise composed of all members of the Bonnetist Party of Nixland, and as such is also headed by the Lord President. The process of Judicial Review is done under strict scrutiny as heavy value is placed upon preserving the original intentions of each law, and in this same spirit of legal clarity, Nixland is also governed by civil law rather than common law.
Parties
The Bonnetist Party of Nixland serves as the core of the current Nixlandic Government, being central to nearly all major government functions either directly or indirectly. Although other parties are guaranteed a right to exist within Nixland, these parties have no legal power whatsoever and primarily exist simply for private philosophy and discourse. However, factions within the Bonnetist party are free to develop and are even encouraged to do so by party founder Amanda Bonnet herself, mainly for the purpose of political experimentation, innovation, and progress. The Bonnetist ideology was developed by its namesake Amanda Bonnet in the late 2010s, who subsequently founded the Bonnetist Party of Nixland and has served as leader of said party ever since. Bonnetism was developed from a loose fusion of Marxism, Trotskyism, Nordic mixed-economy philosophy, technocracy, and liberalism, albeit also combined with numerous unique ideas of Bonnet's own creation. Generally, Bonnetism can be described as being socialist, libertarian, technocratic, egalitarian, progressive, and nationalist.
Law and Order
Nixlandic law is built upon a system of civil law, placing a strong emphasis on legal clarity and with common law being nearly nonexistent. The Nixlandic Supreme Court is responsible for constitutional matters, with the power of judicial review, although the process of judicial review is heavily proceduralised in order to avoid excessive legal fluidity and abiguity. Curiously, when the interpretation of a law is brought into question, the ultimate authority of interpretation is vested in the original author of the law or their designated interpretor within the Party for the purpose of preserving the original intentions and spirit of each law.
Furthermore, all federal laws and their interpretations must be strictly and procedurally codified on the national level. The Nixlandic penal system places strong emphasis of rehabilitation over punishment of criminals and is strongly opposed to the criminalisation of victimless offenses.
Crime within Nixland is both rare and poorly documented, and only two documented crimes are known to have happened within Nixland (one being arson in 1984 and the second a stabbing in 2018). As highlighted by the Constitution, prisoners are legally protected from cruel and unusual punishment, and the highest punishment that may be legally given by the Penal System is life in prison.
Administrative Divisions
Although nominally a federation, Nixland is currently divided into only one state and a neutral territory, which together comprise the two first-level administrative divisions of the country. However, any member of the Party is eligible to found a colony within the Neutral Territory with the Lord President's permission, and any Colony may be separated from the Neutral Territory and elevated to State status following achievement of a target permanent population, the ratification of a State constitution, and approval by the Federal Government.
Each state is legally required to possess its own constitution which is approved by the Federal Government before admission into the union. However, states are relatively free to adopt any form of government so long as it is centred upon the Bonnetist ideology and obeys the Federal Consitution and Government. Therefore, further political subdivisions are not consistent throughout the nation. This unusual freedom of local form of governments is mainly intended to cultivate political experimentation and the further refinement of Bonnetism within each state.
Although prohibited from production of state currencies, seceding from the union, or individually declare war, states are allowed to maintain their own state militaries, engage in their own foreign relations, and issue State citizenships.
| Flag | Full name | Abbreviative and numerical codes |
Capital | Population | Area | Establishment | Founder | Head of government | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abr. | num. | km2 | mi2 | |||||||
|
Republic of Bransfield | BR | 01 | Swynport | c. 400 | 8,100 | 3,100 | 2016 | Amanda Bonnet | Amanda Bonnet |
| (none) | Neutral Territory | (N/A) | 00 | (N/A) | c. 1000 | 332,000 | 127,000 | 2 October 2020 | Federal Government | (N/A) |
Military
The Nixlandic armed forces, known formally as the Federal Military of Nixland, is a composite unit composed of the union of state militaries as well as the central government military. It currently consists only of armed forces which is almost exclusively reserved for self-defence purposes, and Nixland has never entered any armed conflict with another state since its foundation. Nixland does possess territorial disputes with various micronations but considers all to be too small of an obstacle or threat to warrant armed conflict. Furthermore, the Nixlandic Government currently expresses no interest in involvement in any foreign conflicts.
Although the establishment of a navy, air force, extaterrestrial force, and coast guard are planned, these plans have yet to be executed due to monetary difficulties. Likewise, Amanda Bonnet has declared interest in the development of nuclear weaponry, but acknowledges that this is far from possible currently. As per Article 3 Section 3 of the the Nixlandic Constitution, the Lord President of Nixland serves as the commander-in-chief who therefore appoints its additional leaders. Currently, the Nixlandic Army is only armed with 6 firearms, 4 bow-and-arrows, and 2 BB guns, as well as bulletproof vests and batons.
Article 8 Section 13 of the Constitution bans conscription except in time of war or crisis, and only citizens who have attained at least 15 years of age may enlist. The third Nixlandic constitution required a peacetime military size of at least 2% of the general population, but this reqirement has been eliminated with the ratification of the fourth constitution.
Foreign Relations
Nixland has, throughout most of its history as an independent state, been notable for its isolationism, having never joined any micronational organisations, although it had previously applied for membership of the Micronational Assembly. However, Nixland is stern in its refusal to recognise any foreign claims that threaten her territorial integrity, both macronational and micronational. Furthermore, due to the Bonnet's perception of the micronational community, notably its lack of seriousness, she made the decision on 6 October 2020 to drop all "micronation" labels from Nixland in order to distance it from non-serious micronations.
Recognied Nations
w:United Nations All UN members and observers (with the exception of 
w:Tonga)
w:Taiwan (Republic of China)
w:Abkhazia
w:South Ossetia
w:Transnistria
w:Republic of Artsakh- Christiania
Liberland- Parva Domus
Principality of the Pontinha
Sealand
Kingdom of Hrafnarfjall (excluding Antarctic claims east of 80W)
Demographics
The Federal Government of Nixland has conducted its most recent national census in 2016, which recorded the population of Nixland to be 1,455 with 5 Nixlandic citizens and 1,450 foreign nationals. This is roughly equivalent to the population of Tokelau, smaller than that of Norfolk Island, and larger than that of the Vatican City.
However, this figure is known to radically fluctuate seasonally due to a largely peregrine foreign population. The large majority of the foreign population consists of British, Chilean, and Argentine citizens, although numerous other nationalities are present within Nixland, creating a particularly diverse population.
Nevertheless, the majority of the population is concentrated upon the northernmost fringe of the mainland and the northern islands, with vast tracts of the central and southern regions being entirely uninhabited and untouched by colonisation. Furthermore, Nixland is the most densely populated region within the Antarctic possessing roughly a third of its population but only 1/40th of its land area, mainly due to its relatively mild oceanic climate.
The life expectancy, literacy rate, and urbanisation rate was not calculated in the 2016 census leaving these figures unknown. Despite this, it is known that the overwhelming majority of Nixlanders live within established settlements rather than rural areas, thereby meaning an urbanisation rate of nearly 100%.
Largest Cities
| Largest settlements in Nixland est. 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | State/Territory | Pop. | Rank | Name | State/Territory | Pop. | ||
 Marambio  Villa Las Estrellas |
1 | Marambio | Bransfield | 200 | 11 | Escuerdo | Neutral Territory | 50 |  Carlini-Dahlmann  Ferraz |
| 2 | Villa Las Estrellas | Neutral Territory | 150 | 12 | Juan Carlos | Neutral Territory | 50 | ||
| 3 | Carlini-Dahlmann | Neutral Territory | 100 | 13 | Arctowski | Neutral Territory | 45 | ||
| 4 | Ferraz | Neutral Territory | 100 | 14 | Orcadas | Neutral Territory | 45 | ||
| 5 | Rothera | Neutral Territory | 100 | 15 | O'Higgins | Bransfield | 44 | ||
| 6 | Sejong | Neutral Territory | 90 | 16 | Bellingshausen | Neutral Territory | 40 | ||
| 7 | Deception | Neutral Territory | 65 | 17 | Great Wall | Neutral Territory | 40 | ||
| 8 | Artigas | Neutral Territory | 60 | 18 | Palmer | Neutral Territory | 40 | ||
| 9 | Esperanza | Bransfield | 55 | 19 | Cámara | Neutral Territory | 36 | ||
| 10 | Petrel | Bransfield | 55 | 20 | Gabriel de Castilla | Neutral Territory | 36 | ||
Religion
The Nixlandic Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion and additionally mandates a separation of religion and government. The state religion was formerly Roman Catholic, but the religion lost its status when the third constitution barred the adoption of a state religion in 2016.
Despite this, the Nixlandic population is mostly divided between Christianity and secularism. Furthermore, the first church in Nixland was established in 1976; today Nixland contains 6 churches, 3 Catholic and 3 Eastern Orthodox. Jesuits have a long tradition of geophysical research in Nixland and the rest of Antarctica.
Language
The Nixlandic Constitution establishes English, Esperanto, and Latin as its three official languages, with English being the predominant language of the Nixlandic populace. German and Spanish are additionally recognised as other national languages or "ethnic languages" of Nixland. There are additionally other non-official immigrant languages present within Nixland, primarily Chinese, Russian, Ukranian, Portuguese, Korean, and Czech.
No English dialectal standard is widely practiced thoughout Nixland, but a standardised Nixlandic English spelling and grammatical system has been developed by Amanda Bonnet.
An undetermined but majority proportion of Nixland's population is miltilingual. The learning of at least one non-native language is required within planned Nixlandic schools to be constructed.
Education
Two schools currently operate within Nixland, those being the F-50 "Villa Las Estrellas" School, a 1st–8th grade primary school, and the Esperanza Base school. Library No. 291 has a collection of books and magazines that are available upon request. Universal education is planned to be established in the future.
Health
Although no public healthcare provided by the Nixlandic government exists yet, there are hospitals that operate within Nixland. Most notably, there is a Chilean-operated hospital staffed with one doctor and nurse and equipped with: X-ray, laboratory, surgery, anesthesia machine, sterilizer, and pharmacy services in addition to limited emergency and surgery capabilities. Two hospital beds are available in addition to a dental clinic. Through a partnership with the Chilean Antarctic Institute and the University of Chile, in emergencies, medical images can be outsourced to specialized health centers in South America and Europe for diagnosis.
Universal healthcare is planned to be established within Nixland by the Nixlandic Federal Government, but this is yet to be implemented. Furthermore, there have been measures planned to legally limit the costs of important pharmaceuticals upon the introduction of aforementioned healthcare system.
Economy
In both the present-day and in past years, the economy of Nixland has been heavily dependent upon the scientific research and tourism industries. Due to both the isolation between various settlements and very weak control of the central government, gross domestic and per-capita output cannot yet be reliably calculated.
Mineral resources are largely unknown due to international environmental protections, but Nixland is extremely rich in precious freshwater resources in the form of glacial ice, in addition to great potential for wind and geothermal power, fishing and whaling, and as both an environmental and human refuge from climate change. This potential is apparent with its Economic Potential Index (EPI) calculated at 4.0, even in spite of currently very poor government control.
Nixland currently uses numerous currencies, although the current official currencies are the Nixlandic Mark and United States Dollar. The Nixlandic government plans to phase out the United States Dollar from circulation within Nixland although no timeframe has been set.
The Bonnetist economic model
The Government of Nixland plans to install a Bonnetist economic model within Nixland once significant progress in colonisation and settlement has been completed.
The Bonnetist economic model sets forth an economic system in which a private sector is retained but gradually phased out in favor of an entirely nationalised economy. A national employer and employee registry is planned in which all businesses and citizens will be required to register, and citizens searching for jobs will be matched with employers searching for employees based upon the experience, skills, and preferences of the employee and the requirements, tasks, and preferences of the employer. Furthermore, able-bodied non-retired citizens who remain unemployed beyond 4 months will be automatically assigned a job by the government if they fail to or refuse to find one themself.
The economic model also describes a system of free healthcare, welfare, required and higher education, basic housing, and basic food and water plans, paid parental leave, a universal pension plan, and income supplement, which is in turn funded by a calculated income tax rate which increases logarithmically with wealth:
r=1-(1⁄2(log(i)-4))
in which i represents pre-tax income and r represents tax rate percentage. Furthermore, purchasing power is to be bolstered by the legal enactment of purchasing-power-parity price limits for basic and essential goods and services.
The economic model also plans for a gradual transition into an entirely automated economy providing for all citizens and in which work is optional. This process involves the gradual publicization of factories followed by the establishment of a universal basic income, the disestablishment of the private sector, and the establishment of a demand-oriented command economy.
Government transport plan
Also upon the achievement of major settlement progress along with sufficient economic development, a transportation plan is planned to be enacted and executed by the Nixlandic government. A very large central superhighway-bullet train railroad complex, termed the Great Artery, is planned to be constructed to run from the northeasternmost extreme of the Trinity Peninsula at the end of the mainland through the western mainland coast and ending at the eastern boundary of the Bryan Coast, connected to an Alexander Island offshoot, similarly running latitudinally though the island. The Great Artery is planned to consist of four parallel high-speed railway lines (two northwards-heading and two southwards-heading), two buffer zones for rest-stops and emergency parking (one on each side to the outside of the rails), and 12 traffic lanes (six on each side to the outside of the buffer zones). The Great Artery is intended for miltiple uses, mainly private transport, public transport, and product shipment.
Construction of nationwide government-funded subway, highway, and railway systems on both the mainland and outlying islands is planned in addition. However, these plans are less clearly defined, as these plans are dependent upon the locations of future major settlements.
Infrastructure
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Culture
- Articles to be expanded from August 2022
- Articles with empty sections from August 2022
- Antarctic micronations
- Micronations established in 2014
- Nixland
- Socialist micronations
- English-speaking micronations
- Latin-speaking micronations
- Esperanto-speaking micronations
- German-speaking micronations
- Spanish-speaking micronations
- Multilingual micronations
- Federal micronations
- Federal republics
- Dictatorships
- Technocratic micronations
- Secessionist micronations