New Siberia
New Siberia | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: "Profit Before God" | |
| Anthem: God Save the King | |
 New Siberia within Russia | |
| Capital | St Andrew |
| Official languages | English |
| Ethnic groups (2022) | Devoid of all life |
| Demonym(s) | New Siberian |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
• Governor of New Siberia | Lord David FitzGerald |
| Legislature | His Majesty's Governor |
| Foundation | |
• Discovered by Yakov Sannikov | 1806 |
• New Siberia Company formed to control New Siberia | 1832 |
• Mining ceases | 1873 |
• Independence formally declared | 2022 |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.362 km2 (0.140 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 0 |
• Density | 0/km2 (0.0/sq mi) |
| Currency | Pound sterling (GBP) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (New Siber Stanard Time) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
New Siberia, occasionally New Siber is a Northeast Asian micronation north of Russia. It is allegedly a Commonwealth realm.
History
New Siberia was discovered in 1806 by Russian merchant Yakov Sannikov, though he did not step foot on it until 1810. He recorded a variety of stone and ore deposits on the island, but it remained uninhabited.
In 1821, Samuel FitzGerald, a director of the large American Greyhorn Mining Company, proposed settling the island for drilling purposes. In 1822, the Royal New Siber Company was formed with the GMC as 51% shareholder. It sailed for New Siberia in late 1823 with a fleet of 4 former-GMC ships, one of which was armed to naval standards, and reached the island in early 1824.
New Siberia primarily traded with the Norwegian ports of Hammerfest and Tromsø, as well as some Russian ports. The company made mediocre but consistent profits, and in 1846 the GMC purchased all remaining shares.
The main settlement on the island was St Andrew, named after the patron saint of Samuel FitzGerald's home country of Scotland. Home to approximately 200 workers at any one time, it was little more than a mining colony. Food and resources were generally sourced from nearby Nizhneyansk. The only other settlement on the island was Marten, named after the flagship of the initial fleet, which in 1852 was linked to St Andrew by a small narrow-gauge railway.
By 1870, the current mines were largely dry of useful resources. It was determined that the investment required to establish new mines would not be worth the return, and so the GMC pulled all operations from the island. The last mining ceased in 1873.
The lack of permanent population and essentially corporate control of the island resulted in it being disregarded by the United Kingdom despite it formally being one of its possessions. With the dissolution of the RNSC in 1874, it became a Crown Colony by default.
New Siberia declared formal independence in 2022.
Geography
New Siberia is a desolate island in the New Siberian Islands, sitting between the Laptev and East Siberian seas. At 6,200 square kilometres, it is the 102nd largest island in the world. It is low lying, rising to only 76 m (249 ft) at its highest point.
The island has never had a permanent population, with its two settlements only ever populated by workers.
Politics
Governor
New Siberia is formally controlled by a Governor, who traditionally held the role ex officio as a regional director of the Greyhorn Corporation. In reality, it is primarily controlled by the appointed Vice-Governor and Deputy Governors.
It has no form of legislature.
Civil Service
The New Siberian civil service is split into 3 departments, each headed by a Deputy Governor:
- The Internal Department
- The Foreign Department
- The Security Department
Military
New Siberia has not had any navy since the Marten, the armed escort ship of the initial New Siber Company fleet to the island.
A small maritime infantry force, the Royal New Siber Marines, provided security for the settlements and their trading ships. This continues to exist as a ceremonial force.
National symbols
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National Flag
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The current flag is a White Ensign defaced with the eagle of New Siberia, the same flag used by the Royal New Siber Company. Whilst previously red and blue ensigns were used as well, a white ensign was chosen to reflect the island's polar location (much like the British Antarctic Territory.
Similarly, the arms are the eagle on a field of green and white, traditional colours of Siberia. The black eagle was selected as the main symbol for New Siberia as it was the only well-known symbol of Siberia and Yakutia in particular - it is shown with a crown to reflect royalty.
Foreign relations
New Siberia primarily follows British foreign policy. It does recognise some other micronations.