Sovereign State of Ridgeland

Sovereign State of Ridgeland
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Onder þe banne on gende" "Under the banner of grace"
Anthem: "Appalachian Spring"
Map of Ridgeland
Status	Active
Capital	Piedmonton
Largest canton	Cavnaria
Official languages	Ridgelantic
Languages with special status	English
Ethnic groups (2020)	~80% White ~10% Black ~5% Asian ~5% Mixed races
Religion (2023)	~60% Christianity ~40% Unaffiliated or other
Demonym(s)	Ridgelantic
Government	Confederated directorial republic
• President	Forest C. F.
• Vice President	Audrey Howell
• Federal Council	Carson Cavnar Chris Ferrell Grant Martin
• Federal Chancellor	Lilly Holland
Legislature	National Assembly
Independence  from the United States
• Independence	13 November 2022
• Constitution ratified	16 November 2022
Population
• 2023 estimate	20,000
Currency	United States dollar (de facto)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	None
	Ridgeland does not participate in DST.
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+1
Internet TLD	.rl (proposed)
Website sites.google.com/view/ridgelantrl

The Sovereign State of Ridgeland (Ridgelantic: Souveronstat Ridgelant), colloquially Ridgeland (Ridgelantic: Ridgelant) is an unrecognized sovereign state and a micronation in the piedmont of the Appalachian mountains, specifically an enclave of North Carolina in the United States, however located nearby to the United States of Highland. It is one of the most populous micronations in North America, with a population of approximately 20,000. It comprises three cantons, the largest and most populous one being Cavnaria. The capital of Ridgeland is the neighborhood and canton of Piedmonton.

Indigenous peoples have inhabited the general localization of Ridgeland for thousands of years. This included native tribes such as the Catawba and Carolinian Siouan peoples. In 1607, the first British settlers arrived to North America, beginning a long period of rule by foreign powers over the territory. On 13 November 2023, the Sovereign State of Ridgeland formally declared independence from the United States, beginning a brief period of government organization. A snap election decided the leader of Ridgeland, President Forest C. F., who eventually wrote the constitution and incarnated the first structure of government. During the beginnings of Ridgeland, however, the country faced multiple wars against previously-existing micronational powers, various disputes with larger pacts, small civil conflicts, and an unprofessional government. After stability was restored to the nation with a peace treaty with Gorthia, the government began to restabilize and establish a small sphere of influence, before suddenly being exiled from the capital of Piedmonton due to structural damage to the executive residence in May 2023. During the government-in-exile, the Sovereign State joined and created multiple alliances and engaged in a massive intermicronational war after disputes between Sunia and the United Socialist Republics. The government, finally returning from exile after various repairs to the executive residence, began a period of government organization, and established the short-lived Intermicronational Concordat, which eventually dissolved after a series of diplomatic episodes between Gorthia and Ridgeland. After a prolonged political crisis, the Ridgelantic political scene gained a distinct opposition, along with the establishment of multiple political factions in Ridgeland.

Ridgeland is a confederated directorial republic, led by the Federal Council. It has a good human rights record, along with good relationships with multiple other micronations. It is a founding member of the E.S.S., along with Paxaris and formerly Sunia. Its current President is Forest C. F., and the Federal Chancellor is Lilly Holland. It has a large amount of professionalism, but it lacks in some areas. It scores a 3.4 on the Dresner's System of Classification Index, and a 7.25 (Successionist micronation) on the Revised Patel scale.

Etymology

The name 'Ridgeland' is derived from the Blue Ridge mountains located closest to the nation. Previously, the name "The Ridgelands" was proposed, but was shortened to the current name. The word "Ridge" comes from Old English "hrycg", along with Dutch "rug" and German "Rücken".

History

Before independence

Indigenous peoples have inhabited the general localization of Ridgeland for thousands of years. This included native tribes such as the Catawba and Carolinian Siouan peoples. In 1607, the first British settlers arrived permanently to North America at the Jamestown Colony. diseases, genocide, and famine spread through the native cultures, killing a majority of them in a couple of decades. The British, establishing their dominance on that part of continent after the Anglo-Dutch wars, eventually carved up thirteen colonies on the Eastern coast. The thirteen colonies eventually declared independence from British rule during the American Revolution in the late 1700s, mainly caused by disgruntlement towards taxation policies, establishing the United States of America. The area has been ruled by the United States for the majority of modern-day history, once being ruled over by the Confederate States of the 1860s during the American Civil War. After the Confederate States collapsed, the area underwent reconstruction and an economic boom in the textile industry. The industry eventually faltered, however, and the area became no more than a group of small, quaint towns.

Independence

Forest C. F. was born in March 2010 to Chris F. and Tifini F. He was born as a triplet, and at age 2 he was formally diagnosed with Autism. Across his life he aspired to create his own nation. He had a variety of attempts to achieve such, one of the most notable being an online roleplay nation known as Noobstonia, which he eventually quit after harsh bullying and libelous rumors. During the era of Noobstonia, he also attempted to found an actual micronation, a “Republic of Piedmontia”, of which eventually went inactive one day after its founding. During his middle school days, multiple classmates called him “King Forest” after a practical joke in the school cafeteria in which he declared himself king of the middle school. He then promptly asked to be called “President Forest” instead.

On 13 November, 2022, Forest C. F. finally formally quit his roleplay nation after a long period of inactivity, declaring that he would make “a real-life micronation.” Forest C. F. designed a flag and wrote a Declaration of Independence after multiple drafts, of which he eventually read in the proclaimed national park in his backyard. After realizing there was no formal leader of the country, He held a brief snap election where he was elected as President of Ridgeland. He eventually absorbed his 7th grade middle school hall and finished the Constitution of Ridgeland. The Constitution had various signatures from his classmates, peers, and family, all of whom eventually were declared 'founding fathers' and granted government positions.

The Instability

The Instability refers to an era in Ridgelantic history in which wars and fighting were common, along with an unprofessional and newly-formed government.

Ridgeland first went to war against communist rebels in Westphalia, in which peace was eventually made and the communist rebels fell into obscurity. The war began as cyber attacks disrupted communications on a communist social media account, and with the manufacturing of the country's first propaganda. The war ended a couple days later, as no fighting was possible for either side at the time.

A nation known as New Prussia threatened war against Ridgeland if they did not join their political confederation around the first days of January in 2023. At first, Ridgeland offered an international vote for whether or not to join the country, before it was overridden by the presidency, which has caused the current administration to enter some controversy. The reason for the overriding of the vote was 'due to the fact Ridgelantic citizens will not be able to vote', along with the fact that most of the voters were completely unrelated to Ridgelantic affairs.

The vote was instead given to only the Ridgelantic citizens and allied states. After the vote ended with a resounding no, Ridgeland offered peace with New Prussia before the war would begin. New Prussia accepted the peace offer, and normalcy returned to the country. For a brief period, war was threatened against Ridgeland after the Gorthian Federation was at war with two allied states, Cristoria and Hoku. This war resulted in no real fighting, and a peace treaty was quickly made.

Cooling tensions and expansion

On the 5th of February, The President of Ridgeland had held an impromptu vote between a Federal Council member and an Army General on expanding the borders of Ridgeland. After the vote passed, Ridgeland expanded to its modern day borders. Ridgeland instituted a constructed national language, Ridgelantic, the day after. On 4 March, 2023, a war against the remnants of the Manspolian government began. It was a resounding victory for Ridgeland and their allies, but the countries' leaders reportedly did not know that the country officially collapsed months earlier, leading to confusion between the two sides.

Government-in-exile

Around May 2023, the Ridgelantic government left Piedmonton to a hotel near the border of Ridgeland after the house the government resided in was considered unsafe after a leakage problem and asbestos found in the house. On 16 June, Ridgeland officially joined the GARKA Legion as a founding member.

The Grand Finale

The Grand Finale, also known as Operation Armeveerband Freies Micronations or Operation Blue, is a war between the Entente of Sovereign States, the Gorthian Pact, and multiple other states against the United Socialist Republics. It began on 6 June 2023, and ended 9 days later as a tactical victory for Ridgeland, along with Armeveerband Freies Micronations, giving Sunia de-facto independence from the United Socialist Republics.

Return from exile

After the government-in-exile era ended on 13 August 2023, as normal government functions of the Government of Ridgeland resumed. Multiple allied states to Ridgeland, such as Sunia, ended up in a state of inactivity, and a cultural boom began in Ridgeland as creative arts became popular among Ridgelantic citizens. The Sovereign State recently was engaged in a brief conflict against Lemakon in the United Kingdom during mid-to-late September, the Department of Defense was established under the governance of Drew Tucker which resulted in a victory for Ridgeland and their allied states. On 17 September, 2023, an alliance with Bonesdale begun as the two nations formally established diplomacy with each other, and the creation of an online embassy on the Ridgelantic Discord server, Official Server of Ridgeland@Discord. Ridgelantic diplomatic efforts continued into October as the Sovereign State of Ridgeland, Bonesdale, Woodland, and Paxaris officially established the Intermicronational Concordat after a 2-day online conference between nations.

A screenshot of the email between Joe Biden and Forest C. F.

On 4 October, 2023, President Forest C. F. received an e-mail from Joe Biden after sending a short diplomatic message via the White House website. The e-mail contained a brief opinion piece of Biden’s opinion on Ridgeland, complementing the “passion” behind Ridgeland, but hoping to solve any differences in the near future, and stating that he would continue to be a president for “all Americans”.

Conversation affair

Main article: Conversation affair

On 16 October 2023, Dynasty Dylan Czuk of Gorthia sent a video including a transphobic quote by British Prime minister Rishi Sunak in the Intermicronational Concordat discord server (Intermicronational Concordat@Discord), resulting in an argument between multiple member states and the eventual ejection of Gorthia from the alliance. Organizing the Treaty of Schiedam, Dynast Dylan Czuk, along with the leaders of allied states to Gorthia, confronted President Forest C. F. on the production of propaganda and satirical media concerning the event, along with his ejection from the alliance, defending himself by claiming he supported transgenderism. The conference resulted in little progress in absolving the affair, with a mostly chaotic outcome; Gorthia rejoined the alliance, multiple member states left in protest, and the leader of Clydia threatened to dox President Forest. Forest C. F. and Lorraine I of Bonesdale eventually chose to dissolve the alliance.

2023 Ridgelantic political crisis

Rebellion in Kramerkolonie

Main article: Kramerkolonie Putsch

Flag of the Ridgelantic Rebellion

After being fired from the Department of Defense due to heated debates and arguments with Forest C. F., Ridgelantic politician Drew Tucker attempted to organize a rebellion in Ridgeland with the goal of restoring his power, claiming the removal from the government was illegal. Tucker had edited the MicroWiki draft article for the Sovereign State of Ridgeland, including a self-designed flag of the 'Ridgelantic Rebellion', as he had named it.

On 25 October 2023, Ridgelantic intelligence eventually leaked a reported 'coup d'etat' plan, resulting in a confrontation between Forest C. F. and Tucker, with Tucker providing a self-written bill that would have reinstated his power as minister. Forest C. F. had destroyed the bill using a pencil Tucker had provided him, and once again engaged in heated argument before Tucker eventually backed down and tore the remnants of the bill into pieces, and peacefully reconciled. Drew Tucker would eventually reform the Conservative Party into the Democratic Opposition after a now-disputed agreement with Gage Coley, who led the party at the time.

Gage Coley disputes the formation of the Democratic Opposition.

Electoral tensions and Party Outage affair

After the Kramerkolonie Putsch failed, President Forest C. F. inquired Gage Coley about the newly formed Democratic Opposition, to his response, claiming that he had never agreed to join the party, despite Drew Tucker claiming that he had agreed with him hours after the Kramerkolonie Putsch. On 30 October 2023, Forest C. F. had told Gage Coley to attempt to revert the reformation to the Democratic Opposition, resulting in a confrontation between Coley and Tucker. Tucker repeatedly refused reverting the reformation, claiming the interference of President Forest C. F. The incident eventually led to further dispute between the Ridgelantic administration and the Democratic Opposition, and a split in the party between the anti-Democratic Opposition conservatives and the party leadership.

After the incident, the first formal Ridgelantic electoral campaigns were established, and Krish Patel resigned from Ridgelantic politics, dissolving the Communist Party of Ridgeland and giving his Cantonal Premier, Grant Martin, the office of Governor.

On 2 November 2023, Candidate Drew Tucker attempted to infiltrate the Sovereignty Party via Ridgelantic Election Campaigns@Discord, sending a currently unknown spy by the pseudonym Cristius Vail (lit. Christ Vail) to pretend to be an aspiring member of the Sovereignty Party. Immediately, an argument ensued with multiple members of the server accusing Cristius Vail of being Drew on an alternate account, before Vail spontaneously 'switched ideologies' and claimed support for the Democratic Opposition. After his identity as a spy was revealed, he left the server completely, along with Tucker minutes later.

2023 Ridgelantic federal election

Main article: 2023 Ridgelantic federal election

On 8 November, 2023, hours after Gabriel Newcombe of the Libertarian Nerds resigned from Ridgelantic politics, a general snap election, that had previously been discussed among the Federal Council and Ferrell cabinet, was called on by Forest C. F. After 23 total votes, the Sovereignty Party ticket of Forest C. F. as President and Audrey Howell as Vice President beat the Democratic Opposition ticket of Drew Tucker as President, and the Conservative Party ticket of Gage Coley as President. Although Tucker claims polls were closed too early and that the turnout was minimal. Eventually they agreed that they would annex Tucker's home street as the Autonomy of Tukundy (Ridgelantic: Tukund) on November 13, 2023 and Tucker would become governor.

Interlude

Mad Carroter

On 16 November 2023, the Ridgelantic Constitution Day, The Mad Carroter encountered Forest C. F. and Drew Tucker having a conversation while walking on an outdoor track in Kramerkolonie, Ridgeland. The Carroter threw two Baby-cut carrots at Forest C. F. from behind, one of which missed and the other of which bounced off his jacket. Immediately, The Carroter was questioned Forest C. F., before the carroter eventually threw another carrot at Drew Tucker, resulting in him being chased and apprehended, with the help of nearby physical education teachers. He was eventually tried in absentia and found guilty of terrorism. On 21 November 2023, the Ridgelantic government removed the Mad Carroter's legal full name from Ridgelantic media due to legal concerns among American-installed Kramerkolonie authorities.

The Emergency

Main article: The Emergency

Woodish raiding of an Almendrian Cyberlegion

On 24 November 2023, the Ridgelantic government declared war against the United Socialist Republics of Almendria after countless attacks against Ridgelantic allies. The Paxari government quickly followed suit, and the Micronational Coalition was founded. Ridgelantic cyberwarfare operations lead by President Forest C. F. attacked multiple Almendrian-sponsored media sources, along with government communications. Tukuntic Governor Drew Tucker organized the Treaty of Nortonburg to enhance the motive of the Coalition, which was eventually scrapped in favor of the Treaty of Piedmonton.

The original proposal for the Treaty of Piedmonton, 4 December 2023

On 3 December 2023, a brief alliance that had formed between the United Nations Envoy Micronations and the Micronational Coalition completely dissolved after multiple leading members began infighting. The Anarchist Resistance, headed by the Cristorian Commune, formed out of the former alliance. Tensions between the Micronational Coalition and The Anarchist Resistance were quickly resolved, with the Resistance waging war against the UNEM. The Coalition itself remained neutral in the conflict, ratifying the Treaty of Piedmonton and ending the war.

Macronational progress

On 25 January 2024 a new passport stamp that had been commisioned days prior by Tukuntic Governor Drew Tucker arrived and is planned to be utilized so Ridgeland can control its naval border at the Catawba River. Ridgeland is also going through an economic revitalization process aimed to develop the private sector, as well as managing government economics^{[citation needed]}. On 20 February 2024, Gage Coley resigned from his position as leader of the Conservative Party, resulting in Chris Ferrell receiving the leadership, as well as The Best of Men party leader Rami Hamad becoming the first Muslim government official in Ridgeland.

After the near-complete Collapse of the United Socialist Republics, the Ridgelantic government announced its support for the seceding former republics of Almendria, however is currently abstaining from any form of military intervention minus the possibility of a Ridgelantic collaborationist government being established.

A Ridgelantic voting in the 2024 Piedmontic legislative election.

On 15 March, A Sovereignty-Conservative Coalition was established for the upcoming snap elections in the Ridgelantic National Assembly after an agreement between Chris Ferrell and Forest C. F while Drew Tucker formed a coalition with Rami Hamad's Best of Men. Ten days later, the 2024 Ridgelantic legislative snap elections were declared for all three seats in the canton of Piedmonton. On 26 March, the newly established Sovereignty-Conservative Coalition gained all three Piedmontic seats in the National Assembly in a landslide election, while Tucker is seeking to host the Kramerkolonie elections.

On 2 April, 2024, Tucker announced his plan for an election fraud charge against the Ridgelantic government under accusations that elections for the third Piedmontic seat of the National Assembly had been altered due to discrepancies between previous electoral predictions and outcome. The Ridgelantic government outright rejected these claims, presenting multiple pieces of evidence against the election fraud claims, along with news sources such as the Piedmonton Times releasing government explanations behind the ongoing incident. President Forest C. F. also personally made multiple statements refuting the charges. On 15 April, Tukundy announced highest level of readiness out of fear of an intervention be the Federal Government.

Throughout 17 to 19 April, 2024, the unnamed coalition between the Democratic Opposition, the Best of Men, and Local Motive dissolved after Rami Hamad and Max Livert rejected their membership in the coalition, claiming that neither had authorized their party's membership in the coalition, despite Drew Tucker's claims. Tucker, in response, revoked Max's title as Mayor of Nortonburg. On 19 April, Max stated his plans to join the Sovereignty-Conservative Coalition in exchange for a Local Motive seat in the National Assembly.

An election booth placed inside of a school in Kramerkolonie during the 2024 Kramerkoloner legislative election.

On 8 May, 2024, Ridgelantic National Assembly elections in Kramerkolonie began, resulting in a turnout of 12 voters. President Forest C. F. would declare the official outcome hours later, resulting in a one seat gain for the Sovereignty Party and Democratic Opposition respectively. During the election, the Best of Men would receive three and two votes respectively for both seats. The Democratic Opposition has since congratulated Evan Blanton for his victory.

Six hours after Kramerkoloner elections, a severe thunderstorm and resulting EF1 tornado would hit the Ridgelantic mainland, damaging Ridgelantic infrastructure. Most of the Ridgelantic government, which were stationed in Kramerkolonie to monitor the elections, were forced into an unsafe shelter-in-place by American occupational authorities. The Ridgelantic government has since issued a condemnation of American occupational authorities and their management of the disaster. In the aftermath of the event, Drew Tucker planned to declare himself 'Interim President' in case of the death of Forest C. F. after being unable to contact the federal government due to multiple power and internet outages in the aftermath of the tornado.

On 13 May, a political crisis erupted when Benjamin Campbell, a prominent member of the Best of Men/Boys, was appointed to the Federal Court. Max Livert, leader of Local Motive, sued Tucker on federal level. Tucker would attempt to influence Forest C. F to pack the Federal Court, choosing Tate Ramkissoon for a possible member of the Court, Tucker's 2023 running mate and Kramerkolonie Putsch conspirator. Ferrell officially appointed Ramkissoon on 15 May, along with Justin Becerra, a nonpartisan official. The same day, snap elections for the final Kramerkoloner seat in the National Assembly resulted in a landslide victory for Ryker Hobbs, resulting in a gain of one seat for the Best of Men/Boys, giving the party access to the National Assembly.

Ridgelantic Civil War

Main article: Ridgelantic Civil War

On 16 May, 2024, Drew Tucker claimed civil war was imminent in the Sovereign State of Ridgeland after recieving threats from multiple political leaders in Ridgeland. The Ridgelantic government subsequently condemned Tucker’s statements as “threatening peace” in Ridgeland, and that threats received by Tucker were not serious. President Forest C. F. would later an ultimatium to Drew Tucker to stand down and issue a public apology. Tucker and his government would agree to the terms, but after making increasingly harsh demands, along with controversy surrounding Tucker, government negotiations would be withdrawn. War officially began on 17 May after the ultimatum expired.

At around 12:30 RST, fighting broke out between Tucker and the 2nd Kramerkolonie Light Infantry Division outside of a school in Kramerkolonie, along with Forest C. F. personally, who led the Ridgelantic military as the commander in chief. Fighting ended around 1:00 RST after Tucker surrendered in exchange for remaining in government.

Recent history and dormancy

On 12 June in Vietnamese Time, Drew Tucker and his father were denied entry into Vietnam at a Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, and claimed that the Vietnamese authorities planned to deport him to Bangkok in Thailand. Tucker stated that, due to work related reasons, his father and an associate planned to visit Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and India over the summer.

Over the summer of 2024, Ridgeland remained relatively dormant due to low activity among its political leadership, along with gradual distancing over time—with most of the Ridgelantic government being scattered in between different public schools. Forest C. F. announced his plans to reverse Ridgelantic dormancy on 11 August, 2024.

On 23 August, 2024, President Forest C. F. entered diplomacy with the United States of Highland, a nearby micronation based in his High School led by a micronational leader known by the alias of "Klaus". A day later, the Ridgelantic government made contact with the intermicronational community for the first time since June, whilst Forest C. F. discussed a contingency plan to "take this thing out of dormancy". On 27 August Ridgeland opened diplomatic ties with the Proletarian Republic of Gorthia, a revived moderately-left leaning Gorthian state. One day later, Forest C. F. would announce the planned redesign of the Ridgelantic coat of arms, with the design being finished on the 30th.

To the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau;

Greetings from the Sovereign State of Ridgeland! My name is Forest C. F., the President of Ridgeland—of which is an unrecognized sovereign state (more commonly known as a micronation) located in what is internationally recognized as North Carolina. As President, I would like to extend an olive branch to Canada, and to open diplomacy with your wonderful country. Our nation is focused on the following goals:

1. Improving relationships with the western hemisphere and peacefully cooperating with our neighbors
2. Being seen as an equal on the international stage

Your cooperation is an important step in these goals! We wish you a good day and hope to get a reply.

Highest Regards, THE SOVEREIGN AND HONORABLE FOREST C. FERRELL SOVEREIGN STATE OF RIDGELAND

Forest C. F., 15 September 2022

On 4 September 2024, the Ferrell residence received a new, currently unnamed pet kitten, who was featured in posts on the Ridgelantic official TikTok account. Over September, a series of suicides would rock the Sovereign State, especially in Tukundy. On 15 September, President Forest C. F. sent a diplomatic message to Canadian Prime minister Justin Trudeau in an effort to establish diplomatic ties.

Politics and government

The Government of Ridgeland is a Confederated directorial republic with elements of direct democracy. Most positions are elected by ranked choice voting, while others are appointed by other members of government. The government's structure was established in the Constitution of Ridgeland. The government was partially based on the governments of Switzerland and France.

Early government

Before the establishment of an official constitution, the Federal Council had complete power over the government, as no other government branches were functioning. The early government displayed forms of anocracy through quick and disorganized voting, along with little to no government representatives for multiple positions, but eventually absolved to write a constitution, formally limiting their powers and organizing a functioning structure of government.

Federal Council

The Federal Council is the collective head of state of Ridgeland. It consists of a President, a Vice President, and three Governors from different cantons. The Presidency passes federal laws, while the Governors pass cantonal laws respectively. The position was established in the Constitution of Ridgeland, however, it dates back before that. Each Governor is elected by a direct vote in their canton.

President

The President of the Sovereign State of Ridgeland (POTSSOR) is the head of the Federal Council. They are in charge of consulting the Federal Council on Federal laws and are elected by a federal ranked-choice vote. However, the first election in Ridgeland was simply a write-in ballot due to a dysfunctional early government.

Federal Chancellor

The Federal Chancellor is the head of government of Ridgeland. They preside over multiple branches of government, acting as an 'overseer' of government functions. They also have the final say in the actions of the Federal Council. This office was established in the Constitution of Ridgeland. However, there is some debate on its powers. The Federal Chancellor is chosen by the Federal Council. The current Federal Chancellor, Lilly Holland, is one of the most-active participants in Ridgelantic government, often engaging in Federal Council discussions and enabling the passing of laws. She is a major advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in Ridgeland.

National Assembly

  Sovereignty Party: 4 seats

  BoM/B: 1 seat

  Democratic Opposition: 1 seat

  Vacancies: 3 seats

The National Assembly is the unicameral legislature of Ridgeland. It has six members, the majority being Sovereignty Party, along with 3 vacancies. It is formally established in the Constitution of Ridgeland and is de jure the legislative body, however, the members of the Federal Council themselves have written most bills passed to the Federal Council. The National Assembly began as a relatively dysfunctional body due to lack of members until multiple government reforms that eventually lead up to the 2024 Ridgelantic legislative election for three seats in Piedmonton.

Political parties

Represented federally

Logo		Name		Party Leader	Spectrum	Ideologies	National Assembly	Federal Council	Cabinet
Government
		Sovereignty Party	SOV	Forest C. F.	Center-left to left	Big tent, Social democracy, Democratic socialism	4 / 9	3 / 5	5 / 6
		Conservative Party	GOP	Chris Ferrell	Center-right	Conservativism Conservative liberalism	0 / 9	1 / 5	0 / 6
Opposition
		Democratic Opposition	DO	Drew Tucker	Far-right	Authoritarianism, Russophilia, Serbophilia, Russian conservativism	1 / 9	0 / 5	0 / 6
Other parties
		The Best of Men/Boys	BoM/B	Rami Hamad	Center-right	Fiscal conservativism	1 / 9	0 / 5	1 / 6
	Independent		IND	N/A			0 / 9	1 / 5	0 / 6

Not federally represented

Logo		Name		Party Leader	Spectrum	Ideologies	National Assembly	Autonomies	Municipal and Regional Assemblies
		Local Motive	LoM	Max Livert	Centre	Public transport Agrarianism	0 / 9	0 / 1	0 / 20
		The Johnson Party	BDJ	Chase Kelly	N/A	Political satire	0 / 9	0 / 1	0 / 20

Law and order

A supreme court was outlined in the Constitution of Ridgeland, with 2 justices. Multiple "citizen's arrests" are made in Ridgeland, especially in Kramerkolonie, as no police offices have been established by the government. All police officers were instituted by the United States, with only one, Officer Peña, confirming his allegiance to Ridgeland.

Military

The Ridgelantic Armed Forces is the military of Ridgeland. It has multiple troops, including President Forest C. F. After the Kramerkolonie Putsch, Dominique R. has served as the defense minister of the Sovereign State of Ridgeland. It has no smaller branches, as the government has not established a navy, air, or space force. The Ridgelantic Armed Forces primarily specialize in cyber warfare as its primary strategy in combat, with also having established military trade with countries by exchanging text chains for spamming on different social media sites.

Cabinet

The Cabinet of Ridgeland has three official departments, with each minister serving the President and the Federal Council as advisors. None of these cabinets have official, organized funding, and mainly enact power through their advisory role to the Federal Council. A majority of cabinet positions were established before the Constitution was finished.

Ministry of Trade

The Ministry of Trade manages trade between countries in the Sovereign State of Ridgeland. It oversees the transport of food, a major import to the country. It is led by the President's mother, Tifini L. F, who also serves as an advisor to President Forest C. F.

Ministry of Recreation

The Ministry of Recreation manages sports and parks in the Sovereign State of Ridgeland. It also organizes public events and celebrations. It was led by Gage Coley, the former leader of the Conservative Party who resigned due to the fact that he did not have time to participate in Ridgelantic politics, leaving the position to Rami Hamad. The department was created directly by the President of Ridgeland, Forest C. F., instead of being written into the constitution like multiple other positions.

Ministry of Treasury

The Ministry of Treasury manages monetary funds in the Sovereign State of Ridgeland. It is led by Tara Ferrell, who was granted citizenship to Ridgeland despite not living within their claimed borders.

Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense is one of the newest branches of the Ridgelantic Cabinet, formed in response to the Oakland-Lemakon War on 12 September 2023. Formerly led by Drew Tucker, who was fired on 19 October 2023 after multiple arguments and debates with the President, it is currently led by Dominique R. It is not undergoing any military operations as of this moment. Before the establishment of the Department of Defense, the main manager of Defensive aspects of Ridgeland was Laurel S. F, who participated in various conflicts during the Instability.

Ministry of Citizenship

The Ministry of Citizenship is the newest Ridgelantic ministry, established on 13 December 2023. The ministry is led by Landon Vongkhamchanh, an aspiring politician from Kramerkolonie. The Ministry was established during the Sovereignty Party's government decentralization program. The concept of a Ministry of Citizenship, however, was first created by Drew Tucker.

Civil rights

Minority rights are directly protected under the Constitution of the Sovereign State of Ridgeland, including rights for all ethnicities, identities, genders, and sexualities, with a notable LGBTQ+ population in Ridgeland that directly influenced these laws. Voting rights are available for all citizens, and any citizen is allowed to run for office as stated directly in the Constitution.

Citizenship

Ridgelantic citizenship is a complicated topic, with no strict legal definition defining Ridgelantic citizenship. What is generally accepted as a legal citizen in Ridgeland is someone who was born and lives, lived, or works in Ridgelantic territory. However, there are multiple exceptions to this rule. If a Ridgelantic citizen that does not reside in Ridgelantic territory runs for office, their home state is usually defined as Piedmonton. On December 13, 2023 the Ministry of Citizenship was established, which is currently managed by Landon Vongkhamchamh.

Foreign relations

Ridgeland holds an open foreign policy and interacts with multiple different nations at will. It is one of the only micronations to have an established diplomatic system, hosting online embassies and maintaining multiple alliances. They are a founding member of the Entente of Sovereign States, along with the Second Kingdom of Paxaris. Ridgeland formerly led the Intermicronational Concordat before its dissolution after the Conversation affair. Ridgeland contracted Oakland as the Oakland Protectorate until 1 December 2023, maintaining control over its armed forces and sharing joint executive control over it with the Entente of Sovereign States. On 11 March, 2024, Drew Tucker declared North and South Catawba Republics, seccesionist states from the United States established due to water border concerns about Ridgeland. The Ridgelantic government is yet to release an official statement on either republics.

Unilateral recognition

• Sealand

Mutual recognition

• Breikland
• Democratic Republic of Hoku
• Molossia
• Narconistan
• Paxaris

Unclear

• United States
• North Catawba Republic
• South Catawba Republic

Administrative regions

Ridgeland is comprised of three cantons and an autonomy. A canton acts as a constituency for Ridgeland, in which the leaders of the canton attend the Federal Council.

Flag	Arms	Name	Abbreviation	Area	Population	Officials
Canton
		Cavnaria	KA	46.4 km2	~15,000	Governor Carson Cavnar No Vice Governor Cantonal Premier Key-Lime
		Piedmonton	PM	3.8 km2	Unknown	Governor Chris Ferrell No Vice Governor No Cantonal Premier
		Kramerkolonie	KR	Unknown	~5,000	Governor Grant Martin Vice Governor Liam Martin Cantonal Premier Trip Stacey
Autonomy
		Tukundy	AT	Unknown	~23,000 (Claimed territory) ~50 (Federally recognized territory)	Governor Drew Tucker Vice Governor Blake Welda

Geography and climate

Range of temperatures for a nearby city. (2021)

Ridgeland is located in the Piedmont by the Appalachian mountains, giving it a hilly geography. It has cool winters and hot summers and is Humid subtropical (Cfa) on the Köppen climate classification. It rains about 40 inches annually; the average rainiest month is March.

In winter, Ridgeland is somewhat protected by the Appalachian Mountains to the west. Cold fronts from the northwest, such as Canada, are typically weakened by the mountains. However, occasionally cold air can move from the north or northeast of the Appalachian Mountains, from Arctic high-pressure systems that settle over the New England region of the United States. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the general locality of Ridgeland was -5° F (-21° C) in January 1985.

Economy

The Sovereign State of Ridgeland was a major producer of textiles in the early 20th century. As of now, its main imports include food and groceries bought at stores outside of the border. It does not hold exports to foreign macronations, but exports 'text chains' via Discord for micronational cyberwarfare operations, which can include spamming and 'nuking'. Ridgeland also has a small, but fruitful agricultural industry. The Sovereign State has a mixed economy and a minimum wage set in gold to count for inflation, equivalent to approximately $25.00 USD.

The main currency in Ridgeland is the United States Dollar, although multiple proposals have been developed to create a supposed "Ridgesmark" as the main currency of Ridgeland, with multiple designs being created by Forest C. F., the first rudimentary versions being small, variously colored notes, typically displaying writing such as "1 RIDGEMARK (sic)". According to the 2023 Ridgelantic federal budget, the Ridgelantic government maintains about 70.00 USD in funding along with diplomatic aid towards the Red Cross.

Culture

The Appalachian labor movement of the 1930s is a cultural symbol of Ridgeland.

Ridgeland's culture is a mixture of Southern culture with elements of labor culture, similar to that of the 1930's trade union movement. It is a predominantly Christian country, where other religions and cultures are protected under the law. It holds many cultural differences from its parent nation.

Food

Ridgelantic cuisine often varies between regions of Ridgeland, however it often includes savory dishes with multiple natural spices or local vegetation, including Stuffed Peppers, Tara Pasta, and Deviled eggs. In Tukundy, a traditional dessert is The Caveman (Þe Cavmann), a simple adaptation of baked apples.

Language

Ridgeland's national and official language is Ridgelantic, a constructed language invented by President Forest C. F. The language is a creole language, being a mix between German, Dutch, and slight hints of Western Frisian, mainly with the priority of being easily understood by English speakers, and to create a distinct national culture. Ridgelantic is written in Latin script, with the addition of two letters unique to Ridgelantic, Þ (thet) and ʧ (chet). The letter C is also absent from Ridgelantic script.

The following short extract gives an idea of the character of Ridgelantic.

• Ridgelantic: Þe Souveronstat Ridgelant, aljemin bekend es Ridgelant, ist en inpart werkend stat in Nort Amerika þiby þe Appalaʧik perʧen.
• English translation: The Sovereign State of Ridgeland, commonly known as Ridgeland, is a partially unrecognized state in North America near the Appalachian mountains.

Standard grammatical rules include present tense verbs ending in -on, past tense verbs ending in -end, adjectives ending in -ik and for root words in an adjective that end with -at or -al ending with -aatik or -aalik respectively to conform to Ridgelantic adjective structure. In the past, however, Ridgelantic grammatical rules were typically much more loose.

Examples

English	Ridgelantic	Origin
Yes	Ya	Ja (German), Yes (English)
No	Nei	Nein (German)
Hello	Hallo	Hallo (Dutch)
A (article)	En	Een (Dutch), Ein (German)
As	Es	As (English)
And	End	And (English) En (Dutch)
Is	Ist	Ist (Dutch, German)
Of	On	Von (German)
Land, Nation	Lant	Land (English), Land (German)
Ridgeland	Ridgelant	Ridgeland (English), Lant (Ridgelantic)

Sports

Bowling

Bowling is a commonly played sport between Ridgelantics, especially the Ridgelantic diaspora in the United States of Highland. Landon Vongkhamchanh, a Ridgelantic politician, is also an amateur bowler in Ridgeland, being regarded as one of the best bowlers in the country.

Turkey bowling

Turkey bowling is a sport which is based on ordinary bowling. A frozen turkey serves as the bowling ball and ten bowling pins are arranged in triangular formation. Unlike the American variations, real bowling pins are used instead of plastic bottles. Turkey bowling originated in Ridgeland on 21 November 2023, with the first Ridgelantic Turkey Bowl.

Mass media

Online presence

Ridgeland is often considered one of the most active micronations online, with Ridgelantic government accounts present on sites such as X, TikTok, and Tumblr. Three Ridgelantic newspapers are published online, the Piedmonton Times, which holds a large monopoly over Ridgelantic media, the before mentioned Tukundy Times, the official newspaper of the Democratic Opposition, and The Bomb News, a newly established party newspaper of the Best of Men/Boys.

Films and television

On 9 June 2023, a movie studio in Ridgeland called "Mikrolantstaatik Afbildings", Ridgelantic for "Micronational Pictures", was founded by Forest C. F. It has produced an animated 30-second short titled 41k, featuring a stick-figure running in a marathon. It has now lead by Aden Anderson due to an ongoing Ridgelantic economic revitalization program.

Radio

Ridgeland runs an official radio station known as Piedmonton Radio One, which mainly broadcasts copyright-free pop and dubstep. The radio station is on the Official Server of Ridgeland@Discord, the national discord server. The radio station is run via the 24/7 Music Discord Bot.

Holidays

Ridgeland has multiple different national holidays, most of which are irreligious and secular. Religious holidays are protected under law, despite not being recognized as national holidays.

Date	Name	Remarks
5 February	Veterans Day	A memorial day for Ridgelantic war veterans.
25 August	Blair Mountain Memorial Day	A memorial day for the Battle of Blair Mountain and its many deaths.
13 November	Sovereignty Day	The anniversary of the independence of Ridgeland.
15 November	Shadow Day	A memorial for Forest's pet dog, Shadow.
16 November	Constitution Day	The anniversary of the constitution of Ridgeland.

External links

• Government website
• TikTok account
• X account