Bregusland
Bregusland City of Bregusland | |
|---|---|
 Coat of Arms | |
| Motto: "Pacis et imperium" "Peace and empire"' | |
| Anthem: Highland Cathedral | |
 Downtown Central District | |
| Sovereign state | Raphania |
| Establishment (Rosston) | 12 October 2007 |
| Independence from Phokland | 29 January 2019 |
| Austenasian Territory | 14 March 2019 |
| Austenasian Crown Dependency | 6 March 2020 |
| Dissolved | 1 January 2021 |
| Re-established | 8 September 2023 |
| Administrative seat | Ross Manor |
| Largest Department | Vundenberg District |
| Official languages | English, Spanish, Thai |
| Government | Viceregal representative monarchy |
• Sultan | Travis |
• Viceroy | Sir Charles Ross |
• Lord Mayor | Kevin Ross |
| Population | |
• 2023 census | 2 |
| Currency | United States Dollar (de-facto) |
| Time zone | MST |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
Bregusland, formerly the Bregusland Colony, is a Raphanian city and formerly an Austenasian Crown Dependency comprised of a residential property bordering the American town of Gilbert, Arizona on all sides. The territory comprised a house, two gardens and one stone path that runs between the two. The house itself (referred to by locals as "Government House") serves as the seat of local governance. Bregusland was formerly a city (known as Border City) of the then Kingdom of Rosston between 12 October 2007 and 1 February 2019, when it gained independence from Rosston (modern day Phokland) and shortly thereafter was ceded to Austenasia. It was dissolved at midnight on 1 January 2021. on 8 September 2023, as part of national reorganization, the territory was re-established as a city within the Westarctican Colony of Raphania.
Etymology
The etymology of the name Bregusland comes from a loose translation of the welsh word Bregus, meaning vulnerable and the suffix land. The name was chosen to symbolize the territory's vulnerability to attack by its neighboring states and to show its dependency on the home empire. The name was chosen and subsequently adopted by the colony's provisional founding government in early 2019 shortly prior to Austenasian annexation.
History
Bregusland has underwent a short yet intriguing history.
Founding
The territory that would one day encompass Bregusland started out as a small administrative district of the then Kingdom of Rosston. The area was officially incorporated as a city within the kingdom in late 2007 following expansion into the region.
Upon being annexed, the territory began massive developments in the field of agriculture, with crops sold from the territory quickly adding up to over 20% of Rosston's total GDP. However, over time, a combination of poor crop yields and neglect from the central government led to Bregusland's economy entering a recession. This period would span over several years as little by little, important assets such as water irrigation and plant seeds began to be redirected to other parts of the nation. This only served to compound the problems within the territory and by early 2019, the local residents had had enough.
In January 2019, protests began in the area as residents demanded that work be done to the area to restore it to its post recession glory. However, these requests mostly fell upon deaf ears as the government of Rosston (now renamed to Phokland) had other issues to worry about. However, as demands continued to flood in, it was decided by the Phoklandian government that the best course of action would be to detach the land from the country. On 29 January 2019 the city therefore officially became an independent state and was declared the Free Territory of Bregusland. However, immediately following independence, it became obvious that the new nation did not have the means to sustain itself and so a committee was created to find a suitable micronation willing to annex the state.
Within 24 hours, the committee (headed by local leader and Phoklandian politician Charles Ross) decided that they would request annexation by the Empire of Austenasia both for the nation's stability and for the security brought by submission. The following day, talks began and on 14 March 2019 the state officially became an Austenasian Territory, adopting the name of Bregusland.[1]
Territory
Immediately following annexation, it was decided that Charles Ross would become the territory's first Governor and was subsequently granted the title of Duke of Occidentia.[2] Shortly after taking office, the new Governor pushed through massive reform and created several institutions such as the Imperial Bregusland Constabulary (IBC), Civil Council and Bregusland Trading Commission (BTC). In addition, trade deals were struck between the territory and the neighboring Phoklandian Free State to provide a steady stream of water to Bregusland and because of this, crop rates returned to pre-2007 highs.
Having recovered agriculturally, Bregusland increased its economic and cultural influence over its local regional area and due to its close proximity with other Kyberian Sector nations, held several lucrative trade deals with nearby states. In addition, the area also saw a boom in tourism with its most notable attraction, the Bregusland/Phoklandian Border becoming a relatively popular place for photographs among Phoklandian citizens. By January 2020 these advancements had gained the territory the local nickname of "Austenasia's Hong Kong". This association with British Hong Kong was encouraged by Ross, who in late January began to refer to the territory as the Colony of Bregusland and changed its flag to incorporate aspects reminiscent of Hong Kong's current flag.
Crown Dependency
Ross began to advertise online for other willing participants to aid in the governance of Bregusland, and increasingly pushed his view of the territory as "Austenasia's Hong Kong." Due to the increasing activity in the online community he had created and the autonomy required to implement the governmental and cultural changes he envisaged, as well as the desire of his parents residing in a neighbouring Phoklandian claim to join Austenasia, February 2020 saw Ross petition Emperor Jonathan I to have Bregusland transitioned into an Austenasian Crown Dependency. This took place with the passage of an Act of Parliament on 6 March 2020, which transitioned the Territory into a Crown Dependency, with Ross as Governing Commissioner, and annexed the neighbouring residence to give Bregusland three residents - Ross and his parents - for the first time. Since becoming a Crown Dependency, Bregusland has gained some fame after its response to the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak was publicised by Lonely Planet.[3]
Dissolution
In late 2020, it was brought to the attention of the government and the people of Bregusland that the territory encompassing the colony would be sold at the beginning of 2021 and that the Commissioner, Charles Ross would be leaving to join the United States Army. As such, talks began and by late November it was decided that on 31 December 2020, at 11:59 pm (Mountain Standard Time), Bregusland Colony would officially cease to exist as a territorial entity, although "Bregusland" would live on as an official designation for its population, who remained non-residential Austenasian subjects. This was officially confirmed on 15 December with the passage of the Bregusland Colony Act 2020. The territory of Bregusland was ceded to the United States, with a short ceremony marked by fireworks at the time of the cession in tribute to Bregusland's time as an independent land claim.
Return
In mid 2021 former members of the old Bregusland Colony began loose discussion of a possible revitalization of Bregusland into a new state either as an independent nation or again as a Territory/Crown Dependency of Austenasia. Though a new flag was designed, no other serious work would go into the project for a several years. Aside from some brief speculative discussion with Austenasian Emperor Jonathan I no effort would be made to restore Bregusland until September of 2023 when Raphanian Viceroy Sir Charles Ross would recieve approval from Bregusland residents to rejoin the nation as a simple city-settlement.
Geography
Other than Government House, the geographic makeup of Bregusland consists of flat rocky terrain interspersed with cultivated gardens/fields. The standard weather conditions for the territory are usually quite hot with an average winter temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit and an average summer temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Climate
| Climate data for Bregusland | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
22 (72) |
26 (79) |
30 (86) |
35 (95) |
40 (104) |
41 (106) |
41 (106) |
38 (100) |
32 (90) |
25 (77) |
18 (64) |
41 (106) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14 (57) |
16 (61) |
19 (66) |
23 (73) |
28 (82) |
33 (91) |
35 (95) |
34 (93) |
32 (90) |
25 (77) |
18 (64) |
13 (55) |
24 (75) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 8 (46) |
9 (48) |
12 (54) |
16 (61) |
21 (70) |
26 (79) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
25 (77) |
19 (66) |
12 (54) |
7 (45) |
7 (45) |
| Average Precipitation mm (inches) | 4.1 (0.161) |
6.8 (0.268) |
3.9 (0.154) |
0.8 (0.031) |
0.1 (0.004) |
0 (0) |
6.4 (0.252) |
6.5 (0.256) |
2.4 (0.094) |
1.4 (0.055) |
1.2 (0.047) |
4.4 (0.173) |
3.2 (0.126) |
| Source: [1] (data from 1985-2015) | |||||||||||||
Departments
Bregusland consists of five Departments (often refered to as Districts), which make up the sub-divisions of the territory.
| Name: | Notes: | |
| Central District | De Facto "Capital" | |
| Ross Manor | Seat of Government | |
| Vundenberg District | Largest District | |
| Duckland District | Home of Mallard population | |
| Port Velusia | Former Kyberian Colony |
Culture
The culture of the territory is heavily influenced by both South-western American culture and the ceremonial and governmental traditions of British Hong Kong.
Industry
Bregusland actively attempts to encourage corporate immigration into the colony. This was accomplished by offering tax exemptions to companies based there and offering no international tariffs.
Companies based in Bregusland
While none are still active today, several notable corporations either operated in, or were based in, Bregusland.
- MicroLive - Through Television Territory
- Bregusland Trading Commission
- TSF Productions
- Bregusland Transportation Authority
- Sn'R Holdings Company
Government
| Lord Mayor of Bregusland | |
|---|---|
 Mayor's standard | |
Incumbent Kevin Ross | |
| Seat | Ross Manor |
| Appointer | Viceroy of Raphania |
| Term length | At His Highness' Pleasure |
| Formation | 2020 |
| First holder | Lord Charles Ross, Duke of Occidentia |
The government of Bregusland is locally administered by a legislative body, the Civil Council (Ci-Con) with the Mayor serving as president.
The aforementioned Civil Council serves as an advisory body to the Lord Mayor made up of local residents and appointed liaisons who were tasked with proposing laws and regulations for the approval of the Commissioner.
See also
References
- ↑ March sees territorial changes for Austenasia Austenasian Times (www.austenasiantimes.wordpress.com). Date 24 March 2019; access date 24 February 2020
- ↑ Government of Austenasia Government of Austenasia (www.austenasia.webs.com). Date 2019; access date 24 February 2020
- ↑ How micronations are responding to the coronavirus Lonely Planet
External links
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