Time: Arnland

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Key Dates, Time Periods, or Events

• 1905 – Norway declared independence from the Skolkan Empire
• 1917 – Civil war within the Skolkan Empire. Arnland declared independence.
• 1919 – Military Intelligence & Security Service (MISS) established.
• 1920 – Skolkan Empire formally dissolved. Arnland, OtsoBothnia, and Torrike formed as separate countries.
• 1931 – Communist coup seized power and abolished the monarchy.
• 1947 – Atomic Energy Research Organization established.
• 1967 – Arnland and Torrike signed the Ringhals Bilateral Agreement to develop nuclear power plants and provide electricity to Torrike for 99 years.
• 1990 – Gulf of Bothnia Cooperation Council (GBCC) founded by Torrike and Bothnia.
• 1991 - Communist Party leader Lars Peterson assassinated, followed by the violent fall of communism in Arnland.
• 1992 – Arnland reorganized itself into a multiparty democracy, established a Constitution, and held first general election.
• 1996 – Armed revolts failed to topple the government.
• 1997 – GBCC signs an economic cooperation framework.
• 1998 – Baltic 21 agreement was adopted by the Baltic States and the European Commission.
• 2001 – Arnland joined GBCC.
• 2005 – GBCC Interbank established; Arnland was a founding member.
• 2009 – Arnland filed its application to become a member of the European Union (EU)
• 2014 – Arnish Prime Minister announced Arnland’s plan to withdraw from the GBCC.

Routine, Cyclical Key Dates

Public Education

The education system is organized into five levels; preschool, primary, secondary, higher and postgraduate education. Children attend school from age six. Education is compulsory and universal through the first nine grades. Students may graduate after the ninth grade at age sixteen and may work with special permission or enter vocational and technical schools.

Kindergarten/Pre-school: Children aged six months to three years, enroll in nursery school. Children aged three to six enroll in kindergarten.

Primary and Secondary school: Primary and secondary education otherwise known as general schooling is easily divided into three phases or levels. They are younger school, middle school, and senior schools. Younger school comprises of grades 1 to 4. Grades 5 to 9 are usually referred to as middle school, while 10 to 11 are senior school.

Tertiary:

1. First Cycle Degree: Bachelor’s Degree (3‐4 years)
2. Second Cycle Degree: Master’s Degree (1‐2 years)
3. Third Cycle Degree: Doctoral degree (3‐4 years)

More details are in the Social Variable.

National and Religious Holidays

Arnland observes all Christian holidays, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. National holidays include the following:

• April 30 – Walpurgis Night (End of the administrative year in the Middle Ages)
• May 01 – Labor Day
• Last Sunday in May – Mother’s Day
• Day before Summer Solstice – Midsummer Eve (Midsommarafton)
• Summer Solstice – Midsummer Day (Midsommardagen)
• 11 December – National Day

Harvest Cycles

The growing season lasts 240 days. See Physical Environment Variable for more information.

Elections

Presidential, National Assembly, and County Commission elections in Arnland are held simultaneously every four years in November. The Presidential election is scheduled for the second Tuesday in November with the President being sworn in on Friday of the election week. Elections for the National Asssembly and County Commissions follow on the third Thursday in the month with the Prime Minister and successful candidates taking office immediately thereafter.

Once entering the election year, the political process will adhere to the following timelines:

1. Electoral campaign – six months in advance
2. Registration of candidates – six months in advance
3. Risk assessment of poll centers – six months in advance
4. Observers – two months in advance (core team) and redeploy two months after Elections (core team)

More detail can be found in the Political Variable.

Military Training

All citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 are liable for National Service of 8 months, followed by a reserve commitment up until their 54th birthday. For more information, see Military Variable.

Government Planning

The Arnland government fiscal year is the calendar year.

Cultural Perception of Time

Arnland has only one time zone. The country observes Central European Time (CET), or UTC +1, as standard time. When Daylight Saving Time (DST) is in force, Arnland's clocks run on Central European Summer Time (CEST).

Western Perception of Time

Western time is based on scientific calculations and observations. From the sundial to the atomic clock, time relies on such measurements as the rotation of the earth to the number of oscillations of a particular atom. These are finite measurements of time which contrast drastically with the changeable calendar of the Sami. The Western concept of time is not a product of experiential learning but rather a shared careful observation made by a relative minority of the population. Without a watch or clock, most Westerners would be unable to offer what they would consider an accurate estimate of the time.