Bothnian Democratic Republic
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The Bothnian Democratic Republic (BDR) is a country in northern Europe famous for its scenic beauty. Thousands of lakes dot Bothnia’s landscape, and thick forests cover almost two‐thirds of the land.
Contents
Political
Regional relations are good, with the exception of the relationship with Torrike which has been strained over Bothnia's spurious claim to the island of Gotland. Bothnia is also wary of the motivations of the Baltic states following their NATO membership in 2004; as a result ties with Donovia have strengthened.
Military
The Bothnian People’s Army (BPA) consists of Land (BPAL), Naval (BPAN), and Air (BPAA) branches of service, with the supporting Rear Services and Weapons & Technology Directorates. Additionally, although not part of the BPA as such, the Border Troops and Civil Defense organizations report to the Minister of Defense through the Chief of Defense (CHOD) (4*). The Ministry of Defense (MOD) also provides the Main staff and Secretariat to the National Defense Council (NDC).
The BPAL is currently undergoing a modernization program, with the aim of its front-line formations fielding Tier 1 equipment and reserve formations inheriting the previously fielded Tier 2/3 equipment. It is anticipated that the program will be complete within the next 10 years..
Economic
Bothnia continues its trade flows with Germany, Donovia, Framland, Torrike, the Baltic States, and Poland, but is finding it difficult to negotiate favorable terms .
Bothnia is moving away from reliance on agricultural output towards service industries.
Social
The population of Bothnia is approximately 7,692,000, with an average annual growth rate of one percent. Bothnians are culturally and linguistically homogeneous with 99.7 % Bothnian and 0.3 % other minorities. Bothnians are of the same ethnic group as Torrike and Otso, but have developed an air of intellectual and physical superiority. This is exemplified by their considerable sporting success in the world arena. Skillful nurturing has given Bothnia a keen sense of identity.
The family is the basic unit of society. Bothnian children are educated in the socialist way of life. The increased participation of women in the work force has affected the family structure and relationships.
Information
The Bothnian Information systems are driven by the requirement to provide the audience both international and national with the utopian Bothnian view of “Political Stability, Legitimation and Succession”, however, the Press Freedom Index rates Bothnia as only 171st of 178 countries.
General assessment: modern system with excellent service. Domestic: digital fiber‐optic fixed‐line network and an extensive mobile‐cellular network protvide domestic needs. International: country code ‐ 451; submarine cables provide links to Estonia, Framland and Torrike; satellite earth stations ‐ access to Intelsat transmission service via a Torrikan satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note ‐ Bothnia shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other former Skolkan countries (Torrike, Framland, and Arnland).
Infrastructure
Bothnia has a robust infrastructure following a 10‐year economic investment program, begun in 1985, with the assistance of Donovia to provide roads, railways and airports to enable swift movement of military assets. This program has built upon the numerous later Bothnian and Bothnia‐Otso joint Infrastructure projects. The national Infrastructure has also enhanced Bothnia’s economic distribution system. Notable amongst improvements over the past 30 years has been the construction and improvement of the ports that now ensure maximum access even during the coldest of winters.
Physical Environment
The country has a long, deeply indented coast, marked by colorful red and gray granite rocks. Thousands of scenic islands lie offshore. Framland lies to the west of Bothnia (183 km border), northern Torrike (155 km border) to the north, and Otso (1361 km border) to the east. The Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Bothnia, two arms of the Baltic Sea, border Bothnia on the south and southwest. The northernmost part of the country lies inside the Arctic Circle in a region called the Land of the Midnight Sun. The sun shines in this region 24 hours a day for long periods each summer. Brahea, the country’s capital and largest city, is located in the south, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The country covers 155,927 square kilometers (km2), including inland water, and is largely a plateau broken by small hills and valleys and low ridges and hollows. The land rises gradually from south‐ southwest to north‐northeast, but the average altitude is only about 120 to 180 meters (m) above sea level. Mount Pyhatunturi, the country’s highest point, stands 540m above sea level.
Time
The Bothnian approach to time, while broadly consistent with the other countries in the region differs in that the more senior/high-ranking an individual is, the more tardy they may be. This is accepted and should be taken into account when planning meetings etc. As with all countries in the region, the relative proximity to the North Pole means that in the summer the days are very long (up to 18 hours of sunlight) and short in the winter (7 hours of sunlight). Bothnia sits within the Eastern European Time (EET) zone, which is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); however in the summer months (late March to Late October) they observe Daylight Saving Time (DST), making it three hours ahead of GMT/UTC.
Significant Threat Conditions within Bothnia
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| Arnland | Political • Military • Economic • Social • Information • Infrastructure • Physical Environment • Time |
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| Donovia-West | Political • Military • Economic • Social • Information • Infrastructure • Physical Environment • Time |
| Framland | Political • Military • Economic • Social • Information • Infrastructure • Physical Environment • Time |
| Otso | Political • Military • Economic • Social • Information • Infrastructure • Physical Environment • Time |
| Pirtuni | Political • Military • Economic • Social • Information • Infrastructure • Physical Environment • Time |
| Torrike | Political • Military • Economic • Social • Information • Infrastructure • Physical Environment • Time |
| Other | Non-State Threat Actors and Conditions • DATE Map References • Using the DATE |