Rainier


 * This country is part of the Altverse universe.

The Centralist Republic of Rainier (': Gweriniaeth ganoliaethol o Rainier) more commonly known as Rainier''' is a sovereign state in North America. It is bordered by to the north, Sierra to the south, and the  to the west. Its capital city is Victoria whilst its largest city is Seattle. Its population of 13,425,599 ranks it as the 73rd most populous country in the world, whereas its area of 284,598 km2 places it as being larger then but smaller then.

Rainier was first inhabited by Native Americans up until European exploration which was first undertaken by the Spanish. In the early 1800's the sponsored by the  was undertaken that mapped out much of Rainier alongside British-Canadian explorer. This eventually led to the which saw both the United States and Britain claim the area. Britain sent military forces into the area to cement their control before meeting local resistance by American settlers. In 1856 conflict broke out as several Welsh nationalists proclaimed the creation of the New Lloegyr Republic, which prompted Britain to respond with military force. In 1859 Britain agreed to negotiate with the rebels, drafting the Olympia treaty that saw Rainier gain full independence on the condition it could never join the United States.

Following Rainer's independence the country became close to both America whilst enjoying cordial ties to Britain. However the country had several social divisions, mainly between of British descent and  of Welsh descent. and Canaanites also helped further this divide. This along with the abolishment of the federal government and the creation of a unitary regime led to civil war from 1876 - 1882, which eventually saw a new constitution to be written that mandated that equal religious representation would be enforced in government. However, the British Anglicans - who ruled as a - largely ignored the constitution using gerrymandering to retain political power. In 1927 following the Portland Riots Rainier was placed under under the government of Matthew Glyndŵr which would last until 1946.

Rainier participated in both world wars, playing a pivotal role in the of, eventually leading the  of  between 1945-52. From the start of the Rainier quickly allied itself with the United States joining several military and economic forums associated with the. However, the government continued to pursue a economic policy with the standard of living rising substantially in Rainier. In the 1980's the economy was liberalised, with positive economic growth lasting until the, with the economy having struggled since.

Rainier is a  possessing a developed market economy, with major exports including timber, fishing, and agriculture,machinery, electronics manufacturing, silver mining, and tourism. Rainier is one of North America's largest lumber industries alongside Canada as well as being one of the largest exporters of potatoes. Rainier also has a growing service sector with the economy having undergone significant deregulation since the 1980's. Nevertheless an extensive social safety net still exists in Rainier which has. A decline in industry has seen Rainier deal with crippling unemployment for the past 20 years.

Rainier has cordial relations with its closest neighbours Sierra, and Canada, as well as the United States and its former colonial master Britain. Rainier is a member of various international organisations such as the LN,, , , , , , TPAC and the National Reserve.

Etymology
Rainier is named after, which itself was named by after his friend. Prior to independence the region was known as the Oregon Country, with its earliest known use coming from British Major who spelt it as Ouragon, which itself either came from the French word ouragan (meaning "windstorm" or "hurricane") or arose out of a misspelling of the Ouisiconsink (Wisconsin) River when a French map called it "Ouaricon-sint". However, Oregon was only widely used by Americans with Britons instead calling it "Columbia" after the Columbia District, which itself was named after and the. Welsh settlers favoured the term New Lloegyr after the region in itself.

During the signing of the Victoria Treaty in 1859 there was controversy on what to call the region that would one day become a sovereign state. New Lloegyr was favoured by Welsh settlers whilst some Britons instead wanted Columbia. As a compromise a list of names was drawn up for the Columbia Executive Committee (who constitute the founding fathers of Rainier) to choose one with Lloegyr and Columbia being deliberately banned. Cascaidia (named after the ) and Oregon were suggested alongside Rainier, with the latter eventually being picked. Following the abolishment of the federal government in 1876 Rainier was renamed as the "Centralist Republic of Rainier" in order to reflect its unitary status.

People from Rainier are referred to as "Rainians" which extends to all Rainian citizens. "Oregonian" is an alternative term used, being widely used by the early American settlers. In the past in the Anglosphere a derogatory term used to describe Rainians included "Northern Yankees", which was likely first used by Britons.

Early history
The region that makes up modern day Rainier (and the rest of the has been said to be one of the earliest inhabited regions in, with humans having resided in the  since 9,000 BCE. Other parts of Rainier have housed human life from up to 14,500-15,000 years ago. Many of these people lived around the , especially in the.

By 8,000 BCE permanent settlements had started to crop up around the Columbia River and coastal regions. Tribes near the Columbia River were often richer then neighbouring tribes thanks to their control of Celilo Falls which enabled them to control the trade of salmon, which was a prized resource in the region.

Notable tribes that resided near coastal regions, , , , , and the. Tribes that were located in the east (known as plateau tribes) included the, , , , , , , and. Tribes in southern region included the, , , , , and. The, , , , and resided in the south east.

The Quadra's and Vancouver's Island similarly was the home to many indigenous people's such as the, , and the. Many of these people's were the first people to come into contact with Europeans when they colonised Rainier.

Colonial history
The earliest European to sight Rainier was in 1543. mapped out the in 1592. However, serious exploration of the Pacific Northwest was first seriously undertaken by on behalf of the  in accordance to their  to the region in 1774. A year later also made a expedition to the region as well as. Heceta was claimed land north of the in order to counter  expansion into North America. Meanwhile Quadra managed to reach the mouth of the Columbia River. The region soon became a valuable trading outlet between the Americas and.

In 1778 Captain  set out to search for the, which resulted in him exploring the. This prompted in the 1780's for the to emerge in the region. However, British influence in the region led to tensions between Britannia and Spain, who eventually signed the which opened up the region to both British and Russian influence. The newly emerged also laid claim to the region.

Further Spanish explorations were undertaken by and. However, the most successful expedition up to that date was done by who not only fully mapped out the Quadra's and Vancouver's Island but also reached, of which he claimed all land south of it for Britain.

American exploration started with, who found the mouth of Columbia River. In 1804 American  commissioned navigators  and   to explore the western regions of North America, which resulted in the, where they began an extensive expedition of what would become Rainier. Notably the travellers cam across many Native American tribes, which they noticed had more gender equality then other tribes in the east. One such Native American they met was near Salmon, who helped guide them to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition saw the first mapping out of the, , and Columbia rivers as well as.

Canadian-British explorer explored the full length of the Columbia River in 1807, where he reaffirmed Britains's claims to the region, trying to create a trading outpost for the. The American competed with the North West Company for fur trading in the region, which saw increased British and American immigration. Early American and British settlers also took up the role of being missionaries to the Native Americans. was a preacher who helped set up the first Rainian school, irrigation system and also introduced potatoes to the region. , constructed by Catholic missionaries became an important post for travelling traders, settlers and miners.

During the early 1800's, a large number of Welshmen travelled to Rainier to escape cultural persecution in the United Kingdom. These Welshmen soon became the dominant settlers in the region creating their own communities, which collectively became known as New Lloegyr.

Since 1816, both the USA and Britain claimed the region, which was known to the Americans as. Previously Russia had laid claim to the region along with Spain - however Britannia nullified these claims with treaties. Nevertheless, America continued to encourage American immigration to the region, hoping to eventually annexe it into America. These moves were met with alarm by the British government. Tensions increased between the two countries until 1806, when Britain surrounded the Oregon Country with a naval blockade and sent troops into the territory. America threatened to declare war on Britain over the occupation, although Britannia refused to recognised America's claims to the region. Minor skirmishes started to occur on the Oregon boarder, with many Americans unhappy with the Britain imposed rule.

Independence
Rainier continued to face internal strife throughout British rule, which was much harsher then it was in the and. Attendance to the Church of Rainier was made mandatory. Resentment amongst settlers was high, with many being of Welsh descent angry over the imposition of British rule over what was becoming a Welsh speaking region. The British government refused to agree to any proposal for more autonomy, keeping complete colonial authority in power.

On the 21st August 1855 Fydd Rochester led a group of Welsh speaking settlers to protest against colonial rule marching upon the with a list of demands, which mainly consisted of proposals for more autonomy. The colonial authorities rejected the demands sending in local forces to crush the protesters. The protesters fought back, initiating the Rainian War for Independence. Settlers around the country started to resist colonial authorities, receiving military aid from America. Soon in the city of the New Lloegyr Republic was declared by rebel forces.

From the offset the rebels faced several problems. Britain had naval superiority, and was quickly able to enforce a blockade around the Pacific coast. Britain also had a superior army, and was able to launch several two pronged attacks from the coast and Canada. Despite this rebels led by General Rochester were able to launch several pincer attacks on British supply lines being supplied by America. Native Americans also played a key role in the Rainian independence War. Rainian rebels made deals with several Native American tribes stating they could retain land rights if they fought against the Britons.

Britain at first had the decisive upper hand, before it was forced to divert resources to fight in the. This enabled the Rainian rebels to launch the Olympia March, which saw rebel forces led by General Rochester and fellow nationalist Llewelyn Rhodes march from the Snake River to Olympia where they took the city from its British rulers in October 185. In February 1859 rebels took over the city of Victoria on the Quadra's and Vancouver's Island. This prompted British authorities to finally start to negotiate with rebels. Merthyr led the negotiations where they agreed to never become incorporated into the United States in return for attaining independence. The Treaty of Victoria which finalised the terms for independence was signed on the 12th March 1859 with the Federal Republic of Rainier being proclaimed the same day.

Federal Republic
The newly formed Rainier was first led by the Anglican dominated Rainian National Union Party, who drafted the Constitution and formed the first government of Rainier. The president, Llewelyn Rhodes, was a who advocated for a  with a strong executive president, but was overruled by  such as Fydd Rochester called for a  with a weak executive led by a prime minister and overseen by a weak president, with states having the majority of the power. As such a federal republic was declared with Rochester as Prime Minister and Rhodes President. The new government also retained mandatory membership to the Church of Rainier, and gave special land rights to British Anglicans. President Rhodes who was somewhat of a drastically improved relations with Britain, drawing Rainier closer into Britain's sphere of influence.

Following independence immigration to Rainier started to increase. established the town of in 1860 emigrating from. Canaanites also emigrated into southern regions from Sierra, Initially both groups were denied citizenship, although they were allowed to settle what was deemed common land.

Germans also immigrated to Rainier as well as English people, who soon started to support the Anglican government of Rainier. Following the many Irish people's travelled to North America including Rainier. also immigrated to Rainier as well as Chinese people's, where similar to other immigrants they were looking for agricultural opportunities. Rhodes encouraged immigration on the condition that immigrants convert to Anglicanism, although Basque and Irish immigrants largely retained Catholic beliefs. The encouragement of immigration - even including that of the Chinese, who faced legal discrimination - was intentionally done to help displace Native Americans from traditional hunting lads, where they were relocated to reservations unless they "Westernised".

The new government also began to affirm international relations, gaining recognition from Britannia, Brazoria and Sierra. Rainier soon also reached out to Latin American nations such as, , Chile, , and , exporting mainly foodstuffs and lumber. However, new relations were considered to be most paramount with the USA and the, with Rainier allowing the USA to build several naval bases on Vancouver Island which they used to trade American goods with China. Rainier's government came close to recognising the during the. However strong opposition came from those who sympathised with the United States, as well as those loyal to the British government. Ultimately Rainier supported the United States, much to the disappointment of Confederate leaders.

The collapse of the United States of America in the late 1860's prompted Rainian leaders to further divorce themselves from the affairs of America, signing the London Treaty in 1871 which reaffirmed British commitment to Rainier, which soon became a de facto British protectorate in North America.

First Centralist Republic
By 1869 the idea of Rainian identity was beginning to take root, with those descended from Britons seeing themselves as more cosmopolitan and intelligent then their American and immigrant counterparts. As such Americans and immigrants were excluded from schools unless they converted to Anglicanism.

By the 1870's, the central government led by Rhodes was becoming increasingly frustrated with federal politics, and increasingly advocated for unitary over federalist politics. Many argued that due to the lack of a cohesive national character that federalism would eventually lead to regionalism and the splintering of the Rainian nation. As such in 1876 Rhodes signed a bill that formally abolished the states and the federal government, putting a unitary structure in its place with the Federal President and Prime Minister merged into one position, the Minister-President. This along with growing tensions between the different religious communities saw the Deputy Minister-President, Russel K. Cornwall, assassinated by a federalist starting the Rainian Civil War. Several former states seceded from Rainier, creating the Oregon Confederation in its place and causing the government to send in forces to try and put down the rebellion.

However, the government soon found its support base dwindling as many Americans and immigrants joined the rebels. Oppressive policies towards non-Anglicans had resulted in hatred for the political landowning elite of Rainier. The government however had several advantages. Good relations not only with its neighbours but Britain as well enabled Rainier to have access to much more manpower and equipment, as well as dominance of the seas thanks to the assistance of the British navy. Rainier employed a strategy against the rebels, denying them food resources. This tactic of starving the rebels to death was somewhat effective in the latter stages of the war as the rebels were unable to expand their territory.

In 1882 rebel forces agreed to surrender if they were promised constitutional changes that would protect the religious rights of all peoples of Rainier. The government agreed to the terms, enacting a new constitution in April that year. With the end of hostilities the government started to push for industrialisation, investing into mining and metal works. Rainier became famed as one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, creating a large amount for Britain, becoming the UK's most important ally in North America.

Economic growth continued through the late 1800's, but the majority of Rainian society remained largely with industrial growth concentrated in the urban centres of Seattle, Victoria and Portland. During this time the politics of Rainier was divided between the National Union and Radical Parties, both of which broadly supported the unitary regime established after the Rainian Civil War.

Government and politics
The government of Rainier takes place within the framework of a, although unlike most parliamentary systems the Minister-President serves as the  and  but must have the confidence of parliament. Rainier has a legislature known as the Houses of Parliament. The upper house is known as the House of Senators and the lower house the House of Councillors. A democracy, Rainier has several political parties - the National Union, Radical, Labour, Greens and Conservative Party. Currently the Minister-President is from the National Union party serving alongside  in a coalition with the  Radical Party, with Diane Hall serving as Minister-President.
 * The Minister-President of Rainier (formally known as the Minister of the Presidency) is serves as the head of state and government, being the official leader of the executive. The Minister-President is elected by parliament who invites them to form the Cabinet of Rainier (the main executive organ in Rainier). The Minister-President has the power to appoint senators (with parliamentary approval), grant pardons, act as, and appoints judges for the Supreme Court with the approval of the legislature. The Minister-President can be removed from power either through a resignation or.
 * The legislature of Rainier, known collectively as Parliament, is divided into two separate bodies - the House of Senators and the House of Councillors. The House of Councillors serves as the lower house, drafting and amending the majority of laws as well as having control over monetary policy and having the power to remove the president through a vote of no confidence. The Council is directly elected every five years having 125 seats. The House of Senators meanwhile is made up entirely of appointed politicians who are nominated by the presidency, the House of Councillors and local councils before being elected by the House of Councillors (bar those appointed by the Minister-President).

Economy
Since the 1980's Rainier has possessed a based around the  with extensive deregulation, low taxes ad high freedom of trade. However, earlier efforts especially in the 1930's-70's to construct a with greater state intervention and a larger public sector has resulted in Rainier possessing a  with an extensive. Rainier has a nominal GDP of £708.817 billion and a GDP per capita of £52,795. Rainier's currency is the Rainian pound, which is currently pegged to the Hudson dollar as part of the American Customs Authority.

During the 1950's the Rainian government drafted and implemented the Economic Restructuring Programme (ERP), a form of that replaced the previous heavily state controlled economy under the 1933-48 Labour government. The ERP was in its approach, and with a strong focus on manufacturing led Rainier into quadrupling its economic growth between 1954-64. During the 1980's the economy was deregulated with most state run industries privatised alongside numerous social programmes, with free trade and deregulation being championed. In this period "Rainier went from one of the most protectionist, state run economies in the America to one of its most open and deregulated". The economic transition from the ERP to a more market friendly system "destroyed" much of Rainier's industrial base leading to higher unemployment and poverty; as such since 1993 the government has placed more regulations on the economy and expanded social welfare programmes, although not to the extent that they existed under the ERP. As a large amount of the economic deregulation was undertaken during the rule of the fourth Labour government (1987-95) union reform was a much more sensitive process, meaning that there still exists a large portion of unionised workers' comparative to other Anglo-Saxon market economies. Between 1993-2008 Rainier underwent an economic boom that saw an unprecedented expansion of the housing market, leading to a bubble that collapsed during the, with the seriously damaging the Rainian economy. Whilst Rainier has recorded economic growth since, it has yet to fully recover from the crash with Rainier running a large budget deficit of $TBA million.

Healthcare
Rainier, alongside the majority of the, maintains a system of , divided between a  system centred around the Health Assistance Programme (HAP) and a private sector. Created in 1953, the HAP directly manages healthcare personnel and resources in Rainier being modelled off of the  and funded through general taxation. All citizens and legal (taxpaying) residents apply for a HAP card which entitles them to access to HAP services, meaning those who do not possess HAP cards cannot use HAP services. A smaller exists for those who wish to pay for private services. Private health providers are arranged around insurance schemes, which pay for healthcare providers either within the existing HAP infrastructure or private hospitals. The HAP only does partial coverage of dental and optic services. is also available in Rainier.

Prior to 1953, healthcare was distributed through entirely private means, mainly through private hospitals, religious groups and charities. In 1950 the Labour government of Dominic Lennox promised to provide healthcare for all, private hospitals and creating the HAP through the Health Assistance Act, 1953. Since then successive governments have expanded on the program, which has been credited with eliminating various diseases in Rainier. Since the Labour government of Frederick Joseph more private investment in the HAP has been introduced, although moves to the HAP are considered to be widely unpopular.

Life expectancy in Rainier is high, with women on average living for 83.8 years and men 78.4, ranking overall at around 81.1 behind but ahead of. Cancer and obesity are considered the mot pressing issues in relations to Rainian health, with the government heavily advocating s. Since the mid-1980's, smoking has been on the decline in Rainier.

Religion
19% Rainians identify as unaffiliated, 56.5% (22% Anglican, 20% Calvinistic Methodists, 6% Catholic, 5% Mainline Protestant, 4% Mormon, 3% Evangelical, 0.3, and 0.2% ) 5% Canaanites, 9% Baahgulists, 2% , 0.5% , 2% , 0.5% , and 1.5% other.

Anthem
English
 * In Rainier, beside the singing river,
 * so oft' I strayed, ah, many years ago,
 * and culled at morn the golden daffodillies
 * that came with spring to set the world aglow.
 * Oh, Rainier, my thoughts are ever turning
 * to your broad stream and fairy-circled lee.
 * For your green land my exiled heart is yearning,
 * so far away across the sea.


 * In Rainier, amid Columbia's dark waters,
 * the salmon leap, beside the surging weir.
 * The seabirds call, I still can hear them calling
 * in night's long dreams of those so dear.
 * Oh, tarrying years, fly faster, ever faster,
 * I long to see that vale belov'd so well,
 * I long to know that I am not forgotten,
 * And there in home in peace to dwell,
 * In Rainier, beside the singing river.

Welsh
 * Yn Rainier, wrth ymyl yr afon canu,
 * Yr wyf yn crwydro, flynyddoedd yn ôl,
 * a difa ar bore y daffodillies aur
 * a ddaeth gyda'r gwanwyn i osod y aglow byd.
 * O, Rainier, fy meddyliau yn troi
 * at eich llif eang a tylwyth teg-cylch lee.
 * Ar gyfer eich tir gwyrdd fy nghalon yn dyheu,
 * mor bell i ffwrdd ar draws y môr.


 * Yn Rainier, yng nghanol dyfroedd Columbia,
 * y naid eog, wrth ymyl y gored ymchwyddo.
 * Adar môr alwad, yr wyf yn clywed yn galw
 * mewn breuddwydion hir y rhai mor annwyl.
 * O, oedran fydd hwyrfrydig, yn hedfan yn gyflymach
 * Rwy'n ysu i weld bod fro annwyl mor dda,
 * Rwy'n ysu i wybod nad wyf yn anghofio,
 * Ac yno mewn cartref mewn heddwch i drigo,
 * Yn Rainier, wrth ymyl yr afon canu.