New Delaware

The Democracy of New Delaware is a sovereign state located in the North Atlantic Ocean. The nation is an island state, consisting of one large island and three smaller islets in the Butterfly Sea. New Delaware consists of the entirety of the islands, and shares no maritime or land borders with any other sovereign country.

The democracy was established 1929 after a group of settlers from the United States state of Delaware left their homeland to find better fortune due to the effects of the Great Depression. While the islands had been first discovered in 1712, it was not until the American colonists had arrived that the islands had been inhabited. The current government was first formed in 1935, and is considered to be a hybrid direct democracy with elements of group despotism. The small government consists of several offices which cater to the basic needs of the population, largely in the areas of diplomacy, infrastructure, human services, and culture. These offices are supported by a group tax system which permits an estate of people to take part in governance, ultimately creating a political system based entirely on the population as a whole. Law and justice are also defined as being ruled by the rights of the people, and the judgement of society as a whole is what dictates the "kangaroo method" of criminal justice which is employed in the nation. Because of its loose regulations on many aspects of life, New Delaware is considered to be one of the freest nations both politically and economically in the world, though some economic regulations remain in place to protect the islands' unique ecosystem.

New Delaware has a developed postindustrial economy which focuses mainly on the primary economic sector. The islands which the nation is located upon hold large deposits of coal, iron, bauxite, copper, and tin, which have resulted in an economy almost dependent upon mining. Farming is also an important part of the economy, with peas, potatoes, corn, wheat, barley, apples, pears, sheep, and cattle all proving essential factors of the nation's diet and economic structure. Fishing and logging are also in existence to a certain degree, though their practices are largely regulated by environmental protection enactments. Secondary and tertiary economic practices are present within the nation, though they are overshadowed by the large amounts of raw material exports which New Delaware produces mainly for the North American market. As of 2014, the nation's economy has recovered from the 2007 global recession, and national unemployment is one of the lowest rates in the world. With a population of about 698,300 in 2014, New Delaware's economy is one of the world's smallest, but it remains one of the freest and enjoys a large trade surplus.

The nation enjoys warm relations with both North American and European countries, and remains very neutral in most other international affairs. A member of the United Nations, New Delaware has committed itself to a modest amount of cooperation on the global stage, though the protectionist and domesticated values of the people result in a very protected economy. Tight economic regulations have given a very strong sense of alienation with the advent of globalization, but nonetheless New Delaware continues to keep neutral relations with many countries around the world and remains strong in its goal of local economic protection.

Etymology
The term New Delaware derives from the state of Delaware which is apart of the United States. The settlers from Delaware wished to commemorate their homeland by naming their newly established nation New Delaware. The English term Delaware comes from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. West's name was then transferred over to name the bay, then river, then Native American peoples after which the state of Delaware is named. West was an English colonist who assisted the people of Jamestown in fighting off the Indians and facilitating their settlement to a larger degree, thus earning him the name of the geographic features, the people, and then consequently the state. Officially, the nation is known as the Democracy of New Delaware, and it is commonly referred to as just New Delaware. Residents of the nation are known as New Delawareans internationally or simply Delawareans domestically.