User:Candiesrgood/Sandbox/New Holland


 * ''This country is part of the Altverse universe.

The Republic of New Holland (: Republiek Nieuw-Holland), commonly just referred to as New Holland is a   divided into six. Comprised of and the numerous smaller adjacent landmasses (with the largest and most-notable being the island of ); it spans from the  to the west, the  to the east, the southernmost extremities of the  to the north, and the frigid  to the south. Housing a total of 36.96 million residents distributed among an area of approximately 7,692,024 km2 (or 2,969,907 sq. mi), it is the fourth-largest country by area, and 39th-largest by population. It is bordered by and  to the north;, the  and  to the north-east; and the Haitian territory of  to the south-east.

It was originally inhabited by an indigenous population of divided into 250 ethno-linguistic groups, which numbered at an estimated one million people at its height. Despite being discovered in 1606 by Dutch sailors headed by, it was not settled until the early 18th century, when the Dutch founded a small settlement situated in the continent's northernmost extremities to collect  on a commercial-scale, seeking to exploit its prized medicinal and culinary usage among Chinese markets. Starting in the mid-19th century, a attracted many prospectors to the fledgeling colony, with the burgeoning population solidifying Dutch presence regionally. Competition from Asian workers (primarily ), which were considered more industrious yet demanded lower wages compared to their white counterparts, placed public pressure on the government to implement more stringent immigration laws and assimilation policies (as asserted by the Zuiverheid policy). However, this did not stall the inflow of immigrants from Asia (mainly from the and Sierran East Indies).

The colony industrialised rapidly during the late 19th and 20th centuries as a participation of the, being the wealthiest place in the Eastern hemisphere. Due to separatist attempts during the, it was granted status as a  (similar to a concept of a British dominion) within the ; while lacking in , it governs its own internal affairs, rendering it largely autonomous. In the, it was used as a base for Anglo–American campaigns to contain further Japanese expansion into the Pacific. Following the failure to circumvent the formation of an independent in the form of the  during the, and its later absorption of  (the last bastion of Dutch colonial presence in the region), it was granted full-fledged independence in January 1st, 1965.

Following the, it has renounced its policy of and instead sought further independence, pursuing a policy of closer cooperation with its northern neighbours. It has asserted itself as part of the higher strata of and a major. Seen as an in its own right, it is a  with the 18th-largest economy, and wields the second-highest  globally.