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The United Provinces, also known as Provincia and commonly as The Provinces, is a federal republic located northwest of the Antarctic Peninsula, between Candvia, the Sub-Antarctic Islands and Ninja Archipelago. It has one of the greatest and most important geographical positions in the world as it is located in the middle of some of the world's most important economic zones and trade routes. It is comprised of 12 states. The capital city of the country is Winsburg with a population of over 1,640,000. It is one of the most powerful countries in Antarctica, militarily and economically, and plays an important diplomatic role on the Antarctic stage. It is a founding member of the Western Union.

The islands of the United Provinces were first settled around 700 BC by the Travans, Jutans and Letans. The Travans built an empire that eventually collapsed to the Glodes. Around 540 AD, however, came the Oslovens, who destroyed all the tribes in the country and subjected their leaders to slavery. The Oslovens came to own a vast empire that owned the entire archipelago and soon expanded towards the Yowien Sea and the rest of the Sub-Antarctic Islands all the way down to Asiapelago. The empire entered a period of turmoil in the late 18th century and collapsed in the early 19th century, creating the Kingdom of Snowiny. The kingdom was very unstable, and was invaded by Khanzem in the early 20th century. Several decades later, a fascist dictatorship was set up in the country that ended with a bloody civil war that began in 1996 and ended in 2003, creating a democratic Snowiny. In 2015, the country further reformed to the United Provinces which cherishes liberty and equality among the nations inhabiting the country.

The United Provinces is home to Antarctica's largest ship-building industry, which is reflected in the fact that the navy of the United Provinces is one of the largest navies in the world. The United Provinces is famous for its salt and raspberry industries, both of which are the country's number one exports - the country is the largest producer of salt and raspberries in the world. This is because of the many salt pans in the states of Penland and Sitmo. The country is located in the middle of important trade routes such as SABER, and trade is one of the main sources of income for the country.

The country has taken its rightful position on the world stage and has been recognized as a great power. It has gotten involved in many peacekeeping missions around the globe and has expanded its economy and its military dramatically. The country is one of the greatest economic powers in the world, partly as a result of the increasingly more powerful Western Union. The country has great diplomatic might and has been recognized by many countries as a country that can successfully transition from a totalitarian, oppressive dictatorship all the way to a completely democratic country. A developed country with a very high standard of living, it upholds a social security and universal health care system, environmental protection, and a tuition-free university education.

History
See main article: History of the United Provinces

This section only showcases the more recent history of the country, while the history starting with the settlement of the islands is on the page mentioned in the beginning of this section.

Period of Stagnation (2003-2012)
Snowiny got out of its civil war devastated. First democratically elected president Geronimo Stanling tried reforming the country but ended up failing to do so. Robert Smith succeeded him in 2011 and in 2013 he introduced a monarchy in which he is the King.

Kingdom (2013 - August 2015)
Snowiny has experienced never-before-seen economic, military and industrial growth; so much that by mid 2015 it got internationally recognized as a great power.

Snowiny has been very dedicated to keeping peace throughout Antarctica during the 2010s, together with the help of other new nations; such as Margate and Shops Island; especially Margate, who they are in an economic and military alliance with, the Western Union.

In mid 2013 Snowiny had its first in 30 years war with foreign countries, in which they annexed Ed Island, the island country that in early 2014 broke away. A terrible war happened in Antarctica a month later; Snowiny was afraid of Snowzerland's military might and therefore declared neutrality; it would later be pushed into war through a serious of diplomatic incidents.

In October 2013, Snowiny and Shops Island formed a coalition against the rising empire of Nexon; they successfully took down a brutal monarchy. A month later, Melodeeves were divided and occupied.

By this time, Snowiny had tripled in military and industrial strength; so much that spring and summer 2014 became their proudest moments in history; Snowiny with Margate, Rusca, Terra Federation and Amataria, along with support from the Axle Powers, took down an evil empire that had the desire to enslave entire Antarctica. In the meanwhile, Snowiny was attempting to fend off the Snoss who were invading this country; their navy's tactics and their country's patriotism are probably the only thing that saved Snowiny from annihilation.

Snowiny also helped Culldrome Isles forces in a war against a secessionist state supporting slavery and genocide.

The country experienced its most peaceful period in history. The population expanded and economy grew; and tens of thousands started moving to Snowiny, seeking a better life and employment; those that moved include many scientists and rich businessmen as well. In September, however, Snowiny would have to again donate forces to end Nexonan nationalism and tyranny; Nexon was given autonomy and nationalist militias were crushed; secret underground operations continued carrying on well into 2015 with the Antarctic War on Terrorism; the deadliest war in history of Antarctica, which was launched by Snowiny to end terrorism once and for all.

May 11, 2015 was marked as the Day of Commemoration in Snowiny; the military successfully destroyed the Nexonan nationalist forces and stopped the organization of Little Penland from carrying on with further terrorist attacks on Antarctica. 2 months later, Snowiny would merge into the fully-democratic federal republic of the United Provinces after a peaceful revolution ousted King Robert.

United Provinces (August 2015 - present)
The first presidential election ended up in a decisive victory for Simon McClark, former candidate for President in 2007. He immediately got to work, reforming the country to the United Provinces, a federal republic, organized the country and its provinces, and brought immediate social reform to the country. He succeeded in doing so and his approval was pretty high. In the 2015 parliamentary elections, however, he lost seats in the Parliament and Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Lena Sanders still couldn't get a majority for her party. No party had a majority since Ferinco was ousted. Liberals were forced to enter an unpopular coalition with the Conservatives, and enabled Patrick Smith to rise high up in power and become Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In June 2017 Prime Minister Lena Sanders called for a snap parliamentary election in a bid to gain a large majority as the coalition with Conservatives fell apart, Conservative Party experienced a major scandal and the Acadia crisis damaged the Conservatives and their reputation. This was a major gamble. The election took place on July 1st, and it resulted in a Liberal Party debacle: the Liberal Party lost several seats while the Conservatives gained a few, Socialists lost tons and two parties entered Parliament: the Greens and the Penland Nationals. Prime Minister Lena Sanders resigned the next day and President McClark will soon appoint a new Prime Minister.

The 2017 election caused a bit of turmoil in the country. It is likely McClark will fail in coalition talks and will have to run the government without a coalition and continue with his current cabinet. He may also fail in nominating a new Prime Minister and so Patrick Smith, the Deputy Prime Minister, became Acting Prime Minister and will continue being so until a new one is approved by the Parliament. The Conservative Party already signaled they would not approve any nominee McClark has to offer sans Patrick Smith or another Conservative, and the Nationalists had agreed to the same, while Socialists and Greens stated they would refuse a Liberal Prime Minister.

The 2017 election had indeed gravely destabilized the country and it is unknown how the country will push forward from this. The 2019 election, meanwhile, is 2 years away and future is very bleak and uncertain for a lot of penguins. Massive protests broke out the day after the election calling for President Simon McClark to step down. President McClark stated he would not step down and he would also not call new parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, he decided to call for the 2017 Lagois City Western Union Summit in hopes of passing his proposal for a Western Union Parliament to be created with elections on the 1st of August and a Western Union currency to finally be created. Also, major new problems started to loom in Penland as the Penland National Party entered Parliament.

Meanwhile, candidates started to announce they are running for President as early as middle 2018. After Monica Le Ben announced her presidential bid, McClark's approval plummeted and Le Ben gained on the Liberal and Socialist parties' declines. The Green Party then saw a major schism and after the 2021 election it disbanded, losing all their 12 seats in the Parliament.

Shops Civil War and Aftermath (2026 - 2035)
In 2026 a deadly civil war started in Shops Island. The United Provinces denounced the Shopper government under Djf and immediately sent medical, military and economic aid to the United States of Shops Island, and even offered to intervene on the USSI's side, to which the USSI refused, feeling the need to show their rebels' military might and ability to rely on its own.

In 2027 Shops would "self destruct"; it would nuke itself with a squarium bomb. The Shopper Empire as well as the United States of Shops Island would both cease to exist as the Shopper mainland is turned into barren wasteland and their colonies, including Moon Island, Freezestonia, Frosian Islands and New Delphis gain independence. Shortly after, Antarctica is plunged into its biggest economic crisis in history. In the United Provinces unemployement is at its record highest of 41% in February 2028; breaking the previous record in 1999 with 34% unemployment. a number that wasn't even reached during the 90s. UP economy oversaw its close collapse; the UP constantly kept borrowing money from other nations over the course of 4 years, and in February 2028 almost went bankrupt when there was barely any money left to be borrowed. The Provinces would stay in an urgent economic situation up until 2035, when the economy slowly starts moving back to normality.

Politics
The United Provinces is a federal constitutional semi-presidential republic. The head of state of the United Provinces is the President, who is currently Simon McClark, and the head of government of the United Provinces is the Prime Minister, who is currently Clara Kennedy. Presidents are elected for a four year term every four years using a two-round system. The next presidential election is set to take place in 2019, and the next parliamentary election is set to take the same year on the same day as a result of a 2018 constitutional amendment.

The country has multiple political parties in Parliament, the largest being the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Clara Kennedy, and the second largest being the Conservative and Unionist Party, led by Patrick Smith, brother of former president Robert Smith. The former is a very liberal, pro-free market and slightly libertarian political party, while the latter is a fiscally conservative, slightly nationalistic parties that supports various traditionalist views. Other parties include the National Patriotic Front, the Penland National Party, the Socialist Party, the Progressive Party, the Green Alliance, the Communist Party, the Modern political movement and the Libertarian Party.

Law
Law enforcement in the United Provinces is the primary responsibility of the Provincial Police, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Interior. National security and counterintelligence are the responsibilities of the National Bureau of Investigation led by J. Ed Humphrey. It is one of the most infamous agencies in all of Antarctica, having been founded in June 1905. There are many more domestic intelligence agencies which do not play as much of an important role as Humphrey's NBI does. Under Humphrey, the NBI became more powerful than ever before and is becoming increasingly more feared in the country. It has effectively become a police agency and is known for getting involved in dispersing protests and punishing those who are guilty of treason.

Economy
The United Provinces has a rather stable and very good economy with a highly skilled labor force, a large capital stock, low level of corruption and a high level of innovation. It is one of the world's largest exporters of salt and raspberries, and among others is an exporter of watermelons and bananas thanks to the warm climate of the Puffepelago islands. The unemployment is incredibly low, and it has an average-sized GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The country's currency is the Circum, the official Western Union currency it adopted on May 20 2018 to replace the Provincial dinar.

Agriculture


The United Provinces is a largely flat country that has very favorable natural conditions (land and climate) for varied agricultural production. Agricultural exports constitute more than one-fifth of all United Provinces sales on the global market. It is one of the largest exports of frozen fruits in Antarctica, and is the main exporter of frozen fruits inside the Western Union. Major agricultural regions include Kanowa, Staplia and Penland, all three with highly arable land and increasingly greater agricultural output. The number of people retreating to rural life is increasing each year, in contrast to trends across the rest of Antarctica.

Industry
Industry is a lot less developed than agriculture in the United Provinces, and among the main industrial cities are Winsburg, Dolphinas, Preseca, Doriath, Penski Brod, Thaming and Seemay. The industry was very powerful during the dictatorship from 1948 through 2003, but during the wars of the 1990s it was devastated and was left in an awful condition. Industry was left neglected during the 2000s, only for it to finally get attention under the presidencies of Robert Smith and Simon McClark. Main industrial sectors include automotive, mining, food-processing, electronics, pharmaceuticals and clothes.

Transport
The United Provinces has one of the most important routes in Antarctica as a result of its convenient geographical position between the Ninja Archipelago and the Sub-Antarctic Islands and its proximity to key world financial centers such as Acadia for the Western Union and Club Penguin for the whole continent. The United Provinces because of this has a very highly developed highway system and air and naval transportation systems. The United Provinces' road network carries the largest bulk of traffic in the country. The United Provinces has a highly developed inland water transport, primarily centered around on Thaming river.

Culture
The United Provinces is an ethnically diverse country. There are three main ethnic groups in the country: the Snowinns (Serbian: Snovinci), historically the most dominant group, the Pennese (Pennese: ośPensoś), the historically oppressed group that are a minority even in their own state, Penland, today, and the Puffese (Puffese: Pafleki), the group that was largely left alone in the Puffepelago islands and managed to live in relative peace for centuries despite their lack of rights under the Snowinn regimes.

Additionally, the Snowinn ethnic group is divided into 10 so-called "tribes", all of which carry the same name of the United Provinces states. The wealthiest of the "tribes" are the Staplians, who historically inhabited the areas of Staplia and Winsburg.

Language


There are four official languages of the United Provinces: those are the traditional ones - Serbian, Pennese and Puffese, and the language that is getting increasingly more popular - the English language, which is the lingua franca of Antarctica. The main language of communication are the three traditional languages, while the English language is also common and sometimes even used interchangeably by the populations. People from the three ethnicities often speak English instead of their own language when talking to each other so to avoid any bias towards one language or another.

There are seven dialects of the Serbian language in Snowiny. Each dialect has its own characteristics that distinguish it from other dialects, like, for example, in the Zapadnopenski (Western Penlandic) dialect, g is replaced with k when it is in the beginning of a word and a is o when between r and d, for example in the word krod, which is grad in the Uskovinško-penski dialect (standard dialect of the language) and means city in English.

Cuisine
The cuisine of the United Provinces has been greatly influenced by the cuisine of Germanic nations such as Snowzerland, Alemania and Osterreach and also by the cuisines of nearby nations such as Yow, Candvia and Club Penguin The country also has a very rich and tasty local cuisine, many of which origin from the state of Kanowa, and among those foods are the ćevapi, that is like the Serbian hamburger, and it is very traditional and popular, having been in consumption for centuries. There's also burek and a dessert called baklava, which is of unknown origin but has been brought to the Snowinns by the Snowpriots.

Tourism


The United Provinces historically had a very weak tourism sector, but that started to change during the 2010s, though mostly in the regions of Winsburg, Herwene and Puffepelago. Winsburg is visited by thousands each year due to its baroque style architecture and the many historical monuments and squares in the city. Herwene is visited due to its long, large beaches, which are considered to be the perfect vacation destinations. The Puffepelago is a rather warm, almost tropical state with lots of beaches which are visited by thousands of tourists each year. However, the waters of Puffepelago are somewhat dangerous due to a small presence of sea whales - the waters of Puffepelago are therefore very protected and the security is getting tighter each year.

Demographics
The United Provinces has very high population density, especially in the Deleanor, Staplia and Penland. It has a population of around 22 million, with the most populous of the states being Deleanor, followed by Staplia and then Penland.

The United Provinces has, in recent years, become one of the top attractions for immigrants in Antarctica. In the 2010s the immigration rates saw an abrupt boom. Thousands of immigrants started arriving every day and with the advent of The Great Yowien War and the Frosian War the amount of immigrants increased even more, including refugees and migrants. Due to its very close position and most lax immigration laws in the world, the United Provinces, by 2017, became home to over 1,000,000 immigrants, around 6.25% of the country's population. Most of them settled in Winsburg: Winsburg's population in 1990 was 98% native, in 2000 it was 96% native, in 2010 it was 83% native, in 2015 about 71% native and today, in 2017 it is around 59% native.

Most immigrants to the country come from the former Yow Kingdom, from Puffalia, from Penland, and East Pengolia. This has recently become a burden for the United Provinces in many people's views as they believe that the United Provinces is letting in too many migrants that they cannot afford to take care of. The Nationalist Party has called for an immediate ban of refugee settlement in the United Provinces and for stricter and much more harsh immigration laws. In 2017, McClark passed the National Immigration Act enforcing tighter border controls, tougher immigration laws and much more security in the inner cities.

The United Provinces has been accepting refugees from the aforementioned countries since 2013. A recent survey revealed 38% of Snowinns believe all refugees and migrants ought to be deported, 27% believe the country should let in less migrants and refugees and enforce tougher immigration laws, 14% believe the country should let in more and 21% do not know. Those in favor of tougher immigration laws, in particular the Nationalists, argue that "in Winsburg you can no longer hear the Serbian language" and that "it has been replaced with degenerate cultures". The substantial increase in immigration to the country has resulted in growing popularity for right-wing anti-immigration parties.

The table below shows the statistics for the country's foreign-born population. The current immigrant population is 2,113,030, which is 9.60% of the population.

Georgraphy


Geographically, the country is very diverse with lots of mountains, forests, beaches, cities, villages and plains. It is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year due to the beautiful mountains such as the Caspian Mountains, Northern Mountains and Sudoku Mountains, with their tall peaks, picturesque views and very steep cliffs. There are five national parks (nacionalni park/parkovi) in the country: Lipnička jezera in Herwene, Snovinski venac in Kanowa, Blint in Staplia, Tvornica in Caspian and Donjskolišće in Penland. There are seven natural parks (park/parkovi prirode): Sivoborsko and Kraljevsko in Kanowa, Hobotničko in Penland, Kanjonsko in Herwene, Malo Viskoužje in Caspian, Tišćak in Oslovene and Želen in Platonia.

Military
The United Provinces has a land force that is incredibly small for a great power, but that is because its primary focus was on its naval forces, which are among the top 5 largest in Antarctica. Massive development of the naval forces started under Simon McClark's presidency, who recognized that the main problem of the United Provinces throughout its history was the weak and feeble naval defense. He greatly reduced the land forces, not only in order to focus on the naval forces but also to focus on welfare in the United Provinces. He was forced to seek help from the Western Union regarding the navy, and he received it from Tropicalis, a country with a much more developed navy.

The United Provinces used to have incredibly high military spending under Robert Smith's presidency and this greatly harmed the economy. McClark cut military spending by almost 80% by 2018. This proved to have great impact on how the armed and naval forces performed in international missions, and the United Provinces' military power got much weaker as a result of these moves. McClark, however, says this is only temporary and that he expects the military power of the country to rebound by the end of 2019. The United Provinces has been involved in many conflicts throughout its history, especially when it was still called the Republic of Snowiny.

Foreign Relations

 * AcadiaFlag.png Acadia - Excellent. The United Provinces serves as Acadia's protector and often stands up for the small city-state when it is in trouble. Recently, however, it has been cautious in regards to Acadia's increasing aggression towards communist nations and the United States of Antarctica. A government-conducted survey showed 68% of the citizens view Acadia positively, 19% negatively and 13% don't know.


 * Flag of Calada.png Calada - Good. The United Provinces and Calada have very good diplomatic relations.


 * CandviaFlag.png Candvia - Excellent. The United Provinces and Candvia have excellent relations. The United Provinces gladly defends Candvia and supports their economic and military development and gladly calls them brothers.


 * Flag of Castilla.png Castilla - Very Good. The United Provinces and Castilla have always been strong allies with each other, especially due to their relations with Shops and due to their past alliances in the Snowzerland Wars.


 * Dorkugal Flag.png Dorkugal - Good. Their relations blossomed after the UP reformation. Since then they trade often and cooperate on international issues. Recent crises between Acadia and Dorkugal made the relations between the two a bit more unstable, however.


 * Ed Island Flag.png Ed Island - Fair. Their relations have been devastated by Snowiny's annexation of Ed Island in 2013. After the creation of the United Provinces, relations improved but relations are still extremely volatile. In a recent government-conducted survey, it has been revealed that only 8% of the citizens view Ed Island positively, compared to 74% negatively and 18% don't know.


 * East Pengolia image flag.png East Pengolia - Good. - East Pengolia and Snowiny have been arch-enemies before the UP reformation. After the UP reformation, things started to cool down, before they got heated up again in December 2015 and finally, in September 2016, the UPR and EP started cooperating together on many issues, started to agree with each other and started to trade. Relations cooled down even more during that autumn and EP and the UPR would never again fight each other in any war after September 2016. See more here. A recent government-conducted survey showed 17% of the citizens view East Pengolia positively, compared to 58% negatively and 25% don't know.


 * Frankterre Flag.png Frankterre - Very Good. The UPR and Francterre have excellent relations. The two often have meetings together, trade often and Francterre and the UPR had many military alliances in the past. The United Provinces is an extremely Francophile nation: a recent government-conducted survey showed 78% of the citizens view Francterran influence positively compared to 5% negatively and 17% don't know. Lately, President Simon McClark was trying to improve relations with Francterre and try forge an economic alliance or to have Francterre as an observer state in the Western Union.


 * Liguria Flag.png Liguria - Fair. The UPR and Liguria don't interact often.


 * Bandera de Lisboagal.png Lisboagal - Fair. The UPR trades with Lisboagal.


 * Magyaria Flag.png Magyaria - Good. The UPR has good and healthy relations with Magyaria and Magyaria has a long lasting friendship with Stoland, which they see as their greatest ally and their greatest friends.


 * MAI.png Margate - Excellent. Margate is a fellow member state of the Circular Powers and the two have excellent relations with each other as a result. Margate often helps UPR in military operations and other events. A recent government-conducted survey showed 83% of the citizens view Margate positively compared to 3% negatively and 14% don't know, showing that UP citizens overwhelmingly love Margate.


 * Munijoch.jpg Munijoch - Fair. The relations between the two countries are fair. Munijoch is a member state of the Axle Powers, an alliance formed after the Circular Defense Treaty was signed as a countermeasure to Snowiny's expanding power.


 * Ruscoe Federation Flag.png Rusca - Good. King Smith's relations with Rusca have been particularly close, however, the McClark administration is very cautious with Rusca now. In the 1990s Snowiny was a very Ruscophile nation, but the Ruscophilia died down in the 2000s and according to a recent survey 65% of the citizens view Rusca positively, 21% negatively and 14% don't know. Rusca assisted Snowiny in its war with Ed Islandic rebels.


 * Snozerland Flag 2 edited-1.png Snowzerland - Horrible. Smith used to absolutely hate Snowzerland and its culture, even calling Snoss culture "the culture of degeneracy", a statement he was forced to rescind and apologize for after it ignited controversy. President McClark dislikes Snoss government but claims he has no prejudice towards Snoss people and their culture. A recent government-conducted survey showed 35% of the citizens view Snowzerland positively, 49% negatively and 16% don't know.


 * ShopsIslandFlag2013.png Shops Island - Fair. McClark claims he is a "hardcore Shopperphile", and during a press conference with Lavender in Shops City he praised Shops Island and its people, calling them industrial, innovative and very successful, praising how Shops managed to become a "global superpower" within just 5 years. He also claimed the UP people should look up to Shoppers as role models. A survey from early 2017 showed 53% of all UP citizens have positive views of Shops, 32% have negative and 17% don't know, but a more recent one showed 44% positive and 40% negative with 16% not knowing.


 * UnitedTerra flag.PNG UnitedTerra - Fair. UnitedTerra and United Provinces have very close relations and the two countries' governments interact very often. President McClark had a press conference there with President Ninjinian. According to a recent survey in the country, 62% of all UP citizens have positive views of UTR, 10% have negative and 28% don't know.


 * Newestpenguio.png United Penguin Islands - Good. The two nations have fair relations.


 * USA flag.PNG United States of Antarctica - Fair. McClark often criticizes US foreign policy, but nevertheless he claims he loves the USA and that he wants close relations with them. Recent US treatment of Acadia led to increasing anti-Antarctican sentiment in the country and according to a recent survey, 35% of all UP citizens have positive views of the United States of Antarctica, 53% have negative and 12% don't know. Before President Megg took office it was 47% positive, 38% negative and 15% don't know. Recently, President McClark called for more unity among Western Union nations in face of the rising power of the United States.

Trivia

 * This country is not a parody but was partly inspired by the idea of Yugoslavia and it has Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Slovenian and Macedonian cultural and linguistical elements.
 * One could consider it a democratic, more liberal and more stable version of Yugoslavia.
 * The United Provinces is a top exporter of salt across Antarctica, due to the many salt mines throughout the country, especially in Penland.