Zilverhaven
From Scandia
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| Parent | Kassaten ( KAS ) | ||
| Founding Date | 11 October 1516 | ||
| Government • Type • President |
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| Adjective | Zilverhavense | ||
| Capital | Kotterdam | ||
| Administrative Divisions | 1 | ||
| Largest City | Kotterdam | ||
| Area • Total • % water |
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| Population • Total • Growth Rate • Density • Rank in KAS |
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| GDP • Total • GDP/capita • Growth Rate • Rank in KAS |
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| Time Zones |
Maxburg Mean Time (MMT) (SMT +5) | ||
| Technology Codes • scandianet TLD • Trigraph • Calling Code |
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Zilverhaven, officially the Republic Zilverhaven (Kassatic: Republiek Zilverhaven), is an Intendance located in the north of Kassaten and to the north it is bordered by the sea between Valanan and Teuvia.
Contents |
History
The Zilverhaven area has been populated for many centuries. There even existed some small cities and these were decently linked to the national road and river networks. However the big growth of Zilverhaven started only just a little more than a century ago. Industrialisation took off in the country and although the Zilverhaven cities hardly industrialised themselves, those along the Zilver river grew enormously because of transportation opportunities, both from and to the hinterland.
Obviously Zilverhaven again profited from the ecomic boom during the 1440's and Kotterdam becomes a small but world renowned city. But just a decade later Zilverhaven is struck by the Depression which drops the whole of Kassaten in economic and social trouble.
Zilverhaven didn't have a big part in the Civil war and the period of the Two States but it slowed economic growth in the country and as a consequence of that the harbour activity in Zilverhaven didn't expand at all.
After the proclamation of the Fifth Republic the Harbour Council immediately applied for becoming an Intendance. The Harbour Council, and with them the Zilverhaven population, considered that the interests of the region could be better managed by a local government, strongly influenced by the Harbour Council.
Economic growth took off again after the fall of the Third Empire and therefore Kotterdam became increasingly interesting for sea transportation companies. The Harbour Council however decided that, with the future in mind, it would be better to bring all harbour activities closer to the shore. So the small fishermen's village of Kotterhaven, on the shore along the Zilver, got appointed by the Harbour Council to become the location for new harbour projects.
Government
seat of the Harbour Council and its supporting services
The government type of Zilverhaven is specifically called a Harbour Republic as it has some specific characteristics unique to Zilverhaven and that these specifics are linked to the harbour. The Intendance has an institution called the Harbour Council which is best viewed as the Supervisory Board of the harbour, and she also sees to the proper rule of Zilverhaven. She does this by selecting candidate presidents and candidate parties. Persons or parties that could harm the goal: 'Becoming an important world harbour,' are not allowed to compete in the every-five-year elections. The Harbour Council has 7 members and when a position is open on the council the remaining 6 choose a new member.
Economy
The economy of Zilverhaven is centered around the port activities surrounding the Zilver river. Today Kotterhaven is where the largest docks are found and where the Zilverhaven Port Authority (ZPA) has its headquarters. The ZPA mainly provides the harbour of Kotterhaven with all the necessary facilities to secure a healthy development of the harbour. The ZPA also supplies support concerning contacts with foreign investors in the harbours of Zilverhaven.
Pileus Trading Company (Kassatic: Pileus Handelsmaatschappij), owned by the Pileus family, headquarters in Kotterdam. It is mainly a holding company which has stakes in several operations in Zilverhaven and across whole Kassaten. Biggest operations of Pileus Handelsmaatschappij in Zilverhaven are the latest regional containerized cargo terminal and Silver Shipping, the largest river transporter for the Zilverhaven hinterland.
The average inhabitant of Zilverhaven is considered to be slightly richer than the country average. In general the Zilverhaven economy is growing at a higher pace than countrywide. However compared to other coastal regions of Kassaten Zilverhaven isn't particularly rich.
Agriculture in Zilverhaven is mainly targeted at exports to the hinterland. The fertile grounds allow for high-quality crops production. Fishery is considered a more or less ancient craft in Zilverhaven. It once was important to the region, but in today's economy it is only of marginal importance.
Culture
The people of Zilverhaven are generally known to work rather hard. The Zilverhaven cities therefore are rather crowded with little cafés, bars, lunch and dinner restaurants and coffee shops. These are mostly aimed at serving white collar workers some meal or refreshment (also at night). Because of this strong work ethic of Zilverhaven people the area isn't that culturally sophisticated.
The countryside is known for being somewhat more festive. Nonetheless most villages seem to fall asleep early and as soon as the first sunbeams appear also the first Zilverhaven folk are already seen outside working their lands.
Education
Zilverhaven has one big university, the Desiderius University Kotterdam which is located in Kotterdam. This university houses many different scientific fields of research. The most important faculty is the Faculty of Economics which is an authority in harbour economics and fiscal economics.
Together with the University of Maxburg, the Desiderius University Kotterdam has set up an institute, called Zilverbergen Institute, to do research in micro-, macro- and monetary economics. This institute is an important research institute in the world of economic science.
Geography and climate
(c)1516 Geographical Institute of the University of Maxburg
The map to the right marks the most important cities of Zilverhaven. Kotterhaven, where 'haven' stands for harbour, is the city where the government focuses its efforts to develop a world harbour. Not seen on the map is the Zilver river which runs landinwards from Kotterhaven to Kotterdam and from there up to Maxburg.
Although Zilverhaven is not known in particular for its good climate it has a tropical climate, and the warm temperatures do not vary a lot throughout the year.
Zilverhaven cities and towns
