Waldheim (Classic Journeys Era)

Waldheim is the only habitable planet in the Freya system. Originally an independent colony, it is now a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sivad.

History
A convoy of slow colony ships left for Sivad in 2183, carrying largely Middle and Eastern European settlers. Catastrophic engine malfunctions forced the settlers to evacuate to the surface of nearby Waldheim, while explosions created a debris cloud that trapped them on Waldheim for hundreds of years. The Waldheim Aerospace Service initiated a project in 2948 to remove the debris and achieve spaceflight again.

In May of 3003, the crew of the HMS Formidable 'rediscovered' Waldheim. Admiral Cobb, who during this period was feigning madness, ordered the planet be attacked. He presented the conquered planet to his government as a gift. More resonable negotiations followed in which the Sivadian government offered assurances that Waldheim would be set on a course toward self-determination and their protection would be only for a short period. This relationship was further revised to become the current protectorate, despite the Maltarian Empire's threat to leave OATO over it.

Thousands of students gathered in the streets of New Berlin in July of 3005 to protest parliamentary proposals for curbing free speech witnessed a flash in the sky as they were exposed to the Thul Resequencing Virus. The New Berlin government established internment camps in which to isolate the tens of thousands of infected citizens. While Sivadian Public Health Service workers were preparing cure, the government ordered the destruction of the camps, killing all infected persons. Information Minister Yakob Straub revealed this to the PHS team shortly before destroying the last camp. However, the government officials who ordered the destruction were not removed from office. The isolationist movement Waldheim Protectionists made an appearance in the autumn of 3005, staging violent protests against foreign influence.

Blazon and Flag




Waldheim's original blazon as a sovereign state was Chevron embowed in base Argent between fields Azure and Vert, in chief twelve Mullets Or in fess, shown to the left, while its naval and civil flag was the horizontal triband of Gold-Blue-Green, fimbriated by white, as seen on the right. After entering the Kingdom of Sivad as a protectorate, the coat of arms of Sivad -- a field Azure with bordure Or, three starfish, one major in pale and two minor in fess beneath -- was superimposed as an escutcheon in the center of the coat of arms. For the naval and civil flag, the Sivadian flag was added as an inset in the upper left. As the Sivadian flag is aligned to fit into the Gold-colored band of the flag, it is not a "true" canton, as is often practice for flags of colonies; this is a very important distinction made by proponents of Waldheim's status as a protectorate of Sivad, not a colony.

Geography

 * Area:
 * Total area: 564.035 million sq km
 * Land area: 311.572 million sq km
 * Water area: 252.462 million sq km
 * Note: 44.76% of the world is water, 55.24% is land.


 * Climate:
 * Largely temperate, with glaciated poles and a wide variety of local microclimates. Narrow band of subtropical climates at the equator.


 * Terrain:
 * Highest elevation is Mt. Barbarossa at 12,393 m and lowest land depression is the Tiefenbach Gorge at –78 m below sea level. The greatest ocean depth is the Median Trench at 10,112 m in the Mittelmeer Ocean.


 * Land use:
 * Arable land: 15% (46.736 sq km)
 * Permanent crops: 5% (15.579 sq km)
 * Meadows and pastures: 24% (74.777 sq km)
 * Forests and woodlands: 51% (158.902 sq km)
 * Other: 5% (15,579 sq km)

People

 * Population:
 * 983,454,981 (Aug. 1, 3003, est.)


 * Growth rate:
 * 0.6% (3003 est.)


 * Birth rate:
 * 12.96 births/1,000 population (3003 est.)


 * Death rate:
 * 6.74 deaths/1,000 population (3003 est.)


 * Sex ratio (at birth):
 * 1.06 male(s)/female (3000 est.)


 * Infant mortality rate:
 * 5 deaths/1,000 live births (3000 est.)


 * Life expectancy at birth:
 * Total population: 111 years.
 * Male: 107 years.
 * Female: 116 years (3000 est.)


 * Total fertility rate:
 * 1.37 children born/woman (3000 est.)


 * Literacy:
 * Age 15 and over can read and write.
 * Combined: 99%.
 * Male: NA.
 * Female: NA.

Government and Economy

 * Political divisions:
 * 15 States, five thereof major city states of more than 40 million residents: New Berlin, New Cologne, Geneva Nova, Nuvienna, Neu-Danzig.


 * Economy:
 * N/A


 * GDP:
 * N/A
 * Real growth rate: N/A
 * Per capita: N/A


 * Inflation rate (consumer price index):
 * N/A


 * Unemployment rate:
 * N/A


 * Exports:
 * N/A


 * Imports:
 * N/A


 * External debt:
 * N/A


 * Military expenditures:
 * N/A