Other Nations – Part 2
The next three great nations that I wish to cover today formed not around a common religious concept, but rather around a relative independence and isolation from world affairs that sheltered them from the devastation of the War and the Collapse.
The Oceanic Commonwealth
The pre-War nations of Oceania, while devastated economically from the global disruption of trade, were not as directly impacted by the War. Even the recently discovered oil reserves in the Australian Outback had not yet been sufficiently developed to attract the attention of warring, energy destitute countries like Russia and China.
After the Collapse and the Winter, the people of Australia and New Zealand quickly bounced back, rebuilding damaged infrastructure and establishing trade between cities. A thriving boat culture developed, allowing trade with many of the islands in the area. It wasn’t long before a new government formed, loosely uniting the various island nations that had survived, repopulating those that hadn’t.
Today, the Commonwealth is relatively stable, if uninterested in the rest of the world. They are willing trade partners, especially for technology to improve their boats. In exchange, we import a large quantity of fish. While there was some worry that they might seek to develop their oil resources, to date they are happy to use the bio-solar technology developed by Glaucus.
The Kingdom of Madagascar
As soon the plagues and pandemics of the early 21st century began to appear around the world, the Republic of Madagascar closed its borders completely. At first, the other nations laughed in bewilderment at such extreme isolationist policies, but they would ultimately prove effective. The mutated Ebola virus decimated southern Africa, sparing Madagascar completely.
After the Long Winter ended, the island republic launched a swift invasion of the mainland, ruthlessly slaughtering thousands of plague carriers as they cut a swath across the continent. They soon established a feudal system over the land, conscripting the non-Malagasy survivors to work the farms, with the Malagasy as the ruling class.
The King of Madagascar may rule his territory with a proverbial iron fist, but his policies have proven very effective, as Africa is flourishing. Our contact with the Kingdom is limited, but initial reports from Oculus diplomats are encouraging.
The United Tribes of Amazonia
Our information on the UTA is very limited, having been collected mainly from tales of travelers and traders by Oculus agents. What we do know is that the governments of South America were some of the first to fall during the War. The populous coastal cities were destroyed by the rioting, leading to a mass exodus into the jungles. The native tribal peoples of the Amazon Basin welcomed as many of the refugees as they could, but required that they adopt their customs. For a time, it appeared that war among the various tribes was inevitable, but according to reports a peace was somehow achieved, unifying the tribes. They have little tolerance for outsiders, and continue to live according to the traditions of their ancestors.
While they reportedly shun outsiders and advanced technology, the UTA has control of a huge portion of the South American continent. There are reported cases of immigrant settlements vanishing overnight, leading Aegis to label the area a Class 3 Zone.
– A simplistic description of the current affairs of the various world powers, transcribed from a lesson on global affairs for Minervan children. It suits my purpose, since it is all most of the adults seem to know as well.