Overview - Semi Wikipedia Style [WIP]

Garoarsholmur is a theocracy in the North Atlantic Ocean founded in 930 after the island's discovery and settlement in 874. This makes it the oldest theocracy in the world and the only nation in which Paganism is the dominant religion.

The island was discovered in the 9th century and in 930 it was organized into a pagan theocracy that was fiercely independent. It remained isolated from every major disaster in Europe over the next one hundred years. It had no contact with the Black Plague, and remained neutral in every way save those brought to its doorstep. Such was the case in the 19th century when Denmark tried to colonize the island and was defeated. This ended in 1940 with invasion and occupation by the United Kingdom, which lasted until 1966. This invasion brought about rampant xenophobia and racism in the country.

Today Garoarsholmur is ruled by the High Prophetess of Penance, along with two other prophets, together the three are known as the hierarchs. It is considered a modern nation.

Etymology

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The Sagas of Icelanders say that a Norwegian named Naddodd (or Naddador) was the first Norseman to reach Iceland, and in the 9th century he named it Snæland or "snow land" because it was snowing. Following Naddodd, the Swede Garðar Svavarsson arrived, and so the island was then called Garoarsholmur which means "Garðar’s Isle".

History

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In the 19th century, Icelandic scholars began to name the epochs of their history by Age. This began with the Age of Discovery, and continued through Abandonment and Reconciliation. In the 20th century the British occupation began the Age of Doubt, and the appointment of all three reigning prophets began the Age of Reclamation.
Age of Discovery
Swedish Viking explorer Garðar Svavarsson was the first to circumnavigate Iceland in 870 and establish that it was an island. He stayed over winter and built a house in Húsavík. Garðar departed the following summer but one of his men, Náttfari, decided to stay behind with two slaves. Náttfari settled in what is now known as Náttfaravík and he and his slaves became the first permanent residents of Iceland. Settlement boomed shortly after.

In 930 the government was established. It was lead by three Prophets, one of which was considered to be a high prophet. They were at the time mean't to merely advise and spread the interests of the council, which was the main governing body. Independent, the young settlement chose to pursue its own interests rather than be caught up in the far away European affairs.
Age of Abandonment
In the 14th century the age of Abandonment began with the black plague. As Europe became engulfed in disease and war, the Icelanders became hesitant. Virtually all trade to Garoarsholmur had ceased and the island was left to its own devices. The results were disastrous.

The isolated nation witnessed famine and upheaval on an unprecedented scale. This would cause the power to fall away from the council, who argued too much to achieve anything, and to the Prophets. The Prophets took the reigns and with an iron fist enforced isolationism and promoted home growth. This continued as the policy of the prophets for the next few hundred years.

In 1834 the island received its first military threat from Denmark- which was intending to start an empire. The Danish invasion was repulsed, but heavy losses were taken from the technologically inferior Icelanders.
Age of Reconciliation
With the pyrrhic victory over the Danish, the Prophet of Earnestess realized the great need to modernize the nation and set about doing so. This set in motion the Age of Reconciliation. While Garoarsholmur had been considered a backwater island prior to the Danish attack, it had gained international attention and was seen as a potential power. This brought many European nations to invest in the island and by the 1850s the island had fully adopted breech loading rifles and standard war theory.

For the next 90 years Garoarsholmur remained involved in European politics, but allowed for little interaction between the Icelanders and Europeans. In the 1930s fascism rose in Europe, and Garoarsholmur supported the European axis. Garoarsholmur received heavy financial aid from the axis powers and when World War II began they were invited to join the Axis. The Hierarchs publicly shamed British culture and governance. In 1940, fearing that the Germans might use Garoarsholmur as a naval base with which to further surround Britain, the United Kingdom launched a full scale invasion of the island. The island was, despite the modernized military, crushed.
Age of Doubt
The Invasion of Garoarsholmur by the United Kingdom marked the beginning of the Age of Doubt. During this period all compromises and agreements made with the rest of the world during the Age of Reconciliation were shoved to the side to make room for a massive xenophobic and racist movement.

The movement, calling itself "The Icelandic Independence Insurrection", began to target British soldiers that were occupying the country. This only forced Britain to send in additional troops. Eventually this number came to almost 15,000 occupying troops. The British did not, however, remove the reigning government. Instead they placed them under house arrest in order the humiliate what the British government viewed as a treacherous nation.

Even after World War II ended, the Insurrectionist conflict with British troops continued and Britain continued to occupy the island, intending to make it into their empire. The Insurrection received some help from Irish Republican Army as well as the Soviet Union.

By 1946 the British Government had enough of the wasteful fighting and prepared to withdraw, but the United States pressured the United Kingdom into remaining in order to combat what the Truman administration viewed as a communist threat due to Soviet financial aid.

Age of Reclamation
In 1966 the British finally withdrew from Garoarsholmur and allowed the council and hierarchs to resume governance. This independence started the Age of Reclamation in 1968 when the High Prophet of Dignity came into power.

The nation slowly rebuilt itself, but the xenophobic attitude towards continental Europeans continued to grow. In 1990 the High Prophet of Goodwill came into power, who reigned until 2011. His successor was the High Prophetess of Penance.

Geography

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Garoarsholmur is at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle, atop the constructive boundary of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge about 860 km (530 mi) from Scotland and 4,200 km (2,600 mi) from New York City. One of the world's most sparsely populated countries, Garoarsholmur's boundaries are almost the same as the main island – the world's 18th largest in area and possessing almost all of the country's area and population.

Iceland has extensive volcanic and geothermal activity. The rift associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which marks the division between the Eurasian Plate and North American tectonic plates, runs across Iceland from the southwest to the northeast. This geographic feature is prominent at the Þingvellir National Park, where the promontory creates an extraordinary natural amphitheatre. The site was the home of Iceland's parliament, the Alþing, which was first convened in 930. It is a common misconception that Þingvellir is at the juncture between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. However, they are in fact at the juncture of the North American continental plate and a smaller plate (approx. 10,000 km2) called the Hreppar Microplate (Hreppaflekinn).

About half of Iceland's land area, which is of recent volcanic origin, consists of a mountainous lava desert (highest elevation 2,110 m (6,923 ft) above sea level) and other wasteland. Around 10.2 per cent of the total land area is covered by glaciers, although these are now retreating at an accelerating rate.

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