Frisian Republic (1962: The Apocalypse)

History
The Frisian Republic is a democratic European survivor nation based in the Frisian Islands and neighbouring mainland towns.

Doomsday 1962
A 1kt bomb intended for Helgoland Island hit Mellum Island Instead, but it did not explode. Radiation was a major hazard as it drifted in from the remnants of Germany, the UK and France. Noorderhaaks Island was also hit by a 1kt bomb, which did explode, because the Soviets mistakenly though it had a minor American army intelligence service base on it.

Survival
A lost fishing boat from Emden docked in the east of Schiermonnikoog Island 2 days of after hearing of the war. As refugees flooded in to Den, Schilling, Hanumersie, Wieringen, Hilversum, Norden and Den Helder, the border was closed on the orders of the islands local burgomasters. The towns of Den Over, Den Helder, Schilling, Hanumersie, Bensersiel, Bensersise and Wieram follwed suit a few days later.

A severe famine and a cholera outbreak hit the region, killing many people during 1962 and most of 1963. The Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), also known among farmers as 'blue-ear pig disease' also killed some pigs in late 1966. The locals would survive the next 21 years alone on a mixture of luck, good guesswork, rural crafts and agricultural knowhow.

First contact
First contact was made with Danish and Lower Saxon in May 4thm 1967. Fishermen from the Duchy of Lancashire, East Anglia, Greater Perthshire, Hexhamshire, Lille-Wallonia, Irish Socialist Durhamshire all landed there during a bad gale, more by good luck than planning in 1973, since most nations wrongly reckoned on the islands being uninhabited and/or badly radioactive.

The journeys of discovery in 1995
Fortified villages were found in the ruins of Haarlemmermeer, Hilversum and Alkmaar.

1996 to date
Things have improved greatly since first contact was made. It is a pleasant agricultural community that free form human vice and is steadily moving toward the pre-Doomsday standard of living with Irish, Lower Saxon, East Anglian and Danish help.

The 1968 and 1993 floods
Major (ATL/OTL)floods hit the Netherlands during this period. Due to the lack of ATL maintenance on the dykes and polders, the nation was catastrophically flooded, with most of the low lying land reverting to swampland and tidal floodplains between 1968 and the beginnings of land reclamation in 1999. The Marsdiep Channel flooded badly and the tide flooded all nearby land. Noorderhaaks Island was destroyed in 1968 and Wieringen island reverted to swampland in 1993. the village Vlieland-Oost on Vlieland Island was devastated and evacuated for 60 days. The Frisian Republic would suffer badly to. 60 died in the Frisian Republic in 1968 and 100 died in 1993.

In 1973 Langeoog Island was (ATL) cut in three parts by a heavy Christmas storm tide. It was fixed and rebuilt using Danish Groynes and concrete sea walls.

Blizzard
The winter of 2009-10 was the worst in 50 years (as in OTL),killing 30 people in a 3 day blizzard on Vlieland island.

Minor earthquake
A (ATL) 2 Richter scale 4.2 earthquake caused major damage and 2 deaths in the eastern islands in 2009.

Tornado
A (ATL), minor tornado ripped through Texel island killing 3 people in the winter of 2001.

Former refugee camps

 * 1) East of Schiermonnikoog island
 * 2) Langeoog island
 * 3) Richel island
 * 4) South of Vlieland islsnd
 * 5) Holloum

Military


It is made up of a 120 man volunteer militia. Farmers' long handled billhook-slashers, Gilpin 1918 pattern billhooks and Kentish brishing hooks are commonly used as weapons, as are swords and bows. Mattocks are also a common improvised weapon. Guns were fist imported from the Denmark and Lower Saxony (German: Niedersachsen) in 1990, but they are still uncommon in the Frisian Republic

Battles

 * 1) With the tribes of the Julianadorp (1979)
 * 2) With the tribes of Groiningen(1987)
 * 3) With the tribes of the Anna Aurich (Low Saxon: Auerk)(1988)
 * 4) With the tribes of the Anna Paulowna(1989)
 * 5) With the villagers of northern Friesland (West Frisian: Fryslân) coast- especially Norden, Leeuwarden and Harlingen (1989-1991)
 * 6) With the tribes of the Julianadorp (1990)
 * 7) With the tribes of the Wieringermeer (1990)

Government and politics
The League of Free Liberals (in Dutch: Bond van Vrije Liberalen), is the ruling party and is mostly located in the western islands. The leader is the Boargemaster (in Frisian)/ Burgemeester (in Dutch) /Bürgermeister (in German), Hendrik Steve Wilders. The is elected every 6 years Boargemaster.

The Islands are run by a council who are elected each 6 years by the FPTP method by all nationals over 16.

Economy
It is agrarian by nature largely dependent on agriculture and fishing.

Health care
Lung and Thyroid Cancer are no longer major issues, and are markedly less than they were before 1968. Major services like hospitals are provided by Lille-Wallonia and Denmark.

Sport
Croquet, Pertonk, Kite Flying, Boule and Football are all major sports in the nation.

The Death Penalty
The Death Penalty was scraped in 1982 and repealed with life without the possibility of parole. Time is served in exile at a Lille-Wallonia jail.

Also see

 * 1) 1962: Doomsday
 * 2) List of surviving nations (1962: Doomsday)