Aurora

Aurora, officially the Kingdom of Aurora or simply referred to as The Eastern Lands is a sovereign nation situated in Eastern Australia, New Zealand and some other pacific islands. To the west it borders the "Kingdom of Occidentia" who both names derive from Latin for East and West, respectively. Aurora is the secondary (formely official) nation of Caritasiii

Pre-Colonial Period
The Pre-Colonial Period was the time before Europeans arrived. This era is the longest and least known about time, as there was not many things going on. The Aborigines ruled the land in Australia and Humans hadn't even arrived onto New Zealand before the 1300s. It was peaceful era where many different tribes ruled small pieces of land and in the center was the desert, which was mostly uninhabitated.

Colonial Period
This is the era where Europeans started arriving in Oceania and colonizing. It started when in 1751, a group of Dutch Explorers who were travelling to the Dutch Colony in Indonesia, went off course and landed in North-West Australia. When they realized that the land was unknown of before, they send some explorers back to tell the Dutch. After that, the Dutch made quick expansions into West Australia.

Not long after in 1770 Captain James Cook discovered the east coast of Australia and when him and his crew found out the Dutch were expanding from the West, the British scrambled to get as much land as possible on Australia. By the 1800s, all of Australia had either been claimed by the Dutch or the British.

Not many wars occurred on the borders, due to the fact that the majority of it was uninhabitable desert, however a few local wars occurred on the coastal borders, but none were recognized by either government. Despite the governments not recognizing the wars, there was still a change in territory if either side one, but without acknowledgement from the government. This meant that there was disputed lands between the colonies that were fixed to be fairer to the colonies in 1886.

Independence
During World War I, the colony of Aurora was tired of fighting the war and using up all their resources however, they still supported Britain so they did not declare independence yet. In 1922, the Kingdom of Aurora declared independence from the British Empire. The British Empire, who was currently very exhausted from the war, simply signed the Treaty of Sydney, allowing Aurora to be an independent Nation under the rule that Aurora would join a newly formed Union, the British Commonwealth. The new Auroran Government agreed.

World War II
As expected, Aurora sided with the Allies in World War 2. However, their neighbour Occidentia, who recently became independent, joined the Axis for unknown reasons. (It is probable that one of the Axis persuaded them) Despite this, very few wars occurred between the two Australian countries, however bombings of Perth and Sydney occurred frequently. At the end of the war in the Paris Peace Treaties, Occidentia was forced to pay war reparations to Aurorans. After the war, much like Germany and Japan, Occidentia became good friends with its neighbors, including Aurorans.



Ginatan Independence
However, on the island of New Guinea, which at this point was controlled half by the Dutch and half by the Aurorans, declared themselves "The Free State of Ginata" or more simply "Ginata". At first both the Dutch and the Aurorans were reluctant, but soon realized if they did not accept their independence, full scale war may break out and with this happening just after World War 1, they did not want another war. However, after Ginata's independence, countries of Oceania made a Union between the nations of Occidentia, Aurora, Ginata and the Netherlands (which when Indonesia became independent, it was replaced by them). In 1975 when East Timor gained Independence, they also joined the Oceanic Union to provide security between the Oceanic Nations. The Oceanic Union is very similar to the European Union, as it is an economic alliance and not a militaristic one.

Modern Times
Nowadays, Aurora manages to be a relatively peaceful but strong nation with strong beliefs. Whilst their military is not so good, they often aid countries such as the United Kingdom in Warfare. But they are improving their military substantially. Before the 2000's, Aurora was not very economically powerful, however recently there has been an economic boost and they are thriving in the Modern day. The crime rate in Aurora is quite low, similar to other countries such as Canada. The main reason for the low crime-rate is that the people of Aurora pride themselves in being the best and try to never cause global trouble. They participate in Global Affairs and events, holding the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Technology
Ever since World War II, Aurora's Technology Industry has been growing with many companies creating stores and factories, such as Apple, Google and Twitter. Because of this, Aurora is a rich nation which many small businesses start in.

Transport & Travel
Due to the size of Aurora, it is no surprise that the nation has many ways to travel. There are thousands of cabs, trains and airplane flights that can be used to get all over the country. The nation also has a large supply of cargoships and cruiseships, to get the various islands that are part of the Oceanic Nation.

Flag of Aurora
The flag of Aurora consists of a Darkish Orange banner, said to represent the deserts of Aurora, with a blue stripe near the right edge of the flag which represents the Oceans which surround the country. In the center is a 7 pointed star which is a reference to the British Commonwealth.

History of the Flag


A variation of the flag of Aurora was first used in 1919 when the first people tried for independence, however it changed when the country became independent in 1922. This flag remained the flag of Aurora until the referendum to change the flag in 1984.

There was 4 candidates for a new flag when the referendum was held, here are the four flags with the percentage of voters.

Language
Due to its diverse and very peculiar history, the official language of Aurora, Auroran, is a mix between English, Dutch and Aborigine. The vast majority of the population (estimated to be close to 54%) speak Auroran. Most of those 54% also speak English, as it is so similar. Along the border with Occidentia, there is an increase of Dutch/Occidentian due to the influence of Occidentia on Aurora.

Oceanic Union
However, after Ginata's independence, countries of Oceania made a Union between the nations of Occidentia, Aurora, Ginata and the Netherlands (which when Indonesia became independent, it was replaced by them). In 1975 when East Timor gained Independence, they also joined the Oceanic Union to provide security between the Oceanic Nations. The Oceanic Union is very similar to the European Union, as it is an economic alliance and not a militaristic one.

Alliances, Unions and Foreign Relations
Aurora manages to retain relatively peaceful relations around the world as it tries to remain neutral. It is in the United Nations and has a Union with some other countries in Oceania called the Oceanic Union. However, it has strained ties with the People's Republic of China and it's allies because of Aurora recognizing Taiwanese ownership of Mainland China.