Mid-Atlantic Union

The Mid-Atlantic Union, formerly known as Pennsyljersaware, is a federal republic consisting of the three regions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and located next to the USA, New England, and Canada. This country is one of the most developed in the world, and is also one of the most technologically-advanced countries in the world as well. The Mid-Atlantic Union is also the world's largest exporter of coal. The country has three capitals, one for each of the three regions. Harrisburg is home to the office of the President, Trenton is the home of the National Assembly (the governing body), and Dover is home to the National Supreme Court.

The Flag
The flag has three equal-sized bands colored black, white, and green. The black represents the large abundance of coal in the area, the green represents the lush green forests, and the white officially represents the large amounts of snowfall that can sometimes cover the area. In the middle is a golden keystone which represents unity.

The Ashland Revolt
In April of 1878, a coal mine shaft near Hazleton, Pennsylvania collapsed, killing all 32 miners inside. The citizens of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania were outraged and blamed the deaths on lack of worker's safety. The people started protests demanding new safety policies for miners. The protests eventually turned into riots, and a revolt broke out in the city of Ashland, Pennsylvania in mid-June of 1878. Within six months, more revolts broke out, spreading rapidly across the state. On December 12th, 1878, a group of rebels stormed and captured the city of Harrisburg, and officially declared independence from the United States of America. After Pennsylvania was fully occupied, the rebels focused on capturing the states of New Jersey and Delaware, in order to give them access to the sea. Delaware was conquered within four months, while New Jersey was harder to advance through because of heavy defenses in that area, causing a stalemate. However, on Christmas Day of 1879, rebel forces in northern New Jersey broke through the defenses and began advancing towards New York City. The rebels would reach the Hudson river on January 20th, 1880. Both sides, weary of war, agreed to an armistice, which was signed the next day. The Treaty of Carlisle was signed on April 3rd, 1880, and confirmed Pennsylvania's independence and granted the new country the states of New Jersey and Delaware, cutting the United States in two. The U.S. was also forced to recognize Pennsylvania's independence. Pennsylvania shortly renamed itself to Pennsyljersaware. The region of New England eventually declared independence from the U.S. just two years later.

The Coal-Mining and World War eras
Shortly after independence, Pennsyljersaware began increasing coal production, which it greatly benefited from. The young country quickly grew into an economic powerhouse and became the world's largest producer of coal, especially anthracite coal. However, that all changed when World War I came along. Pennsyljersaware was so focused on coal mining that they were barely able to produce a military. There were only about 5,000 active troops at the time, with only a few naval vessels. But that didn't stop Pennsyljersaware from entering the war. They declared war on the Central Powers and began rapidly developing their army. Thousands of people were recruited into the army, bringing the number of soldiers up to 25,000. The war ended in 1919 in an Allied victory, but the country went into a deep economic recession. The value of their currency, the Pennsylvanian dollar, dropped greatly, and thousands of people lost their jobs. The country was hit even harder by the Great Depression. At its peak, about 75% of the country's population was unemployed. But, the country received economic help from U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt along with his "New Deal." Pennsyljersaware's economy had almost fully recovered by the time World War II began. During World War II, Pennsyljersawarean scientists worked with American, British, and Canadian scientists to develop the atomic bomb, which was dropped on Japan to end World War II in 1946.

The Cold War Era
Pennsyljersaware was one of the founding members of the United Nations in 1947, and was elected as one of the six permanent Security Council members. The country declined NATO membership and decided to remain neutral during the Cold War, eventually founding the Non-Aligned Movement. In August of 1953, the Pennsyljersawarean government officially legalized socialism in the country, a move unpopular with the Americans. The Pennsyljersawarean President at the time, Tim Johnson, stated that they did this to ease tensions with the Soviets and to decrease the chance of a socialist revolution. So far, no President that held the office was Socialist, sometimes losing by a slight majority.

The Pennsyljersawarean Civil War and subsequent NATO membership
In February of 1980, communists, allegedly backed by the Soviet Union, revolted against the Pennsyljersawarean government, starting a civil war. Quickly, NATO and its allies sent weapons and aid to the Pennsyljersawarean army, government, and citizens. At its peak in mid-1983, the communists controlled many large population and economic centers, including Pittsburgh, Atlantic City, Lancaster, Newark, and Wilmington. However, the Pennsyljersawarean army swiftly stormed through communist-controlled areas, forcing the communists to surrender in fall of 1985. Pennsyljersaware then ceased all diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and applied for NATO membership. On March 20, 1986, Pennsyljersaware was officially admitted into NATO.

The Economic Boom and War on Terror
In 1992, Pennsyljersaware began rapidly improving its technology, and coal mining increased once again. This fueled an economic boom bigger than the one nearly a century earlier. At the boom's peak in 1997, Pennsyljersaware had the ninth-largest economy in the world, with nearly $1.5 trillion. Following the September 11th attacks in 2001, Pennsyljersaware joined the United States in declaring the "War on Terror." Since then, the country has sent thousands of troops to terrorist hotspots like Afghanistan. In recent years, the country has helped countries like Afghanistan and Iraq recover from terrorist incidents.

Direct Involvement in the Syrian Civil War
On May 24, 2015, a suicide bombing occurred at the Pocono Raceway during a NASCAR race, killing 46 people. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, claimed responsibility for the attack. The next day, the Pennsyljersawarean government unanimously voted to declare war on ISIL, and urged other countries to to do the same, beginning direct involvement in the Syrian Civil War.

Coup d'état and Name Change
On June 14, 2017, a group of citizens living in Colonial Park (a suburb of Harrisburg) attempted to stage a coup to overthrow what they called a "corrupt government." Riots and bombings occurred throughout the country, mainly in and around the Harrisburg metro area. This even interfered with the country's announcement of their votes for Mappervision Song Contest XXII. The coup ultimately failed, however the President was assassinated just three days later. His vice-president, James Andrew, was named as interim president and called for a snap election, which will be held sometime in October. The coup attempt ultimately killed around 32 people, although some are still missing. A manhunt is currently underway for the perpetrators.

On July 30, 2017, a referendum was held to determine if the country should change its name, due to complaints of it being "too complex" and "hard to pronounce." With a 92% voter turnout, it was said to be the biggest referendum in the country's history. An overwhelming 97% of citizens voted to change the name, and on August 1 the name was officially changed to the Mid-Atlantic Union.