Helvetic-Bavarian Commonwealth

The Helvetic-Bavarian Commonwealth (Hel-VET-ic - Bav-AR-ian Com-mon-WEALTH), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by 9 other countries. Germany and Poland to the north, Moravia, Wien, Styria, and Veneto to the east, France and Occitania to the west, and Italy to the south. The total area of the HBC is 213,350 km², making it the 81st largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of 45.3 million people, The HBC is the 30th most populous country in the world and the fourth most populous member of the European Union. The HBC is a commonwealth of 3 nations, with 34 administrative subdivisions between them.

The Commonwealth has been in a state of civil war since January 9th, 2017, starting with street protests against corrupt Helvetican politicians, who were caught in a massive scandal trying to centralize the government and put Helvetica at the centre. After the scandal broke out, representatives of Helvetica denied these claims, but it was found that this scnadal went much deeper with many of the politicans. The President of the HBC was shot dead by Bohemian nationalists on January 8th, 2017, and claimed responsibility for the attack. The Bohemian government was unable to contain the situation, and was attacked and replaced by the Bohemian nationists, who declared independence. Bavaria followed suit, although much less violent. Linz was captured by Bohemian forces on February 27th, 2017, and Bavarian forces have been unable to fight this two-fronted war. The Bohemians and Helveticans have destroyed many hospitals, schools and homes, displacing thousands of people.

Politics
The Federal Constitution adopted in 1923 is the legal foundation of the modern federal state. A new Constitution was adopted in 1999, but did not introduce notable changes to the federal structure. It outlines basic and political rights of individuals and citizen participation in public affairs, divides the powers between the Confederation and the cantons and defines federal jurisdiction and authority. There are three main governing bodies on the federal level the bicameral parliament (legislative), the Federal Council (executive) and the Federal Court (judicial).

The Federal Palace, seat of the Federal Assembly and the Federal Council. The Swiss Parliament consists of two houses: the Council of States which has 34 representatives (one for each administrative subdivision) who are elected under a system determined by each administrative subdivision, and the National Council, which consists of 200 members who are elected under a system of proportional representation, depending on the population of each administrative subdivision. Members of both houses serve for 4 years. When both houses are in joint session, they are known collectively as the Federal Assembly. Through referendums, citizens may challenge any law passed by parliament and through initiatives, introduce amendments to the federal constitution, thus making the Confederation a direct democracy.

The Federal Council constitutes the federal government, directs the federal administration and serves as collective Head of State. It is a collegial body of nine members (three for each state), elected for a four-year mandate by the Federal Assembly which also exercises oversight over the Council. The President of the Confederation is elected by the Assembly from among the nine members, traditionally in rotation and for a one-year term; the President chairs the government and assumes representative functions. However, the president is a primus inter pares with no additional powers, and remains the head of a department within the administration.

Climate
The Confederate climate is generally temperate, but can vary greatly between the localities, from glacial conditions on the mountaintops to the often pleasant near Mediterranean climate at the Confederation's southern tip. There are some valley areas in the southern part of the Confederation where some cold-hardy palm trees are found. Summers tend to be warm and humid at times with periodic rainfall so they are ideal for pastures and grazing. The less humid winters in the mountains may see long intervals of stable conditions for weeks, while the lower lands tend to suffer from inversion, during these periods, thus seeing no sun for weeks.

A weather phenomenon known as the föhn (with an identical effect to the chinook wind) can occur at all times of the year and is characterised by an unexpectedly warm wind, bringing air of very low relative humidity to the north of the Alps during rainfall periods on the southern face of the Alps. This works both ways across the alps but is more efficient if blowing from the south due to the steeper step for oncoming wind from the south. Valleys running south to north trigger the best effect. The driest conditions persist in all inner alpine valleys that receive less rain because arriving clouds lose a lot of their content while crossing the mountains before reaching these areas. Large alpine areas such as Graubünden remain drier than pre-alpine areas and as in the main valley of the Valais wine grapes are grown there.

The wettest conditions persist in the high Alps and in the Ticino canton which has much sun yet heavy bursts of rain from time to time. Precipitation tends to be spread moderately throughout the year with a peak in summer. Autumn is the driest season, winter receives less precipitation than summer, yet the weather patterns in Confederate are not in a stable climate system and can be variable from year to year with no strict and predictable periods.