Dryicor

Dryicor, also known as the Empire of Dryicor (Finnish: Drahkorin Imperiumi, Icelandic: Drykorsk Stórveldi, Norwegian: Drykorsk Imperium), is a country and sovereign state in the north of Scandinavia. It is bordered by, , and.

The country's capital, Honganiemi, is the largest city and has just under 550,000 people, whilst Dryicor overall has just shy of 2.5 million.

History
Dryicor was part of the, as it had for a long time been a Norwegian overseas territory, and when the Union was dissolved in 1537 it was ceded by to  as a concession. Sweden gave Dryicor its independence in 1621 after Dryicorans, who had long maintained a distinct, Norwegian-influenced culture from the Swedes, had been inspired by Ligronla's fight for its own independence during the dissolution of the Kalmar Union, and Denmark having the upper hand in the was more of a concern for the Swedes than Dryicor. Haakkon Amuldsen became Haakkon I, the first Emperor of Dryicor, and reigned until 1644. Haakkon I is viewed favourably by Dryicorans, as he is viewed to have made enough peace with Sweden to have made Dryicor prosper.

Dryicor did engage with colonialism, and, as Jarkko IV is said to have put it, "we're cold people looking for some sun for a change". It engaged in friendly relations with ordinary people in Laioria (it is called the "Caribbean Relationship" by Dryicorans, and the "Nordic Relationship" by Laiorians), and many wanted to be ruled by Dryicor (Dryicor did plan to make it so, yet it never materialised). However, it did rule over Finway, which it still does to some degree - many there have started to appreciate the local home rule - and gained 50:50 ownership of Ogal from in 1830, whilst Spain relinquished its 50% share in 1885.

In the, Dryicor remained neutral yet gave its support to Denmark-Norway (yet did not support the Danish fleets militarily in the against the , Dryicor's traditional arch-enemy), and fought in vain with Sweden against  when it  in 1808. Dryicor's friendship with the Finns stretches back to ancestral times, and Dryicorans are often called "Finnish Norwegians" as a joke by some.

Testament to this nickname Dryicor also supported Norway's declaration of independence in 1814, and at the Dryicor supported Norway's right to self-determination, yet had to concede it had little say on the matter. In 1905, Norway eventually received independence from its union with Sweden, and Dryicor was the first country to officially recognise Norwegian independence.

Within the early part of the nineteenth century, Dryicor started to develop a welfare state, mainly due to the Socialist Party's dominance in that period. In line with other Scandinavian countries Dryicor remained neutral in the, the general view of Dryicorans was that it wasn't a war the country needed to be involved in. However, Dryicor did fight for Finnish independence in 1917, and was the first country to recognise Finland as a country on 6 December, 1917.

The was a difficult time for Dryicor, torn between the Nazis' invasion of Norway and Finland's alliance with the Axis Powers. After successfully staying neutral, in 1941 it reluctantly signed the and was considered by some to have unofficially joined the. Historians now tend to consider the country as having engaged in Finland-style kanssasotija ("co-belligerence") against the Soviets, however not to Finland's extent. Eventually, Dryicor sent volunteers to help the Finns, whilst keeping some ties to the Allies, for fear of a Soviet invasion, which the Soviets had planned. Dryicor also secretly helped Norway liberate itself, and sent more fighters after it felt less pressure from Finland swapping sides.

Dryicor was a signatory to the foundation of the in 1952 and 1954's formation of the. It remained neutral throughout the, supporting the (though it left in 1999 in protest at Belarus' admittance).

Dryicor is a member of neither the (a 1994 referendum was a clear "no") nor, and repeated polls suggest Dryicorans do not wish to join either (though support has risen for joining NATO since the Russian invasion of Ukraine). Dryicor is, however, a member of. It is the only Nordic country which is not a member of the.

Governance
Dryicor's system of government was based on a federal example from 1821 until 1862, when a referendum supported government directly from Honganiemi. Dryicor is divided into regions, counties and then districts.

Education
Dryicor's education programme is split into two sections across four "key stages". Dryicoran children start primary school aged 5 in Year 1, and then move up one year every year. They leave primary school aged 11, and start secondary school in Year 8, which ends in Year 12. At the end of Year 7 and Year 12, students take examinations. Students are not held back if they don't complete these, but may retake them if they so wish.

The Dryicoran education programme is mostly focussed on prioritising a child's relationship with their teacher over academic studies, as the former indirectly influences the latter. Teachers are encouraged not to be overly harsh on tellings-off, and they are instead encouraged to try to understand why the pupil did their wrongdoing, and to help them understand it also.

The Dryicoran school day varies from county to county, however most schools operate a 9.15AM-3PM school day for primary school, and 9AM-2.30PM secondary school day. After Year 12, students may leave school or stay on for higher education.

Politics
Laws are created by the Parliament of Dryicor, a unicameral legislature. Bills go for three readings, the first being a simple yes/no vote, the second being the time for amendments and the third being a confirmation for law. Dryicor abolished the monarchy in 1946 but kept the name "Empire", so the Prime Minister of Dryicor is the head of state.

Elections are conducted on a regional basis, with each region sending a certain number of representatives to Parliament. They occur every four years, and a snap election may be held if a supermajority of parliamentarians vote for it however, unlike in most countries, the four-year calendar continues irrespective of snap elections. The next election is due on 7 October, 2021.

Dryicor is not part of the European Union. It was intended to join in 1995 however it pulled out when 85% of Dryicorans voted against joining. Dryicor has never been part of NATO either, and supported the Non-Aligned Movement in the Cold War.

Media and broadcasting
Dryicor's broadcasting networks use Finnish as their main language, and usually have channels for Icelandic and Norwegian. The largest Dryicoran broadcasting network is DTV, followed by Channel 4 and Channel 5. The public service BOD owned a monopoly on television until the late 1990s, when DTV's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 's extraordinary ratings, among other DTV programmes, made the commercial channels' popularity skyrocket. That culminated in DTV gaining the BOD's Channel 1 spot in 2012. Commercial stations must not have any more than 4 advert breaks in an hour. There are no adverts on BOD stations except in between programmes. A TV licence is required to watch BOD programmes, yet not for commercial channels.

As for radio, the BOD retains a monopoly on this medium. DAB is a popular medium yet AM is surprisingly strong in Dryicor. The major radio stations are BOD Radio 1, broadcasting the top tracks, BOD Radio 2, the main talk radio station, BOD Radio 3, broadcasting radio dramas and children's radio programming, and BOD Radio 4, broadcasting popular tracks. Signal 1, part-owned by DTV and Channel 4, is the most popular commercial station, followed by its subsidiary Signal 2.

Cinema in Dryicor was at its highest in the 1980s and 1990s, with films such as ' and ' proving blockbuster hits. The popularity of the aforementioned Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? provided  a surprise success in 2009.

People and Trends

 * The currency is the Dryicoran Kronor, with an exchange rate of about 1 Kr = £0.90 = $1.25. It switched to a decimal currency from Kronor, Aurar and Suurem (1 Kr = 12 Au, 1 Au = 12 Su) in 1923.
 * The life expectancy is usually 89.3 for men and 90.4 for women.
 * The drinking age is 16 in Dryicor.
 * The driving age is also 16 in Dryicor.
 * One must also be 16 to gamble to a value of above 4 Kr.
 * The marriage age is 16 in Dryicor with the permission of one or more parents of each party to the marriage, and 18 without permission.
 * Same-sex activity and homosexuality was decriminalised in 1961. Same-sex marriage became legal in 2009, with civil partnerships for same-sex couples having been allowed since 2001.
 * Dryicorans like to keep their personal space. The local culture is very organised - jumping the queue and jaywalking are both very much frowned upon, even more so than in other Nordic countries.
 * Dryicor maintains a Nordic-style social system and universal benefits are guaranteed for all citizens. The minimum wage is 10 Kr ($12.50; £9.00) per hour.
 * Animal cafes have recently surged in popularity, and it is commonplace to see them. In the vast majority you can feed the resident pets.
 * Dryicorans love saunas. Almost everyone has one, and they are almost as widespread as in Finland, for example (however, all have adjustments for personal space). As Erno Pulkkinen once said on the famous "Tervetuloa Drykoreen" video, "Where the ones on  go in the hot tub, we couple up in the sauna."

Sport
The national sport of Dryicor is, with and  also popular. and have also grown in popularity, especially the former in recent times.

Dryicor first entered the Olympics in. Since then, Dryicor has had a total of 88 medals (22 gold, 44 silver, 22 bronze) across its being in attendance at every Olympic Games since its debut.

Languages and speaking
Dryicor's national languages are Finnish and Icelandic, however even Finns and Icelanders tend to struggle to hear Dryicorans, especially Dryicoran men, speak. This is because Dryicorans tend to drop unnecessary letters (though they are still used when written). For example, Dryicorin Imperiumi ("Empire of Dryicor") is often pronounced as "Dry'or'n 'mp'r'm'". Even Erno Pulkkinen has a reputation for dropping these letters, even in English, which is known to hinder talks with international officials. Also, Dryicoran men also tend to speak in an extremely gravelly tone, which makes conversation only more difficult. One famous instance of this was in a press conference in 2017, when Pulkkinen tried to say "I hope that these negotiations will provide our Empire with a good and secure future", however it came out as "I 'o' t'a' t'e' n'g't'at'ns'l' 'r'v'd' 'r 'm'r' w' g' a' s'r f'r." Studies have suggested that these accent problems have contributed to the Dryicoran stereotype as reclusive and gruff.

Crime
Dryicor's police force is well funded and as such crime is low. Prisoners also receive good conditions, as the Dryicoran prisons programme is mostly focussed on rehabilitation.