Bears Armed

Bears Armed

Flag of Bears Armed
Motto: Do We WHAT In The Woods?
Detailed Map
Region	International Democratic Union
Capital	Council Groves
Official Language(s)	Ursine, English
Leader	ChairBear of the High Council of Clans
Population	approximately 18-19 million
Currency	thaler
NS NSTracker Sunset XML

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Geography 3 Flora & Fauna 3.1 Endemic Plant Species 3.1.1 Cryptogams 3.1.2 Conifers 3.1.3 Flowering Plants 3.2 Endemic Animal Species 3.2.1 Brachiopoda 3.2.2 Arthropoda 3.2.3 Chordata 3.2.3.1 Fish 3.2.3.2 Amphibia 3.2.3.3 Reptiles 3.2.3.4 Birds 3.2.3.5 Mammals 4 Prehistory 5 History 5.1 Early History 5.2 Modern History 6 Government 7 Religion 8 Miscellanous Notes

Introduction

Bears Armed is rather unusual as nations go, even within the NS Multiverse, because (1.) Its population consists almost entirely of Ursines, rather than Humans; and (2.) Its territories are divided into two distinct blocks, hundreds of miles apart, that are linked only by an ancient (and probably magical) set of ‘Gates’.

Geography

Flora & Fauna

The ranges of species within the native flora and fauna of this country are quite similar overall to those of Earth’s continents ‘Europe’ & ‘North America’, although many of the actual species present are endemic to the IDU — or even to this specific nation alone — instead.

Endemic Plant Species

Cryptogams

Conifers

Parasequoia ursinorum -- Redwood, Yordian Redwood
Metacryptomeria robusta --
M. elegans --
M. spiralis --
Pseudocupressus pungens -- EffTree

Flowering Plants

Endemic Animal Species

Brachiopoda

Arthropoda

Chordata

Fish

Amphibia

Reptiles

Birds

Mammals

Prehistory

History

Early History

Modern History

Government

For the last two centuries this country has actually been a fairly loose confederation, with a national government — the ‘High Council of Clans’, consisting of delegates chosen by the separate governments of the various Clans and other "Bodys" that collectively comprise the nation — whose main functions have been to arbitrate in disputes between those subdivisions and to supervise the nation’s defences. Citizenship is held only within a specific Clan or other "Body", rather than in the nation as a whole, and the requirements & rights associated with this status vary to some extent from group to group.

Religion

Religion is basically regarded as a matter of personal choice, as long as this isn't used to justify the commission of acts that would be illegal if performed in a secular context, although social pressure and widespread respect for tradition tend to keep most people within the same faiths that their relatives and neighbours also follow. There are quite a few different religions with followers in this nation, although most of them have their strengths concentrated in particular areas, and it’s not unknown for people here actually to follow two or more religions simultaneously There is no overall 'national' church, but the Constitution allows Clans and other ('primary’) Bodys to choose ‘official’ religions for themselves and most of them have done so. Religiously-inspired charities carry out a wide range of 'social welfare' activities, supplementing those provided by the governments of the Clans and other Bodys, so that the population's less successful elements aren't actually as badly-off as the lack of national government programmes along those lines might suggest.

Miscellanous Notes

A traditional system of weights & measures, which is mainly octal in nature, is used.