[Oxymoron]

It should Dave, make it more personal for us non Scandanavians.

[Zagadka]

I don't understand why we need to reflect PoFo's demographics at all.

It wouldn't make sense for us to be an African country. We're supposedly simulating parliamentary elections, so the best (only) logical way to calculate demographics is to extrapolate representation in government. While minority groups aren't strongly correlated with their representation, we don't have any better means.

[Dave]

It should Dave, make it more personal for us non Scandanavians.

Hell make it another group then, but PoFo's demographics make no sense in a country.

It wouldn't make sense for us to be an African country. We're supposedly simulating parliamentary elections, so the best (only) logical way to calculate demographics is to extrapolate representation in government. While minority groups aren't strongly correlated with their representation, we don't have any better means.

Why does this even need to be explained? Just pretend to be PoFoese or the descendant of recent immigrants.

[Zagadka]

Why does this even need to be explained? Just pretend to be PoFoese or the descendant of recent immigrants.

Complications will arise with tradition, history, social policy, legal procedure, etc. We will need to debate laws on discrimination, make economic policy based on agrarian and industrial income, energy policy, historical trade alliances, etc.

[ingliz]

Set it on the Moon, we have just thrown off the tyranny of Nasa and are a mining colony. Population: 6,000; Ethnic Background: Diverse etc etc.

[Dave]

Complications will arise with tradition, history, social policy, legal procedure, etc. We will need to debate laws on discrimination, make economic policy based on agrarian and industrial income, energy policy, historical trade alliances, etc.

All of that is exactly why trying to mirror PoFo's demographics is not a good idea.

[Zagadka]

All of that is exactly why trying to mirror PoFo's demographics is not a good idea.

Then who would we be representing, and why would they vote for our ethnic makeup?

[Dave]

Then who would we be representing, and why would they vote for our ethnic makeup?

My ethnic makeup is PoFoese, isn't that yours too? It's make-believe. But even that isn't hard to explain. Sweden has an African heading up a government department after all.

[dilpill]

There's Dilpill (Norwegian)

I wasn't being serious here.

[Dave]

I thought you were of Norwegian descent?

[Zagadka]

My ethnic makeup is PoFoese, isn't that yours too? It's make-believe. But even that isn't hard to explain. Sweden has an African heading up a government department after all.

Not being a Nationalist, I do not equate "ethnicity" with "national identity".

[Dave]

Not being a Nationalist, I do not equate "ethnicity" with "national identity".

Then why do you equate it with political representation?

[dilpill]

I thought you were of Norwegian descent? :?:

Nope, not a drop of Norwegian blood in me. I'm half Irish, quarter English, and quarter Ashkenazi Jew.

I still support a Scandinavian/Viking ethnic make-up for our country though. I just don't want another place colonized/settled by standard western Europeans, and having Vikings settle the island during the 1100's makes the most historical sense.

[Dave]

Nope, not a drop of Norwegian blood in me. I'm half Irish, quarter English, and quarter Ashkenazi Jew.

I don't even remember where I got that idea now (it wasn't from that thread).

I still support a Scandinavian/Viking ethnic make-up for our country though. I just don't want another place colonized/settled by standard western Europeans, and having Vikings settle the island during the 1100's makes the most historical sense.

That's what I'm saying. But hey, if we want something wacky we can say it was colonized by the Carthaginians.

[Prosthetic Conscience]

Large island in the North Atlantic, mixed terrain

Economy
Developed/industrialized

What kind of natural resources do we have? Clausewitz made reference to PoFonMobil, so does that mean we have a lot of oil and gas?

Demography
Population around 50 million (most votes were between 25-75 million IIRC, although some voted for a larger population). Note also that a population of that size would imply that we have pretty good farmland.
Relatively high inequality
Relatively large rural population (a lot of family farms?) for an industrialized country
Ethnic composition: Undecided, but based on the geography I suggest Scandinavian with important influences from the British Isles.

OK, so with a reasonable rural population, let's say the population density of Spain - 231 people/sq. mile, so an area of about 216,000 sq. miles. If roughly circular, a radius of about 260 miles. And in the mid-Atlantic. How about:



That's a medieval map, you understand. Unaccountably, the way there got lost for a few hundred years. And now it's back, minus the monarchy, as PoFoLand.

[Dave]

Lower population density would be preferable, but that basically works.

[Zagadka]

Then why do you equate it with political representation? ;)

I don't. I said it is the best way to guess. It is called statistical anthropology... if you have a selection of 100 people from a sample of 50,000,000, you can not say for sure what the ethnic makeup is, but you can calculate a likely scenario and combine it with known history to determine the probability.

This is the same way all statistical studies are done. We have a very limited data set, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't use it and instead pick some arbitrary single identity. My model would have a greater relationship than yours.

[Dave]

The statistical anthropology would also result in this country having a strange dearth of women, children, the middle-aged, and the elderly.

I think it makes more sense to figure out the likely population of the country rather than to project this forum onto it.

[Zagadka]

The statistical anthropology would also result in this country having a strange dearth of women, children, the middle-aged, and the elderly.

Um, that's why there's the "anthropology" bit. You look at the statistical model and apply known historical and social norms to it.

I think it makes more sense to figure out the likely population of the country rather than to project this forum onto it.

So how do you figure it out without relating it to the population of this forum?

Did only 106 people turn out for the national elections?

[Dave]

So how do you figure it out without relating it to the population of this forum?

Based on our made-up geography.

Did only 106 people turn out for the national elections?

Since these are our first elections in decades, I would assume over 80% of eligible voters showed up.