Northern Frontier Administration
Northern Frontier Military Administration 北疆军区 | |
|---|---|
Military administration | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
| Motto: 「土帝万岁！」 (Long Live the Earth King!) | |
| Capital and largest city | Chigong |
| Official languages | Terran |
| Religion | Celestialism |
| Government | Military-ruled dependency under absolute monarchy |
| Ainin | |
• Superintendent of North Jidai | CAdm. Liu Se (Commander, Nt. Flt.) |
• Resident Governor | Bvt. CAdm. Chin Wuliao |
| Population | |
• 2022 census | 71 (excluding temporary workers) |
| Currency | Gold tael (金两) |
The Northern Frontier Military Administration (Terran: 北疆军区), commonly known as the Northern Frontier Administration (NFA), is a sparsely-populated colonial possession of the Earth Kingdom on the north shore of the Northern Sea, opposite Peining. Due to its lack of long-term resident population, the Northern Frontier Administration is strictly administered as a dependent territory of the Earth Kingdom without self-government functions of any kind. Though nominally under direct royal suzerainty as part of the Superintendency of North Jidai, the territory is functionally governed by the military of the Earth Kingdom and an officer of the Earth Navy is automatically appointed as the resident royal governor.
The Northern Frontier Administration is a peninsula which abuts the shores of both the Northern Sea and the Far-Northern Sea, while its sole land border is with a vast hinterland of uncharted wilderness. The terrain of the Northern Frontier Administration is heavily forested and boasts a nearly impassable interior comprising steep hills, tall cliffs and wide rivers. Iconic native flora include birches, spruces and giant mushrooms. Though poorly suited for human habitation, the territory is known for its abundant natural resources, including in timber, coal and wild animals. The Northern Frontier Administration shares maritime borders with Albion and the Northern Protectorate, a territory of the Air Nation.
Despite its vast size, the Northern Frontier Administration is almost entirely unpopulated, as it is maintained solely for resource extraction activities benefitting the government and industry of the Earth Kingdom. The only settlement in the Northern Frontier Administration is the entrepôt town of Chigong, which is home to a small body of administrators, a nominal garrison and some supporting personnel. Additionally, two harbours, Dunggong and Peigong, provide access to the territory's rugged and inhospitable interior. Though these harbours are uninhabited, they regularly host civilian workers and their accommodation ships during brief stints of work extracting resources from the territory.
Under the Treaty of Gaoling, the Administration (except for Chigong and its approach channels) is a demilitarized zone in which all military activity and fortification is prohibited.
Ports and settlements
Economy
As a resource-based export economy, the Northern Frontier Administration is entirely focused on extraction of natural resources for export to the Earth Kingdom. Important resources produced in the Northern Frontier Administration include timber, coal, iron ore, sand, stone, topsoil, clay and furs.
Small-scale farms are maintained in Chigong by local residents to produce fresh eggs and vegetables in order to supplement imported rations, but they do not contribute to the territory economy. Fishermen from Peining sometimes venture into Administration waters, but there is otherwise no native fishing industry.
Manufacturing and service industries are not known to exist in the Administration. All manufactured goods used in the Administration, including tools, weapons, vehicles, clothes and processed foods, are imported from the Earth Kingdom.
Defence and security
As a demilitarized zone under the Treaty of Gaoling, the permanent stationing of military personnel in the Northern Frontier Administration is prohibited. However, under the terms of an exception clause in the treaty, the Earth Army and Earth Navy jointly supply a nominal garrison to protect the port of Chigong and offer basic policing services. The garrison comprises 41 Army personnel who are organized as the company-strength Northern Frontier Security Regiment (NF SEC RGT) and nine Navy personnel who man the unarmed patrol boat ENAS Duchess, which provides a basic transport, law enforcement, and search and rescue capacity for the garrison.
Though the regular laws of the Earth Kingdom apply in the Northern Frontier Administration, there are no magistrates or courts operating anywhere within its territory. Therefore, responsibility for the investigation of crimes lies with the military garrison and criminal suspects are transported to Peining for trial before a royal magistrate.