Overview

New Goldman, officially the United Federation of New Goldman, is a sovereign country comprising the island of Goldmania and numerous smaller islands. With a square area of 6,542,271 km², New Goldman is the largest island nation in the Pacific Ocean.

It is bounded all around by the South Pacific Ocean. It shares maritime borders with the Pacifican Commonwealth to the southeast and Chile to the east.

United Federation of New Goldman

Unuiĝinta Federacio de New Goldman (Esperanto)

Federación Unida de New Goldman
(Spanish)

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Flag

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Motto:
"Forward and Onward"
"Antaŭen kaj Antaŭen" (Esperanto)
"Adelante y Adelante" (Spanish)

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Anthem: "Salute To The Flag"

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Location in the South Pacific

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Population: 38,221,142 (37th) (2024 estimate)

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Capital: Capitol Hill
Largest City: Williamsburg

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Official Language: English

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National Language(s): Esperanto, Spanish

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Ethnicity:

Race (2020)

White (54%)
Asian (25%)
Latino (11%)
Black (7%)
Other (3%)

Ethnic Groups (2020)

Goldmanese (33%)
Centralers (31%)
Northwesterns (17%)
Mountaineers (10%)
Nordaj Maristoj (9%)
Patriotese (1%)

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Religion (2023)

86% Christianity
- 60% Roman Catholic
- 23% Protestant
- 3% Other Catholic

13% No Religion
- 9% Agnostic
- 4% Atheist

1% Other

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Demonym: Goldmanian (official)

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Government: Semi-presidential republic

• President: Charles Norton
• Prime Minister: Bruce Jackson
• Senate Chairman: William Harrison
• Council Speaker: Sue Garcia
• Grand Justice: Aaron Burrow

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Legislature: National Congress

- Upper House: Grand Senate
- Lower House: Council of Representatives

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Independence from the United States

Spanish settlement: 1543

First Goldmanian Revolt: April 17, 1821

Second Goldmanian Revolt: January 5, 1897

Treaty of Paris: December 10, 1898

Goldmanian-American War: February 15, 1899

Provisional Goldmanian Authority: March 6, 1938

Independence from
the United States granted: July 26, 1946

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Land Area: 6.542 million km²

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Elevation:
Highest Point: Victory Peak (3,102 meters)
Lowest Point: Devil's Lair (14 m below sea level)

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GDP (PPP): 1,809,620 (20th)
GDP (PPP) per capita: 69,316 (17th)

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GDP (nominal): 941,558 (20th)

GDP (nominal) per capita: 59,138 (15th)

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GINI: 33.8 medium (2020)

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HDI: 0.862 very high (44th)

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Currency: Goldmanian Dollar (G$)

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Time Zone: UTC-7; UTC-6

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Date Format: dd/mm/yyyy or yyyy-mm-dd

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Driving side: right

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Calling code: +693

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ISO 3166 Code: ISO 3166 2:NG

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The first humans of what was to become New Goldman came in the form of settlers from the eastern coast of South America around 64,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Period. Arriving via boats, these humans settled on the island and eventually developed their own distinct culture, alongside approximately 150 aboriginal languages by the time of European discovery.

New Goldman's history with Europe began with renowned Portuguese sailor and circumnavigator Ferdinand Magellan, who stopped on the southern shore of the island during his eventual ill-fated circumnavigation of the globe in 1520. Formal Spanish colonization began in earnest in 1608, as King Phillip II of Spain ordered that the island, alongside the smaller landmass to its southeast now known as Pacifica, be claimed and be created into a major staging area for trade and connection with the Empire's territories in Spanish America, and much later, the Spanish East Indies. Spain however would never control the entire island directly, as they found it difficult to best the vast forests and marshes in the central part of the country. Total control by the occupiers was thus limited to the coastal areas.

Spanish colonization of New Goldman persisted for a staggering 355 years, one of the longest in history. Within this period, several rebellions rose in defiance of Spanish rule, culminating in a full-scale revolution in 1896 that entwined with the Spanish-American War. The subsequent Treaty of Paris forced Spain to cede all of its territories including New Goldman to the United States, amidst the declaration of the First Goldmanian Republic. The ensuing Goldmanian-American War would result in the latter asserting full control over the island. Talks of autonomous rule sprung up through the years, which culminated with the establishment of the Provisional Goldmanian Authority in 1938, to prepare the island for independence within an 8-year transition window. New Goldman became a major Allied springboard during the Pacific Theater of World War II, with many Goldmanians also partaking in the war effort.

America would finally see Goldmanian independence come to fruition with the official declaration of the Federation in 1946. Since then, the semi-presidential republic had enjoyed relative peace, albeit a brief confrontation with its southeastern neighbor, the Pacifican Commonwealth, in 1979, which resulted in minimal casualties.

New Goldman is a newly developed country. It is a founding member of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. The country also is one of the foremost members of the Association of South Pacific States, which comprises nations bordering the South Pacific. It is also the only country in the world to have Esperanto as an official national language.

The name "Goldman" can be traced back to the early stages of the Spanish Empire's occupation of the island in the 1700s. What is now New Goldman was officially named the Isla De Los Hombres De Oro, or Island of the Gold Men in English, when it was first officially mapped by the Jesuit priest Father Ricardo Rodriguez y Del Rios in 1728. The term "Gold Men" can be attributed to the ceremonial golden accessories worn by the natives of the island during their daily rituals in worship of nature, which they believed housed spirits and lesser gods. These were created by way of smelting, which the nativity had learned over time from captured Spanish prisoners during the landings back in the 1600s.

The oldest surviving document to officially mention the name "Goldman" was a bimonthly report of the island dated June 7th, 1773 by the Primer oficial of Goldman at the time, Manuel Lopez Miranda, addressed to the Spanish king, Ferdinand VII (scroll below to learn about the Primer oficial). Miranda was known to issue official bimonthly reports on the status of the island to the monarchy in Madrid, which eventually earned him the nickname "El Corresponsal" (literally "The Correspondent").

The third and concluding paragraph of the letter, when translated, reads:

"As a whole, I can state with great gusto that the society of the island of Goldman is as peaceful as it can ever be. The fruits are always fresh, the sea is calming, and the word of Christ is engraved on the hearts and minds of thy people."

It is not known when the word "Goldman" was first actually used in the island's society, but evidence points out that the Spanish Empire began to refer to the island with the name began in earnest in the late 1720s, thus coinciding with the letter's dating. The term would be incorporated into the official name of the Spanish colonial government in 1768, being officially coined as the Captaincy General of Goldman when separated from the adjoining Captaincy General of Pacifica, whom both administrations compose the single colonial government of the Captaincy General of Goldman and Pacifica.

History

Pre-history (980 AD)

Research suggests that the first inhabitants of New Goldman were pre-historic Chilean Amerindians who came over via vessel around 7,000 BC. These boaters used island hopping via landing at the island of Pacifica to the southeast then sailing across the Strait of Eagles to the mainland of the Federation.

The oldest settlement on the mainland, the Garrisonburg Site, was estimated to be established by at least 900 BC, on the northeastern coast of New Goldman. These early peoples brought with them the knowledge of fishing and hunting food in the dense forests of that region, which remain a vital resource pool of the Federation to this day. Trade between the outposts along the coast and across the bay in Pacifica was also evident shortly thereafter.

New Goldman's oldest surviving written record with a confirmed date is the Garrisonburg Copper Inscription, found at the aforementioned Garrisonburg Site, traced back to the year 980 AD. By the 14th century, these settlements would grow into major trading centers in the region, frequently coming into contact with Chilean and Pacifican traders for the exchange of goods. Polities around this time had grown substantially on the island. South American cultural traits were also uncovered to be in practice by around this time, most likely due to the trade.

Polities that emerged between written history and European contact include settlements at Garrisonburg, Puerto Nuevo, Fort Angeles, Trinity Hill, and Cerro Del Sol. These early polities were divided into 4 class systems: the Liderazgo (Leadership), made of a ruling chieftain and the government of the polity; the Guerreras (Warriors), who made up the soldiers that protect the polity; the Ciudadanía (citizenry), who make up the civilian population; and the Comerciantes (Traders), comprised of foreigners mostly coming for trading prospects. (Do note that these names were given shortly after Spanish settlement due to records being kept by the Europeans.)

The first language on New Goldman was of Austronesian descent, as evidenced by sites on what is now the Patriot Group of Islands located to the northeast of the mainland, where the oldest settlement in the Federation's territory, the Baton Hill Settlement, is found. These languages came from Easter Island located to the north.

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Spanish Colonization (1543-1898)

Ferdinand Magellan

In 1520, famed Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan arrived at the southeastern shore of New Goldman, who was shortly coming off the discovery of Pacifica just a week earlier. He would land close to the Garrisonburg polity, now known as the Chiefdom of Garrisonburg, and made contact shortly thereafter. The explorer managed to secure resources gathered by the nativity for his journey after some convincing. After a 4 day's stay, the Portuguese fleet would set sail again towards the east.

In 1543, the Spanish would first set foot on New Goldman soil, using Pacifica as a bridge to the mainland. The island, alongside Pacifica, was of strategic importance to the Spanish as it served as a major chokepoint for the trading route eastwards through the Strait of Magellan to the south. After some years of European settlement, the island would be incorporated into the Captaincy General of Chile in 1549. Spain saw it fit to make the island into a fully-fledged naval fortress for the Spanish Pacific Fleet, which began in the 1600s. New Goldman in turn would become the richest region of the Chilean Spanish administration.

The native's reception of the colonizers was at first, very friendly, as they saw the Spanish as educators and people who came to help them prosper. The real image of the Spanish authorities however was revealed when, in 1756, the Spanish friars began to treat the Goldmanian natives as slaves, frequently committing mass slave acts against them, and stripping them of their hard-earned crops and farms for their gain. All of this was under the supervision of General Bernardo Antonio Lopez, the commander of the Spanish crown forces on the island, who was a prominent racist and infamous for several genocidal acts in Goldman and also Pacifica as well. Even with his death in battle in 1763, the suppression did not cease, as Madrid clamped down on rebellion time and time again.

In 1768, Spanish monarch Charles III ordered that the territories of Goldman and Pacifica be separated from the Captaincy General of Chile and be made into their administration. Thus, the first Governor General of Goldman and Pacifica, Fernando Manuel y Del Soriano, would be appointed in December 1768. The Governor General would be in charge of ruling the realm on behalf of the Spanish crown. As the newly appointed ruler, Soriano's first act was to further divide the realm into 2 regional governments to ease the cost and time of running the government. The regional Captaincy Generals of Goldman and Pacifica were created in January 1769. They were each overseen by a single Primer oficial, or First Official, and each was assigned the 2 islands to govern. The first 2 First Officials were Diego Carlos Villanueva for the island of Goldman and Jorge Soto y Ricardo for Pacifica.

The American Revolution and the South American Wars of Independence would rock the New World in the 1790s to 1800s, with many of Spain's former colonies in Latin America and Mexico revolting against Madrid, thus significantly reducing the power of the Spanish Empire in the process. Goldman and Pacifica remained the last major Spanish holdings in the New World due to the Spanish navy managing to make the islands into an impenetrable fortress. This was evident when Chilean revolutionaries in 1817 tried to coerce the nativity into revolting full-time against their rulers instead of individual, sporadic battles, by traveling around native settlements on Goldman and Pacifica and spreading the success of the revolution on mainland South America. Before they could get back to Chile, however, the Spanish Navy intercepted them and captured all members of the mission, including its leader William O'Riley y Protasio. Their execution 2 weeks later would only fuel the fire of the rebels.

By this time, there was a common cause to fight the Spanish Empire, but the warriors in rebellion had owed personal loyalty to individual chieftains and warlords, and we were pretty much a loose alliance going up against the crumbling yet still professional Spanish colonial forces. These certain groups wanted an independent Goldman that was ruled with their views implemented, which was only hindering the rebellion's progress. They all had to be united to fight Madrid's suppression.

Thus, leader of rebel forces in the province of Arroyo, the eventual national hero Pérez Diaz, managed to convince the rebel groups to unite after giving a rousing speech at the meeting with leaders in the Arroyo rebels' secret base at the Hawk's Lair on March 28 1821, which is now known as the Hawk's Lair Speech. After a few weeks of mobilizing, on April 17th, the 1st Goldmanian Revolt was officially launched against the Spanish Empire.

Lasting from 1821 to 1824, the revolution would become the bloodiest conflict in Goldmanian history, taking over 700,000 civilian lives alone, with at least 20,000 military deaths alongside it. The high civilian death toll was mostly because of a food drought spreading through the island because of the numerous Spanish reprisal attacks undertaken against rebel forces. Officers and several volunteer units prominently from South America were secretly transported over to help train the rebellion.

Despite foreign support, it was not to last. Spanish reinforcements finally arrived in droves by 1823. Spain's navy had taken control of the waters around Pacifica and Goldman, and the South American countries ultimately could not stand against them. Major powers such as Great Britain saw it fit to not intervene despite the opportunity, which didn't help matters. Facing annihilation should confrontation continue, the rebel movement would be forced to disperse and switch to sporadic guerilla warfare in the mountains, which was well-suitable for it. Diaz and other rebel leaders however were captured on October 31, 1824, and were executed in January 1825, putting an effective end to the First Goldmanian Revolt. Isolated resistance groups however continued to fight despite this, with the last known resistance unit not surrendering until 1831, 6 years after the death of Diaz.

While the first revolt had ultimately failed to dislodge Spanish control, it did leave an everlasting mark. The brutal tactics adopted by the Guardia Civil and the Spanish Army further tarnished Spain's already fragile reputation on the world stage, with many foreigners admiring the rebellion's efforts in achieving freedom. Prominent New World leaders such as then newly elected US President John Quincy Adams and Interim Supreme Director of Chile Ramón Freire would condemn Spain for the mass genocide and reprisal undertaken by the Spanish authorities.

Smaller rebellions would arise to fight the Spanish for the next 6 decades between the first and second revolts, all of which failed. These movements would give rise to prominent Goldmanian national heroes such as Catalina Amendola, tribal chieftain Sky Mountain, and Spanish deserter Luis Obispo Cruz. Out of this came also the Goldmanian Propaganda Movement in the 1880s, led by famed Goldmanian writer Russell Maravich and was the first widely known bloodless attempt at independence. The movement aimed to spread the atrocities committed by the Spanish government against the nativity through traveling abroad and the publication of pro-independence newspapers. They would do this in conjunction with the Philippines' own Propaganda Movement led by Jose Rizal.

Spain would become more and more strict with every bit of civil unrest. The revolution would also see the end of the Captaincy General's civilian administration in favor of a military government ruled personally by the Governor General of Goldman. By the 1890s, the entire island plus Pacifica was under the direct military control of Madrid.

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American Colonization (1898-1946)

Loyd Wheaton, commander of the US colonial forces in New Goldman, would become the first and only military governor-general of the island.

The sinking of the USS Maine at Havana Harbor in Cuba precipitated the beginning of the Spanish-American War in 1898. As colonies of the Empire, New Goldman was dragged right into the conflict and was made one of the primary targets of the US, alongside the Philippines and Cuba itself. This was seen as the perfect opportunity by the various anti-Spanish rebel groups on the island to drive the Spanish out of the region and achieve total independence. The prospect was especially coveted by the armed Supreme Association for Goldmanian Independence, the largest resistance group on the island.

Formed in 1895, the SAGI was created by pro-independence revolutionaries to end Spanish rule and the establishment of a permanent Goldmanian Republic. These people were led by 2 prominent standouts: Harold Ramirez de Castro, the leader of rebel forces in his home region now known as the Region of Ramirez; and Irish-born Michael Connolly Valera, leader of rebel forces from his home region now known as the Region of Valera. Both of these men would become the foremost important figures in the fighting that was to come. Their movement was discovered by Spanish colonial authorities in 1896 through a series of spies keeping track of their movements. The boiling point came when Governor General Miguel Rodriguez y del Rios deemed the organization and several others as terrorists and moved to have them destroyed in December of that same year. Just a month later, in January 1897, the rebels launched an attack on the Spanish garrison at Fort Santa Anna outside present-day Garrisonburg, and managed to take it alongside 67 Spanish prisoners, which kickstarted the Second Goldmanian Revolt.

On April 16, 1898, an American Navy fleet led by Commodore Matthew Richardson was sent to New Goldman and managed to destroy the Spanish naval garrison there at the Battle of Independence Bay, which virtually secured naval supremacy in the region for the Americans as Madrid could not send a new battlefleet over due to being tied up with the American offensive in the Spanish East Indies. A separate squadron under the command of Commodore Joshua Langley managed to suppress the Spanish naval forces in Pacifica to the southeast. US forces landed shortly after to the delight of the rebels. Goldmanian and American forces managed to jointly defeat Spanish forces in the span of a few months. With no choice left, Governor General del Rios was forced to surrender on September 7, 1898.

The Spanish-American War would officially end 2 months later on December 10, 1898, when the Treaty of Paris was signed. Initially thinking the United States was taking the necessary steps to ensure Goldmanian independence, the revolutionaries were appalled when the provisions of the agreement came out: the islands of Goldman and Pacifica, alongside the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam, were to all be handed over to the Americans in exchange for merely $20 million. Both Ramirez and Valera felt betrayed, as with the entire independence movement. A slimmer of hope came when the Anti-Imperialist League based in the United States attempted to stop the ratification of the treaty, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. With the US controlling the ocean, William McKinley's imperialistic ambitions out in the open, and coupled with over 30,000 American soldiers camped on New Goldman's new capital city, Capitol Hill, the Supreme Association for Goldmanian Independence and their allies prepared for the worst.

It wasn't gonna come easy for the revolutionaries, however, as a rift had formed in the leadership of the SAGI. While Valera and Ramirez ultimately shared the goal of Goldmanian independence, they were deeply divided in the steps to be taken to achieve this goal. Ramirez wanted to engage in war on the Americans head-on to drive them off the island, saying that the treaty was "never for independence, but a blank check for a new colonizer". Valera, on the other hand, wanted to take the peaceful route. He advocated that they have resolution talks with the United States and at least aim for some semblance of autonomy, which he argued then could be utilized to ultimately achieve freedom. He viewed war with the United States as "full-on insanity". The former viewed the latter as a "foreign puppet want to be", and as a result, renounced further cooperation with Valera. A significant number of the SAGI and their allies who shared his view also split from Valera's faction. Ramirez renamed his portion of the SAGI to the Goldman Freedom Army (GFA) with himself as the Presidente supremo (supreme president). Valera reorganized his faction into the United Front for Independence (UFI), declaring himself as Primer ministro (first minister). The "Ramirez-Valera debate" remains a major historical talking point today.

The island of Goldman was on the brink of civil war, with Ramirez's "Liberationists" on one end and Valera's "Resolutionists" on the other. President McKinley initially settled on not intervening, seeing that the inevitable conflict would break down the rebellion, which allowed the United States the freedom to take over the island at will while destroying both sides. This would not happen. Some of Ramirez's forces launched a surprise attack on an American encampment outside Capitol Hill, now known as the Camp Douglas Incident, and managed to wipe out all US soldiers occupying the camp. With a justification of hostility now in place, President McKinley assigned veteran commander Loyd Wheaton to "neutralize the insurrectionist threat" on the island. The Americans officially declared the beginning of an "anti-rebel cleanup" on February 23, 1899, which was interpreted as a declaration of war by both Ramirez and Valera, and the Goldmanian-American War officially began (however, the attack on Camp Douglas days earlier on February 15 is now seen generally as the starting point of the conflict).

Wheaton's 30,000-strong force managed to hold off a Liberationist incursion into Capitol Hill while awaiting new reinforcements. The US began their offensive with small-scale marine landings on coastal cities and settlements such as Garrisonburg, Puerto Nuevo Madrid (now known as McCormickston), and Fort Espada. While Ramirez was aggressive on the defense of the island, Valera sparingly engaged the Americans in large-scale operations, encouraging his officers to attempt to reach out to the American commanders for peace negotiations. Wheaton however was ordered to engage the rebels with "fire and force", no matter their side in the SAGI split. Elwell Otis, commander of the US forces in the Philippines fighting the revolutionary republic formed there, advised Loyd on the matter as well, quoting himself by encouraging him to "take the fight to the bitter end".

A colorized photo, dated 1899, showing American soldiers of the 134th California Volunteer Regiment waiting for Goldmanian rebels in a secluded treeline.

The Goldmanian-American War lasted from 1899 to 1902 and was the second deadliest war in Goldmanian history. At least 500,000 civilian lives perished in the fighting and the ensuing drought that followed due to the Americans taking over the wells and water supplies used by the local farmers. Other estimates however put the toll at over a million dead due to both fighting and famine, however, there is not enough evidence to support this. Ramirez's Liberationist forces were almost completely wiped out as an organized fighting force by 1902 due to his commanders' constant recklessness in wanting to engage the highly disciplined Americans head-on. Valera's Resolutionists meanwhile were backed into a corner, with their numerous attempts at peace all being rejected, and their military forces not seeing that much success. Harold Ramirez was captured in December 1901 by American spies and was brought before Wheaton's high command. Not wishing to surrender unconditionally and even urging that the cause continued, Ramirez was sentenced to death by hanging a few weeks later on December 27.

Valera meanwhile saw further fighting useless after learning of Ramirez's death. On January 13, 1902, he contacted American forces and requested a ceasefire. Just a few days later on January 19, Valera surrendered to General Wheaton, marking the end of the Goldmanian-American War. He also made a public statement, encouraging all remaining Goldmanian rebels to dump their arms and surrender. He would be taken into custody and imprisoned at the newly opened Capitol Hill Maximum Prison for 4 years until he was granted a pardon by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. After his release, Valera would become a key figure in promoting total Goldmanian independence during the American occupation, writing numerous books on the matter, and also memoirs from the days of the Spanish occupation years ago. He specifically spoke highly against imperialism, becoming one of the forefront figures in the world to earn the title.

In the aftermath of the victory, military governments were officially placed into power in both Pacifica and Goldman, ending the centuries-old Captaincy General. These governments were already established at the beginning of the rebellions on both islands, but it was in 1902 when they first ruled with all territory under American control. Loyd Wheaton, as the commander of the US forces on Goldman, was also assigned as the first US Governor General of Goldman from 1899 to 1906. In 1906, the Goldmanian Organic Act was passed by the United States Congress, disestablishing the military government in favor of an insular civil government, which was already in practice in the Philippines. Veteran US general Adna Chaffee would become New Goldman's first insular Governor-General from 1906 to 1908. New Goldman essentially became a satellite colony of the United States with the Insular Government.

It was during this era that major factors of Goldmanian society were first implemented. The first schools were officially opened in the 1900s and 1910s, with the University of Trinity Hill being established as the first modern, American-based university on the island. Transportation was further modernized with the introduction of cars in the 1920s and the improvement of the pre-existing railroad running through the nation. Ports were modernized for trade, and industrialization began to take place. The Great Depression however took a hit on the economy and it would take a few years for it to heal under Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, which was highly promoted through numerous programs on the island by the Insular Government. Governor-General Dwight F. Davis also approved the creation of the predecessor of the modern Goldmanian Armed Forces with the establishment of the Goldmanian Defense Force in 1928. The modernization of Capitol Hill was especially impressive, as it grew from a 40,000-person settlement in the 1890s to a 700,000 bustling metropolis by the 1930s.

Under the approval of Franklin Roosevelt, the Insular Government would be dissolved on May 8, 1938, in favor of a provisional government that was to prepare the country for independence in an 8-year transition period, with the signing of the Goldman Transitional Bill. The Provisional Goldmanian Authority, colloquially known as the Goldmanian Commonwealth, would replace the old colonial administration. Unlike its counterpart in the Philippines however where they would immediately vote in local leaders, the Governor General remained the official head of government, but the entire government was reformed to include exclusively Goldmanian politicians. The first Provisional Elections, as they were called, commenced on August 25, 1939. This would also instill the election month in August every 4 years in modern Goldmanian society. The election saw the rise of prominent politicians, such as future presidents Harold Lawrence and Trevor Jamison. It would also see the establishment of the National Congress, the current legislative entity of the federation.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, prompting the United States' entry into World War II. Naturally, New Goldman would become a part of this conflict. The island became an important springboard for Allied forces during the Pacific Theatre. Goldmanians would also volunteer to fight on a major scale for the first time, being trained by the US Army and being deployed to different parts of the Pacific, notably the Battle of the Coral Sea, Gua, and the Philippines. These soldiers fought under the flag of the Goldmanian Expeditionary Unit, under the command of General MacArthur. At its peak in 1944, over 60,000 Goldmanian soldiers were trained and sent to fight the Japanese. At least 2,400 were killed in combat and over 3,000 wounded upon the war's end. Notable people include famed anti-war book author Grayson Xavier and future Presidents of New Goldman like Francis McDaniels and Chester Benedict.

Being generally unaffected by the war due to its proximity from the frontlines, and the only real impact being volunteer casualties and several ships being sunk due to air and submarine attacks, the United States decided to follow through on the window it set for the provisional government. With the discretion of Harry Truman, New Goldman and Pacifica would be granted full independence on July 26 and 28 respectively, 1946. New Goldman however had already drafted a Constitution earlier on June 2, with its official ratification occuring on July 17.

Some conditions for independence would be that the US was to keep a select number of bases in operation on the island for defense purposes. The first official elections occurred a month later in August with 2 main parties competing, the National Unity Party and the Goldmanian Freedom Party, with the NUP's candidate, Congressman Harold Lawrence, coming out as the winner and becoming the first President of New Goldman.

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Cold War Era (1947-1991)

The Federation for the most part remained mostly neutral in Cold War era affairs, although it would side with the Western Allies during this tense time. President Lawrence would begin a rearmament program to stand against the Warsaw Pact and Communist China; he secretly approved the purchase of American arms for the quick modernization of the armed forces. US Army advisors would also be sent to New Goldman to train the soldiers for combat. From 1947 to 1958, the armed forces would be built up to the standards of the time, slowly becoming arguably the strongest in South America. New Goldman however did participate in some of the proxy wars that sprung up, like the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Some scientists from the Federation would also go on to contribute to the Space Race on the West's side, working on projects such as the French Ariane rocket and even the early Apollo test missions. New Goldman would become one of America's major Pacific bases against the Chinese and Russians, becoming one of the major headquarters of the Western Allies' Indo-Pacific front.

It is notable that in 1951, the administration of President Trevor Jamison, declared that the language of Esperanto, an auxiliary international language constructed by L.L Zamenhof in 1887, was to be adopted as an alternative third dialect in the Federation, behind Spanish and English. He claimed that the Federation needed a "local universal dialect" to further instill a "sense of unity". School educational curriculum would be updated with the teaching of Esperanto by 1952. To the shock of everyone, however, over 4% of the population would pick up the language by 1960. Today, 13% of the country can speak the language. New Goldman is the only country in the world to adopt the dialect as an official national language.

Politics in New Goldman however would be shaken up in the 1974 Presidential Elections, when the United Liberty Party shocked everyone and won the election, the only time a party other than the National Unity and Goldmanian Freedom Parties won the race. This came in a time of rampant racism, especially racism against the still substantial Latino-Asian population of the Federation. It would also see the first-ever woman to be selected as prime minister. Newly elected President Josh Travis would promise that he would launch a "war against racism" and move to even have public demonstrations of racism be punishable by court. While ambitious, this promise would come up short and empty. Most of his proposed policies were unable to be passed due to mass opposition from the National Congress, as it was composed of a majority of NUP and GFP party members who both attacked the administration, while the ULP barely held any seats.

The move however that shunned Travis' administration was his decision to stop cooperating with the Western Allies, moving to a direction of self-reliance and isolationism. At the end of his presidency, New Goldman was in a state of total flux, as the unfamiliar taste of third-party rule ran about in the government, and even fears of him being re-elected after he announced he was running once more spawned a new resolve in the bi-party system.

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Trumpet Island War (1979)

A basic overview of Operation Black Eye, the Goldmanian plan to retake Trumpet Island

Since independence, both New Goldman and Pacifica had dreamt of a reunified administration that governs both of the islands, which was the case during the Captaincy General and Insular Government years. While the claims on territory had since long been dropped, a rivalry remained between the 2 nations, which is what tied, and still ties, these island nations together for eternity. This rivalry spanned many aspects, from sports to culture, and even technology.

Pacifica this time around would take advantage of the Federation's political unrest caused by the Travis Administration by launching a surprise attack on the Goldmanian territory of Trumpet Island in the Sea of Eagles on October 3, 1979. The First Minister of Pacifica at the time, William D'Arnaud, was left-leaning and despised his American loyal neighbor to the northwest. It has been known for years that Pacifica served as a hub for East spies wanting to spy on the New World. He would be later assassinated by the CIA in 1982 with Goldmanian cooperation. The newly elected Goldmanian President, Gabriel Faraday, immediately denounced this operation and issued a warning to Pacifica, demanding that it withdraw its forces from the island. The demand was ignored. President Jimmy Carter would contact Faraday a few hours later, offering American assistance in their planned retaking of the island, but he was turned down, saying: "Taking back Trumpet is Goldmanian obligation for it is our obligated territory."

The Department of Federal Defense would activate Operation Black Eye on October 16, which was to involve a marine invasion from both sea and air, aiming to capture the largest settlement on the island (which was also its capital), Port Azocar. It was to be the first large-scale operation conducted solely by the Goldmanian Armed Forces and was to be a major test for the High Command and the troops, whose best experience was being under the command of the Western Allies in the numerous Cold War proxy conflicts.

The Goldmanian Navy would be tasked with holding off Pacifican reinforcements coming in via sea, and making sure a blockade would be set up around Trumpet Island in hopes that the Pacifican troops stationed there would be forced to surrender out of supply and food shortages should a swift victory cannot be achieved. Chief-of-Staff Bryan Alvarez would assign Field Marshal Liam Kimbrel to lead the Goldmanian Marine Corps' assault. The United States, however, while not deploying any troops to the frontline, would send in military advisors and aid with intelligence.

Goldmanian forces were divided into 2 invading armies: Force A, commanded by General Carson McCormick, who were to land on the western coast of the island and also drop in paratroopers behind enemy lines. He holds the more important task of securing the largest settlements on Trumpet, including its capital city of Port Azocar. He was also tasked to cut the island's railroad running from north to south. Force B meanwhile was led by General Joshua Creighton, and was to land on the island's eastern coast. Joshua also was to prevent any Pacifican reinforcements from breaking through from the east and southeast.

The invasion began in the early hours of October 16, after an hour-long naval barrage from the Goldmanian Navy. Paratroopers were dropped quickly into the mountainous areas and were tasked with clearing out small encampments and cutting the railroad across the island. The Pacifican Navy would appear off the southeastern coast by 6 AM but did not advance on the 4-mile exclusion zone set by the Goldmanian Navy. Air forces from both sides however roared and battled overhead, with both sides mainly fielding the US-made F-4 Phantom II jet fighters, which caused some confusion resulting in friendly fire in the early dark light of dawn.

The Marine Corps began their landings at 7:30 AM at the designated landing zones, called "beaches", situated on either side of the island. They were the main bulk of the Goldmanian forces that would take over the island. These zones were given codenames, taken from the names of the Solar System's planets (which counted the now dwarf planet Pluto at the time): Pluto Beach (north of Playa Verde), Mars Beach (New Raleigh Bluffs), Venus Beach (Azocar-Adelman Railway), Mercury Beach (east of Fort Adelman), Jupiter Beach (south of Port Lawrence) and Uranus Beach (Isle of Fish). Venus would be the most important zone, as its objective was to cut the Azocar-Adelman Railway, the most important supply chain on the island.

Port Azocar would fall after 5 hours of fighting, with the port being surprisingly undermanned. According to sources, the reason was that the undermanned Pacifican garrison was intentional as the Pacificans intended to wage a guerilla war in the mountains. Remnants fled into the mountainous areas and began conducting guerilla warfare. The reported tunnel system meanwhile would be found by 5 PM, with cleanup operations beginning at the hour. Pacifican reinforcements would never come on the ground. It is still unknown why no reinforcements came. The air forces however continue to fight in the air, with the Pacific Air Force shifting their attention to the naval blockade. One ship, the World War II era John C. Butler-class destroyer escort GNS Sword (donated to the Goldmanian Navy in 1951), was sunk by an air-to-ground missile from a Pacifican F-4, with 101 of the 198 crewmembers perishing, the single largest loss of life suffered by the Goldmanian Navy in a single incident so far in its history.

On the ground, a guerilla war would indeed be fought as the Pacificans retreated to their complex mountain systems and dug in against the invading Goldmanian forces. It would take almost 2 months to clear out the resistance, which would result in the deaths of 372 Goldmanian soldiers and a further 2,000 wounded, mostly from the initial invasion. By December 1979, the last guerilla fighters would be terminated, thus bringing an end to the Trumpet Island War and officially bringing the entire island back into the Goldmanian fold. The victory resulted in a huge surge of patriotism and a renewed acknowledgment of Goldmanian sovereignty, now known as the "Trumpet Island Feeling". Post-Cold War sources would reveal that as many as 400 of the Pacifican resistance on Trumpet Island were confirmed killed, with an undisclosed number of wounded soldiers.

No treaty was signed between the two sides that truly ended the war. Only a ceasefire has been in place since January 1980. So technically, the war is still ongoing. Trumpet Island is still a disputed territory between the nations up to the present day.

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Modern Day (1991-present)

Sarah Jenkins was elected as New Goldman's first female President in 2010.

New Goldman would experience relative peace in the years after the Trumpet Island War, with its next few Presidents maintaining a strong relationship with the Western Powers. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in a surge of pro-democracy movements, and several reforms undertaken by President Harrison Sanders in 1992 focused on making elections more fair, such as the limitations of private entity funding for political campaigns and the full representation of major third parties by allowing them to hold separate primaries. By the turn of the New Millennium, the country had a stable economy and a populace who were seemingly happy with the new status quo. The Great Recession however in the late 2000s would deal a hard hit to the country, as the economy experienced substantial fluctuation leading to the rise of unemployment.

2010 would see the election of New Goldman's first-ever female President, Sarah Jenkins, which introduced a much-needed shakeup in national politics. She and her eventual successor Alice Williamson would help the country climb back out somewhat from the recession into the new decade, a decade that saw major advancement in technological capabilities as the Goldmanian Space Agency, established back in 1997, was given sufficient funding to begin the development of their own small scaled rockets and ensure the Federation's participation in the joint Western space venture. The military would be shaken up as well under the first term of current President Charles Norton, as he would be aggressive in the modernization of the armed forces in an ever-growing world where a new Cold War is seemingly in the mix, beginning with the Armed Forces Modernization Plan, drawn up in 2019.

The new decade also would see the further strengthening of foreign ties, beginning with the establishment of the Association of Pacific States in 2012, an organization that aims to establish solid cooperation and trade with several Pacific Ocean nations. The US-Goldmanian Defense Pact, first established in 1946 and set to expire after 70 years, would once again be renewed for another term in 2016. The United States-New Goldman Military Cooperation Treaty in 2018 meanwhile would greenlight the further training of Goldmanian forces by the Americans both abroad and locally, to help in the further development of military competence and capability,

New Goldman would be affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic starting in 2019, but it would rise to prominence as one of the fastest countries to effectively counter the spread of the virus, and some argue that the Federation has the second most efficient national response just behind South Korea, thanks to the quick actions of Charles Norton, who would authorize the lockdown of heavily affected regions and enforcing mass contact tracing. At the height of the virus' spread, around 5,000 Goldmanians would be confirmed infected, with around 200-300 fatalities in total.

Geography

Victory Peak, located in the region of Arroyo, is the tallest mountain in New Goldman.

The Federation is comprised of the main and largest island, Goldman, and as many as 1,210 smaller islands and islets as of 2019, chief among those being Trumpet Island in the Sea of Eagles and the Patriot Group of Islands to the northeast of the mainland. New Goldman is also entirely within the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast path encompassing the entire Pacific Ocean characterized by a vast amount of volcanoes located within this zone. Being in this geographic feature entirely, New Goldman is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, with notable examples such as the Cerro Del Sol Earthquake in 1975. The nation is encircled by the South Pacific Ocean and occupies the entire archipelago, therefore it doesn't directly border any country by land. New Goldman however shares maritime borders with Chile through the Victoria Sea to the east and with the Pacifican Commonwealth to the southeast.

New Goldman's main geographical biomes revolve around tall, high-rise mountainous forestry and flat plains and beaches. The highest mountain on the island is Victory Peak in Arroyo, standing at 3,102 meters. In contrast, the lowest point in New Goldman is Devil's Lair, found in the region of Friaria, which is 14 meters below sea level. This is where the Sierra Padre Mountain Range also begins, which stretches northwards until the shores to the northwest. Victory Peak National Park is also home to the largest forested area of the Federation and is home to hundreds of different animal species.

Under the Environmental Protection Bill of 1983, all national parks and forestry are to be kept protected by the Wildlife and Forestry Corps, a special detachment of the Department of Internal Affairs that is tasked to the protection of the environment and to punish anyone that breaks code. Indigenous island species that reside in these areas include the Goldmanian Silk Worm and the Goldman Blue Butterfly. The longest river in the country is Raymond River, which runs through 5 Goldmanian regions from the northwest to the southeast. Lake Keuchel meanwhile is the largest lake on the island, located in the region of Obispo Cruz.

The country is noted for having valuable iron and oil deposits despite its seemingly simple geographic composition. This is the main reason why the biggest exports of New Goldman today are mostly raw iron and crude oil. Other minerals include zinc, copper, and chromite. Despite these natural resources, however, the Federation shifted its focus to the production and utilization of non-renewable energy, being one of the leading nations in the entire world to prefer solar and hydroelectric power over electrical generators.

The Federation experiences a mix of tropical and subtropical climates all year round, specifically a semi-arid climate on the east coast of the nation, and a tropical climate on its western portion. There are no true winter seasons on the islands, although they regularly experience changes in wind, ocean currents, and rainfall.

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Government and politics

The current President of New Goldman, Charles Norton (top), and the current Prime Minister, Bruce Jackson (bottom)

New Goldman is officially a semi-presidential republic. Under this type of governance, the country follows the president-parliamentary system. The President of New Goldman acts as the overall head of state and is virtually the final say on government issues. Other officials such as the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, the Senate President and Council Speaker, are all accountable to the Presidency. The President is chosen through direct election every 4 years in August. Unlike most other nations, however, the President has the authority to appoint a Prime Minister with Congressional approval, who would essentially act as a vice president to the office. The President also has the unique executive power to directly dismiss any government official with immediate effect, which includes even the Prime Minister.

The country's legislature is the bicameral National Congress. It is divided into the 18-seat Grand Senate and the 108-seat Council of Representatives. Senators are elected at large, directly representing the 18 regions of New Goldman, while Council members are elected through Council Districts, which comprise local governments within the 18 regions that all come under the authority of their respective state governments. Each of the 18 regions was represented by 6 representatives in the council. The Judiciary is vested by the Chief Justice, who is also selected by the President alongside his 11 associate justices through the Judicial Appointments Commission. All other government positions, like Governorship of any of the 18 regions, are all elected directly by registered voters. Notably, private entities play a decently sized part in national elections.
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Foreign relations

The seal of the Association of South Pacific States

New Goldman is a founding member of the United Nations, and as such, it was elected to the Security Council. The nation is an active participant in several peacekeeping operations around the world. An estimated 1.2 million Goldmanians work various jobs overseas.

The nation is the second largest and one of the foremost countries of the Association of South Pacific States, a multinational organization founded in 2007 comprised of nations that border the South Pacific. It is also the host country of all but 2 of the APS' summits so far and is the foremost major member involved in activities with the bloc. It is also a member of the World Trade Organization, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Group of 77, and the Group of 24. The country is a renowned member of the Western Bloc.

New Goldman has a long-standing relationship with the United States, covering economic interests, national security, and people-to-people relations. The Goldmanian-American Mutual Defense Agreement was signed in 1953, which would be supplemented by the International Forces Treaty in 1998. New Goldman supported American foreign policy during the Cold War and participated in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. It was designated a major non-NATO ally in 2008.

Despite its geographical location, New Goldman did not join the Union of South American Nations (USAN) regional bloc upon its creation in 2004, despite several attempts by Brazilian President Lula da Silva to convince then-President Luis Roberson, nor it has expressed any desire to join its slated successor, the Forum for the Progress and Integration of South America (PROSUR).

The country has long-standing international tension with the Pacifican Commonwealth to the southeast, which can be traced to the Trumpet Island War back in the late 1970s, and even farther back to when they first acquired independence in 1946. The island in the conflict's namesake is under Goldmanian control, which is recognized as such by the United Nations. Despite this, however, Pacifica continues to stake their claim on the island.
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Military and Law Enforcement

GNS Capitol Hill, formerly the Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship USS Nassau, is the largest vessel and the flagship of the Goldmanian naval fleet. It was transferred to the Goldmanian Navy in 2014 after a 3-year refurbishment.

The National Defense Forces (NDF) is New Goldman's national armed forces. It is divided into 4 branches: the Goldmanian Army, Goldmanian Navy, Goldmanian Air Force, and Goldmanian Marine Corps. The Goldmanian Coast Guard is under the control of the Homeland Security Bureau in peacetime, and may be transferred directly to the Goldmanian Navy in wartime upon the approval of the President. The NDF is a volunteer force, although compulsory national conscription may be introduced at the discretion of the President and approval of the National Congress in times of war.

Internal civilian security is handled by the Goldmanian National Police Force under the National Police Bureau. As of 2023, nearly 3% of the GDP is spent on the military.

As of 2023, the Army is comprised of 602,000 active personnel and a further 500,000 reserved personnel.

Under the Mutual Defense Agreement of 1976 and the International Forces Treaty in 1995, both signed with the United States, the armed forces are aided by US military advisors, who help in the training of soldiers. Some military hardware and equipment are also provided by the Americans in addition to the numerous local weapons manufacturers already in the country.
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Administrative Division

A map of New Goldman showing each of the 18 regions and each region's 6 Council Districts.

New Goldman is divided into 18 Federal Regions, 108 Council Districts, and 172 cities, alongside minor and smaller local government administrations such as municipalities. The 18 capital cities of each region are all designated as "Special Government Administrations" or SGA, and are directly under the control of the regional government and not the Local District's government in which it resides in, although the Local District governments call these capital cities their headquarters and are responsible for the governance of the areas outside of a capital city's limits.

Valera is the most populated region as of 2022, and Capitol Hill, where the nation's capital of the same name is located, is the most densely populated region. The city of Davidsburg in the region of Trinity is the most populated regional capital city. The city of Williamsburg, the capital city of Valera, is the largest in New Goldman.

Demographics

The Federal Census Bureau reported 37,203,942 residents as of April 1, 2024, making New Goldman the 39th most populous nation in the world. As of 2020, over 59% of the country's population lives in urban areas. Williamsburg, the regional capital of the region of Amendola and the country's largest city, is the most populous city in New Goldman with 2,103,489 residents as of 2023.

Largest Cities

Dominant ethnic groups by province.

New Goldman has substantial ethnic diversity thanks to the nation's local geography and foreign influence, but while there are many tribes and local ethnic groups formed between people in the nation, the entire population is divided into the 6 largest ethnic groups of New Goldman: Goldmanese (33% of the population), Centralers (31%), Northwesterns (17%), Mountaineers (10%), Nordaj Maristoj (9%) and Patriotese (1%). The country's indigenous populations are comprised of at least 100 ethnolinguistic groups, equaling about 3 million, as of 2020. New Goldman is also one of the highest in the world in terms of mixed-race couples, which includes immigrants from Asia, and South and North America, alongside Micronesians and localities. Almost around 401,000 Americans live in New Goldman. Other significant non-indigenous minorities include Japanese and Chileans.
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Languages

Esperanto is one of the 2 national languages of New Goldman. It was adopted in 1951 under the directive of then President Trevor Jamison, in pursuit of establishing a "local universal dialect." The Federation is the only country in the world to officially adopt Esperanto as a national language.

English is the official language of New Goldman and is the most widely spoken. Esperanto and Spanish come behind it as the nation's 2 official national languages, although English is considered a national language in itself. English is mainly used in government, education, print, broadcast media, business, and also the vast majority of the public. Spanish and Esperanto meanwhile are used in more informal conversation alongside English, and are also sometimes used in the aforementioned fields on a more local scale.

New Goldman is the only country in the world to officially adopt Esperanto as a national language, doing so via the "National Dialect Directive" issued by then President Trevor Jamison in 1951, to "foster a local, universal dialect, and to build a sense of national pride in the Federation, in both speech and writing." Today, 13% of New Goldman can speak the language, though it was at its highest in the late 1990s when an estimated 23% spoke the language. The decline of Esperanto is mostly attributed to the rising tide of the Internet, and more and more foreigners arriving in the country starting in the 2000s. The World Recession of 2008 also afflicted the dialect, as it forced many locals to leave the country.

Ethnologue lists a total of 60 different languages in New Goldman, however, only 24 are living languages since the majority of these languages would be indigenous tribal writing and conversing systems that have long since died out, but preserved mostly through oral literature and familial roots present today.
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Religion

St. Michael's Basilica in Capitol Hill, the largest Roman Catholic parish in New Goldman, and the parish of the Archdiocese of Capitol Hill, the Federation's ecclesiastical representative of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church.

Although the Federation is known as a secular state with freedom of religion, a vast majority of Goldmanians view religion as important. Christianity is the dominant religion, followed by an estimated 86% of the population, making New Goldman the 7th largest Christian nation in South America by percentage of Christians. According to 2023 census data, Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination, followed by Protestantism at 23%. Other denominations, such as Seventh-Day Adventism and the Church of the Goldmanian Nation, comprise the remaining 3%.

Irreligion is of substantial numbers in the Federation as well, as the 2023 census data estimates that 13% profess no religion. Of that, an estimated 9% is agnostic, while the remaining 4% is atheistic. In addition, 1% practice indigenous religions, though the majority of these are syncretized with Christianism and Protestantism, and only 0.2% are of the actual purely ancestral and tribal type.
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Health

The headquarters of the Department of National Healthcare, located in Capitol Hill. It also doubles as a hospital, run personally by the Secretary of Health and his subordinates.

Healthcare in New Goldman is provided by both national and local governments, although private funding has accounted for the majority of investments. The 2023 National Budget allocated G$361.2 billion to healthcare. National health insurance is provided through the Federal Healthcare Insurance Program, popularly known as "FedHealth". This is further reinforced by the signing of the Universal Health Care Bill in 2020, which has facilitated the automatic enrollment of Goldmanians to FedHealth. Local medical hospitals operate under the Department of National Healthcare, specifically its "Local Division".

The Federation has a fairly sophisticated and advanced medicinal distribution system, spearheaded by the wide acceptance of generic drugs. As of 2022, the country's leading causes of death are ischaemic heart diseases, cardiovascular complications, COVID-19, and measles. Many communicable diseases are also due to inclement climate patterns and natural disasters.
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Education

The University of St. Lawrence in Garrisonburg is the oldest educational institution in New Goldman, and one of the oldest in the Americas, being founded in 1583.

New Goldman adopted the American model of the K-12 educational system shortly after the Federation was granted independence, with assistance from the United States Department of Education, consisting of primary/elementary school through 6th Grade, secondary education from 7th Grade to 12th (the system also adopts the 2 phases of secondary school: middle/junior high school, running from 7th to 8th Grade; and senior high school running from 9th to 12th Grade). Public education is sponsored by the Goldmanian Education Department and is free of tuition at the elementary and secondary levels. The Federation also offers technical-vocational training and immersion through the Federal Vocational and Technical Education Bureau since 1971, and alternative education for out-of-school learners through the National Alternative Learning Program since 1978.

All public universities are nonsectarian and are primarily divided into government-administered and local authority-funded universities. The national university is the esteemed University of New Goldman (UNG) system. The nation's top 5 most highly ranked institutions are UNG-Capitol Hill, Colegio de San Pablo, St. Andrew's University, George Harris University, and Universidad de San Mateo.

Education encompasses a significant amount of the G$5.9 trillion national budget in 2023, being allocated G$900.6 billion. The Federation also has listed 1,049 public libraries that are officially associated with the National Library of New Goldman.

This electronics factory in Chaffee Hills is one of many that powers the Federation's abundant computer and electronics industry, the largest aspect of the nation's manufacturing prowess.

New Goldman has the 20th largest economy in the world, with a forecasted 941,558 nominal GDP to come in 2024. It is classified as a developing country, alongside being known as a newly industrialized country. New Goldman's labor forces were officially listed at 23 million in 2023, with the unemployment rate sitting at a steady 5.4%. The country's unit of currency is the Goldmanian Dollar ($).

The country's primary export products include insulated wiring, integrated circuits, and semiconductors. Its primary export markets are the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, and Chile. In contrast, its primary import markets are the United States, China, South Korea, and Japan.

With a staggering seven percent growth since 2009, New Goldman has emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing economies, driven primarily by both the electronic and service forces. Remittances are a common factor as well, as there are currently over 2.1 million Goldmanians working overseas jobs since 2018. Development regionally is fairly even, although main cities like Capitol Hill and Garrisonburg tend to have larger shares in development.
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Science and Technology

The Vulture SSLV, designated "P-1", carrying New Goldman's first satellite, Valera-1, to orbit on December 17, 2010.

New Goldman has had a steady pace on technological development through the decades, particularly in space exploration starting as far back as the 1960s, when the United States, through NASA, helped to set up what would become the Federal Space Exploration Agency (FSEA) in 1976 by sending out science advisors and even some astronauts such as Pete Conrad, to give insights and advice to the GSEA's predecessor, the Board for National Space Activities, popularly known today as the "Space Board", a committee formed in 1965 to study the feasibility of Goldmanian space activities. Cooperation with international agencies remains paramount through license production of essential parts and materials, particularly with NASA, JAXA, and ESA.

On December 17, 2010, New Goldman became just the 10th nation in the world to acquire spaceflight capabilities, with the launch of its first satellite, Valera-1, aboard the domestically manufactured Vulture SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle), a design based heavily on NASA's Thorad-Agena launch vehicle, from the Trumpet Island Launch Complex. It is still the workhorse launch vehicle of New Goldman today, but also considered the most outdated.

In addition to the space program, mobile phone usage is also at large in the Federation, with text messaging being the most popular way of communication amongst the populace. The telecommunications industry has been dominated by Eagle Telecom Inc., a state-sponsored telecommunications service, for over 3 decades, with private corporations such as DragonComm and Falcon Corporation not too far behind.
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Tourism

The old Spanish-era fort, La Guarnición (literally "The Garrison" ), is one of the most popular attractions in the country. Completed in 1597, the fort became the namesake of Garrisonburg, where it was located when American colonial forces first renamed it in 1904.

New Goldman is a decently popular retirement tourist location in the Pacific Ocean and South America. Top tourist locations include MacArthur Beach in Castillo Nuevo; Victory Peak National Park in Arroyo; and Garrisonburg Historical Site in Amendola.

The tourism industry contributed to 4.7% of the Goldmanian GDP in 2019 before the COVID-19 Pandemic, attracting 4.28 million international tourists from around the world. The pandemic however has impacted the Goldmanian tourist scene in a significant way, as the country only attracted just over 2.78 million tourists in 2023, 35% lower than pre-pandemic levels. It is still in the process of recovery from the pandemic hiatus.

The Department of Tourism oversees the tourism industry in New Goldman.

Transportation

Some of the docks for container ships in Port Harvey, located in Maravichia. New Goldman, being an island, relies heavily on maritime travel as a form of transportation of people and materials.

Being an island, New Goldman's biggest mode of transportation is maritime. Some of the largest and most populous cities in the Federation, like Port Harvey and Williamsburg, also double as seaports for ships. All ports and harbors come under the supervision of the Goldmanian Seaport Authority (GSA), with its task being the security of all designated major ports in the country, and also the constant checking of contents and materials being imported and exported.

On land, the Federal Highway Apparatus is the network of controlled-access highways that span the contiguous island of Goldman, although it has smaller routes on outlying islands such as the Patriot Group of Islands and Trumpet Island. It forms part of the Goldmanian Highway System and is composed of the most major and most used highways that span north to south, east to west, and vice versa. There are 8 total main highways under the FHA, all with the designation "MH" (Main Highway), numbered from MH-1 to MH-8.

New Goldman also boasts a train system that loops around the entire main island, the Federal Train Network. A shorter track exists on Trumpet Island, but only for use by the Federal Space Exploration Agency for transporting personnel and needed materials to the Trumpet Island Launch Complex. Rail transportation as it stands is only limited to major cities, with smaller leveled towns having small stops along the way to the major stations. Plans for freight rail lines that run through the Sierra Padre Mountain Range are in discussion as of now, to reduce road congestion and over-reliance on the main line to get around the island.

The Federation has 30 Federal-controlled airports as of 2023, of which 20 are international. Williamsburg International Airport is the largest in area and number of passengers. New Goldman's flag carrier airline is Goldmanian Airways, and has been the dominant airline since its foundation in 1956.

A World War II memorial in St. Matthews, dedicated to Goldmanian soldiers who served under American command in the Pacific Theatre of the conflict.

While generally being a country that has been profoundly influenced by both the Spanish and American colonial eras, the past decades since the end of the Second World War have seen New Goldman be dominated by almost pro-American rhetoric, ranging from basing some of its government's functions on the US Federal Government, and its people being traditionally characterized as sharing a unified political belief that emphasizes liberty, equality under the rule of law and social equality, which is similar in many aspects to the popular "American creed".

Culturally, Goldmanians have been described as being practitioners of individualism, a right to personal autonomy, natural competitiveness in any field, voluntary altruism toward others, and social harmony, fueled by a natural desire to be accepted by a certain group or groups, known to the country as "Irante Kune" ("Going Along" in English, from Esperanto). Family, meanwhile, is an important part of one's life, but as mentioned, personal autonomy and the establishment of eventual independence from the family is a heavily promoted part of Goldmanian values, spearheaded by a desire to dictate one's life on his/her own and be able to "write their story" by their hand.

Patriotism is another core value of Goldmanians. Children are taught from a young age to develop a love for themselves, for their family, for God (depending on the family), and for country. "Amo por Nacio" (Love for Nation) is seen as giving thanks to themselves for their efforts in everyday life, and thanks to the nation for providing a springboard into "the real world" and giving them necessary materials and tools to enable their self reformations and ensuring their future in life.
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Media

CNN New Goldman is one of the 3 premier broadcast agencies in New Goldman, alongside Wright Broadcasting Inc. (WBI) and the government-owned Federal Broadcasting System (FBS).

Goldmanian media primarily uses English as the main language volume, but some local channels have Spanish and Esperanto alternatives for speakers of those languages. All television shows, films, commercials, and any other broadcasted content are subject to mandatory review before release by the Commission on Television and Movie Review and Classification (CTMRC) for any infractions such as hate speech.

The film industry kickstarted in the 1930s with the release of the first Goldmanian-created feature film, A Night in Capitol Hill, in 1932. The 1950s and 60s are seen as the golden era of Goldmanian film-making, with revered classics such as Story of Death, Eagle's Eye, and the highest grossing film in the local industry's history, Palmer.

In conjunction with the television and the film studio, radio broadcasting is also prominent, particularly in rural areas. Newspapers meanwhile saw their peak in the 1990s. However, newspaper membership has been declining throughout the last decade in favor of online news. The top 3 newspapers, by nationwide credibility and readership, are the New Goldman Inquirer, Garrisonburg Bulletin, and Capitol Hill Herald.
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Sports

Baxter Stadium, pictured here in 1969, is the home of the Capitol Hill Federals of the Goldmanian Baseball Association.

Baseball, played at both the amateur and pro level, is considered the most popular sport in New Goldman, and one of the only nations in the world to have such a distinction, mostly due to the American colonial era. The Goldmanian Baseball Association is the highest-generating sports league in terms of revenue in the country, and it also acts as a major cultural icon. The GBA is generally compared to High-A in the MLB system. A total of 31 Goldmanians played in Major League Baseball, most notably being 4-time Yankees all-star pitcher Darren Banks in 1978, and 2-time Reds all-star outfielder Greg Williams in 2006.

Other popular pastimes include basketball, boxing, football, and e-sports. Both the men's and women's football teams are noted as regular contenders in the Oceania Football Confederation despite geographical issues, with the men's team securing 2 OFC Nation's Cups in 2009 and 2017, and the women bringing home an additional trophy in 2021.