Known as the financial Vatican, the independent, shareholder-owned City-State of New York is the home of practically every financial institution in North America.

Includes: New York City

Borders: New England

Capital: New York City

Language: Officially Dutch, but everyone is bilingual with English

History: In 1664, the English conquered the Dutch city of New Amsterdam and renamed it New York.  However, when the Dutch proved victorious in the Second Anglo-Dutch war of 1665-1667, they exchanged trading rights on the Indonesian isle of Run for control of New York.  The city, on the strength of the Dutch trade, ran independently from the English until the American Colonial War of 1775-1778 (check dates in own document). The English accused the Dutch of selling arms to the rebels, which they were, and used the excuse to seize control of the vital trade center.  However, at the time, Dutch culture and ties with the Netherlands had become inseparable, and rather than risk destroying a vital global trade hub, the English decided to allow it a certain amount of autonomy, much like Hong Kong.  When Andrew Jackson began his rebellion against British rule, he did so financed by the trade guilds and banks of New York.  In exchange, he promised to leave the city a free and independent state, and he kept his promise.  The City-State of New York—which has no king and no army—began self-rule in 1815.  Its government is a plutocracy—the city, all its lands, and all its businesses, are owned by shareholders, who choose an Executive to run the affairs of the city-state.

Rulers:

Relations: For its size, New York wields an unprecedented amount of political power.  As the financial hub for North America, it has the ability to freeze the assets of any individual or nation, to raise or lower the price of a nation’s main import or export, or otherwise economically cripple any power that threatens it.  Thus, it is left to its own devices.  New York has remained impartial in all wars, as its interest is in maintaining continuity and profit.  If a potential war will is projected to be profitable, New York will allow it.  If not, New York will exert a tremendous amount of economic pressure to bring the war to a quick conclusion, as it did during the Nine Days’ War.  All treaties among the North American nations have been negotiated and signed in New York.  New York is also the top broker of royal marriages.  In fact, the greatest chance for continuing peace lies in the intervention of New York, the sole interest of which is keeping the money flowing.