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Description

The PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF MATAMBA (named after a pre-colonization Angolan kingdom which resisted Portuguese colonization for centuries) is a former Angolan colony originally in free association with the People's Republic of Angola in the 80’s, and made possible thanks to the Soviet Union, as part of the Interkosmos Program.

The yellow sun symbol is taken from prehistoric cave paintings discovered in Tchitundo-Hulu cave, and when combined with the black industrial gear of the African proletariat, represents Matamba's connection to its heritage even as it embraces a technological future on Venus.

Matamba is comprised of two linked aerostats (Matamba-1 and Matamba-2), and in 1999 there are around 14,055 Matambans on Venus.

The DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VANIJERI (Amharic for “vanguard”) was probably even less-expected than the Angolan colony. Ethiopia was able to get the Soviets to help them build a colony on Venus. Vanijeri was stocked almost entirely with Ethiopia's best scientists and engineers...as well as a lot of Derg flunkies. The transition to the PDRE did involve a few gunshots on Venus, but thankfully nobody was killed. With the USSR (post-New Union reforms) backing Ethiopia on Earth and the KVR aiding their Venusian colony, things are really looking up for Vanijeri.

Vanijeri administers two aerostats (Vanijeri and Detaharra), with a third (Shagusa) currently under construction, with help from KVR and Japanese investment. There are 10,801 Vanijerians on Venus as of 1999.

The BOROSTYAN CONFEDERATION (Hungarian for “amber”) in 1999 is centered mostly on Venus’ counterfactual moon, Neith (the colonies of Kilátás and Felfedezés), while also administering two aerostats in the Venusian sky (Kadar and Haladás), and having joint-sovereignty over a rotating wheel-habitat (Spartacus Station) in orbit above the Yellow Planet, alongside the Cuban colony of Santamaria. In 1999, there are 20,122 Borostyanians.

The symbol surrounded by the wreath on the flag is the Interkosmos logo with the country's name on it.

The COLONIAL GOVERNMENT OF NEW SHEBA (“Sheba” being an ancient name for Yemen) was essentially the result of the People's Democratic Republic of (South) Yemen loaning some land on Socotra Island to the USSR, where a spaceport was built.

New Sheba is located inside Anubis Crater, in Neith’s southern lowlands, has a sizable population of Yemenis living under the colony’s half-buried domes and underground living quarters, and is home to around 5,154 New Shebans.

The DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF BACTRIA (harkening back to the Indo-Greek Buddhist kingdom of ancient Afghan history) is a colonial government administering a single aerostat colony of the same name, originally established by the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s lack of space launch capabilities and lackluster economic power meant that (as with most Venusian Interkosmos colonies) the USSR did most of the heavy-lifting. Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the late 80’s, the country became a very turbulent place, and nobody on Bactria was certain who they were loyal to. They eventually “slipped” into independence around 1993. As of 1999, relations between Bactria and the restored Kingdom of Afghanistan (established in 1994) are chill, but the distances between Earth and Venus (and the divergent concerns and interests the two countries have) mean that both countries are fine with their amicable divorce.

Bactria administers one aerostat (the eponymous Bactria), but has a second (Zabul) under construction, and is home to 6,708 Bactrians in 1999.

The REPUBLIC OF OZIVA (“agreeable/pleasant” in Makhuwa) was originally established by the People’s Republic of Mozambique in the 1980’s.

The flag combines the gear, star, book, hoe and AK-47 of the Mozambican flag. The yellow stripe represents the sulphury Venusian atmosphere, and the yellow star represents Oziva itself - hanging high above the red upper atmosphere of socialism. The traditional African pattern along the left edge of the flag is meant to evoke the “terrestrial” flag of Mozambique, with its use of the same shades of black, white, green, yellow and red as that flag. Admittedly, this one was just a little bit inspired by the flag of the Belarusian SSR, but it’s also one of the best flags I’ve made in a while.

Oziva was a well-intended Soviet exercise in international proletarian solidarity (also helped that Mozambique leased Quirimba Island to the Soviets as a satellite launch center), and indeed Oziva was embraced by FRELIMO back on Earth as proof that Mozambique was going places under their leadership. However, the road to Hell is always paved with good intentions. The 80’s saw Oziva siphon many of Mozambique’s best and brightest, and even with the Soviets handling most of the technical aspects of the colony, Mozambique was still throwing resources into outer space. While FRELIMO performed better in the Mozambican Civil War than in our timeline, it was still pretty nightmarish, and with the collapse of the FRELIMO government in 1990, Oziva was more or less forced to become independent in 1991. In 1999, Oziva (which consists of only one aerostat) has a population of around 5,904 people and growing. Oziva is currently considering a political union with Matamba, either as a federation or confederation.

The REPUBLIC OF SHAR-TSETSEG (Mongolian for “yellow blossom”) was originally in free association with the People's Republic of Mongolia, but has been associated with the Republic of Mongolia since 1992. The blue disk is a reference to the blue stripe on the Mongolian flag (which represents the “eternal blue sky”), and is surrounded by yellow flower petals. The yellow symbol in the blue disk is the Soyombo, a very Mongolian symbol; the fire represents growth and progress, while the sun and moon represent the eternity of the Mongol nation. The yellow stripe of course represents Venus (the “eternal yellow sky”), the red stripe of course is a leftover of Shar-Tsetseg’s communist past.

Shar-Tsetseg consists of three settlements - Baatar-1 and Baatar-2 on Neith (both occupying Iabet Crater) and the Temüjin aerostat in the Venusian atmosphere, and has its capital in Baatar-1. There are 8,503 Shar-Tstetsegis as of 1999.

And finally, we have the SHUKRA FEDERATION (“Shukra” being Sanskrit for “Venus”), a conglomeration of seven Venusian colonies in free association with the Republic of India. The Shukran flag utilizes the white, saffron and green of the terrestrial Indian flag. In the white triangle, we have the Shukran coat of arms; a laurel wreath which meet up top in the form of shaking hands, representing the Indo-Soviet cooperation which made Shukra possible, the ongoing spirit of cooperation which will keep Shukra alive, and the future cooperation which will ensure a bright and prosperous future for Shukra; the blue symbol in the middle is the Ashoka Chakra, a wheel with 24 spokes (the twelve steps on the path to enlightenment, and the reversals of each of those steps) and a major symbol of the Indian nation; oh, and there’s a small blue Venus symbol, to remind you what planet this flag is used on.

Despite not being a communist state, India’s close diplomatic ties with the USSR enabled it to become a player within the Interkosmos Program. As of 1999, the Federation is one of the larger players on Venus, though still behind the KVR and Neudresden. It administers three colonies in the Venusian atmosphere (Gandhi-1, Gandhi-2 and Gandhi-3), two rotating habitats in Venusian orbit (Kalpana-1 and Kalpana-2), and two colonies on Neith (Sinha-1 and Sinha-2). Shukra has around 105,751 citizens as of 1999.

Description

The PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF MATAMBA (named after a pre-colonization Angolan kingdom which resisted Portuguese colonization for centuries) is a former Angolan colony originally in free association with the People's Republic of Angola in the 80’s, and made possible thanks to the Soviet Union, as part of the Interkosmos Program.

The yellow sun symbol is taken from prehistoric cave paintings discovered in Tchitundo-Hulu cave, and when combined with the black industrial gear of the African proletariat, represents Matamba's connection to its heritage even as it embraces a technological future on Venus.

Matamba is comprised of two linked aerostats (Matamba-1 and Matamba-2), and in 1999 there are around 14,055 Matambans on Venus.

The DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VANIJERI (Amharic for “vanguard”) was probably even less-expected than the Angolan colony. Ethiopia was able to get the Soviets to help them build a colony on Venus. Vanijeri was stocked almost entirely with Ethiopia's best scientists and engineers...as well as a lot of Derg flunkies. The transition to the PDRE did involve a few gunshots on Venus, but thankfully nobody was killed. With the USSR (post-New Union reforms) backing Ethiopia on Earth and the KVR aiding their Venusian colony, things are really looking up for Vanijeri.

Vanijeri administers two aerostats (Vanijeri and Detaharra), with a third (Shagusa) currently under construction, with help from KVR and Japanese investment. There are 10,801 Vanijerians on Venus as of 1999.

The BOROSTYAN CONFEDERATION (Hungarian for “amber”) in 1999 is centered mostly on Venus’ counterfactual moon, Neith (the colonies of Kilátás and Felfedezés), while also administering two aerostats in the Venusian sky (Kadar and Haladás), and having joint-sovereignty over a rotating wheel-habitat (Spartacus Station) in orbit above the Yellow Planet, alongside the Cuban colony of Santamaria. In 1999, there are 20,122 Borostyanians.

The symbol surrounded by the wreath on the flag is the Interkosmos logo with the country's name on it.

The COLONIAL GOVERNMENT OF NEW SHEBA (“Sheba” being an ancient name for Yemen) was essentially the result of the People's Democratic Republic of (South) Yemen loaning some land on Socotra Island to the USSR, where a spaceport was built.

New Sheba is located inside Anubis Crater, in Neith’s southern lowlands, has a sizable population of Yemenis living under the colony’s half-buried domes and underground living quarters, and is home to around 5,154 New Shebans.

The DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF BACTRIA (harkening back to the Indo-Greek Buddhist kingdom of ancient Afghan history) is a colonial government administering a single aerostat colony of the same name, originally established by the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s lack of space launch capabilities and lackluster economic power meant that (as with most Venusian Interkosmos colonies) the USSR did most of the heavy-lifting. Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the late 80’s, the country became a very turbulent place, and nobody on Bactria was certain who they were loyal to. They eventually “slipped” into independence around 1993. As of 1999, relations between Bactria and the restored Kingdom of Afghanistan (established in 1994) are chill, but the distances between Earth and Venus (and the divergent concerns and interests the two countries have) mean that both countries are fine with their amicable divorce.

Bactria administers one aerostat (the eponymous Bactria), but has a second (Zabul) under construction, and is home to 6,708 Bactrians in 1999.

The REPUBLIC OF OZIVA (“agreeable/pleasant” in Makhuwa) was originally established by the People’s Republic of Mozambique in the 1980’s.

The flag combines the gear, star, book, hoe and AK-47 of the Mozambican flag. The yellow stripe represents the sulphury Venusian atmosphere, and the yellow star represents Oziva itself - hanging high above the red upper atmosphere of socialism. The traditional African pattern along the left edge of the flag is meant to evoke the “terrestrial” flag of Mozambique, with its use of the same shades of black, white, green, yellow and red as that flag. Admittedly, this one was just a little bit inspired by the flag of the Belarusian SSR, but it’s also one of the best flags I’ve made in a while.

Oziva was a well-intended Soviet exercise in international proletarian solidarity (also helped that Mozambique leased Quirimba Island to the Soviets as a satellite launch center), and indeed Oziva was embraced by FRELIMO back on Earth as proof that Mozambique was going places under their leadership. However, the road to Hell is always paved with good intentions. The 80’s saw Oziva siphon many of Mozambique’s best and brightest, and even with the Soviets handling most of the technical aspects of the colony, Mozambique was still throwing resources into outer space. While FRELIMO performed better in the Mozambican Civil War than in our timeline, it was still pretty nightmarish, and with the collapse of the FRELIMO government in 1990, Oziva was more or less forced to become independent in 1991. In 1999, Oziva (which consists of only one aerostat) has a population of around 5,904 people and growing. Oziva is currently considering a political union with Matamba, either as a federation or confederation.

The REPUBLIC OF SHAR-TSETSEG (Mongolian for “yellow blossom”) was originally in free association with the People's Republic of Mongolia, but has been associated with the Republic of Mongolia since 1992. The blue disk is a reference to the blue stripe on the Mongolian flag (which represents the “eternal blue sky”), and is surrounded by yellow flower petals. The yellow symbol in the blue disk is the Soyombo, a very Mongolian symbol; the fire represents growth and progress, while the sun and moon represent the eternity of the Mongol nation. The yellow stripe of course represents Venus (the “eternal yellow sky”), the red stripe of course is a leftover of Shar-Tsetseg’s communist past.

Shar-Tsetseg consists of three settlements - Baatar-1 and Baatar-2 on Neith (both occupying Iabet Crater) and the Temüjin aerostat in the Venusian atmosphere, and has its capital in Baatar-1. There are 8,503 Shar-Tstetsegis as of 1999.

And finally, we have the SHUKRA FEDERATION (“Shukra” being Sanskrit for “Venus”), a conglomeration of seven Venusian colonies in free association with the Republic of India. The Shukran flag utilizes the white, saffron and green of the terrestrial Indian flag. In the white triangle, we have the Shukran coat of arms; a laurel wreath which meet up top in the form of shaking hands, representing the Indo-Soviet cooperation which made Shukra possible, the ongoing spirit of cooperation which will keep Shukra alive, and the future cooperation which will ensure a bright and prosperous future for Shukra; the blue symbol in the middle is the Ashoka Chakra, a wheel with 24 spokes (the twelve steps on the path to enlightenment, and the reversals of each of those steps) and a major symbol of the Indian nation; oh, and there’s a small blue Venus symbol, to remind you what planet this flag is used on.

Despite not being a communist state, India’s close diplomatic ties with the USSR enabled it to become a player within the Interkosmos Program. As of 1999, the Federation is one of the larger players on Venus, though still behind the KVR and Neudresden. It administers three colonies in the Venusian atmosphere (Gandhi-1, Gandhi-2 and Gandhi-3), two rotating habitats in Venusian orbit (Kalpana-1 and Kalpana-2), and two colonies on Neith (Sinha-1 and Sinha-2). Shukra has around 105,751 citizens as of 1999.