Duchy of New Courland

Jorge Liñan takes office as Governor General (8 July 2024) • New Courland devastated by hurricane Beryl (2 July 2024) • Inauguration new Governor General postponed due to hurricane (30 June 2024) • Governor General announces retirement (2 June 2024) • Police to start bribery investigation after FICT summit (19 May 2024)


Map of New Courland (click on image for a larger version)

 

 

New Courland, officially the Duchy of New Courland, is a country in the Caribbean, close to Trinidad and Tobago. Originally a colony of the duchy of Courland and Semigallia (together with a part of Tobago), it was occupied by several other colonial powers, including the Dutch and the Spanish, before it became part of the British Empire in 1814 as part of the Trinidad and Tobago colony; the main island of New Courland was renamed Carolina. In the interbellum and after the second world war, many Latvians and Lithuanians settled on Carolina and when the colony became independent in 1962, Carolina left Trinidad and Tobago, forming its own duchy within the Commonwealth of Nations.

New Courland's population, due to its at some times chaotic history, is rather mixed. Apart from Britons, Spaniards and Venezuelans, the link with the British Empire brought many Africans and Indians and other South Asians to the island. After the First World War, a large group of Balts from the newly independent nations of Latvia and Lithuania settled on the island, with a second wave arriving in the 30s as a result of the economic crisis. Currently Balts (Latvians, Latgalians, and Lithuanians) form the largest ethnic group of New Courland.

New Courland is a member of the Forum of International Cooperation and Trade (FICT).