Confederation of Mahuset/old

Mahuset, officially the Confederation of Mahuset (Dutch: Confederatie Mahuset), is a self-declared independent nation-state, commonly referred to by external observers as a micronation, established on the 3rd of January, 2016. It claims territories in Europe and Asia: the states of Matsia, Alkmaar, Geestmerambacht, Noorderhout, Ihuset, and Morburn, as well as the district of Lazia and the territories of Lundenland and Mamucium, make up mainland Mahuset in Northern Europe, and the territories of Starnia and Virgo make up Mahusetan Hasanistan in the Middle East. It is frequently ranked amongst the world's least corrupt nations, and is regarded as a minor micronational diplomatic, cultural, and political power.

Mahuset is a confederal state and a constitutional semi-presidential parliamentary republic, whose parliament is known as the Lazian Chamber, so called after the capital city of Lazia. It is lead by President Emiel Sebastiaan Hardy (as head of government) and Prime Minister Stephen Fryeath (as head of state). While the laws of the states are subordinate to confederal law, the confederal government does not have any regulations on the means for administering states and as such the states all have their own unique system of government. Mahuset has a free market capitalist economy, but also a high level of income equality, due to its small, mostly middle-class population.

The current Confederation of Mahuset is the successor (in law, in dignity, and in territory) to the Kingdom of Mahuset and the majority of its predecessors: the Empire of Alkmaar, the Co-Kingdom of Krasota, the Royal Union of Mahuset, the Kingdom of Ihuset, the Kingdom of Matsia, the United Nations of Mahuset, and the various Cookielandic and Kittylandic States, but not the Kingdom of Radon, which was succeeded instead by the Principality of Radon. It has had a long and turbulant history, having gone through several changes in government, dis- and reëstablishments, and changes in territory before reaching its current shape and state of relative stability.

Mahuset is a "fifth world" micronation, with the highest assigned score of 12 under the Boodlesmythe-Tallini System, and a score of 4.4 on the Categoric-Gradial System, also known as Linden's (Revised) System.

Etymology
Although the exact etymology of the name "Mahuset" has been lost to the mists of time, there are two prominent theories on its etymology. The most commonly accepted etymology is for it to have originated as a portmanteau of Matsia and Ihuset, which are the two nations which merged to form the Kingdom of Mahuset, the Confederation of Mahuset's predecessor. A much less commonly accepted, yet still prominent etymology is for it to have originated as a portmanteau of "muh", an internet slang term for "my", and "huset", Norwegian for house.

Prefoundation
The earliest mention of Alkmaar, where much of Mahuset's population (if not its territory) is based, is in a 10th-century document. As the village grew into a town, it was granted city rights in 1254. The oldest part of Alkmaar lies on an ancient sand bank that afforded some protection from the sea during medieval times. Even so, it is only a couple of metres above the surrounding region, which consists of some of the oldest polders in existence.

In 1573 the city successfully withstood a siege by Spanish forces under the leadership of Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba. It was a turning point in the Eighty Years War and gave rise to the expression Bij Alkmaar begint de victorie ("Victory begins at Alkmaar"). The event is still celebrated every year in Alkmaar and all of Mahuset on the 8th of October, the day the siege ended.

In 1799, during the French revolutionary wars, an Anglo-Russian expeditionary force captured the city, but was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Castricum. The French victory was commemorated on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The North Holland Canal, opened in 1824, was dug through Alkmaar. In 1865 and 1867 the railways between Alkmaar and Den Helder and between Alkmaar and Haarlem were built, respectively.

In the second half of the 20th century, Alkmaar expanded quickly with the development of new neighbourhoods. On October 1, 1972, the town of Oudorp and the southern portions of Koedijk and Sint Pancras were added to the municipality of Alkmaar.

Burgemeester de Wilde School
The Burgemeester de Wilde School, a Dutch primary school, was the school where Emiel, Nuri, XO, Ewout and various other people who were influential in Mahuset's history had their early education. The school was founded in 1976 by Henk de Wilde, the mayor of Schagen and member of the Dutch Labour Party. It is a cluster 2 school, for children with issues in communication. The school's main location, the Meerkoet was founded in 1976, in Schagen; another location, the Pulletje, was founded in 1980, in Hoorn; the Kievietlaan was founded in 2006, but closed in 2013; Alkmaar was founded in 2008; the Hoep, a replacement for the Kievietlaan, was founded in 2013, in Schagen; and the Hendrik Mol was founded as a high school, but separated later.

Origins
Mahuset began as a fictional nation within a fictional world in 2007. It was called Emiel's World and was an empire ruled by the eponymous Emiel, known then as "Cool Emiel". It was not a serious undertaking, but there were still plans to revive it within Ihuset. If it had never been founded, Emperor (now President) Emiel never would have come in contact with politics. Emiel's World spoke a dialect of Dutch known as Emilan, which eventually developed into another known as Mærtan.

Around April of 2012, Emiel began a habit of going on Wikipedia and looking at the articles of ministates like the Vatican City, Monaco, and San Marino, and eventually found out about the Principality of Sealand, a micronation. He did more research into the subject and found information on the Republic of Molossia as well. Inspired by these two micronations, he founded the Kingdom of Ihuset, which gave him a "feeling of autonomy" that he felt he lacked at the time. Emiel proceded to make a page on MicroWikia and got unofficially involved in the many cyberwars going on at the time. This marked the beginning of Mahusetan diplomacy as it got into contact with many other micronations, like New Canada and Domus, and established official relations with them. It was welcomed by Flatland almost immediately and was soon invited into the Grand Intermicronational Alliance by a representative of Northumbria-Montebourg. Its time in the alliance didn't last, however, as it didn't want to fulfill its military obligations to the alliance.

Monarchist period
After Emiel founded Ihuset, the other children at the Burgemeester de Wilde school were inspired to create micronations themselves. Mahuset was originally founded as an unification of the kingdoms of Matsia and Ihuset, but Radon soon joined as well. The union was originally known as the United Nations of Mahuset, but this was later appended to the Royal United Nations of Mahuset. It took its main aesthetic and political inspiration from the Ancient Rome and the County of Holland. Mahuset quickly became greatly significant and diplomatically prominent within the MicroWikia community. Many conflicts at MicroWikia were taken part in by Mahusetan officials, including the conflict against Brandon Rhea and Wikia and subsequent conflicts which led to the establishment and splitting of Micropedia. Vetria established diplomatic relations with Mahuset during this era.

In November 2012, the Royal United Nations of Mahuset underwent full political union between its member states, transforming into the Kingdom of Mahuset, a democratic constitutional monarchy. King Emiel soon upset this balance, however, by founding the ideology of Eniakism, whose rise and expansion was comparable in speed, scale, and international controversy (drawing condemnation from Hasanistan and Akharnes in particular) to that of communism, and which caused Mahuset to gain even more diplomatic significance and prestige. The country rapidly developed, reforming its government to include defined ministries and state-owned enterprise, and standards of living rapidly increased. This development came with a cost, however: the establishment of a single-party state under the Eniak Party, which ruled until the kingdom's eventual collapse, and the secession of Matsia and Radon. Eventually, though, the two states rejoined Mahuset after adopting Eniakism themselves, and the so-called Triumphant Era began, which would last for the rest of the kingdom's history.

Decline and revival
Mahuset was briefly a part of the Empire of Constantidium, which was founded by several states in the Dutch micronational sector, but it soon fell apart due to disagreements between its member states. It was comprised of the Kingdom of Mahuset, Derskov-Viadalvia, Hoogwaard, Arnhem, Snežanopol, Timbain and Kinhu. It was only founded as a defensive bloc against the Ashukov Federation within the now-dead micronations.wiki community, with no other real purpose, a fact reflected by the speed of its collapse. Mahuset would soon collapse as well: even though the government was stable and well structured, the three states fell into arguing with one another, especially about new, controversial amendments to the constitution and generally conflicting ideals. There were three major fights between the states, the last one resulting in Ihuset leaving and declaring itself defunct, bringing Mahuset down with it. Eventually, Krasota was founded as a union of Matsia and Radon, later joining the new Royal Union of Mahuset. This was welcomed by Emiel, who was at that moment exclusively focusing on the micronation of Slin, but further disputes between Nuri and Emiel caused Krasota's collapse as well. Another nation came and went as Emiel established the Empire of Alkmaar, which rose to power in the former states of Alkmaar and Jefferson but died due to Emiel's inactivity in the community.

In 2015, Mahuset had effectively ceased to exist, as its prominent citizens were all focusing on their own personal projects: Emiel focused on developing Slin, while Nuri reformed Radon, which slowly began clawing itself back to relevance by partaking in several events in the micronational community. But on the 8th of January 2016, Emiel Hardy, Nuri van Dijk and XO rëestablished Mahuest in its current form, claiming the former territories of Matsia, Alkmaar, Geestmerambacht, Nooorderhout and Ihuset. A constitution was written based upon the Dutch and American constitutions, and the Confederation was officially founded. The newly-established Lazian Chamber was quick to pass various laws and proclamations, including but not limited to the designation of a national flag and coat of arms and the establishment of relations with Radon and the United Islands.

Geography
Mahuset's claimed land consists of nine separate portions of land in Europe and Asia, divided into Cherrystan (Dutch Matsia),  Cambois Beach (British Matsia),  Islo Keri (British Matsia),  Ihuset, and  Mahusetan Hasanistan. Laying in the middle of the former swamplands of Noord-Holland, Ihuset, together with  Cherrystan (Dutch Matsia), make up mainland Mahuset. The particular area in which Ihuset was founded is nowadays known as Burgemeester de Wildeland, and it's the place where all former nations of the Vetrisphere were established or can trace their origin to, including  Ihuset,  Radon and  Matsia. Ihuset, together with Cherrystan (Dutch Matsia) comprised of 1.124 km2 of claimed and controlled land.

Laying in the mountains of the Hasanistan,  Starnia and  Virgo made up the  Mahusetan Hasani colony. The particular area in which Starnia and  Virgo lay were claimed as per President Emiel's plans for expansion back into former  Mahusetan territory. Mahusetan Hasanistan comprised of 4390m2 of claimed and controlled land.

Laying in the middle of Northumberland, Islo Keri (British Matsia) and  Cambois Beach (British Matsia) made up British Matsia. The particular area of in which British Matsia lays made up the Matsian mainland. British Matsia comprised of 5.047 km2 of claimed and controlled land.

Biodiversity
Mahuset can be subdivided between a number of ecoregions because of its climate and geomorphology, the Mahusetan mainland finds itself in the Atlantic mixed forests ecoregion. The country is consequently one of the richest in Europe in terms of biodiversity, this is however because of the large geographical spread of different Mahusetan territories.

Flora and Fauna
Mahuset's wildlife is typical of the north-west of Europe, although several of the larger mammals such as the lynx, brown bear, wolf, elk and walrus were hunted to extinction in historic times. There are important populations of seals and internationally significant nesting grounds for a variety of seabirds such as European herring gulls.

Political Geography
Mahuset is a confederation of numerous states and territories, who are guaranteed numerous rights outlined in the constitution.

Politics and Government
Mahuset is a federal, semi-presidential, representative democratic republic with strong democratic traditions, with Lazia as its capital. The Mahusetan political system operates under a framework laid out in the 2019 constitutional document known as the Constitution of the Confederation of Mahuset. Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of the Lazian Chamber; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity.

The head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the president, who is elected by popular vote on the same ticket as the prime minister. The president has authority over the Lazian Chamber. The president appoints the members of the executive office as his cabinet, with members being responsible for policy and administration. The head of state is the prime minister, whose powers are largely ceremonial and are, in reality, only wielded in the absence or inability of the president, with the prime minister succeeding the president in case of the president being unable to carry out his duties as president, whether through sickness, death, or other means. Federal legislative power is vested in the Lazian Chamber consisting of the Lazian Council and the Executive Office of the Lazian Chamber, which together form the legislative and executive body. The Lazian Council is elected through direct elections, by Schulze STV. The members of the Lazian Council represent the governments of the six constituent states, one constituent district, and four constituent territories.

Since 2016, the party system has been dominated by the Classical Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. So far every president has been a member of one of these parties. However, the smaller social liberal Social Liberal Party (in the Lazian Chamber since 2016) and the Mahusetan Pirate Party (in parliament since 2017) have also played important roles.

Limited direct democracy is a hallmark of the Mahusetan political system. The 2016 and 2019 Mahusetan Constitutions define a system of direct democracy (sometimes called half-direct or representative direct democracy because it is aided by the more commonplace institutions of a representative democracy). The instruments of this system at the federal level, known as popular rights, include the right to submit a federal initiative and a referendum, both of which may overturn parliamentary decisions.

By calling a federal referendum, a group of citizens may challenge a law passed by the Lazian Chamber, if they gather the signatures of $2/5$ of the Mahusetan population against the law within 100 days. If so, a national vote is scheduled where voters decide by a simple majority whether to accept or reject the law. The Lazian Chamber and the President both have the power to introduce federal referendums, which unlike referendums proposed by the general population, have the ability to introduce laws as well as challenge them.

Law
Mahuset uses a civil legal system; that is, law arises primarily from written statutes; judges are not to make law, but merely to interpret it (though the amount of judicial interpretation in certain areas makes it equivalent to case law). Basic principles of the rule of law were laid in the Civil Code of the Confederation of Mahuset, which was largely based on the Napoleonic Code, the Swiss Civil Code, the Dutch Civil Code and the German Civil Code. In agreement with the principles of the Constitution of the Confederation of Mahuset, law should only prohibit actions detrimental to society, with the intent of the restriction of freedom being the exception, with any restriction of Freedom having to be provided for by Law and having to follow the principles of necessity and proportionality.

Mahuset's judiciary plays an important role in interpreting laws and has the power to strike down Acts of Parliament that violate the constitution. The Supreme Court is the highest court and final arbiter and has been led since xx January 2019 by Supreme Judge D. Williams. Its five members are appointed by the president on the advice of the Lazian Chamber and the Minister of Justice. All judges at the superior and appellate levels are appointed after consultation with non-governmental legal bodies.

Military
The Confederation of Mahuset maintains a small and largely ceremonial military which consists of seven different primary branches, with these being the Mahusetan Army, the Mahusetan Navy, the Mahusetan Air Force, the Mahusetan Space Force, the Mahusetan Cyber Force, the Mahusetan Marechaussee and the Mahusetan Border Guard. The Armed Forces of the Confederation of Mahuset, which fall under the Ministry of Defence, are tasked with supporting Mahusetan interests, defending Mahusetan territorial integrity and defending Mahusetan neutrality. The Mahusetan Navy also has the tongue-in-cheek task of rape and pillage.

Political Parties
As the Confederation of Mahuset is a multi-party democracy, political parties in Mahuset are very common. Since the foundation of the Mahusetan government on the 8 January 2016, the Mahusetan political system has been dominated by three families of political parties: the strongest of which are the Liberals, currently represented by the Classical Liberal Party (CLP); second are the Social Democrats, represented by the Social Democratic Party (SDP); and third are the Independents, currently represented by either Independent MPs in the Lazian Chamber or the Independent Chamber Group (OKF). Presently, there are five political parties operating in the Confederation of Mahuset and each have their own seats in the Lazian Chamber.

Foreign Relations and Diplomacy
The Confederation of Mahuset establishes and maintains diplomatic relations with other nations through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has the power to grant "states of friendship" and tacit recognition, but official recognition of another nation can only be granted by an Act of Parliament or an Executive Order.

The Confederation of Mahuset and its predecessor, the Kingdom of Mahuset, have since their foundation sought diplomatic relations in the communities it found itself in, mainly being the Vetrisphere, the MicroWikia community, the Micropedia community, the World Union, the Association of Prolific Micronations and to a more limited degree the MicroWiki community, but also holds friendly relations with the Konmalehth.

Being one of the most active nations in what is considered the Vetrisphere, Mahuset enjoys a minor diplomatic role as a micronational power. Considering as major allies Nedland, Hasanistan, Hortania, and Radon, the Confederation of Mahuset implements foreign relations and defines foreign policy through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The current Minister is Emiel Sebastiaan Hardy.

At the time of the collapse of the last incarnation of a continuously active Mahuset, the Kingdom of Mahuset enjoyed full diplomatic relations with 3 states, informal relations with 3, and recognised all members of the United Nations. However with the fall of the Kingdom, all of those relations were de facto declared null and void. At the moment, the Confederation of Mahuset has signed several treaties and is at the process of signing more. As of 28 August 2024, Mahuset is in formal relations with 19 states.

Nations with which Mahuset has signed a treaty of mutual recognition

 * UIUnited Islands, on 9 January 2016.
 * RadonPrincipality of Radon, on 9 January 2016
 * Karnia-RutheniaEmpire of Karnia-Ruthenia, on 14 January 2016
 * AbeldenAbeldane Empire, on 18 July 2016
 * BrändholmPrincely State of Brändholm, on 18 July 2016
 * ParaviaEmpire of Paravia, on 27 July 2016
 * EniarkuKingdom of Eniarku, on 1 November 2016
 * ImvrassiaKingdom of Imvrassia, on 30 December 2016
 * FlandrensisGrand Duchy of Flandrensis, on 3 January 2017
 * Villa AliciaGreat Empire of Villa Alicia, on 6 June 2017
 * KaleidoIndependent State of Kaleido, on 9 June 2017
 * NeuvillelandKingdom of Neuvilleland
 * UberquiesenbergPalatinate of Uberquiesenberg
 * GymnasiumGymnasium State
 * AtoviaKingdom of Atovia

Nations with which Mahuset has signed a treaty of mutual recognition it no longer recognises
(Bold text signifies the nation no longer exists)
 * HasanistanRepublic of Hasanistan, on 14 May 2017. De facto ended on 11 December 2018, de jure never ended.
 * LurkNoble Republic of Lurk, on 10 October 2016. De facto ended on 11 November 2018, de jure ended on 5 January 2019.
 * NedlandKhanate of Nedland, on 10 October 2016. and reinstated on 22 March 2017  De facto ended on 9 June 2018, de jure ended on 5 January 2019.
 * CoriaKingdom of Coria, on 23 May 2017 De facto ended on 31 December 2017, de jure ended on 5 January 2019.
 * StraviniaFederal Republic of Stravinia, on 24 May 2017 De facto ended on 26 June 2017, de jure ended on 5 January 2019.
 * ShorewellShorewellese Empire, on 25 May 2017 De facto ended on 17 November 2018, de jure ended on 5 January 2019.
 * CustosiaKingdom of Custosia, on 9 June 2017 De facto ended on 8 August 2017, de jure ended on 5 January 2019.
 * FloriaFlorian Republic, on 9 June 2017 De facto ended on 17 June 2017, de jure ended on 5 January 2019.
 * OccitaniaPopular Union of Occitania, on 9 June 2017 De facto ended on 9 November 2018, de jure ended on 5 January 2019.

Other nations which Mahuset recognises
(Bold text signifies that official recognition is mutual)
 * 🇺🇳 United NationsAll member states of the United Nations, since 8 January 2016
 * Japan Micronations FederationAll member states of the Japan Micronations Federation, since 1 February 2019
 * KonmalehthAll member states of the Konmalehth, since 18 December 2018
 * 🇻🇦 Vatican CityVatican City, since 5 November 2016
 * LostislandFederal Republic of Lostisland, since 8 January 2016
 * SlinSecond Empyre of Slin, since 8 January 2016
 * Kosovo Republic of Kosovo, since 16 October 2016
 * 🇹🇼 TaiwanTaiwan, since 16 October 2016
 * SomalilandRepublic of Somaliland, since 16 October 2016
 * AbkhaziaRepublic of Abkhazia, since 9 November 2016
 * South OssetiaRepublic of South Ossetia, since 9 November 2016
 * TransnistriaPridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, since 9 November 2016
 * Nagorno-KarabakhNagorno-Karabakh Republic, since 9 November 2016

Economy
Mahuset has a free-market capitalist economy. Most, if not all, Mahusetans are lower-middle class to upper-middle class. There is very little income inequality. Major private Mahusetan businesses include Oxocero Holdings and PP Clubs. Unlike its predecessor, the Kingdom of Mahuset, the Confederation of Mahuset has a little if not negligible economy. Measures to this, such as the creation of a Chamber of Commerce have been planned but haven't yet come to fruition.

Currency
Mahuset has had various currencies over its lifetime. The unit of currency from the Kingdom of Ihuset's founding, and until the founding of the United Nations of Mahuset, was the Husetan Pound, and was pegged to one euro. The unit of currency used from joining the World Union until said union's death was the InterSol and was pegged to 0,13 euro. The unit of currency used from the end of the World Union to the start of the Eniak Era was the Mahusetan Kroner-Guilder, and was pegged to 0,50 euro. The unit of currency used from Radon and  Matsia joining until the death of Kingdom of Mahuset was the Mahusetan Vetriana-Gulda and was pegged to 0,45 euro. Currently, however the de facto currency is the Mahusetan Leo, which like the Vetriana-Gulda is pegged to 0,45 euro.

Culture
The diverse culture of the Confederation of Mahuset had been influenced by elements of many other cultures, most notably the customs and traditions of the Netherlands, where most activity of the kingdom took place. The nation could be considered a melting pot of contrasting cultural currents. The differetn regions of Mahuset have counted with different cultural influences each. Mahusetan culture, as a whole has been greatly influenced by Dutch, and English culture as well as artificially introduced elements of other cultures, such as the Japanese culture and Italian culture in Ihuset.

Language
Both Dutch and English are spoken natively in Mahuset. The Mahusetan population regularly speaks either Dutch or English. Several "conlangs" existed in Mahuset's history, most citizens rarely spoke these languages however and preferred to use their native tongues. The Government uses English as the nation's official and national language.

Media
Mahuset's media is comparatively well and richly written, with both freedom of speech and freedom of the press being guaranteed by the Mahusetan constitution. The first and currently only newspaper in Mahuset is the Courant of Lazia, being de facto established in January of 2016 and de jure established in July of 2016

Cuisine
The Confederation of Mahuset's cuisine is undoubtedly a mix of different cultures, having been influenced mostly by Dutch and English cuisine English dishes. The country's cuisine was mostly shaped by its location in the fertile North Sea river delta of the European Plain, which gave rise to fishing, farming, including the cultivation of the soil for growing crops and raising domesticated animals, and trading over sea. Mahusetan cuisine is largely simple and straightforward, and contains many dairy products. Breakfast and lunch are typically bread with toppings, with cereal for breakfast as an alternative. Traditionally, dinner consists of potatoes, a portion of meat, and (seasonal) vegetables. The Mahusetan diet was relatively high in carbohydrates and fat, reflecting the dietary needs of the labourers whose culture moulded the country. Without many refinements, it is best described as rustic, though many holidays are still celebrated with special foods. In the course of the twentieth century this diet changed and became much more cosmopolitan, with most global cuisines being represented in the major cities.

Modern culinary writers distinguish between three general regional forms of Dutch cuisine. The regions in the northeast of the Netherlands, roughly the provinces of Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel and Gelderland north of the great rivers are the least populated area of the Netherlands. The late (18th century) introduction of large scale agriculture means that the cuisine is generally known for its many kinds of meats. The relative lack of farms allowed for an abundance of game and husbandry, though dishes near the coastal regions of Friesland, Groningen and the parts of Overijssel bordering the IJsselmeer also include a large amount of fish. The various dried sausages, belonging to the metworst-family of Dutch sausages are found throughout this region and are highly prized for their often very strong taste. Also smoked sausages are common, of which (Gelderse) rookworst is the most renowned. The sausage contains a lot of fat and is very juicy. Larger sausages are often eaten alongside stamppot, hutspot or zuurkool (sauerkraut); whereas smaller ones are often eaten as a street food. The provinces are also home to hard textured rye bread, pastries and cookies, the latter heavily spiced with ginger or succade or contain small bits of meat. Various kinds of Kruidkoek (such as Groninger koek), Fryske dúmkes and spekdikken (small savory pancakes cooked in a waffle iron) are considered typical. Notable characteristics of Fries roggebrood (Frisian rye bread) is its long baking time (up to 20 hours), resulting in a sweet taste and a deep dark colour. In terms of alcoholic beverages, the region is renowned for its many bitters (such as Beerenburg) and other high-proof liquors rather than beer, which is, apart from Jenever, typical for the rest of the country. As a coastal region, Friesland is home to low-lying grasslands, and thus has a cheese production in common with the Western cuisine. Friese Nagelkaas (Friesian Clove) is a notable example.

The provinces of North Holland, South Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and the Gelderlandic region of Betuwe are the parts of the Netherlands which make up the region in which western Dutch cuisine is found. Because of the abundance of water and flat grass lands that are found here, the area is known for its many dairy products, which includes prominent cheeses such as Gouda, Leyden (spiced cheese with cumin), Edam (traditionally in small spheres) as well as Leerdammer and Beemster, while the adjacent Zaanstreek in North Holland is since the 16th century known for its mayonnaise, typical whole-grain mustards and chocolate industry. Zeeland and South Holland produce a lot of butter, which contains a larger amount of milkfat than most other European butter varieties. A by-product of the butter-making process, karnemelk (buttermilk), is also considered typical for this region. Seafood such as soused herring, mussels (called Zeeuwse Mossels, since all Dutch mussels for consumption are cleaned in Zeeland's Oosterschelde), eels, oysters and shrimps are widely available and typical for the region. Kibbeling, once a local delicacy consisting of small chunks of battered white fish, has become a national fast food, just as lekkerbek. Pastries in this area tend to be quite doughy, and often contain large amounts of sugar; either caramelised, powdered or crystallised. The oliebol (in its modern form) and Zeeuwse bolus are good examples. Cookies are also produced in great number and tend to contain a lot of butter and sugar, like stroopwafel, as well as a filling of some kind, mostly almond, like gevulde koek. The traditional alcoholic beverages of this region are beer (strong pale lager) and Jenever, a high proof juniper-flavored spirit, that came to be known in England as gin. A noted exception within the traditional Dutch alcoholic landscape, Advocaat, a rich and creamy liqueur made from eggs, sugar and brandy, is also native to this region.

The Southern Dutch cuisine consists of the cuisines of the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Flemish Region in Belgium. It is renowned for its many rich pastries, soups, stews and vegetable dishes and is often called Burgundian which is a Dutch idiom invoking the rich Burgundian court which ruled the Low Countries in the Middle Ages, renowned for its splendor and great feasts. It is the only Dutch culinary region that developed an haute cuisine. Pastries are abundant, often with rich fillings of cream, custard or fruits. Cakes, such as the Vlaai from Limburg and the Moorkop and Bossche Bol from Brabant, are typical pastries. Savoury pastries also occur, with the worstenbroodje (a roll with a sausage of ground beef, literally translates into sausage bread) being the most popular. The traditional alcoholic beverage of the region is beer. There are many local brands, ranging from Trappist to Kriek. 5 of the 10 International Trappist Association recognised breweries in the world, are located in the Southern Dutch cultural area. Beer, like wine in French cuisine, is also used in cooking; often in stews.

In early 2014, Oxfam ranked the Netherlands as the country with the most nutritious, plentiful and healthy food, in a comparison of 125 countries.

Meme Culture
With the Confederation of Mahuset being founded by three Gen Zers, meme culture, the culture that has largely emerged, or is emerging, from the creation, adaptation and sharing of memes over social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Tumblr, anonymous imageboards, such as Futaba Channel, 4chan, 8chan and Krautchan and instant messagers, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype and Discord has proven to be a large and important part of Mahusetan Culture as a whole.

Attribution

 * [[File:CC-BY-SA-80x15.png]] This article contains text available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
 * [[File:CC-BY-SA-80x15.png]] This article contains text available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

History

 * Paul Arblaster. A History of the Low Countries. Palgrave Essential Histories Series New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. 298 pp. ISBN 1-4039-4828-3.
 * J. C. H. Blom and E. Lamberts, eds. History of the Low Countries (1998)
 * Jonathan Israel. The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477–1806 (1995)
 * J. A. Kossmann-Putto and E. H. Kossmann. The Low Countries: History of the Northern and Southern Netherlands (1987)