Unincorporated Territories
Not to be confused with Outside Territories, territorries outside of the Commonwealth.
Unincorporated Territories (also known as Non-regional Territories) are areas of land which belong to the Commonwealth, but were not part of a nation before the Commonwealth and are thus not managed by a regional government. Their existence has been criticised by politicians. Anna Smit claimed that the territory north-east of Thorildhøj actually belongs to Thorildhøj. Meanwhile the, now excluded from elections, Lanborg Patriot Party wished to regain unpopulated territory that was claimed by the Lanborgian Empire during the War of Dignity and never formally reclaimed by Årania.
Justification
Commonwealth Expansion
After it’s creation, the Commonwealth wished to expand it’s territory. However, many settlements wanted to stay disconnected from developed civilization, most likely for protecting culture. After some very long debates, a law was passed in 3.48Ð which allowed settlements to join the Commonwealth by application without being part of a region, thus forming Unincorporated Territories.
Unambiguous Jurisdiction
The railway line between Høvemark and Kalkdui was partially on land which didn’t belong to a region. This approach, while questionable, was not a major problem until in 11.48Ð where a person decided to impede the regular railway operations which caused hours of delay for at least five scheduled train services. Following this incident, both the Court of Høvemark and the Commonwealth General Court argued it is their responsibility to prosecute and punish the culprit. This ambiguity was only resolved in 12.81Ð when the Commonwealth Assembly decided to declare all land within one Kilometer of the railway which is not already part of a region to be an Unincorporated Territory of the Connonwealth.
Government
Government in Unincorporated Territories is only existent on the low level (settlement government) and the high level (Commonwealth Assembly) and are therefore missing the medium level (regional government). This makes settlements in Unincorporated Territories more independent, which comes with benefits like lower tax rates or less restrictions on intoxicating substances.