Kharyat
Kharyat
LuDominmne aluKharyat | |
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| Province of Kharyat | |
 Imperial Kilionite Palace in Yukader, Kharyat | |
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The Province of Kharyat (Packilvanian: LuDominimne aluKharyat) is a high level administrative subdivision of Packilvania. It is located in the southwest of the country, surrounded by Ukanar to the west, Mekedesh to the east, Shakar to the northwest, Ashura to the north and the Packilvanian Ocean to the south. The city of Kemer is an exclave of Kharyat in the south.
Kharyat has a population of 97,250,120. Its capital and largest is Yukader. Its other major cities include Makobar, Xahal, Ajhurit, Songai, and Hatachatiyat. It has a nominal GDP of 774,110,955,200 KRB and a nominal GDP per capita of 7,960 KRB. Kharyat has a hot desert climate in most of its interior. It has semi arid areas, savanna, and sub tropical rain forest in the south. A tributary of the Ufrata River known as the Datsahud River flows through Kharyat before emptying into Ukanar. Kharyat lies within the Central West Packilvanian Timezone (+4 UTC).
The Governor of Kharyat is Prince Uhayed a-Amhoud Bedon. The Judge President of the Kharyat High Court is Prince Alawad a-Uhayed Bedon. Kharyat is the home of the Bedonite dynasty that currently rules Packilvania. They originated from the city of Makobar which was named after their ancestor Bedon Makobar who founded it thousands of years ago. They ruled it as an independent realm then a fief of the various dynasties that took over Packilvania. They returned to independence between the 12th and 13 centuries but often faced incursions from the Kilionite dynasty of Yukader.
Politics
The politics of Kharyat take place in the framework of an absolute monarchy and consists of a three branch government under the ultimate authority of the national or imperial government:
- Legislative branch: Provincial Legislature composed of the Legislative Council (elected in terms of Imperial Decree largely by municipalities, and then by religious, aristocratic, labour, professional, business and civl society bodies), and the Consultative Assembly selected by lottery.
- Executive branch: Governor, appointed by the Sultan of Packilvania, who in turn appoints the Premier and the Provincial Council of Ministers.
- Judicial branch: High Court of Kharyat and other lesser civic, and religious, appointed by the national authorities.
The incumbent Governor, Prince Thahed was appointed in 2023 after the previous Governor, Prince Uhayed, brother to Sultan Emeritus Namdun III, signed a letter calling for Sultan Thumim V to reinstate Prince Abuyin as the Crown Prince of Packilvania and supported plans by Prince Elam, the former Governor of Mekedesh to derail the Coronation and Wedding of Sultan Thumim V and Saga of Tynam. As other Governors appointed by Sultan Thumim V, Prince Thahed has publicly pledged his loyalty and is seen as an extension of Bingol's authority in Kharyat. Nevertheless, the Prince has largely left the Premier, Thuhal Banham to run the province with the Provincial Council of Ministers.
Thuhal Banham had a fairly liberal education following the end of the Second Packilvanian Civil War and has very little in the way of political history. He did moderately in his exams and joined the civil service. He worked his way up to be the Director General of the Provincial Department of Finance and the Economy for Kharyat and through his active membership and senior role in the Association of the Friends and Veterans of the Carriers of Mercy. He was tipped as the new Premier due to his popularity among the bureaucrats who favored his pragmatism and competence.
The politics of Kharyat are dominated by pragmatists and centrists with roots in the bureaucracy. Nevertheless, the population has a large youth population even in relation to the rest of the country. Large youth organisations with ties to the Magisterium of Paxism have emerged which have galvanized policy platforms outside of religious topics. Although freedom of speech, assembly, and protest are curtailed in Packilvania, these religiously linked bodies have proven surprisingly successful at impacting government policy. Of note is a group of religious fundamentalists that have taken root and caused many of the policies that the Uhayed government pursued with respect to reproductive and sexual rights and the diminished role of the religious police in public life to stall. For most people in Kharyat polled in February 2023, economic issues remain front of mind and trust in the state is surprisingly high at 78%.
Economy
Kharyat has a GDP of 786 billion KRB, the second smallest of the provinces of Packilvania and the 8th largest of the highest level of the administrative divisions of Packilvania. In terms of the fiscal policy of Packilvania, the provincial government is able to levy income and transactions taxes for its budget. Kharyat government's expenditure comprises 15% of the economy (82 billion KRB). Unlike oil-rich provinces such as Ashura, the government of Kharyat cannot raise revenues from oil production and instead relies on taxes levied on citizens. As such, Kharyat has higher than average tax rates in Packilvania. However, there are many tax exemptions for low income persons.
Kharyat has been able to attract considerable manufacturing due to a combination of lax regulations on the environment and worker rights, its low cost of labour, and its proximity to the ocean, allowing for ease of navigation. Nevertheless, the province has mainly been reliant on low-cost and low value-added manufacturing where its primary role is in producing low cost consumer goods or in assembly. Along with Shakar and Ukanar, Kharyat has the lowest research and development and the least amount of large private firms especially in technologically and scientifically advanced industries especially when compared to Bingol, Kemer and Fidakar.
Kharyat is heavily reliant on the informal sector. Most working adults have more than one source of income with many operating side hustles. Nevertheless because most of this work is low income, many people also depend on remittances from people working in wealthier parts of the country. The province has experienced a phenomenon of under employment among the youth where young people with college degrees are refusing to take on manual or low skilled labour, and it is experiencing a net brain drain, with highly skilled people seeking opportunities in other parts of the country.
The Province has a sizeable agricultural sector although most of it consists of small farmers who rely on rain-fed crop-based agriculture in the south and on livestock husbandry in the arid north. The province lacks large rivers and thus relies on the rain instead of formal irrigation, resulting in fairly small crop yields. The redirection of investment capital to areas such as manufacturing has stymied the development of large scale commercial farming and skepticism of genetically modified crops has resulted in lower crop yields and challenges in scaling up despite attempts by the Agricultural Bank of Packilvania to stimulate large scale commercial agriculture.
Although not abundant in mineral resources in the way that Shakar, Ashura or Iganar are, Kharyat has modest deposits of coal, iron, copper, and nickel. The province has large sodium chloride deposits in the northern arid regions. The province has 5 regional airports with links across Packilvania and 2 international airports with a few routs to foreign countries. The province relies on the extensive railway network, of which the vast majority is electrified. Despite a long road network, most of it consists of rural gravel roads. Several large highways, connect its major cities to neighbouring provinces such as the K1, K2 and the K3. The province's overall unemployment is low and it has very high economic growth by any standard.
Demographics
Kharyat has a population of 97 million people, which compares favourably with not only subnational divisions from other countries but entire countries as well. The province has an above replacement level fertility rate of 2.6 births per woman. Infant mortality and birth related complications have been mitigated by investments into paediatric healthcare and pre and post natal care especially in rural areas where travelling midwives aid pregnant mothers. The life expectancy sits at around 71 years of age, and the proportion of the elderly is fairly low, enabling substantial upward social mobility among the middle aged and young who can devote more time to working.
Due to urban migration, education of girls and women, and access to contraceptives, women are delaying having children and getting married. The population growth remains substantial and coupled with the environmental degration many areas have suffered, the government has been worried that the carrying capacity of the province will be reached in a matter of decades. Work in universal access to abortions and bodily autonomy for married women to enable them to make reproductive decisions is underway but slow with social stigma and religious antipathy and a lack of coordination from the national government. Despite significant improvements in reducing child marriages and teenage pregnancy, these problems persist and limit women's economic and personal self-actualisation.
As other provinces, divorce is very low and marriage rates are high, with the average marital age being around 24 for males and 22 for females. The province has a good literacy rate however the brunt of illiteracy falls on the rural elderly. Educational outcomes are improving as more children are reaching the final years of secondary study. Tertiary education is substantial with the province having a high quantity of tertiary institutions relative to its size and low cost labour economic model. Access to portable water remains a challenge in the northern regions which experience low levels of rain and lack access to large rivers or lakes. Access to regular refuse removal and sewerage services for rural populations remains a challenge.
Culture
Kharyat has many architectural icons such as the Kilionite Royal Palace and the Palace of the Duke of Makobar. The province is well known for many historic buildings such as fortresses, palaces and majhids. Many of the architectural wonders of the province where constructed during the reign of the Kilionite Dynasty which governed Kharyat as an independent Kingdom and then as vassals of the High King and then Sultan. The province's architectural marvels include the ruins of the desert city of Khanoupas which was built from sandstone and sits on the Khanoupas oasis. Unlike the cities of Mekedesh, Fidakar and Iganar, the buildings in Kharyat are not tending towards the same level of skyscraper development. The province does suffer from copycat architecture where duplicates of foreign buildings are being built.
Kharyat has a rich history of poetry and music. The province is home to several styles of traditional Packilvanian music and it is home to prestigious schools and academies in traditional music. Kharyat is home of twirling dancing in Packilvania. Food in Kharyat is lauded for being highly flavourful due to the use of rich aromatics and spices and the fact that most food is seasonal. The north has food characterised by high meat and dairy content whereas the south has more Fruita and vegetables. Pickles and chutneys are highly favored especially spicy green mango pickles. As with other Packilvanian foods, spices are readily and widely used including in dishes such as the Yukader chicken curry. People in Kharyat tend to eat by hand and the presence of fast food franchises is low while there is an abundance of street food.