User:The Oan Isles/sandbox/Christie Island
Republic of Christie Island Folkenregung den Krystie Iynland | |
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Motto: "Mother Ocean, I have heard your call" (Christine: "Muter Seh, Ih habe Yer Sund Hurded") | |
Anthem: My Home in the Sea Christine: Myne Hus in den Seh | |
| Capital and largest city | Rilanon |
| Recognised national languages |
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| Ethnic groups |
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| Religion |
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| Demonym(s) | Christine |
| Government | Parliamentary republic |
• Chancellor | Irian Herdan |
| Legislature | National Assembly (Nasionale Folkenting") |
| Area | |
• Total | 11,692 km2 (4,514 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Census | 2452810 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | SH$153 billion |
• Per capita | SH$62,380 |
| Gini | 28.6 low |
| SDI (2023) | 0.941 very high |
| Currency | Christine dollar (CHD) |
| Time zone | UTC0 (Christine Standard Time) |
| Date format | DD/MM/YYYY |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +27 |
| ISO 3166 code | CHR |
Geography
Government
The National Assembly (Nasional Folkenting) is the unicameral legislative branch of the country. It was established over a thousand years ago around 994 and is one of the oldest continuously functioning legislative bodies in the world. It was formed by King Ludriyk III and was appointed by him, consisting of landowning nobles. In 1345, after the Nobles’ Revolution (Burgerstreyf den Noblen), the body forced the King to begin the slow process of ceding law-making powers to the body. This included granting all nobles seats in the body. After the Merchants’ Revolution (Burgerstreyf den Merkanten) of 1456, any man could purchase seats in the body. This was followed by the White Revolution (Wyss Burgerenstreyf) in 1652 which allowed any man who paid tax and owned land was allowed to sit in the body.
In 1700, the last King, Heynrik V was deposed by the Republican forces, which resulted in the National Assembly being granted parliamentary sovereignty with the passing of the Grusstenniss den Folkenting Reyl (Parliamentary Supremacy Act). This means that it can pass any law by majority and its laws cannot be struck down by any court in the land. In 1721, the body determined that there were too many people in the body and decided to have it elected by the tax-paying male population. In 1728, the National Assembly abolished all noble titles. All men were allowed to vote for representatives to the body, through the Allgemeyne Erkyusung Reyl (General Voting Act) in 1856. In 1935, through the passage of the Selbsame Erkyusung Reyl (Equal Voting Act), women were given the same voting rights as men.
The National Assembly may not pass laws that future sittings cannot undo, so there is no written constitution. Instead, the foundational principles of the political system stretch back millennia and comprise an unwritten constitution consisting of statute and convention. The members of the National Assembly are elected by the people every five years through a first-past-the-post system whereby the country is divided into single-seat constituencies of roughly equal size in which the candidate who wins the most votes, gets the seat for the party. This has resulted in a political system whereby a few large parties have historically dominated the political system. Currently, the National Assembly consists of three political parties, the National People’s Party (Nasional Folkenpartiy or den Folkeren) which is the ruling party with 41 seats, the Social Democratic Party (Sosialisme Folkenmakt Partiy) which is the official opposition with 23 seats and the Green Movement (Griyne Forengung) with 8 seats.
The head of state, head of government and commander in chief of the armed forces is the Chancellor (known in Christine as Kanslur). The holder of this office is elected every five years by the members of the National Assembly. A holder of this office may only hold a maximum of two terms. In 2021, the current Chancellor, Irian Heldur was elected. The Chancellor has the power to appoint the Cabinet (Kabinen) which consists of Ministers (Ministeren) who run executive departments. Together, they form the executive branch, enforcing legislation and administering the government. Irian Heldur is the President (Prasiden) of the largest party in the National Assembly, the National People’s Party (Nasional Folkenpartiy).
The country's legal system takes place in the context of Christine common law. This consists of the precedents and conventions that have arisen over the centuries of Christine legal history through the courts which have the power to interpret the law. However, no court has the power to strike down any law passed by the National Assembly even the High Court (Hiyh Erriyter). Judges are appointed by the executive branch with the approval of the National Assembly.
Economy
Christie Island is a developed country with an economic model that takes place in a free-market system. Nevertheless, the country levies high taxes from its citizens to pay for social welfare schemes such as free and universal public healthcare, education, pensions, and support for the distressed and unemployed. The biggest part of the economy consists of services such as tourism, shipping, and finance, followed by light manufacturing, agriculture, and fishing. Christie Island has a warm and sunny climate, beautiful nature, a population that speaks Staynish and a central location in the Halcyon See. As such, it has attracted millions of foreign tourists who enjoy the outdoor activities, and festivals that the country offers. Furthermore, the country is the hub of many international organisations. Thus, it receives many diplomats and foreign businesspeople. Christie Island’s central location and proximity, to major markets has made it a hub for international air travel, making the Chancellor Rynard Lestung International Airport one of the busiest in the region. The country also has a deep natural harbour at the Port of Rilanon that was expanded through dredging and land reclamation, making the country a hub for transshipment.
Christie Island’s geography and climate have facilitated the emergence of cash crops such as palm oil, sugar, cocoa beans, and other tropical fruit. Although the role of agriculture in the economy has shrunk significantly, agriculture and the export of foodstuffs continues to play a significant role in the economy. Although warm waters are normally not as abundant in fish as cold climates, Christie Island has a surprisingly productive fishing sector, enabling the export of high value fish products.
Christie Island has very low levels of unemployment, poverty, and corruption. The country uses the Christine dollar which is issued by the Christine Monetary Authority and is pegged in value to the South Hills dollar, making the two virtually interchangeable. The country’s economy has been stagnant for the past 20 years, growing only 20% over that period. Furthermore, the country has an ageing and stagnant population which has places pressure on pension schemes and raised government spending. The country has tried to offset these effects through an open-door immigration policy that has resulted in a large population of expatriates.
Demographics
The country has a population of over 2.3 million inhabitants. Most of the population lives in urban areas, the largest of which is Rilanon which dwarfs all other settlements in the country. The population has a life expectancy of 81 years and an average age of 38 years. A sizeable portion of the population is over 65 and the country has a sub-replacement birth rate. As a result, the country has implemented liberal immigration policies to compensate for the decline in its native population and the related labour shortages with temporary work permits for immigrants. Nevertheless, getting citizenship is challenging and most immigrants leave the country after a few years. Over 30% of the population originates from overseas, making the country highly cosmopolitan, originating largely from surrounding nations. This has also significantly skewed the gender balance with most of the foreign population being male. Immigrants from poor nations such as Nystatiszna tend to work in domestic work, farming and construction while immigrants from South Hills and Vistaraland tend to work in business, diplomacy, and knowledge industries.
Most of the population speak a dialect of the Christine language which is related to the languages of Far West Yasteria and Concord. Standard Christine is based on the Rilanon dialect and is the national language of Christie. Due to the large presence of foreigners and the influence of Staynish in international trade, diplomacy, and science, Staynish is widely spoken in the country and is the most used second language.
The most widely practised religion in the country is Ademarism. The religion was introduced centuries ago and supplanted the animist and polytheistic folk religions in the medieval era. The variation of Ademarism that is practised here is influenced by Far West Yasterian Ademarism. Although most of the citizens are members of the Ademarist Church of Christie Island and it received financial support from the government, most people do not profess belief in the God-on-Urth nor do they attend weekly services. The native people of Christie Island are elves who tend to have darker skin that has adapted to the hot weather. Years of migration have resulted in the introduction of a large population of humans and nekomimi.
Culture
Cuisine
Christie Island is a tropical island that has the perfect climate for trees and vegetables that grow in hot and wet weather. Fruit is widely consumed raw as a snack or dessert, or is processed through boiling, frying and grilling and integrating it into other dishes. Fruit can also be eaten in savoury dishes as well. Because of the weather, food is also more likely to go off, thus many of the dishes are based on techniques that help to preserve food such as smoking or pickling. Additionally, most of the food is characterised by spices due to their abundance and perceived benefits in preserving food. Some signature dishes include stumby which is a firm porridge made from cassava that forms the main starch in most dishes. Some favoured sides include curry shrimp, grilled saltfish, fried plantain or broths such as jibble soup made from tropical greens, spices and animal stock.
Music
The folk music of Christie Island is characterised by the use of percussion instruments such as jumble drum, shakers, xylophone and steel drum. These styles of music have evolved and mixed with music from other regions, giving rise to genres such as samble, and rigay. With the use of modern production technology, electronic Halcyonic dance music has emerged such as dancehall and ballroom. Some famous musicians from the country include Alida Imurdan and Ludo Marden.
Sport
The most famous sports in Christie Island are the foreign-origin sports of table tennis and soccer (association football). The national football team is marketed as the Fossa (named after the national animal of the country), however the country has not hosted a major international sporting tournament and it rarely qualifies for international events. The Christie Premier League (de Krystishe Furstelige). Some famous teams include the Kalebury Kestrels F.C., the Edelton Ospreys F.C., and the Untermer Pilots F.C. The country's largest sporting stadium is the Billian Bank Stadium in Rilanon.