Talk:Faramount

The Principality of Faramount is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy located in Southeast Levantia. The principality is closely associated with the Levantine Union, acceding to most of its regulations despite not technically being a member. Faramount is amongst the largest states associated with the union, occupying a territory of approximately 756,224 square kilometers (291,980 square miles). The nation is bordered to the North and East by various Latinic States, to the West by Urcea, and to the South by the Sea of Istroya. The country's population of 43,237,255 enjoy a humid subtropical climate.

The principality traces its origins to the Great Confessional War, when Matthaeus Teruso conquered modern Faramount during a bid to seize the throne of the Kingdom of Rexheim. He defeated a series of Protestant and wplCatholic enemies by currying widespread popular support through the adoption of land reform, religious tolerance, and military meritocracy. The Holy Levantine Empire ultimately granted Teruso independence in return for his support during the last years of the war, rewarding him greatly for his victories. Yet Teruso's policies ultimately laid the foundation for the minimization of his successors, who during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries faced increasing difficulty lording over a population of largely self-sufficient landowners accustomed to individual liberty. The 1893 Ministerial Act made the monarch into a figurehead head of state, and in 1992, the nation adopted a constitution that formally laid down the legal basis for the ad hoc system of democracy that had developed over the prior three centuries.

Faramount is a developed country with a high standard of living, though it struggles with substantial income inequality. The kingdom is a post-industrial society, though the service sector is significantly augmented by the nation's sizable tourism sector. The Faramanian economy is highly diversified outside of the tourism sector with agriculture, fishing, timber, transport, media, and pharmaceuticals making major contributions to the gross domestic product. A member of the Levantine Union's unified market, Faramount enjoys close trade relations with most LU states, and especially Urcea.

Contents

 * 1 Etymology
 * 2 History
 * 3 Geography, Climate, and Biodiversity
 * 4 Demographics
 * 4.1 Religion
 * 4.2 Family structure
 * 4.3 Health
 * 4.4 Education
 * 5 Government and politics
 * 5.1 Parties and elections
 * 5.2 Government and finance
 * 5.3 Law enforcement and crime
 * 5.4 Military
 * 5.5 Foreign affairs
 * 6 Economy
 * 6.1 Technology and Science
 * 6.2 Infrastructure
 * 7 Culture
 * 7.1 Cuisine
 * 7.2 Entertainment and the Arts
 * 7.3 Media

= Etymology = The English and Latin word Faramount derives from the Latin name of the Fara Mountain, Fara Monte. The Holy Levantine Empire named the barony established in the area for the Fara Mountain, formally christening it Baronia Fara Monte. Local officials quickly became weary of confusions between the mountain and the political entity, however, and by the 11th century, the spelling "Faramount" had become common to differentiate the barony from the mountain.

= History = ((Under Construction.))

= Ge ography, Climate, and Biodiversity = Faramount is located on the Southeast coast of Levantia, just North of the Equator. At 756,224 square kilometers (291,980 square miles), Faramount is a mid-sized nation by global standards, but amongst the largest constituent states of Levantia. Its average population density is 57.2 people per square kilometer (148.1 people per square mile). Population density varies significantly, however, with high population density in the South offsetting low population density through the rest of the nation. Mount Fara is the tallest mountain in the nation at 9,718 feet (2,962 meters); it stands amidst a small mountain range that marks much of Faramount's Northern border. A number of rivers trail from the Sea of Istroya into central Faramount and constitute major communication and transportation links.

The mountains that define Faramount's Northern border constitute its only points of significant elevation. Much of Faramount is comprised of plains, which are commonly used for agriculture. The coastline varies between forested highlands and coastal plains, many of which border the nation's famous sand beaches. Much of Northern Faramount by contrast is made-up of hills and forested highlands. Northern Faramount is well-reputed for its extensive old-growth forests, though deforestation has become an increasingly prominent environmental issue in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Faramount has a humid subtropical climate with mostly mild winters and hot, humid summers, excepting in the Northeastern mountains. Temperatures nationwide average around 90°F (32.2°C) through much of the summer, though this can range from the mid-60s Fahrenheit to the high nineties Fahrenheit (mid-20s to mid-30s Celsius). Temperatures drop significantly during the winter, though this varies depending upon altitude. Temperatures near the cost rarely drop below 40°F (5°C) even in the dead of Winter, while temperatures in the higher elevation Northern regions of the country can drop well below freezing. Precipitation is high throughout the year thanks to tropical air masses, though the nation is irregularly subjected to hurricanes due to these air masses.

Faramount enjoys a rich biodiversity, thanks to its mix of mountains, forested highlands, and water-adjacent lowlands. Deforestation has had a substantial impact on the nation's ecosystem, however, as has large-scale coastal urbanization. Recent environmental programs have sought to protect endangered species and habitats, offsetting some of this damage. By and large, Faramount's wildlife fall into the regular spectrum for Levantia, though the nation does have some unique species thanks to its climate, which is relatively unique on the continent.

= Demographics = The Faramanian Census Bureau estimated Faramount's population to be 43,237,255 in 2027, constituting a one point increase from 2026. Faramount has maintained population growth despite a low birth rate thanks to its liberal immigration laws. Approximately 12.3% of Faramanians are foreign born including substantial populations of Urceans, Burgundians, and other Levantines, along with a noteworthy community of Punthites. Germans (53%) and Latins (38%) account for the vast majority of Faramanians, accounting for all but 9% of the population. Immigrants to Faramount disproportionately add to the nation's birth rate, but it is nonetheless low. The average woman had 1.9 children in 2027, just under the replacement rate of 2.1, and down from the 2.2 that the average woman had in 2010.

Faramount is formally a bilingual nation with the country's constitution recognizing Latin and English as official languages. The constitution itself is transcribed in Latin, as is the nation's formal name, and the royal family always uses Latin names. Yet only a small portion of the population speaks Latin, which is rarely seen or used outside of high government, academic, and religious circles. Most Faramanians instead speak English both at home and in public. Few Faramanians are proficient in foreign languages, though it is common for residents of Faramount's coastal tourist hubs to be passive speakers of other major languages.

Just under 70% of the Faramanian population lives in an urban area. The nation's urban population is largely divisible into three groups: those residing in large towns and small cities throughout the countryside, those residing in small- to mid-sized cities along the coast, and those residing in the megalopolis in the South of the nation. Three of the five cities with a population exceeding 500,000 are located within this megalopolis, as are eight of the forty-three cities with a population exceeding 100,000. The two cities with a metropolitan population exceeding 1,000, Lacomopolis and Oratas, are both located in this megalopolis.

Religion
The Kingdom of Faramount is constitutionally defined as a secular state. Historically, the nation existed as a Christian state in which the monarch was head of a United Protestant church, but a corruption scandal lead to the church's breakup in nineteenth century. Even prior to that point, Faramount was known for its tolerance, having agreed not to discriminate against Catholic as part of its peace treaty with the Holy Levantine Empire at the end of the Great Confessional War. Over time, this agreement led the nation to adopt a formal policy of freedom of religion, which encompassed not only Christians but also those of other faiths and no faith at all. The Faramanian constitution recognizes the freedom of belief as a fundamental human right, and the government promotes religious nondiscrimination.

A majority of Faramanians are Protestants, but the largest single church in the country is the Catholic Church. There are 15.4 million Catholics in the nation, constituting approximately 35.6% of the population. The 29.1 million Protestants that constitute 46.8% of the population are largely divided into two groups: Lutherans and Calvinists. There are roughly 12.3 million Lutherans, representing 28.4% of the population, and 6.4 million Calvinists, representing 14.8% of the population. A number of other Christian faiths are also practiced in Faramount, as smaller denominations throughout history took advantage of Faramount's reputation as a safe haven to escape persecution elsewhere. Close to a million Jews also live in Faramount, having immigrated from Urcea, where they faced public persecution up until the twentieth century.

Religion is a major political and social force in Faramount, but irreligiousness is rising in strength. A 2026 poll found that 42% of Faramanians attend church regularly, while 62% of Faramanians believe religion to play an important role in their lives. Most of the kingdom's dominant political parties are openly Christian including the Liberal Christian Union, United Christian Conservative Party, and the Christian Nationalist Party. Yet close to a tenth of the population is either atheist or agnostic, and another 7.2% of the population describes itself as not caring about religion at all. Younger, urban Faramanians are vastly more likely to be irreligious than any other group. And in the last two decades, the minority Republican Party has taken an increasingly irreligious bent, something previously unthinkable.

Family structure
There is an increasing diversity in family structure in Faramount, but extended family stands at the center of households across the nation. Pensions are rare in Faramount, so it is common for a retiree to move in with an adult child, or alternately, to allow that adult child to move into and become the leader of the retiree's household. An adult thus commonly provides for both the adult's children and the adult's parents, and a majority of households in Faramount contain three generations of a family. The oldest generation in the household is expected to substantially contribute to housekeeping in return for the middle generation working outside the home. The youngest generation is expected to assist with housekeeping as well from a young age, and while growing up, to begin to care for the oldest generation.

A married couple traditionally stood at the center of the household, but this has changed with time. Polls indicate that approximately 58% of Faramanian adults are presently married, 6% widowed, 10% divorced, and 25% single with no prior marriages. Much of the unmarried population is in its twenties or early thirties, but there are a substantial number of single mother and fathers across the country. The Faramanian Constitution guarantees the right to marriage by free will, to no-fault divorce, and, as interpreted by the nation's Supreme Court, to same-sex marriage. Nonetheless, both divorce and gay marriage are heavily frowned upon throughout much of the nation. Polygamy is strictly prohibited.

Married women accounted for 67% of live births in 2026, though this percentage has been steadily declining in recent decades. The kingdom's courts have recognized there to be fundamental human rights to abortion and emergency contraception, but most healthcare providers refuse to perform abortions or prescribe emergency contraception. Many hospitals refuse to perform an abortion even in the case of a threat to the life of the mother. Few health insurance providers in Faramount cover birth control. The median age of first birth is 26. The total fertility rate was 2.3 in 2025. Adoption within an extended family is very common in Faramount, but the government struggles to encourage adoption outside that circumstance.

Teen pregnancy is a major public health concern in Faramount. The teenage birth rate is 14.4 per 1000, and teenage births account for a substantial portion of births outside marriage. The vast majority of Faramanian primary schools provide no sex education, while Faramanian secondary schools usually provide abstinence-only sex education. Comprehensive sex education is generally limited only to nonsectarian private schools. The age of consent in Faramount is generally 14, though a Romeo and Juliet law exists for younger children, and the age of consent rises to 16 if the older actor is a teacher or person in authority.

Women have traditionally worked outside the home in Faramount, but have often faced sexism in certain occupations, such as logging, fishing, and business. There is also a well-documented glass ceiling in Faramount, a nation where few executives or senior politicians are women. Faramount has never had a female prime minister, and prior to 1992, could not legally have a queen. The government has prohibited gender-based employment discrimination, but enforcement largely must be had via private action, and many plaintiffs struggle to prove that discrimination occurred. The government has in recent years taken a more proactive role in women's issues by seeking to address domestic violence and date rape on a national level, though the success of this initiative has been widely questioned.

Health
Faramount has a private health system in which nearly all healthcare, heath insurance, and pharmaceutical work are preformed by nongovernmental entities. The national government requires that every resident maintain health insurance that covers emergency care and basic preventative care with a deductible not exceeding $10,000, an equivalent limit on out-of-pocket costs, and no lifetime limit on care. Residents must obtain this insurance on an annual basis, and insurers cannot discriminate against residents on the basis of preexisting conditions or age. The government heavily subsidizes this insurance through tax credits that ultimately cover most or all of the cost of insurance for nearly 90% of Faramanians. Overall, the government through its insurance subsidies covers over 80% of the $4,200 per capita that the nation spends annually on healthcare, representing around 8.5% out of the 11.8% of Faramount's GDP that is accounted for by the healthcare industry.

The Catholic Church is the largest provider of health insurance and healthcare in Faramount, followed a number of smaller Protestant insurers and providers. Over 80% of Faramanians are enrolled in a church-operated health network. Most of the nation's health insurers request payment in the form of a percentage of a taxpayer's income tax return; the vast majority of Faramanians pay a negative income tax. Private, for-profit insurers account for almost the entirety of the remaining 20% of the health insurance market, though there are several municipal and non-profit insurers of note. Private insurers usually provide better coverage, and private, non-sectarian hospitals are generally considered to have the best healthcare quality.

Faramanians are relatively healthy by global standards, but fall on the low end of developed nations in many metrics. Average life expectancy in Faramount hovers around 77.6 years, for instance, while the infanty mortality rate is around 6.4 per 1000. Public health professionals generally blame unhealthy behaviors for many of Faramount's poor health indicators. Obesity, drug addiction, smoking, and alcoholism are all major issues in Faramount, as is the spread of sexually transmitted illnesses. Obesity-related type 2 diabetes is considered epidemic by health care professionals. The national government has in recent years sought to combat these issues through a series of sin taxes combating soft drinks, alcohol, recreational drugs, tobacco, and prostitution.

In 2020, coronary artery disease, lung cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and workplace accidents caused the most years of life lost in Faramount. Lower back pain, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, neck pain, anxiety, and workplace accidents caused the most years lost to disability. The most deleterious risk factors were poor diet, tobacco smoking, obesity, recreational drug use, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, physical inactivity, and alcohol use. Alzheimer's disease, drug abuse, kidney disease and cancer, and falls caused the most additional years of life lost over their age-adjusted 2010 per-capita rates.

Education
Faramount has a private education system in which nearly all schools are operated by nongovernmental entities. The national government provides a $7500 school voucher to each household for each child to cover the cost of primary and secondary education. Most local governments provide an additional $500-$2000, though there is substantial variance in amount and conditions of this payment. The national government requires children to attend school from roughly age 5-6 through age 15-16, unless homeschooled. The $7500 voucher is available as a tax refund to homeschooling households that meet certain requirements. Faramanians altogether spend approximately $9,000 per student on primary and secondary education with the government generally covering 60-90% of the cost.

Parochial schools dominate the primary and education school system in Faramount, educating nearly 80% of the nation's children. Parochial schools are the only option available to more than half of Faramanians. The Catholic school system is the largest in the nation, itself educating approximately 40% of Faramanian children. Most parochial schools charge only a small amount on top of the government school voucher, making it possible for most families to afford the education. A mix of for-profit private schools, nonprofit charter schools, and municipal public schools educate the remaining 20% of Faramanian children. The nation's top primary and secondary schools are non-sectarian, for-profit private schools.

Tertiary education in Faramount is largely focused on vocational, technical, and polytechnic training. Private, for-profit institutions provide most of these services at a high cost, which students usually defray using high-interest student loans. Several municipalities offer local youth education funding assistance, but there is no other governmental support for post-secondary education. There are 31 research universities in Faramount, all of which are either sectarian or non-sectarian private universities. Approximately 42% of Faramanians receive some kind of post-secondary education, but for most, this consists of a two-year vocational or technical program. Just 23% of Faramanians have a four-year academic degree, and just 3% have some sort of higher educational achievement.

The Faramanian population is well-educated by global standards, falling in the middle of most developed nations. Literacy is nearly universal, and over 80% of Faramanians graduate from secondary school. Faramanian students generally have a strong mastery of rudimentary mathematics, science, vocabulary, and grammar. Yet high school graduates in Faramount often score poorly in terms of critical thinking, substantive analysis, and high-level writing. Women constitute a majority of graduates of four-year programs, but a smaller minority of graduates of two-year programs and post-graduate programs.

= Government and politics = The Kingdom of Faramount is a unitary constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system in which the hereditary monarch serves as a largely ceremonial head of state. Governance is regulated by the Constitution of Faramount, the supreme legal document of the nation. The constitution guarantees a separation of powers, but invests great governmental authority in the Parliament, the nation's legislature. There is a right to local governance under the constitution, and several hundred municipalities with broad powers exist across the nation. Legislative and local elections are held at least every five years, and constitute the only public elections in the nation. Legislative officials are elected through closed party-list proportional representation, using a single transferable vote system to reassign votes for parties that do not receive sufficient support to be allocated a seat. The nation's legislature in effect elects the prime minister, who appoints senior executive and judicial officials with the approval of the legislature. Most civil servants and other government personnel are retained under a non-political competitive meritocratic system.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing The political system of Faramount The national government is composed of three branches:


 * Legislative: The unicameral Parliament, which makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment.
 * Executive: The prime minister is the chief of government of Faramount, and exercises the monarch's powers to command the military, lead the civil service, appoint the cabinet, and oversee the administration and enforcement of federal laws.
 * Judicial: The supreme court and lower courts, whose judges are appointed by the prime minister with the approval of parliament, interpret laws, and possess the power of judicial review.

Parliament is comprised of 100 members, who serve for the duration of a parliament. General elections are held every five years, but snap elections can be held at any time that parliament desires. A political party must win at least half a percent of the vote to receive a seat in parliament. Most political parties select their list internally, but some conduct caucuses to finalize the electoral list. The cabinet is comprised of the leaders of the government's six ministries: defense, foreign affairs, justice, treasury, environment, and state. The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Judge, has nineteen members, who serve for twenty-year terms. Ten members at any given time are acting as visiting judge of a trial or appellate court; Supreme Court members alternate on serving on these lower courts in an effort to remain in-tune with the rest of the judiciary.

Local governments possess broad autonomy in Faramount, but are strictly regulated in form by the Faramanian constitution. A municipality must use a council-manager government system in which an elected assembly exercises legislative authority that includes appointing a manager to exercise executive authority. A number of cities have nobles as figurehead executives, but this is not constitutionally mandated. Local governments can establish their own trial courts under national law; these courts act in place of national trial courts within the city's jurisdiction. Municipal court decisions can be appealed in the same manner as government trial court decisions.

Parties and elections
Error creating thumbnail: File missing The present makeup of the Parliament of Faramount. Christian Liberal Union: 57 seats (red). Christian Reform Party: 19 seats (gold). Republican Party: 14 seats (blue). National Christian Party: 8 seats (purple). Green Party: 2 seats (green).

Faramount holds general elections irregularly with the timing decided by parliament, though elections must be held at least every five years. Municipalities have varying rules for elections with some holding regular elections while others hold elections in a manner similar to the national government. There are no primary elections or runoff elections. Elections are generally considered free and fair. The constitution mandates universal suffrage for all citizens aged 16+, a secret ballot, the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, and right to petition. Voter registration is effectively automatic when a citizen applies for an identity card, which is essentially necessary to drive, obtain employment, and receive healthcare, fire, and education services. Early voting is permitted up to two weeks before election day at specified ministry of state locations. Voter turnout is generally around 70%.

The kingdom operates under a multi-party system, but two parties have been dominant throughout modern Faramanian history: the classically liberal, localist Christian Liberal Union and the Christian democratic, centre-right Christian Reform Party. The centre-left Republican Party, environmentalist Green Party, and right-wing populist National Christian Party all regularly win seats in parliament, but have not held the prime ministership in decades. The Republican Party is highly successful at the local level, however, controlling the governments of most of the largest municipalities. Prime Minister Giorgio Jacobi, a member of the Christian Liberal Union, has been in power since 2020.

Faramount very loosely regulates campaign finance. Individuals, corporations, unions, and religious organizations enjoy a constitutional right to make unlimited and secret campaign contributions, political expenditures, and party donations. A subpoena or court order is required to disclose such activities, though the Republican Party is noteworthy for voluntarily making all of its campaign finance information available online. The government seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics through a "voting with liras" scheme, which makes a refundable tax credit of $150 available to cover the first $150 of campaign contributions made by any Faramanian citizen. Critics have charged that this system fails to sufficiently offset private contributions, however, because many poorer Faramanians lack the financial resources to contribute money even if it means receiving a larger tax refund. Nonetheless, approximately 60% of Faramanians make use of the "voting with liras" system, and government-reimbursed campaign contributions account for nearly 75% of all political spending.

Government and finance
Taxes are levied at the national and local levels in Faramount. The national government relies upon a flat 20% income tax and inheritance tax, a flat 20% value-added tax, a number of sin taxes and ecotaxes, and tariffs to raise revenue. The national income tax system is generally considered to be progressive thanks to a sizable tax credit that wipes out income tax liability for most Faramanians, but the remainder of the nation tax system is considered to be regressive given its focus on consumption. Faramount's tax system is generally considered progressive overall. Local governments usually rely upon a mixture of income, sales, and property taxes. Taxes collected at all levels of government amounted to approximately 27.4% of GDP in 2027.

The national government and local authorities in Faramount make expenditures, usually independently of each other, though sometimes jointly. The government spent $343.5 billion in 2027, an amount equal to approximately 22.7% of GDP. Major categories of spending included healthcare ($151.3 billion or 44.0% of spending), education ($84.3 billion or 24.5% of spending), and defense ($11.6 billion or 5.3% of spending). Municipalities expended approximately $69.6 billion, or 4.6% of GDP. Over 75% of government spending took the form of vouchers or tax credits.

The Faramanian constitution mandates that the national and local governments maintain balanced budgets, permitting deficit spending only in times of war, disaster, or other emergency. Surpluses of as much as .2% of GDP are common at the national level, and the government usually invests its surpluses abroad, particularly in the Levantine Union

Law enforcement and crime
The Ministry of Justice of Faramount is primarily responsible for law enforcement, national security, and justice in Faramount. The ministry acts through a number of specialized civilian agencies, which perform functions such as border patrol, counter-terrorism, and operations against organized crime. The ministry also oversees the National Police Service, which is responsible for policing throughout the nation. All ministry law enforcement officers in Faramount are members of the nation's de jure army, the Royal Guard, which now acts as a solely ceremonial organization. The ministry of justice also employs most prosecutors in Faramount. The ministry's budget for 2028 is $8.1 billion.

Municipal police augment the work of the national police service, which critics charge is chronically underfunded when it comes to basic law enforcement. Most cities have established their own police departments, or contracted with private police, to fill in the gaps in justice ministry coverage. Large and mid-sized cities often have extensive, full-service departments, which perform the lion's share law enforcement work in their jurisdictions. Smaller cities often have more limited departments, while rural areas are mostly reliant entirely upon the ministry of justice. Municipalities can prosecute misdemeanor offenses, and many mid-sized and larger cities maintain professional prosecutor units to enforce local ordinances and national criminal statutes.

Private actors also play a major role in law enforcement in Faramount. Any entity can establish its own police force under Faramanian law, provided certain reporting requirements are met. Businesses often employ company police to makeup for gaps in government law enforcement, or alternately contract with private security companies that employ private officers. Because most infrastructure is private in Faramount, nearly all transit police and highway patrol in the nation are private, the exception being local traffic enforcement units. Every major university, and most other educational institutions, have campus police. The entity that employs or contracts a private police officer can also initiate a private prosecution for a misdemeanor crime, and it is common for larger companies and universities to prosecute those arrested by their police.

The kingdom has a mixed civil law - common law legal system. Court decisions establish binding precedent as in common law nations, and Faramount's judiciary uses an adversarial system. Yet like in civil law nations, parliament seeks to create an extensive code of law, which usually includes directions to courts regarding interpretation. Absent statutory direction, the national constitution requires that courts use a textualist approach, though judges may respect the golden rule of avoiding absurd results. Courts are generally expected to exercise judicial review, and must overturn statutes that violate the Faramanian constitution.

Police-work and lawyering are both highly regulated in Faramount, though both the policing and legal trades are private. Attorneys in Faramount are required to earn a master's degree in law, or alternately, a bachelor's degree in law plus three years apprenticeship. Police officers in Faramount are required to obtain a associate's degree in criminal justice and to attend a police academy, or alternately, are required to attend a police academy and perform three years of apprenticeship. Both lawyers and officers are subject to strict ethical rules. Every police academy, criminal justice program, and legal studies program in Faramount is private. Bar association membership is voluntary. All judges in Faramount are appointed by the prime minister with the approval of parliament.

Crime is a major problem in Faramount, which is the home to three of the ten largest criminal organizations in the world. These three organizations are drug cartels that take advantage of Faramount's liberal drug laws to manufacture recreational drugs for illegal export. For the most part, the cartels' activities do not impact the day-to-day lives of Faramanians, but drug interdiction efforts can often lead to substantial violence. Fighting amongst the cartels is also common, and often highly violent. There were 7 murders per 100,000 persons in the Faramount in 2024 including 5.3 gun homicides per 100,000 persons. There were 4,869 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024. Law enforcement efforts are compounded by the high degree of gun ownership amongst the population. Gun laws are the subject of contentious political debate, but at this time are loosely regulated.

The Faramanian constitution prohibits capital punishment, torture, and other cruel and unusual treatment of prisoners. The government last executed an individual in the 1980s. The nation has a sizable prison population, especially compared to other developed nations. There were approximately 150,000 incarcerated persons in Faramount in 2024, the equivalent of a half percent of the population. The incarceration rate was 473 per 100,000. Private prisons housed over ninety percent of prisoners in 2024 including all convicts incarcerated for a period exceeding one year.

Military
The King of Faramount is the de jure commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces, but actual authority is exercised by the prime minister with the approval of parliament. The ministry of defense administers the armed forces, which is divided into two services: the royal navy and the national militia. The defense ministry in 2025 supervised approximately 4,579 active duty personnel, 96,447 reserve personnel, and 11,852 civilian employees. Most civilian employees of the defense ministry are reserve personnel, a fact that has prompted consistent concerns about the ability of the Defense Ministry to sustain administrative operations during wartime.

The royal navy is an active-duty organization responsible for naval defense, though it also manages the Independent Marine Battalion, a combined arms, active-duty special forces unit. The national militia is a reserve-duty service responsible for air and ground defense. A number of national militia personnel do serve on active-duty in administrative, supply, and air defense roles, but every national militia unit is overwhelmingly comprised of reservists. The Independent Marine Battalion also contains a number of national militiamen on loan, and these individuals serve on active-duty.

The royal guard and national marine are also formally military branches, but both are now purely ceremonial organizations administered by the justice ministry. The royal guard once constituted the nation's army, but is today merely an honorary organization comprised of all government law enforcement personnel. The Faramanian Constitution prohibits the maintenance of a standing army. The national marine was once a reserve naval force, but is today merely a ceremonial group made up of all mariners and coast guard personnel.

Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime. The military has not engaged in a combat operation since the 1960s, excepting maritime security, disaster relief, and peacekeeping operations. Faramount commits approximately 1.2% of its GDP to the military each year, around 18.1 billion in 2028.

Foreign affairs
Faramount is a small power with limited international influence. The Levantine Union negotiates trade, customs, and visa agreements on behalf of the kingdom, while in most non-economic matters the Faramanian government follows the lead of Burgundie and Urcea. The Faramanian Constitution requires the nation to be an active member of the League of Nations, and to abide by all international laws. Despite its small size, Faramount has a sizable foreign affairs ministry, spending nearly a billion dollars a year in order to maintain a robust network of diplomatic missions.

The Levantine Union is a topic of significant political controversy within Faramount. The nation's dominant political parties strongly support Faramount's 'de facto' membership in the LU, and have historically endorsed efforts to expand the LU's influence. Yet most opposition parties take a less positive view of the empire, especially those groups on the right, which tend to view with skepticism the LU's rising influence. "Levaskepticism" as a political position largely emerged from Faramount, and is a rising popular force in the nation today.

Faramount spent approximately $4.2 billion in 2027 on foreign aid, making it a leader in foreign aid contributions, proportionate to GDP. For the most part, Faramanian foreign aid takes the form of League of Nations funding, humanitarian aid, and technical assistance. Faramount engages in extremely little development aid.

= Economy = Faramount has a robust market economy fed by strong workforce productivity and a constitutionally-guaranteed level playing field. The nation's nominal gross domestic product is estimated to be $1,512.6 billion, while it's purchasing power parity GDP is approximated at $1,830.2 billion. This translates to a nominal GDP per capita of $34,983 and a PPP GDP per capita of $42,330. The kingdom has enjoyed substantial economic growth in recent years, usually varying between 4% and 6%. However, because of a procyclical approach to spending, the country is highly susceptible to the ebbs and flows of the business cycle. Faramount's last recession, in 2021, led to a fifteen percent contraction in the economy over four years.

The Faramanian government generally takes a laissez-faire approach to economic issues, a policy reinforced by constitutional rights to engage in commerce, trade, collective bargaining, and other market endeavors. For the most part, the nation seeks to encourage good behavior through incentives instead of regulation, notably operating a sizable agricultural incentives program designed to promote conservation. However, the kingdom does enforce a limited regime of regulations focused on public health, environmental protection, and occupational safety and health. A number of coastal cities do take a more interventionist approach.

There are very few labor rights at the national level in Faramount. Employment is at-will throughout the country. There is no minimum wage, limitation on working time, requirement for holiday, or requirement that private businesses respect the right to unionize. There is conversely an unlimited right to engage in a strike action, and closed shop agreements are entirely permitted under the law. Generally speaking, unionization is only common in government employment, transport, and the lumber industry, along with some skilled trades. The concept of the workweek and weekend is mostly respected despite the lack of regulation, as are the Christmas and Easter holidays, as a result of religious pressure. Ten-hour shifts are common, however, and for many, the weekend consists solely of Sunday.

The Faramanian private sector comprises 89% of the economy. Government activity accounts for another 5% of GDP, while municipal actions provide for the remaining 6%. The government directs substantial funds towards the healthcare and education fields, however. The service sector comprised 64% of the economy in 2025, though the agricultural industry, fishing industry, wood industry, transport and pharmaceutical engineering made major contributions. The tourism industry was the leading field of employment.

Income inequality is a major issue in Faramount. The top tenth of a percent of Faramanian wage-earners in 2027 earned approximately 10.8% of national income, and the top percent of Faramanian wage-earners in the same year earned approximately 21.3% of national income. Yet perhaps as notable as the division between wealthy and poor Faramanians is the division between the coastal middle-class and the remainder of the nation. The median income in the region surrounding Faramount's coastal megalopolis stood at approximately $44,654 in 2027, compared to just $28,703 in the rest of the nation. Despite the redistributive nature of Faramount's income tax code, interior Faramanians, and especially rural interior Faramanians, live shorter, less healthy, and more commonly poverty-stricken lives.

The Faramanian Royal Bank, a politically independent central bank, manages Faramount's monetary policy. The nation has its own currency, the Lira, which was historically tied to silver, but is presently a fiat currency. The Lira is relatively lowly valued, especially for Levantia.

Technology and Science
Faramount is an advanced nation with a history of technological innovation, especially in terms of agriculture, lumber, and luxuries. The kingdom prospered greatly from its closed ties with Urcea, which played a key role in the industrial revolution and scientific revolution. Due to its democratic form of governance and strong property rights, Faramount was commonly viewed as a haven for inventors, investors, and innovators. The nation has a long record of being a leading center for research, and it has produced a disproportionate number of well-renowned scientists. Faramount's research universities are globally respected, and the University of Lacomopolis is viewed as one of the top ten academic institutions in the world.

The kingdom is particularly well-known today for its pharmaceutical engineering industry. Most of Faramount's largest corporations are drug companies, and the nation's leading exports are pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals. The Faramanian medical drug industry has led in the development of biopharmaceuticals in particular, and the country is a leading provider of drugs combating autoimmune disease. Ironically, prescription drugs are relatively expensive in Faramount, constituting a larger percentage of healthcare spending than in most other developed nations. Still, Faramanians have access to some of the most top-of-the-line pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals in the world, and often have a rarely matched capacity to particulate in drug trials.

Infrastructure
Faramount relies upon the private sector to build and maintain most infrastructure, leading to wide gaps in development between urban areas, especially on the nation's coast, and rural areas. Public infrastructure investment is mostly limited to local expenditures on basic thoroughfares, an inter-municipal infrastructure bank that funds projects along the nation's coast, and government spending on the Faramanian Highway, a single carriageway that crisscrosses the nation. Most urban residents have access to a technologically developed electrical grid, sewerage, transport network, telecommunications network, and water supply network. Rural residents by contrast have little access to utilities, and nearly ninety percent live entirely off-the-grid by necessity. The nation has no national mail system, but courier services are required to deliver letters at a single rate throughout the nation with pickup and delivery required at least thrice weekly. Total electrical use in Faramount in 2027 was estimated to be around 345 terawatt hours.

The South of Faramount is noteworthy for its advanced infrastructure. Over sixty percent of area residents travel to work using a well-developed mass transit system featuring high-speed and conventional inter-city railways, ferries, rapid transit systems, light rail systems, trams, and intercity and transit bus services. Another ten percent of coastal residents traveled to work through a mixture of walking, biking, mass transit, and driving. Most of the remaining thirty percent of residents used personal automobiles to commute in 2025, taking advantage of a small network of toll-funded of limited-access highways and controlled-access highways. There are several major ports and an international airports in the region, and residents enjoy access to a well-developed power grid, wastewater system, and clean drinking water system. There are extensive telecommunications systems as well with most residents having access to cable television, the internet, and telephone lines.

There is also some infrastructure development in other cities, though these areas usually lack the same level of infrastructure sophistication. Residents generally have access to well-maintained power, sewer, water, and telecommunications systems, but without the same technological advancement as along the coast. Most of the well-developed South has come to rely upon nuclear energy, hydroelectricity, and renewable energy for power, for instance, while other areas of the country rely mostly upon nuclear energy and fossil fuels, especially petroleum. As another example, several companies in the well-developed South are investing in fiber-optic communications, but such advanced systems are not present elsewhere. Residents of other cities also have access to less well-developed transport. Nearly seventy percent of urban residents outside the well-developed South are reliant upon cars for transport, taking advantage of well-maintained systems of paved roads, private limited-access highways, and private controlled-access highways. With few exceptions, these cities provide only limited mass-transit options, usually in the form of transit busses, inter-city busses, inter-city rail (but not high-speed rail, which is only available along the coast), and smaller domestic airports and ports.

Very few rural Faramanian residents have access to any utilities or transport infrastructure, other than basic publicly-maintained gravel roads, and a limited number of inter-city rail systems mostly used for cargo. Rural residents have nonetheless enjoyed most basic modern amenities since the 1970s, thanks to advancement in energy, telecommunications, and other technologies. Faramanians in the countryside often rely upon small generators for power, and in recent years, some have even invested in small or community wind power or solar power systems. Individual or community well water systems usually provide drinking water, while most homes use onsite sewage facilities, most commonly septic tanks, for sewerage. Most rural residents rely upon satellite communications for internet, radio, and television, though many rural residents do have access to terrestrial television and radio broadcasting from nearby urban areas. Smartphones, mobile phones, and even landline phones are rare in the countryside, given a lack of investment in cell towers or telephone networks. Most rural residents instead rely upon internet-based calling services, or the privatized mail, for direct communications.

= Culture = Faramount is generally considered to be a melting pot of the Protestant Germanic and Catholic Latinic cultures. Divisions between these groups defined the nation's politics for two centuries, but by the mid-nineteenth century, had largely become a concern of the past. The government's formal policy of toleration had become a national creed by the early twentieth century, and today, Faramount prides itself on being Template:Multicultural. High levels of immigration have furthered Faramount's heterogenous nature. The government strictly prohibits discrimination based on immutable characteristics including gender, ethnicity, and religion. The LGBT community has long enjoyed unequaled freedom in Faramount, thanks to the nation's loose moral regulations. Social conservatism is nonetheless highly dominant in Faramount, though this is changing.

The wide range of fashion norms in Faramount reflect the nation's diversity. It is common along the coastline for women to wear miniskirts, pants, and shorts, and for men to wear similarly casual clothes. Bikinis are incredibly common at the country's beaches. Yet in more rural areas, women generally wear dresses or skirts, while men are more commonly seen in dress slacks and a collared shirt.

Cuisine
Faramount shares a largely common cuisine with other Levantine countries, though seafood plays a larger role in the Faramanian diet due to its sizable coastline. Mainstream Faramanian food features main courses comprised of either seafood or meat, especially beef and poultry. Fruits and vegetables usually appear on side dishes, while ice cream and bread-based desserts are most common. Wheat is the nation's primary staple. Obesity is a significant health issue in Faramount, though the nation imposed a sugary drinks tax in 2024 in a bid to combat this health issue.

The Faramanian agricultural industry accounts for nearly a tenth of the gross domestic product, and is the nation's number one exporter. Wheat, beef, and poultry are major exports, as is milk. Rising international demand has prompted a significant turn to organic farming in Faramount, and in the countryside, organics are often considered standard. The Faramanian government does not certify food as organic, however, leading to frequent lawsuits against food suppliers for false advertising. Nonetheless, food in general, and organic food in particular, is extremely cheap in Faramount, contributing to the nation's high purchasing power parity.

The kingdom is also a renowned producer, and consumer, of alcohol, recreational drugs, and tobacco. The alcohol, drug, and tobacco industries make major contributions to the Faramanian economy, and Faramount is a major exporter of each of these items, making it a subject of some controversy internationally. Furthermore, the legality of these substances, along with prostitution and gambling, adds to Faramount's allure as a freewheeling tourism destination. But the nation struggles with high levels of drug addiction, tobacco addiction, and alcoholism, despite a high excise tax on alcohol, recreational drugs, and tobacco.

Entertainment and the Arts
The dominance of tourism in Faramount has led the nation's artistic community to largely focus on the performing arts instead of the visual arts. The nation has many famous theaters, and a large number of well-respected musicians, actors, comedians, playwrights, screenwriters, and directors. The small Faramanian film and television industry is highly critically acclaimed, and its products often gain wide audiences across the Levantine Union. Yet Faramanians are far less well-known for their art with only a few Faramanian artists having achieved an international reputation. Local art tends to be more derivative in nature, building on existing trends, but not exploring new themes or motifs.

Faramount was historically a major patron of the arts, however. Faramanian leaders often made a particular name for themselves for welcoming foreign artists fleeing repression. And Faramount has a number of acclaimed art and other museums. Yet overwhelmingly, Faramount's achievements in the area of the arts were obtained only by welcoming foreigners, or by buying foreign pieces. Historically, outside of the area of theater, Faramount was viewed as bereft of high culture.

Media
The internet is rapidly becoming the primary source of media consumption in urban Faramount, especially as satellite internet has brought internet access to even the most remote corners of the nation. Most media outlets now maintain a substantial web presence, often making programming available for streaming following traditional braodcasting. The streaming service WebFlix accounts for a third of bandwidth usage nationally, providing its subscribers with access to a wide variety of movies, full seasons of television shows, and original content. Competing services NetTV and Nile provide original content as well, and are unique in also providing programming the day after broadcast. Traditional sources of media consumption continue to be highly profitable, however, and the internet is not expected to dominate the media for another 10-15 years. Social media, search engines, and portals are the most accessed sites in the Faramount.

There are two broadcast television networks in Faramount: the Faramanian Broadcasting Network (FBN) and the Lacomopolis Broadcasting Company (LBC). Both are commercial entities. Faramount has no public television, excepting a small group of community television stations. There are dozens of additional domestic channels available to cable television and satellite television subscribers. FBN and LBC own most of these channels, though there are several stand-alone private channels and several non-profit educational channels. The FBN-owned twenty-four hour news channel Faramanian News Network (FNN) and the LBC-owned twenty-four hour sports channel Faramanian Sports Network (FSN) are the most well-known, and most watched, channels in Faramount.

Radio programming is highly popular in the rural Faramount, thanks to the large-scale usage of automobiles. The average rural Faramanian listened to just over two-and-a-half hours of radio programming per day; over a hundred FM and several dozen AM stations serve different areas of the country. Yet radio has largely been replaced in the cities by music streaming services, especially those available via smartphone. With the exception of a few community radio stations, all radio stations in Faramount are private, for-profit entities.

The most well-known newspapers in Faramount are the Lacomopolis Tribune, Faramount Daily, Oratas News, and Oceastu Times. The Lacomapolis Tribune is generally recognized as the newspaper of record of Faramount. Although the cost of publishing has increased over the years, the price of newspapers has generally remained low, forcing newspapers to rely more on advertising revenue and on articles provided by a major wire service, such as the Levantine Press, for their national and world coverage. With the exception of student publications, all the newspapers in Faramount are privately owned, many by large chains. Major cities often have "alternative weeklies" to complement the mainstream daily papers, for example, Oratas' Bay Report, to name one of the best known. Major cities may also support a local business journal, trade papers relating to local industries, and papers for local ethnic and social groups.