Washakara

The Socialist Republic of Washakara is a small socialist state in Southern Crona, border to the North by the Confederated Provinces of Arcerion and to the South by the Kingdom of Paulastra. It is characterized by its relative agrarian and simple economy, small population, and relatively poor Human Development Index and GDP per capita. Despite neighbors that favour free-market capitalist policies, Washakara remains as one of the few places where relaxed immigration laws allow an influx of foreign refugees from Varshan to arrive. It was formed as a result of a side theater of the First Great War war between Arcerion and Paulastra, with the nation established by treaty in 1898 which formally withdrew both parties from the conflict.

History
With the widespread arrival of Carnish settlers to Southern Crona in the late 1700s, Indigenous populations found it increasingly difficult to remain in the same area as what would eventually become Arcerion. Be it border skirmishes, economic issues, famine, or just mass migraiton away from ancestral lands, the Indigenous populations of Southeastern Cronan peninsula were gradually moved to an area South-East of where modern Arcerion is today.

By 1874, over 1.5 million men, women, and children had migrated to the Washakaran Basin, and began to set up what would be a proto-Government for self-rule. However, as Arcer settlers continued to venture further inland, there was a continuous influx of people towards the refuge state, and by 1910 this population had reached 3 million. Mostly farmers and agrarian, they were either displaced due to the rapid pace of the Arcer expansion or forcibly through force.

Population
The population of Washakara is predominantly High Alshari, with an influx of refugees from former Varshan representing a growing number of the population every year.

Economy
The economy of Washakara is very agrarian with limited capital projects or large non-nationalized corporations. Communist and socialist government policies, coupled with corruption, have meant that Washakara has traditionally not fared well economically as business tend to prefer either the stable and growing economy of Paulastra to the South, or the deep pockets of Kinnaird, Arcerion to the North. Farming and agriculture still remain a major part of the economy, and frequent droughts or failures to rotate crops due to oversights by the government regularly result in famine and recession. Despite this, the economy manages to export some foodstuffs, despite lacking a major port, usually through Paulastran shipyards.

The Washakaran economy is overwhelmingly import-focused, with the local populace unable to self-sustain based off of their own natural resources. It has a limited mining and raw materials or mineral processing sector, with the government subsidizing what little heavy industry and manufacturing it can.