Sydona

The Sydona or the Sydona Islands, officially the Popular Republic of Sydona, is a theme and quasi-autonomous province within the Kiravian Collectivity comprising a roughly triangular archipelago of off the southern coast of Continental Ixnay in the Pelian Ocean. The islands have a long and convoluted history, having come under the rule of many different nations and empires over the course of the centuries. Incorporation of Sydona into the Kiravian sphere of influence began during the Crusades and was complete by [YEAR]. Sydona is known for its cultural diversity and rich heritage, and for its valuable natural resources.

Etymology
The name Sydona is a contraction of a twenty-two syllable High Coscivian compound word meaning "the land where beer does flow and men chunder". This is understood to refer to the wild drinking parties among celebrating Coscivian sailors after completing the long and arduous sea voyage to Sydona.

History
[Diverse history and heritage. Pelian and Slakko-analogue main native ethnic groups] [Crusades] [100 years of jackshit] [Kirosocialism] [Reintegration] [Present day]

The first recognisible modern ethnic group to settle in the Sydonas were the Pregoshans, an independent offshoot people, related to today's Pelians. Pregoshans of the Sydonas were among the first Japhetic-speaking communities other than Istroyans to begin adopting Christianity, and according to tradition the Christian presence in the islands dates back to the Apostolic Age, albeit with a limited geographic and demographic footprint in comparison to more northerly and easterly areas of coastal Sarpedon. The Pregoshans would subsequently be conquered and absorbed by invading Khunyer people fromt the Sarpedonian mainland, who would themselves gradually adopt Christianity by cultural transfusion both from above (through continental elite networks) and from below (from intermixture and cultural contact with the conquered Pregoshan subalterns). Slavic peoples would subsequently enter the archipelago's ethnic mélange by sea from the northwest, with the ancestors of the Thrakoslavs colonising the western shores of the archipelago and establishing fortified enclaves in other areas of the islands.

Crusades
During the Fourth Crusade, Iddrytine Sydona, particularly the outer islands, was beset by several Crusader offencives led by the Elamite Order. The Elamites established a on Mar-Kśaver.

[Free Cities] [Free Kitties]

Kirosocialism


During the early 20th century AD, socialist movements that had taken root in Great Kirav in response to the poor conditions of the labouring classes spread to Sydona. Here the socialist message was more warmly received among the large Sydonan mineral and industrial workforce, in contrast to other Kiravian colonies, which tended to be more agrarian and commercial.

Reintegration
By 21184 the Kirosocialist administration in Great Kirav was spiralling toward collapse, struggling in vain to reverse the implosion of its economy and stave off emboldened opposition movements. In Sydona however, despite the presence of various increasingly visible opposition movements, the Kirosocialist status quo remained reasonably popular. Sustained demand for Sydona's energy resources and the semi-autonomy afforded to the antipodean republic in economic planning sufficiently insulated Sydona from the mainland's mounting economic crisis, and its public ration-distribution system had always performed better than the mainland's due to less cross-regional inefficiency and a smaller disparity between supply and demand. In addition, many in the Coscivian population and certain minority groups who might have been otherwise uncommitted to socialist ideology were wary of deviation from the status quo, fearing that an overthrow of the established régime and the decidedly pan-ethnic socialist formulation of Sydonan identity that it sponsored would open the door to ethnic unrest and radical movements such as the Apocatasarpedians, who sought to turn Sydona away from Coscivian civilisation and towards a Sarpedon-centric cultural ethos and geopolitcal alignment.



In the (southern hemisphere) autumn of 21184, just after Élív, word began to filter through the Party nomenklatura that Chairman Ástūkétra and the Politburo had fallen into defeatism and were considering transition negotiations with the Æonara authorities in the hope of arriving at some sort of power-sharing agreement that would accomplish Kiravian unification under a Two Systems in One Nation (Yulentun Þuğudrē) framework and move toward on the mainland. These rumours (now known to be true) alarmed Kirosocialist hardliners in across the Kiravian Union and precipitated a wave of overt pushback against the central leadership from regional soviets and delegates to the Supreme Soviet, the likes of which had not been seen since the consolidation of single-party rule. The Destransar Soviet was particularly ardent in its opposition, passing a resolution condemning the rumoured negotiations and, should the rumours prove true, denouncing the revolutionary legitimacy of any officials involved. The resolution pledged to maintain the socialist path and the comprehensive leadership of the Socialist Party in Sydona no matter what.

[Unclear what happens in the middle here]

Although some, such as Tragran Folestrin, insisted that distant Sydona not be allowed to single-handedly obstruct Kiravian unification when completion of the multi-generational project was so near at hand, National Renewal Movement recognised the importance of the archipelago, not only due to its energy resources and the considerable symbolic cost of abandoning such a populous and important overseas region, but also due to fears that the islands would become a "Red Æonara" acting as a haven for socialist hardliners and compromising the unification effort by keeping the torch of Kirosocialism alight and challenging the legitimacy of a restored government. After the [event that totally happened] dashed any realistic hope of a Two Systems in One Nation arrangement for Great Kirav, the NRM began preparing for a full Federalist restoration while the Destransar Soviet prepared to assume independence. As a last-ditch effort, the Reunification Council presented a version of the Two Systems proposal to Sydona:


 * Sydona would accept the sovereignty of the Kiravian Federacy but would not revert to its pre-Kirsok constitutional status, instead becoming a sui iuris overseas entity with a high degree of autonomy within the Kiravian Collectivity.
 * No market reforms would be imposed from above. Bilateral ground rules for energy, commerce, and travel would be negotiated.
 * Sydona must come into compliance with the Statute of Liberties, and Sydonans would have recourse to the federal judiciary in matters of civil rights. Sydona and its officials would be exempt from the jurisdiction of any tribunals.
 * The Socialist Party of Sydona must nominally disaffiliate itself from the Socialist Party of Kiravia (expected to be dissolved and banned), but would be allowed to persist as a standalone party and maintain single-party rule for a period of 7 years, after which multiparty elections were to be held in which the SPS would be free to compete. No further constitutional changes would be required.

Geography
There are over 20 natural and currently 3 artificial islands in the Sydona archipelago. The five largest islands are Érdoran (Yerduran, also known as Lordasydona or "Grand Sydona"), Fauda, Manētuva, Teğer, and Mar-Kśaver. Érdoran comprises over 35% of the state's land area and is home to just over half of its population.

The archipelago lies entirely within the temperate belt, with a broadly (Trewartha Cf), with ample rainfall and a narrow, moderate annual temperature range. Sydona's antipodean seasons are well-defined: Spring is usually cool, windy, and damp, while warm summers and mild autumns create a long growing season for crops. Winters, though mild, are generally chilly and humid.

OR

The archipelago has a pluviseasonal-oceanic mediterranean climate, with thermal grades ranging from thermomediterranean to mesomediterranean, with parts of the southern islands and elevated areas of Yerduran experiencing supramediterranean thermal conditions.

Important cities: Destransar Resava  Tertkert  Vansarvan  Ğrigurêkivon Orbansk Chjuraskovo Tabor Borgoresc

Government


In the modern constitutional context of thematic federalism, Sydona belongs to the. The Sydonan Theme is a unitary theme(comprising only one federal subject) as well as a special theme (having devolved authority to in certain matters normally within federal competence). In practical terms, this means that Sydona has significant latitude to set its own policies with regard to migration, customs, and interstate commerce, above and beyond the considerable rights reserved to regular Kiravian states. The Government of Sydona has actively exercised its autonomy in these areas, and presently maintains a separate migration and customs régime from other parts of the Federacy, as well as numerous intrastate trade barriers and its own currency, the Sydonan dram. Sydona was accorded this special status along with the Melian Isles during the Federalist Restoration in the 21180s due to political and strategic considerations at the time (see §Reintegration above), and retains them in recognition of its geographic isolation, unique ethnic and cultural makeup, and divergent development path. Nonetheless, Sydona has voluntarily taken significant steps since the 21180s toward closer integration with the rest of the Kiravian Federacy, in tandem with the gradual liberalisation of its domestic economy and institutional setup.

The political life of Sydona takes place within the framework of a constitutional republic. The current Constitution of Sydona has been in place since the last round of federal status compacts and referenda in 21198. Although it is now a multi-party electoral democracy, Sydona retains many institutional forms and symbolic trappings that recall its past as a Kirosocialist single-party state on the Devinist model. The unicameral legislature, the Popular Congress, is elected every 36 months by from constituencies corresponding to the state's cities and raions. The Chief Executive of Sydona is elected every 72 months by alternative vote. Unlike most overseas states, election of the Chief Executive of Sydona does not require any confirmation or nominal appointment by the Prime Executive or Federal Stanora.

Politics
The post-Kirsok political landscape of Sydona has been shaped largely by issues surrounding ethno-national identity, federal integration, and the economic transition. The Socialist Party of Sydona, which had ruled Sydona under the one-party system, has managed to remain the strongest political force in the country, campaigning on a platform of ethnic and religious neutrality, opposition to independence or ethnic separatism on one hand and further federal integration on the other, and maintaining high social expenditure financed largely by resource rents. This platform, combined with effective voter-mobilisation networks among sympathetic constituencies such as organised labour, have enabled the SPS to turn out a "critical mass of lukewarm supporters" and usually prevail over the fractious opposition.

Communal identity is a major element of the Sydonan political landscape, but not the main predictive variable of voter behaviour. With the exception of the Democratic Union Party, which appeals exclusively to Thrakoslavs, the major Sydonan parties all portray themselves as multi-ethnic and draw varying levels of support from the principal demographic sectors. The UFP dominates the Overseas Coscivian vote and generally performs well among Austral Coscivians and the Pelian upper and middle classes, but has weaker support from Thrakoslavs. The Social Compact Party most often earns a plurality of the Pelian vote and is the favoured party among rural Christians of all ethnicities and much of the lower-middle class.

Federal Politics
Sydona returns six members to the Federal Stanora by at-large.

The Emergency Backup Executive, a elected to lead the Federacy's  efforts in the event that all other constitutional successors to the Prime Executive are killed or incapacitated in a catastrophic event, has their official residence at the Prehnite Hill Tracts on Grand Sydona.

Defence Forces
Like other Kiravian provinces, Sydona maintains its own local defence forces. The Sydonan Popular-Republican Army is responsible for air and land defence, and the Sydonan Popular-Republican Navy functions as the islands', discharging roughly the same responsibilities in Sydonan waters as the Maritime Cutter Service does in the Home Islands.

Local Governance
The third-level administrative divisions in Sydona are known raions (Coscivian: raion) instead of countyships (amtra), but perform the same essential functions.

Society & Culture
Sydona has a rich and diverse culture, blending the dominant mores of Coscivian civilisation with Pelian, Slavic, Istroyan, and Audonian influences. Although a thoroughly multiëthnic and multilingual country, Sydona's overarching socio-political institutions and cross-community mainstream culture have been primarily shaped by Coscivian culture for the past several centuries, and as such, under the successive Elamite, Kiravian colonial, and Kirosocialist regimes, much of the non-Coscivian population of Sydona has become substantially Coscivised in many respects, especially in urban areas. However, since the end of Kirosocialism, a more pluralistic political and media environment has made space for stronger assertions of non-Coscivian, even non-Kiravian identities among these peoples.

Ethnic groups


Main social groups:


 * Khunyer - Orenstian ethnic group speaking the Khunyer language. Khunyer are the largest individual ethnic group in Sydona and are in plurality across southern and eastern Yerduran and much of the Lesser Sydonas.
 * Thrakoslavs ( Thračislaveni ) - Sydonans of Slavonic heritage, also known as Thračicians or Sea Slavs. Thrakoslavs are in majority in the West Yerduran Autonomous Division (82%) and the North Sydona Division (62%). Other pockets of Thrakoslav settlement, mainly urban, have existed scattered across the coasts of the Sydonas since the Middle Ages.
 * Čuvidins - Thrakoslavic Sunni Muslims
 * Coscivians, including:
 * Austral Coscivians or Deep South Coscivians - Social amalgamation of Coscivised Khunyer and long-settled multigenerational Coscivian-Kiravian colonists.
 * Thrakoscivians - Social amalgamation of Coscivised Thrakoslavs and mixed Coscivian-Thrakoslavic families, mostly living in West Sydona and speaking Thrako-Coscivian Creole.
 * Black Coscivians - Resettled evacuees from Kiravian trading posts in Punth expelled during the course of the Kiro-Burgundian Wars. Mostly found in the Destransar metropolitan area and urban-type settlements in North Sydona.

Smaller but notable ethnic groups include:
 * Anatolians - Umbrella term for various Audonian Christian minority communities who have settled in the islands.
 * Jethrovians - ethnoreligious group.
 * Leinish - Small-numbered community descended from Gothic-Fiannrian Crusaders, mostly concentrated in Leinland Autonomous Raion.
 * Śķiptar - Displaced, traditionally and involved in rearing  and producing.
 * Absuri - Local relict Arab populations
 * Rumelis and Rumelite Coscivians - Followers of the Rumeli Islamic tradition.
 * Istrojans and Istro-Coscivians - [Coming soon]
 * Welsh Sydonans - Immigrated from Caergwynn and Faneria to work in the mines.

Language
Austral Coscivian, an offshoot of Maritime Coscivian superimposed over a Pelian substrate, is the most widely spoken language in Sydona, by 35% of the population as their native tongue and an additional ~20-25% as a second language. The other two major languages of Sydona are Thrakoslavic (a Slavonic language) and Pelian (an independent Levanto-Sarpic language). All three languages have official status

Thrako-Coscivian Creole is spoken by some 120,000 families in northern Érdoran (~1.54% of the Sydonan population), with a significant diaspora in Destransar and Valēka. It received official recognition in 21193 and authorised for use in public elementary education for the first time.

Kiravic Coscivian is an auxiliary official language, and is understood by up to 40% of the population, mostly as a second language. It is common as a first language among the Mainlander community and is important in the corporate world. Public information is increasingly made available in Kiravic. However, Austral Coscivian remains the dominant language of the Coscivian sector and heavily Cosconised cities, and native Kiravic-speakers living in Sydona must learn Austral Coscivian in order to navigate everyday life.

Other languages spoken in Sydona by sizeable communities include Istroyan, Aramaic, and Leinish.

Religion
Catholicism is the primary religion in Sydona, followed by Islam in various forms, and is an important shared characteristic across the three main ethno-linguistic blocs. The Catholic Church was present in the islands from very early on, with the native Pelians being early converts to the faith. Islam became the institutionally dominant faith under the Caliphate, and remained so until conquest by the Elamite Order, which strengthened the influence of the Church and marginalised Islam. Under Kiravian rule, the state adopted confessional neutrality, and minority religious communities enjoyed greater freedom. In its early phase, the Kirosocialist government heavily repressed the Church hierarchy and Muslim clerical bodies, though it would later shift toward a relatively more relaxed approach involving infiltration and coöption of religious leadership. Catholic religious expression in Sydona often takes the form of elaborate devotional practices and the local veneration of patron saints. Monasticism and the role of the Elamite Order in religious life were prominent before Kirosocialism and are slowly being reëstablished in the decades since.

Smaller subsets of the Christian population adhere to Audonian churches, Coscivian Orthodoxy, and minor Kiravian sects. Patrajan Christianity has a small presence in Sydona, mostly in Resava and Destransar, with some parishes on Teğer as well. Protestanism is represented mainly by Neo-Protestants and Pentecostals, and is concentrated heavily among the archipelago's itinerant communities.

Sports
Sports are an important part of Sydonan cultural life.

(Austral Coscivian: kʊʉrat, from Arabic kura "ball") is the second most popular sport in Sydona, in stark contrast to the rest of the Kiravian Federacy, where it receives little attention. The Sydona Islands are represented by their own national team in international competitions, separate from the notoriously irrelevant Kiravian national team. Although the Sydonan national team outperforms its Kiravian counterpart, it is still not particularly successful in tournament play. Soccer is generally played during the antipodean spring and summer in Sydona, coinciding with the fall/winter regular season for fieldball in Great Kirav, though it is evolving into a more year-round sport. The Austral Coscivian language has its own distinct vocabulary relating to soccer, much of which is locally coined or borrowed from Continental Ixnayan languages, unlike Kiravic Coscivian which has mostly borrowed or calqued its soccer terminology from Levantine or wider international usage.

Sydona is home to the famed tennis champion Hinko Karthinović.

Economy


Sydona has a an upper-middle income transitional mixed economy with a large public sector. The extraction and processing of natural resources - particularly offshore oil and natural gas and handwavium - are the most valuable sector of the economy and main source of public revenues. The economy is presently export-oriented, with a comparatively underdeveloped domestic market for, though the Sydonan Popular Bank projects a positive trajectory for domestic consumption over the next five years.

Sydona has its own currency, the Sydonan dram. The Kiravian saar is widely circulated and commonly accepted by local merchants. However, the Sydonan government only accepts tax and fee payments in drams, and similarly pays out pensions and welfare transfers (upon which a large share of the population rely) in drams.

Energy and Mining
Sydona has extensive (mostly offshore) deposits of and, the easily the largest of any Kiravian province by proven reserves. The Sydona Resource Development Authority, a under the purview of the provincial Secretariat of Energy, has a statutory monopoly on oil drilling in Sydona and its waters, though since 21202 it has begun licensing an increasing number of oilfields to private companies, such as Kiro-Audonian SakOil. Oil and gas are Sydona's leading export and source of government revenues.

The eastern islands hold major deposits of, while Érdoran and Manētuva have significant reserves of tin and tungsten. Offshore natural gas exploration is underway in the Sydona Sound. Sydona's handwavium industry is tightly supervised by the federal government, as the mineral is of great strategic value to the Kiravian Navy and shipping industry, which require it for certain long-haul voyages.

Agriculture
Agriculture employs some 16% of Sydonans, and is focused on the production of Levanto-Sarpic staple crops (e.g. wheat, barley), Kiravian staples (potato, drallion), wine grapes, beef cattle, and a wide selection of temperate fruits and vegatables. A warm temperate to submediterranean climate, level terrain on Grand Sydona, and comparatively low labour costs have helped establish Sydona as an agricultural exporter to the Kiravian and international markets. Ducks are raised widely across Sydona, and are a major ingredient in Austral Coscivian cuisine. Sydona is the leading producer of in the Federacy.

Sydona is by far the largest producer and per-capita consumer of in the Kiravian collectivity. Vineyards are an important pillar of the rural economy on the hilly outer islands, which offer many locations with desirable terroir for. Sydona Œnotechnical Enterprises SAK, better known by its 'Swallowtail Wines', took over management of the largest state-owned vineyards when they were privatised in 21192, and produces affordable varietal wines, mainly for the Kiravian market. It is the best-known wine brand among Kiravian consumers. Another major commercial winery is SAK Évard Cellars, a subsidiary of Alquifer operating in Yeğvard Raion (Marketing consultants rendered Yeğvard as Évard to dupe customers into thinking the wine was Burgoniesc and therefore good, when in fact it is neither).

Manufacturing & Services
Sydona inherited a large industrial base from the Kirosocialist period that has struggled to compete in a more liberalised trade environment and has remained largely stagnant despite generous subsidies and protectionist policies. It is perhaps best knowns for its manufacturing enterprises focusing on agricultural machinery, including combine harvesters, forage harvesters, and grain headers. The fortunes of the manufacturing sector have improved mildly since the Deluge thanks to contracts with the Overseas Development Executive to provide large quantities of outdated but low-cost agricultural machinery, construction equipment, and chemical fertilisers to promote economic development in Kiravian-controlled areas of Crona, contributing to the mechanization of local agriculture.

Sydona is a major exporter of and, benefitting greatly from the post-Kirosocialist suburban development boom in Great Kirav and the growth of "air-conditioner colonies" in lowland Æonara which have spurred a surge in demand for patios.

The Kashun Oil and Fat Complex produces a range of edible oils, margarine, and mayonnaise products. The majority contributor to Sydona's regional condiment supply, Kashun Oil & Fat also produces a large volume of goods for export, mainly to Great Kirav, the Saxalins, and Crona. Originally a state-owned enterprise, Kashun Oil & Fat was semi-privatised in 2012 AD under a UFP-led government, and is now 50% owned by Banya Sēora SAK. Banya Sēora also owns a massive dairy processing plant in Ijevan, which produces cheese, butter, and yogurt. The Ijevan plant was wholly privatised in 2008. Under Banya Sēora management, the application of the parent company's technical know-how, efficient management, and wide-reaching distribution networks were combined with the sheer scale of the existing plant in terms of physical capital and manpower to quickly become a crown jewel among Banya Sēora's assets.

The aerospace manufacturer AK AvMax is one of the better-performing state-owned heavy industrial firms, and the leading industrial employer in the outer islands outside of the mineral and energy sectors. Under Kirosocialism AvMax was initially tasked with building utility aricraft (mainly for agricultural use) and military transports. It would later concentrate primarily on large cargo planes, including, producing replacement components for smaller passenger and military aircraft as a secondary activity. AvMax its governance after Kiravian Reunification but remained state-owned, and diversified its operations to include a wider range of smaller craft, aviation components, and services. In addition to fulfilling Kiravian defence contracts, AvMax sells utility aircraft primarily to less developed countries. Since the late 2010s AD, several of its component-building subsidiaries have faced lawsuits for, most of which have been lost or settled unfavourably by AvMax. Both foreign and Kiravian competitors have alleged that selling patented aviation components on the global black market is a major part of the firm's business model.

Other major heavy industrial enterprises that have remained state-owned include the Asturiupol Steel Works, the ZydTalav family of mining equipment and haul-truck builders, and the Krapovo Motor Works. Unlike AvMax, these firms mainly serve the Sydonan market and are reliant on protectionist policies, contracts with other SOEs, and other forms of state aid to remain viable.