Niyaska

Niyaska, officially the United State of Niyaska (Kiravic: Thūrax Ārka Niyaska) is a state of the Kiravian Federacy located on the eastern coast of Great Kirav. One of the smallest mainland Kiravian states by area, it is also its most densely populated, and among its most economically productive and demographically diverse.

Etymology
The name 'Niyaska' comes from the indigenous Tapkek term Nihi aȝga, meaning "right bank", referring to the southern shore of the Valēka Roadstead. The state's official pretitle, the 'United State' of Niyaska, refers to the merger of the State of North Niyaska and the State of South Niyaska shortly after the Republican Revolution. Niyaska is the only Kiravian state formed by the merger of two states under Article VII, Section II of the Fundamental Statute.

Geography
Most of Niyaska is a, the Paséak Hills in the west-central region standing as the most prominent exception. The east and northeast coasts feature sandbars, barrier islands, and es, and s, which are home to environmentally important and increasingly threatened ecosystems. The overall bioclimate of Niyaska is classified as supratemperate humid subcontinental.

Southern Niyaska is dominated by the Niyaska Pine Barrens, a large coniferous forest composed mainly of pitch pine and white cedar. The Barrens transition into a mixed-forest ecosystem in the middle of the state that stretches upward toward the Kiygrava. Although much of Niyaska remains forested, large areas of the state have been urbanised or brought under cultivation.

Human Geography
Niyaska is the most densely populated Kiravian province. North Niyaska is traditionally the more urbanised part of the state, though the western edge of South Niyaska along the Parthon River is also an important urban corridor. North Niyaska has been described as "saltilis sortasarikanton" ("on the whole, a semi-urban expanse") containing the heavily urbanised waterfront cities of the Valēka Roadstead and more distant satellite cities such as Kulaparkar, mediated by their respective suburbs, which have expanded prolifically since the end of Kirosocialism and transformed North Niyaska into a continuous economic and infrastructural region amalgamated into the wider Valēka Metropolitan Area. South Niyaska, traditionally more rural and with intensive agriculture stymied somewhat by the soil conditions of the Pinelands, is less densely populated east of the Parthon River valley, but has more recently witnessed exurban development, especially along the seacoast.

Countyships
North Niyaska South Niyaska
 * County Cantra
 * County Manôtra
 * County Udarstra
 * County Alair
 * County Akúvar
 * County Kern

Politics and Governance
Niyaska is a constitutional republic whose form of government is prescribed by the Constitutive Statute of Niyaska adopted in 20747. Niyaska has a bicameral legislative process involving the Niyaskan Stanora (officially the "House of Delegates" in Ænglish) and the Válora (likewise the "House of Auditors"). Executive power belongs to the Chief Executive (or Governor) of Niyaska, who is elected every six years and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms and an unlimited number of non-consecutive terms. Unusually for a post-Restoration state, Niyaska continues to use for most elections, including the governorship, Stanora, and most local offices. Instant-runoff voting was introduced to fill constituency seats in the Válora in 21200.

Executive Branch
The Chief Executive or Governor of Niyaska heads the executive branch. Niyaska is a strong-presidential state and there is no pretense to collegiality in the organisation or functioning of the state Cabinet, which serves to support the Governor.

Niyaska is unique in having two Secretaries of State in its cabinet. Domestic responsibilities commonly assigned to Kiravian provincial secretaries of state, such as electoral administration, civil registration, corporate affairs, etc., are handled for North Niyaska by the Secretary of State for the Northern Department, and for South Niyaska by the Secretary of State for the Southern Department. The Northern Secretary is responsible for inter-governmental relations with other Kiravian federal subjects, while the Southern Secretary is responsible for Niyaska's relations with the federal government. Responsibility for the state's trade and tourism promotion offices abroad currently falls to the Northern Department, but has been shuffled between the two several times.

Similarly, the state maintains two separate appellate courts for the North and the South.

Political Landscape
Political parties are strong in Niyaska. There are currently no independents represented in the state legislature, and there has not been an independent governor since 21157. Parties form cohesive voting blocs, with Niyaskan legislators voting with their party 92% of the time on average. Party "machines" are often criticised as a major factor enabling political corruption. The leading anti-corruption parties are the New Reform Party and the Niyaskan National Party. The NNP is often seen as a in rejection of corruption and establishmentarianism among the mainstream parties.

The liberal-conservative, pro-business URP represents the interests of the multi-ethnic "mass upper class", business owners of all sizes, and certain ethnic blocs, such as Likútan Coscivians. Its support is strongest in the monied suburbs of the Greater Valēka metropolitan area. The Popular Party draws support from a broad cross-section of Niyaskan society, but its base is concentrated among Paisonic Coscivians (the state's largest ethnic group), Lusan Coscivians, and Catholics in the middle and upper-working classes. The Democratic Party draws its votes mainly from the working class and from the state's large industrial cities. The Niyaskan Whig base consists of middle class suburbanites of various backgrounds, farmers, many Æran Coscivians in South Niyaska, Niyaskan Kir, and members of the police, fire, and military services.

Perennial issues in Niyaskan politics include public housing, the state's high rates of taxation, pervasive corruption at all levels of government, and organised crime.

Public services
Niyaska offers healthcare subsidies to low-income residents. A plan modelled on the Sydona Islands system for covering a majority of in-hospital costs for all residents in conjunction with private insurance was defeated in 21207.

The Niyaska Public Transit authority operates the Niyaska Statewide Bus Network, which offers connexions between nearly every settlement in the state, the Shore Commuter Railway, which runs across the eastern part of the state linking Valēka to its Niyaskan suburbs and exurbs, and the Great Passageway Rail Line, which connects the SCR with the Federally-operated Eastern Seaboard Passenger Railway.

Military
The Niyaska Armed Forces currently comprise the Niyaska United Republican Army, the Niyaska United Republican Army Aircorps, and the Niyaska Naval Auxiliary. The Niyaska United Republican Navy was suspended in 21126 but could theoretically be reactivated on the orders of the Chief Executive.

The Niyaskan Army and Army Aircorps are among the most experienced and decorated of Kiravian state militaries. Niyaskan state units have served alongside Federal forces in numerous foreign engagements, including the Kiro-Fakolan War, the Great Oceanic War, and the Liberation of Sydona. The Niyaskan armed forces along with those of Kiygrava and Róvidrea make up the Mid-Aquaric Battlegroup.

Economy
Niyaska has a highly developed economy based on industry, commerce, high-value services, and finance. It is a major centre of the Kiravian biomedical/pharmaceutical, chemical, information technology, and shipping industries. It has the highest median income of any federal subject, as well as the highest per capita GDP and highest average land value.

Manufacturing
The chemical and materials industry has been one of Niyaska's economic strengths since the dawn of the industrial age. The largest Kiravian chemical manufacturer, Àsover Chemical SAK, is headquartered in Vaśtonar Township, County Rendon. Kiravia's second-largest refinery is located in Linden, across the river from Valēka. Petrochemicals, plastics, and composite materials rank among the state's leading exports, and Niyaska dominates Kiravian production of specialty chemicals, including artificial flavours and fragrances.

Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
Niyaska has the Federacy's leading pharmaceutical and biotech sector, having shown robust growth in these industries since the 21180s. The three largest Kiravian pharmaceutical firms: Xirusta SAK (Lignúsar), Iatrogen PLR (Helvitenor), and Mullingar Biochemical SAK (Edomsar), are all headquartered in northern and central Niyaska. Numerous biotechnology startups have taken advantage of pro-biotech enacted on the state level and the abundant, high-quality human capital produced by the state's established firms and world-class universities.

Transportation & Shipping
The Valēka-Niyaska Port Authority, a bistate agency supervised by the Niyaskan and Kiygravan governments, operates the second-largest Kiravian port by annual cargo volume and the largest on the eastern seaboard. The majority of the port's loading docks, including all of its oil, gas, and chemical transfer facilities, are located in the northern Niyaskan cities of Cantrasar, Śervinak, Lower Valēka, and MacLaughlin.

Niyaska is also a major hub for air transportation. Iselin International Airport, the busiest of the Valēka metropolitan area's airports and the largest freight airport east of Escarda, is located in the Niyaskan city of Iselin. Together, the Port of Valēka-Niyaska and Iselin International Airport are the point of entry for some 50% of imports from Kiravia's major trading partners Urcea and Fiannria.

Because of its location and port/airport infrastructure, many ground transportation companies are also based in Niyaska, moving large volumes of goods across the heavily populated Mid-Oceanic region.

Military & Defence Industry
The Kiravian military operates several installations in Niyaska. The Katolien Armoury in County Manôtra is a major storage depôt for conventional, nuclear, and chemical ordinance, and also houses several support operations for the Kiravian Navy. Fort Téarvód, also in County Manôtra, is the operational headquarters of the Kiravian Army Signal Corps and houses several R&D facilities.

The Federal Army maintains a number of coastal artillery installations in northern Niyaska for the purpose of defending Valēka Harbour.

Society and Culture
Niyaska has a rather diverse population reflecting its large, dynamic economy, proximity to the Federacy's largest commerical city and port, and a long tradition of intercommunal tolerance and religious diversity. Despite the Niyaskan population's diversity, there is a surprisingly strong sense of civic unity that approaches or  in many respects, leading it to be the only state in the Northeast with an antifederalist political party. Niyaskan culture has long had a image and ethos fostered by centuries as part of the Valēka and Endicivon industrial regions.

Ethnosocial Groups
The largest Coscivian ethnosocial groups are the Paisonic Coscivians (and their various subgroups, particularly Síkutrans) and Ærans, who together account for around 40% of the state's population. Both groups are present in large numbers throughout the state, with the Paisonics being slightly more prominent in eastern and northern Niyaska and the Ærans being slightly more prominent in western and southern Niyaska. Every countyship has either a Paisonic or an Æran plurality.

In addition to the Paisonic Coscivians and Ærans, other Coscivian ethnic groups strongly associated with the mass migrations of the Great Crossing Era have substantial populations in Niyaska. Vilamans and Kaśuvans have a vibrant presence in County Hersek, which is also home to one of the largest Lusan populations on the eastern seaboard. Eskean Coscivians are present throughout the state in small numbers and are credited with establishing the first "Niyaska eateries" (see below), most of which are still owned and operated by Eskean families today.

The Niyaskan Kir, or "Old Niyaskans" are now a small minority in their traditional homeland, and account for only 42% of the state's ethnic Kir population, most of whom have ancestral homes in the Kiygrava, Etivéra, or elsewhere. Old Niyaskan-majority settlements are found mostly in rural South Niyaska and a rapidly shrinking rural corridor in County Manôtra.

The Marithāruv ("Meadow people"), an ethnic group of mixed descent from Tapkek aboriginals and various groups of early Coscivian settlers, inhabit many wetland areas of the state, where their community cohesion and traditional way of life are increasingly threatened by encroaching urban development and environmental degradation.

The Isvɚ̯x Road Albinos, a small community of 80-250 people with, thought to be of either Coscivian or mixed Coscivian-Aboriginal extraction, live in an area of pine-cedar forest and scrubland in County Manôtra. Although accorded Scheduled Tribe status by the federal government and have been under a protective order from the state government since 21182, the Albinos occasionally come into conflict with residents of the expanding exurban communities in their vicinity.

Niyaska is home to the largest population of Sarolastans on the Eastern Seaboard.

Due to its maritime history, proximity to Valēka, and impressive post-Kirosocialist economic growth, Niyaska has a substantial non-Coscivian population that includes Celtic-Kiravians and other National Minorities, Levantine-Kiravians, Caphirian-Kiravians, Melotes, Corummese, and Metzettans.

Religion
Due to its inclusion in the cosmopolitan Valēka metropolitan area, all religious traditions with a visible following in Kiravia are present in Niyaska. However, Coscivian-Rite Christianity is by far the largest faith tradition, adhered to by 60-65% of Niyaskans, with the Coscivian Catholic Church being the largest single religious body and the Coscivian Orthodox Church the third-largest. Niyaska also has a significant number of Latin-Rite Catholic parishes, serving both immigrant and Coscivian congregations. The Insular Apostolic Church is the second-largest religious body.

Niyaska has the second-largest Jewish population in the Federacy after the neighbouring Kiygrava. Most Niyaskan Jews belong to the Ivraīan Coscivian subgroup and live in suburban North Niyaska. After Kirosocialism, some Haredi communities belonging to the Avraman Coscivian subgroup left Valēka and resettled in and around Vilnúdaritren in South Niyaska.

Cuisine
All major Coscivian cuisines can be found in the restaurants, delis, and corner groceries of Niyaska's many ethnic neighbourhoods. Drawing from and building upon these culinary influences, Niyaskan cooks have created a repretoire of dishes that is considered characteristically Niyaskan. Laird's bacon (Valturkōlgra), a cured pork product common throughout the Northeast, was invented in Niyaska, where it is wildly popular and features in the official state sandwich. Fried potatoes in the state are usually a thick-cut variation on the usual Axioneɣûltor ("Axiench-fry'') style, except in the Niyaskan Beach region, where a thinner style is served.

Niyaska is known as the birthplace of the "eatery" (Kiravic: ɣēmitōrum), a type of restaurant similar to an American diner or British roadhouse and often found along major roadways. The first eateries were established by Helskan Coscivian immigrants in the 21XXXs and offered extensive menus featuring traditional Kiravian breakfast fare, lunch staples and sandwiches, and some Helskan dishes. Today, Niyaskan eateries are the best place to experience distinctively Niyaskan foods and the Niyaskan take on more general Kiravian foods.

Paisonic Coscivian cuisine, generally considered the best style of Coscivian food, is commercially available everywhere in Niyaska and cooked at home daily by the quater of Niyaskan households that are ethnically Paisonic. Along with Valēka, northern Niyaska is regarded as offering the best Paisonic food in the country, and is home to two Paisonic culinary institutes.

Arts and Literature
Niyaska is a major contributor to Kiravian music. During the 21140s and 21150s, Niyaska and Etivéra saw the birth of āraoran or "powersong" music, characterised by powerful ballads with simple but sincere lyrics, often describing the vicissitudes of modern life, especially for the working class in the industrial cities of West Niyaska and Etivéra. Though now based in Metrea, the immensely popular Kirodance act CISARA was formed in Niyaska City by native-born Niyaskans.

Sports & Recreation
Fieldball (also known as Kiravian-rules football), is the most popular professional sport in Niyaska, followed by hockey. Niyaska is not home to any club competing in the top-level Federal Fieldball League, and instead follows the Valēka-based Emperors FC and Metropolitans FC. As in Valēka, affiliation with one of the two teams is usually inherited at birth, though the system of social segregation between supporters of different teams is far less pronounced in the Niyaska suburbs than in the city itself and plays no rôle in Niyaskan politics. The state does field a team in the Kiravian Fieldball League (the Ādrúdarin Dæmons), and a number of lower-level and local teams.

The Niyaska Gunners hockey team competes in the top-level Seaboard League.

Stereotypes & Humour
Niyaska is often the butt of jokes among residents of other states, which play upon the state's corruption, supposed urban decay and pollution, bizarre local laws and customs, and stereotypes of its residents. Because the portions of the state directly across the estuary from Valēka, especially the dockyard and industrial areas easily visible from Sardēmur Island, are home to a number of unsightly oil refineries, chemical and steel plants, and other industrial facilities that relocated from Valēka during the 21160s and 21170s, many Valēkans believe these areas to be indicative of the rest of the state and have broadcast this impression nationwide. In reality, as Niyaskans will angrily point out, much of the state is covered by prosperous suburbs, orchards, and well-preserved coniferous forest.

Niyaskans are regularly stereotyped as being extremely rude and confrontational, violent, avaricious, aggressive and negligent behind the wheel, flashy and consumeristic, and above all intensely proud of their state to the point of nationalism.

Notable Niyaskans

 * Ivor Arolian - Chief Defence Executive under the Candrin administration, born and raised in Saar-Lótigæster.
 * Eþanon Sarèvin - Brewing magnate and co-founder of Alquifer Incorporated. Born in Lower Valēka and lived in Cantrasar most of his life.
 * Íosevur "Rávéga Sev" Akradellan - Champion boxer and stick-fighter. Born and raised in Rávéga and returned there after losing his career to alcoholism. He can usually be found travelling the city by bicycle and will happily give interviews and autographs to passers-by, whether they want them or not.