Kuronia

Republic of Kuronia Kuronia
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Iš žmonių, tautos "From the people, the nation"
Sovereign Cronan territory of the Republic of Kuronia
Capital	Rykava
Largest	Valkas
Official languages	Balto-Slavic
Ethnic groups	Balto-Slav
Demonym(s)	Kuronian
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic
• Prime Minister	Armands Vasiljevs
Establishment
• Settled	1580
• Independence	1784
• Revolutionary Reforms	1884
• Reformed Republic	1951
Area
•	1,538,478 km2 (594,010 sq mi)
Population
• 2035 census	56,311,204
• Density	36.602/km2 (94.8/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$3,900,000,000,000 $3.9 trillion
• Per capita	$69,642.86 per capita
Gini (2035)	43.2 medium
HDI (2035)	0.894 very high
• Summer (DST)	UTC+0
Date format	dd-mm-yy
Driving side	right side
ISO 3166 code'	KU

Kuronia, officially the Republic of Kuronia, is a country located in the Southeastern Cronan Peninsula of South Crona. It is one of the several non-indigenous Cronan states, and borders Kelekona to the North, Paulastra to the South, and the New Archduchy to the East. Its Western border is a maritime one along the Malentine and Songun Seas. It covers an area of 1,538,478 km² (594,010 sq mi) which includes several islands off its Western coastline, and boasts a population of 56,311,204. The country is spread across three separate biomes, those being tropical wet along the Western coast, tropical wet-and-dry for much of the lower regions, and subtropical humid at its most Northern borders. Its capital city is Rykava, formerly New Valentia during the Caphiric Settler Period. The largest city, Valkas, is a major maritime shipping and freight port located on the Songun Sea. Kuronians, who are the primary ethnic group within the nation, comprise over 80% of the nation’s population and are part of the larger Balto-Slav ethnolinguistic group found in Sarpedon. Much of the nation still has ties either through family or cultural heritage to Caphiria, with 38% of all Kuronian citizens speaking Caphiric as a second language.

After two centuries of Caphiric-controlled colonial rule, a brief and violent civil war occurred in 1782-1784, resulting in the establishment of the independent state. Owing to its Caphiric heritage, it had draconian and authoritarian measures in place to prevent any dissent, however a near civil war, what essentially was a prolonged period of civil strife, riots, labour union strikes, and military revolts in the 1860s to 1870s resulted in the democratic reforms that laid the ground work for the modern 1951 constitutional reform completed after the Second Great War. This period between 1860-1884 is often referred to as the Slow Revolution, due to the lack of an organized resistance or formalized political revolt against the current status quo.

Kuronia is a developed country a high-income, advanced economy ranking well amongst its peers in Crona and Ixnay. It is a member of the League of Nations, as well as several multinational trade and security agreements that facilitate its foreign policy across the globe.

Etymology

The name Kuronia is derived from the Caphiric name Cyrrinia, which is itself derived from the original Korons, one of the ancient Balto-Slavic tribes of Sarpedon. With modern pronunciation and the overall development of the Southern Balto-Slavic language group the term Kuron eventually developed as a reference for the modern Kuronian people. Grand Duke Andris Karklins, one of the mythic figures of the Kuronian people’s medieval history, formalized their ancestry by founding the first Duchy of Kuronia, from which the modern Republic draws its name.

Economy

See also: Economy of Kuronia

Since the year 1998, Kuronia has had one of the highest GDP growth rates in Ixnay. This was briefly undermined by the 2012 Kuronian Recession, as the primarily import-driven economy was damaged by a slowed series of imports due to international maritime trade congestion in the Songun Straits, and compounded by and untimely railyard and labour union strike. Without the support for a bailout that many other nations had at this time, it took longer for Kuronia to recover, resulting in a lower national trust and belief in the rules-based-international order when it came to global monetary and fiscal policy.

The 2012 Kuronian Recession was an unforeseen circumstance by the Kuronian Central Bank as well as many of the significant financial reporting institutions and agencies of Ixnay. The result was a significant reassessment of the auditing methods for the Kuronian federal government, as well as the collapse of the 2012 coalition government and the 2012 general election.

There is very limited amounts of state-owned corporations in Kuroniam as the privatization of the nation and the de-nationalization of major corporations such as shipyards, railyards, mines, and energy producers was completed in the late 1990s. However significant regulation and oversight still exist as a check and balance for the economy to prevent any issues that could lead to another unforeseen or unplanned recession. Examples of extant state-owned national corporations are the Kuronian Mail and Postal Service and several nuclear reactors and energy facilities.

This amount of privatization in the nation has spurred a significant foreign investment from Sarpedon and Levantia, as subsidies for foreign businesses, reasonable labour costs, a lack of strong union representation in growth industries, and abundant natural resources all allowed for a significant uptick and contribution to the increase in GDP. However, foreign businesses are required to have Kuronian sponsors as there is significant regulation against the foreign ownership of land or certain forms of titles/deeds. This is a holdover from the original independent constitution from wherein Caphirian citizens were reduced in their ability to own land or hold political office, although successive reforms changed this to any foreigner. Despite these holdovers, as a Cronan nation with a non-Cronan culture, the combination of resources and Levantine business practices and Sarpic cultural influences have created an ideal economic environment for Kuronia.

Infrastructure

Transport

(Top) Heavy shipyards and drydocks in the Port of Valkas. (Bottom) The Port of Valkas as seen from the air in 2026.

Transport in Kuronia is a mixture of public roads, rail and ferry services as well as a number of private toll roads and for-profit corporations such as passenger rail services. It maintains road and rail links with Kelekona, Paulastra, and the New Archduchy.

The largest of the four major seaports in Kuronia is located in the South along the Songun coastline, is Valkas. In terms of gross shipping by tonne, the next four biggest ports are Rykava (also the capital), Salakava, and Kolka Bay. Most international trade comes through the Songun Sea and Songun Straits, and the amount of maritime trade has continued to climb year over year as Kuronia becomes the entryway for a sizeable amount of Cronan goods and services.

Kuronia International Airport is the busiest airport in the Malentine Basin, with over fifteen million passengers in 2021. It connects to many large international hubs, as well as a series of smaller domestic airports, and is considered to be one of the most modern facilities of its kind on the Cronan continent.

The Kuronian railway network is a continually expanding enterprise, with tracks first laid at the end of the 19^th century and continuous progress has been made since then expanding to high speed rail, heavy freight lines, as well as a number of light rail lines inside cities and metropolitan areas. Kuronian National Rail (KNR) is the largest rail concern in the country for freight and heavy commercial applications, with its sister company South Cronan Rail (SCR) being the largest passenger rail service of its kind on the continent by passengers transported over distance.

The national road network consists of a series of highways and toll roads, as well as a smaller series of regional roads, surface streets, and country roads. Unpaved roads still exist in rural municipalities however the most common road outside of cities are simple two-lane paved roads. Licensing of vehicles is done by both municipalities and the federal government.

Energy

The Republic of Kuronia has seen significant transformations in its energy policy in the last decades, primarily driven by a federally mandated plan to reduce the overall national reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate impacts to climate change, and make Kuronia more energy efficient and self-sustaining. Historically, coal has been the main source of energy and fuel for Kuronia since the mid-20^th century. Coal-fired plants as of 2000 provided the primary source of energy and generated over 70% of its electricity up to 2010. Starting in the 2010s, significant investment was made in nuclear and liquid natural gas as cleaner and more sustainable alternatives. Upgrades to existing nuclear facilities was completed, and owing to significant sources of uranium from the Northern mountains, nuclear reactors across the country were constructed with the aim of being 50% reliant on nuclear energy by 2035. Additionally, the country has also increased its use of natural gas, with several major pipelines and import terminals being built to facilitate the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from abroad. As a result of the significant investment, development, and construction of new energy infrastructure, Kuronia had lessened its reliance on coal-powered energy to 40% by 2025. By the late 2020s, it is expected that liquid natural gas (LNG) will become the dominant source of energy by 2040, with nuclear expected to overtake it by 2045. Wind and solar are of lesser importance, as Kuronia has been slow to adopt, sign, or ratify any treaties or bills that force green or renewable sources of energy by international organizations. Overall, the significant investment into new infrastructure has allowed Kuronia’s slow and steady transition to new sources of energy, and is expected to have had significant impact on the country’s environment, infrastructure, and economy.

History

Settled 1580

Independence 1784

Revolutionary Reforms 1884

Reformed Republic 1951

Politics and Government

Politics, government, and the major instruments of state power operate under a framework laid out under the 1951 Constitution of Kuronia.

Government

See Also: Kuronian Assembly and Cabinet of Kuronia

The Kuronian Parliament, also known as the Landtāgs, located in Rykava.

The Kuronian Assembly is a unicameral body that is also called the Landtāgs. It is the legislature of the Republic of Kuronia, and passes laws and acts that apply withi the nation’s sovereign borders. The Landtāgs is also responsible for adopting state budgets, approving accounts and fiscal registries, and exercising lawful authority and control of the government. It is also responsible for validating and approving international matters as proposed by the Foreign Ministry or by members of the Landtāgs.

Kuronia is a representative democracy, and membership in the Landtāgs is based on a first-past-the-post system of political parties, with 101 members elected to the Landtāgs every four years. However, it is within the powers of the Prime Minister to call for an election before the mandated four-year term has elapsed. The date for the next election is decided at the conclusion of the previous, and always referred to as “occurring but not before” a certain date. If there is a vote of no confidence in the Landtāgs, this can force a government to resign and a new election is called. In instances where a political party does not have a majority (51 seats in the Landtāgs), coalitions are often formed to support a multi-interest government, even if a lack of cooperation can trigger a vote of no confidence and another election.

The Republic of Kuronia operates as a cabinet government, where executive authority is exercised by the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers, who head ministries or assigned portfolios or interests as duly appointed by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is primarily responsible for proposing bills and the annual fiscal budgets and audits, as well as executing laws and guiding both the international and domestic policies of Kuronia. The Prime Minister function as the head of the cabinet and both the head of government and head of state. Most commonly, this is the head of the largest political party and is duly elected in an internal vote within the Landtāgs after a general election. In general, Kuronian politics have multiple parties and it is fairly uncommon for a single party to obtain a majority within the Landtāgs. The executive branch also will appoint senior civil servants and department heads such as the Chief of Border Guards, senior treasury officials, and foreign diplomats such as ambassadors and League of Nations officials.

Administrative Divisons

The current administrative divisions were established in 1951 and have not been changed or reformed since, despite an electoral reform movement in 2000 which ultimately failed due to a counter-acting Conservative majority elected at the time. Kuronia is split into ten counties, nine of which are on the Cronan mainland, which are each further subdivided into regional municipalities dependent on topography, demography, or historical settlement patterns. Additionally, Kuronia is subdivided into a series of cultural heritage regions, which while they are not political subdivisions, are often used for polling, demography, and census purposes to track national trends or attitudes, or refer to an individual citizen’s cultural and regional heritage.

Counties are the most significant subdivision, with the municipalities themselves changing in terms of population, economic status, and industry over the decades. The counties of Kuronia also elect their county executive councils, although there is no singular Governor or Premier-equivelant in these areas. Instead, the Mayors of individual townships, cities, and municipalities represent the only singular point of authority below the federal executive and Prime Minister. In this way, counties are a reflection of a conglomeration of tribes forming tribal leadership councils from the Kuronian people’s pre-history.

Municipalities in Kuronia are a smaller subdivision, and can range from having as few as 5,000 citizens and permanent residents to as many as several million in the case of some larger cities such as Valkas. They provide vital public services such as transit, healthcare emergency services, census surveys, and power/water/other utility infrastructure. They are the most active politically, as mayoral councils and the position of Mayor are considered to be vitally important culturally.

Law

The 1951 Constitution of Kuronia is the foundational set of laws, establishing the constitutional order and based on the core principles and fundamentals of Kuronian society: rule of law, community, Kuronian identity, and the most important due to the history of Caphiric occupation: sovereignty. Kuronia’s civil law and foundational community legal system is founded upon the ancient tents of tribal laws for solving band disputes. Albeit the modern version is heavily updated and modernized, but aspects of it such as impartiality, the role of judges, and a jury of peers maintain relevant. The lowest level of courts are the municipal, town, or city courts. These usually handle criminal cases of routine nature (such as theft or fraud), or civil cases such as property disputes or marriage. Should an appeal be granted, courts can be escalated to County Courts, which are the next tier. The third level is the federal level, represented by two separate courts, those being the Supreme Court of Kuronia and other federal courts. The Supreme Court handles cases of particular constitutional sensitivity or relevance, whereas other federal courts deal with high profile multi-county criminal or civil cases, such as narcotics smuggling or bank fraud.

The Kuronian justice system is underscored by democratic institutions as well as maintaining that all decisions must be made in good faith, and in the public interest. The primary concern in the 21^st century is over the court’s ability to both use technology for efficiency and prosecution (for example, biometric processing and DNA evidence gathering) but also the ability to adjudicate severe cyber crimes such as electronic wire fraud or certain types of online black market sales. Additionally, the Ministry of Justice has had recent issues with its use of data storage and concerns over privacy violations have begun to be raised to the Supreme Court by way of the appeals process.

Kuronian Gendarmes (known as Žandarai) stand outside an undercover police car after a counter-narcotics raid in Kolka Bay, 2021.

All courts in Kuronia are managed by the Ministry of Justice, which has two senior officials, the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General. The third senior official, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is not considered to be a regular senior official as they serve a lifetime appointment and do not change with each administration.

Police services in Kuronia are provided at three levels. Again, the lowest level is municipal services. However in many counties, the municipalities are unable to pay for their own police force and utilise the second tier, that being the county police services. At the federal level, the Kuronian Gendarmerie (KG) serves a dual function, it assist with the duties of federal policing such as the protection of senior public servants, investigation of high profile crimes, provides counter-terrorism capabilities, conducts domestic security investigations of criminal nature, secures federal public buildings and infrastructure, and lastly provides security for overseas diplomatic missions.

Foreign Relations

See also: Foreign relations of Kuronia

The Republic of Kuronia is a member of the League of Nations, as well as a number of smaller economic and defense agreements with other collective organizations. Kuronia has established diplomatic relations with a number of non-Cronan states, with particular focus and emphasis on diplomatic relations in Levantia and Sarpedon. Kuronia has three tiers of foreign diplomatic relations, those being a consulate, embassy, and high commission. A consular office or consulate is the smallest and represents a minimal but firm commitment to a nation of interest, for example the Kuronian Consular Office in Varshan. An embassy represents a regular, staffed diplomatic mission for a nation with significant foreign interests within the Kuronian purview, such as the Kuronian Embassy in Urceopolis. Lastly, a High Commission represents a senior diplomatic official of equal status to the Foreign Minister, and is for nations that are considered the closest allies or trade partners, or maintain a significant historical link to Kuronia, such as the Kuronian High Commission to Caphiria.

Kuronia’s foreign policy priorities include co-operation in the Songun Sea and South Cronan Peninsula, integration within a global economy, involvement in multinational organizations (specifically those in Crona), and contributing the collective defense of Crona and its immediate geographical sphere. Kuronia also actively participates in civilian and military peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, and regular contributes to League of Nations initiatives such as nuclear disarmament, world trade, and eradicating disease and famine.

Since the mid-20^th century, Kuronia’s foreign interests have extended beyond its immediate sphere, specifically focusing on North Crona, Sarpedon, and Audonia.

Military

See also: Armed Forces of Kuronia

The earliest origins of the military in Kuronia were Caphirian colonial militia and regular units posted to monitor and operate the penal colonies that formed much of the country's first century. However, after independence the requirement to transition the existing legacy rebellious forces that fought against Caphiria into a standing and volunteer army were needed. The result would be the first standing army for the modern Kuronian people, established in 1786 formally by an act of the Landtāgs. Since then, the Armed Forces of Kuronia have fought in several regional wars against indigenous nations, and participated in both Great Wars. The 20th century was a marked time of decline, with significant budget cuts, personnel losses, and equipment shortages atrophying the military despite an all time high requirement of deployments for internal security issues and border sovereignty crises. As of the 2000s, the Armed Forces of Kuronia (AFK) have undergone significant transformation. Heavy investment into new, modern equipment, as well as infrastructure improvements and higher standards of training have resulted in the emergence of a strong regional power. Currently, the AFK have an authorized strength of 1.2 million servicemen, which can be augmented in times of war.

Kuronia also still enforces its mandatory 2 years of military service for men who do not enter a trade, post-secondary education (in a STEM field), or who have an otherwise authorized exemption. Women are selectively conscripted depending on a separate set of criteria, although recent political initiatives have moved to make mandatory military service gender neutral. Most men finish their military service after high school and before post-secondary education, and the conscript's standing strength and numbers are not counted as part of the existing authorized standing strength of the AFK.

Demographics

Religion

Religious demographics in Caphiria

  Catholicism (86%)

  Assemblist (4.5%)

  Irreligious (4.5%)

  Other Christian faiths (3%)

  Other (2%)

Education and Science

The Metropolitan University of New Valentia is the oldest post-secondary collegiate institute in Crona, and is also the largest university in Kuronia. The second largest, that being Valkas Technical University, which is a major collegiate institute specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Marth (STEM) programs. Additionally, major cities such as Kolka Bay and Salakava. The Kuronian military also maintains a series of post-graduate schools, namely their principal officer educational institution, Kuronia Institute for Military Science, also known by its native name as “Sõjandusinstituut.”

Primary and secondary education in Kuronia is subsidized and provided by the government, with children attending school from ages 4-17. After this, children have a choice between attending a post-secondary trades college, undergraduate university, or entering the workforce.

Education in Kuronia is governed under the Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Education and Child Services. Under its last position paper on the subject, it set out that it wishes to see an additional influx of children into post-secondary education, signalling a larger government-wide trend to mature the Kuronian economy from a primarily industrial workforce to a post-industrial economy. In line with this, the government began assigning more and more resources year over year starting in 2009 to education, with the Department of Education and Child Services receiving additional funding every year, even during the 2012 Kuronian Recession. This plan aims to develop the scientific potential, as well as create additional engineering specialists and medical professionals in Kuronia. The country leads Crona in internationally-recognized engineering patents since 2001.

Geography and Climate

Climate

Most of Kuronia has a hot, temperate climate, with generally warmer to hot temperatures and a mixture of climates ranging from sub-tropical to temperate and rainy. The temperature varies by season and region, with the lowest recorded temperature in the Kuronian mainland being -10 °C in the country's northern mountain ranges, and the highest being 46 °C closer to the equator with the country's southern marches. The northern mountain ranges and southern mountain ranges have distinctly different climate challenges for weather forecasters and meteorologists as their proximity to the Odoneru Ocean and Songun Sea allows them to act as a buffer, with warmer oceanic winds mixing with cooler inland temperatures resulting in significant snowfall in these areas during the winter months at higher altitudes.

In the Kuronian mainland, the prevailing wind is from the Southwest, coming from the Malentine Sea and Songun Seas, which played a significant factor with the settlement of the coastline due to the prevalence of sailing ships during the 16th and 17th centuries. The majority of rainfall and precipitation falls in on the Malentine Coast, with the island chains off the Malentine Coast of Kuronia experiencing tropical rainfall nearly year round. Summers are the warmest in the South in the southern marches south of the southern mountain ranges, and cooler in the far North.

Environment

Physical Geography

Northern Mountains

Southern Foothills

Rivers

Central River Delta

Songun Coast

Strategic Geography

Malentine Straits

River Delta

Kolka Bay

Northern Mines

Biodiversity

The rainforests and jungles in the Republic of Kuronia contain a significant amount of biodiversity, including many rare or severely endangered species, such as certain types pf lemur or other primates, rhinoceros and elephants, three different kinds of buffalo, and several apex predators such as the Cronan Leopard. Kuronia has several sizeable national parks that are listed as ecological protected areas and restrict hunting and other human activities that can impact the environment and biodiversity. Kuronia is considered to be one of the most biodiverse countries in South Crona.

Conservationists in Ixnay have taken different approaches to the biodiversity in Kuronia, as during the colonial and settler periods, the usage of buffalo as a staple of modern life caused them to be hunted nearly to extinction. As well, logging and other forestry related industries had significant impacts on primate populations within Kuronia as it destroyed their natural habitats. Due to this, several species of lemur and primate are considered to be endangered or species of concern by multinational ecological and preservation organizations.

Significant environmental issues include the continued deforestation of primate habitats to make space for farming and other agriculture, poaching of rare species, water pollution, and strip mining. Newer issues such as irrigation, erosion, and invasive species have all been categorized by the Ministry of the Environment as increasing causes of concern to Kuronian authorities and ecologists. Deforestation is being managed as part of a federal initiative to preserve Kuronia’s green spaces with the creation of additional national parks and wildlife preserves.

Culture

See also: Culture of Kuronia

Traditional Kuronian history and heritage dates back thousands of years to Sarpedon, with a considerable volume of cultural heritage preserved in the National Kuronian Archives. Through cooperation with Caphiria and senior heritage officials in Sarpedon, important texts, artifacts, and other historical items have been transferred over to Kuronia through a bilateral agreement to preserve both Kuronian cultural heritage, as well as Caphiric colonial heritage.

Kuronian people engage in traditional dance during the Summer Festival as depicted in a painting from the 17th century.

Early Kuronian nationalist movements first emerged in Caphiria as part of the nascent creation of the idea of the Kuronian people. However as Caphiria began to suppress these, much of the newly incarcerated were then sent to Crona, forming the initial settlers for the future Kuronian state. Kuronians identify the settlement as a key time in their cultural heritage, with the tribal period being followed by the medieval, then colonial settlement, followed by independence and statehood. After the independence of Kuronia, many artists, painters, musicians, poets and other important cultural figures began to emerge once Caphiric censorship laws were removed. This immediate period post-independence is considered to be the “Kuronian Rennaisance.”

In Kuronia, there is federal holidays for religious holidays, but starting in the 1960s an increasing number of culturally significant days began to be legislated as holidays. These included the traditional Summer and Winter festivals, which find their heritage in the pre-Catholic period of the Kuronian people. As well, the Kuronian Field Games are a major summer attraction that feature a series of medieval sport such as javelin throwing, shotput, wrestling, boxing, and horse riding. Many of these sports continue to maintain their relevance in Kuronia with modern versions of these games. Due to the popularity of TV and other forms of media such as video games and virtual reality in the 21^st century, a revival of traditional Kuronian folk song has also occurred, with its tribal and medieval roots it is not uncommon for these also to be sung as bar songs or at major sporting venues such as football.

Kurnonian architecture is notably different during the Caphiric Settler Period and the Post-Independence period. Imperial buildings, sporting traditional Sarpic and Caphiric influences are noticeable in much of the older federal buildings such as courthouses, town halls, and some older military buildings. Post-independence, Kuronian traditional architecture had a revival parallel to many others such as music and art, with major restorations or creation of new buildings such as the Landtāgs being done.

Kuronia also annually hosts the Valkas Orchestra Symposium, which features an invitation of symphonies and other music acts, primarily of the classical genre, from around Ixnay.