Kiravia
Kiravian Federacy ꅆ꒼ ꑓꐔꈕ Kiravix Rektārka | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Emblem
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Motto: Cia Aslovniūn ūos Lōmin Go Forth and Begin | |
 Kiravian Federacy in forest green ○ Kiravian Collectivity in mint green Disputed claims in lime green | |
| Capital | Kartika |
| Largest city | Valēka |
| Official languages | Kiravic Coscivian |
| Ethnic groups |
|
| Demonym(s) | Kiravian |
| Government | Crowned republic Asymmetric federal republic |
• Emperor | Marble Emperor |
| Adheritus Ilkaśvar | |
| Legislature | Federal Stanora |
| Population | |
• Census | 715,647,228 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $36.5 trillion |
• Per capita | $51,000 |
| Currency | Saar (KFS) |
| Time zone | Valēka Standard Time |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +47 |
| Internet TLD | .kr |
Kiravia (Coscivian: Kiravix Rektārka ), officially the Kiravian Federacy, is a pluricontinental political union (a federacy) centred on the island continent of Great Kirav. The heartland of Coscivian civilisation, over the past several centuries Kiravia has gradually evolved from a reclusive and isolated backwater nation into a major economic and strategic power, with strong influence in the rest of Kiroborea, the Odoneru Basin, and Crona.
Geography
For further information on this topic, see Great Kirav.
Kiravia is a pluricontinental union centred on the island continent of Great Kirav and incorporating lands in Crona (Æonara, Atrassica), Levantia (Suderavia, New Ardmore), and Sarpedon (Sydona, Melian Isles) as integral components of its territory, as well as island possessions scattered about the world's oceans.
History
See also Prehistory of Great Kirav, Deep History, and Mediæval Kiravia.
By convention, the modern history of Kiravia is held to have begun with the Republican Reconstitution, a period of dynamic political and social change characterised by the replacement of the autocratic Viceregencies with vondikéarita ("public-republics"), the re-consolidation of the provinces as political units, and the formation of the Kiravian Confederation.
Politics and Governance
The Kiravian Federacy is a crowned republic - the government is instituted in the name of the Coscivian Emperor, with whom sovereignty ultimately rests, but is entirely republican in form and function. It is also an asymmetric federation (a federacy) in which the powers and responsibilities of governance are shared between the federal government and the governments of the subnational states, territories, and other units, known generically as federal subjects.
Constitutional framework
See Constitutional history of Kiravia.
The structure of the Kiravian political system is laid out in the Constitution of the Kiravian Federacy, also referred to as the 'Fundamental Statute' (Livnifîlon). Constitutional authority is distributed among several organs of government, each with certain institutional checks against the powers of the others. Executive power is vested in the indirectly-elected Prime Executive and the appointed Executive College, responsible for the administration of the Government, enforcement of laws, and conduct of military and diplomatic affairs. The PE and Executive College can promulgate secondary legislation and (within certain parameters) primary legislation through various forms of decrees. The Federal Stanora is a representative and deliberative body elected by Kiravian citizens, with seats approtioned among the federal subjects according to a degressively-proportional formula. The Stanora enacts primary legislation, authorises expenditure, and raises revenue. It also exercises supervisory powers over executive agencies. The Federal Consistory serves as the nation's constitutional court, adjudicating disputes among the other organs of government and reviewing the constitutionality of their acts, as well adjudicating disputes among the federal subjects. The Federal Council, elected by the governments of the Kiravian states, is primarily an accountability body responsible for conducting audits and resolving charges of official misconduct by officials of other branches. It also possesses certain powers relating to the constitutional amendment process, appointments, and the currency.
Federal structure
See Kiravian federalism.
The Kiravian Federacy is an asymmetric federation, composed of units known generically as federal subjects or provinces. Provinces belong to several different classes of constitutional status, entailing different degrees and manners of autonomy, and different rights and responsibilities with respect to the federal political process. Provinces that have attained the status of statehood (espiārkakor†) are identified as "guarantors of the constitutional order" by the Fundamental Statute, and have a relationship of shared sovereignty with the federal government, entailing constitutionally inviolate autonomy of their institutional processes and legislative reservations; as well as the right of the state governments to participate directly in federal decisionmaking through the Federal Council and other channels. Chartered provinces or entrusted provinces are self-governing according to a charter granted by the federal authorities, but lack the autonomy and privileges afforded to states. Governorates are administered by the federal government and its appointees and have no constitutional right to self-governance on a statutory basis.
Kiravian domestic policy is very decentralised. Responsibility for the low politics of economic development and regulation, social affairs, public services, law and order, and public works rests primarily with the provincial governments, which in turn delegate many matters down to more local levels of government, such as cantons[1], amtra or raīon, and municipalities. The federal government is primarily responsible for the high politics of foreign affairs and national defence, and for regulating relations between and among the provinces. It exerts influence in domestic policy mainly through its authority to regulate inter-provincial commerce, its taxation powers, and its control of spending programmes such as the Structural Adjustment Funds, Triennial Agriculture Acts, and Social Pension System.
Political landscape
Law
Public finance
See also: Taxation in Kiravia
Foreign relations
In the context of modern international relations, Kiravia has traditionally behaved as an offshore balancer, acting to prevent or undermine continental hegemony by any one power over Levantia, Sarpedon, or Crona, and to maintain a stable and favourable balance of power on the global stage. In the decades following the Restoration, it has become common to describe the Federacy's geopolitical position as a "lonely medium" (sambix imvikor), implying that it has few close allies but also few clear adversaries.
The Federacy's closest allies are the Cape, a former Kiravian colony that became independent in 1901, and Faneria, the Kiravian mainland's closest geographic neighbour, to which it has extensive historical and cultural ties. Trilateral coöperation between these three countries has been institutionalised as the League of Free Republics. Kiravia also enjoys strong relations with Paulastra (also of Kiravian colonial heritage and with robust commercial ties) and Fiannria. Throughout the early modern period, a Kiravia and Burgundie were locked in a fierce rivalry for military, mercantile, and colonial supremacy, escalating at several points into a series of armed conflicts known as the Kiro-Burgoignesc Wars. This rivalry became irrelevant by the early 20th century, and there is now considerable Kiro-Burgoignesc coöperation in spheres such as trade, environmental monitoring, and maritime safety, though relations have been at times complicated by the disputed territorial status of Wintergen.
The Kiravian Federacy is a member of the League of Nations and a permanent member of the League of Nations Security Council. It is also a founding member of SNOWPEC and the Multilateral Coöperation Council.
Society and Culture
 | This page is currently undergoing major reconstruction in accordance with broader lore changes. |
Kiravia has a unique and multifarious society, quite unlike any other in the world and with a great deal of internal diversity. Kiravian culture derives primarily from the ancient heritage of Coscivian culture, and a supermajority of Kiravians consider themselves to be Coscivians. Kiravian society has been further enriched by the contributions of Urom and Celtic peoples, as well as by influences brought from further abroad by extensive overseas trading networks.
Due to its long history as an independent civilisation and limited adoption of Occidental norms beyond the pervasive acceptance of Christianity (see Religion below), Kiravia is generally considered to be outside the scope of the Occidental world.
[Tuva in here somewhere]
The strong bonds of tuva and the later and shallower onset of nationalism have resulted in Kiravians having a thick web of nesting and overlapping group identities and communal affiliations.
Cultural Groups
For public policy purposes, Kiravian governments classify the numerous ethno-social groups into X broad categories:
- Coscivians (Koskidéruv) - Subject peoples of the Coscivian Emperor from before the Continental War who keep the Four Precepts and the Four Rites and are self-identified and recognised as such, as well as peoples later declared Coscivians by the Emperor's stewards. Over three-quarters (77%) of the Kiravian population are Coscivians.
- Minorities (Śudraplānonya) - Civilised (that is, non-tribal) peoples native to the territory the Kiravian Federacy who were not (as bodies corporate) direct subjects of the Emperor before the Continental War, have a substantial history of cultural and political autonomy, and maintain a separate identity from Coscivians. Minorities collectively represent just under 16% of the population.
- Celts - Non-Coscivians of Celtic ethnic and linguistic background.
- Kiravite Minorities - Non-tribal Boreal peoples listed in the Constitution (Rhūniks, Érhuans, Sikuryans, Skithanawites, Ainarom, Ekxõ, Wastani, Caoi); most having historically been tributaries of the Coscivian Empire.
- National Minorities - Melotes, Pelians, and Thrakoslavs.
- Urom - Tribally-organised peoples native to Great Kirav who held the status of umpéa under Imperial law. Just over 2% of the Kiravian population belong to Urom tribes.
- Overseas Peoples - Non-Coscivian, non-Celtic peoples native to the Overseas Regions and Sarolasta.
- Immigrant Communities - Ethnic groups originating outside of the Kiravian Collectivity (excluding Levantine Celts and Mainland Coscivians).
Statistical demography
Kiravia has a population of just under 1.15 billion. The larger population and higher population density of Great Kirav (where the majority of this population is located) compared to other temperate areas of commensurate size is attributed primarily to a higher base figure made possible by early cultivation of the potato.
As of 21209 the crude birth rate was 14.1‰ and crude death rate 8.2‰, yielding a natural increase rate of +5.9.
Language
Kiravia is a multilingual nation and a global hotspot for linguistic diversity. Challenging terrain in may parts of the country, tuva, and a decentralised political environment have contributed to the continued vitality of many smaller speech communities. Most living languages native to Great Kirav belong to six major families - Cosco-Adratic, Itaho-Atrassic, Gascanic, Elutic, Intheric, and Rulo-Swadeshi - though there are a few smaller families of (mostly small-numbered) languages and isolates that defy classification, such as Kiʞik. Most historical linguists believe, based on non-linguistic evidence, that the native languages of Great Kirav (with the possible exception of Itaho-Atrassic) descend from a common ancestor, but extreme time depth and other factors complicate the task of proving this conclusively. The two most important languages in Kiravia are Kiravic Coscivian and High Coscivian, both of Cosco-Adratic stock. Kiravic is the language of the Kir people and the prevailing language across most of northern Great Kirav. Due to its large speaker base and widespread use as an inter-ethnic lingua franca, Kiravic has become the working language of the federal government and the main language used in the business world. High Coscivian is the classical language of Coscivian civilisation, with perhaps the longest continuing literary tradition of any language, with original compositions in High Coscivian still being published today. It is a sacred language in several Coscivian religions and the liturgical language of the Coscivian Rite churches. Although under pressure from Kiravic in some disciplines, High Coscivian remains the predominant language of higher education and academic discourse, the main language of scientific publications, and a source of learned borrowings into other Kiravian languages. Largely replaced by Kiravic and other modern languages for administrative purposes from the late 19th century AD on, High Coscivian is still commonly used in law and the judiciary in many states, and in state-ceremonial contexts.
Major regional and ethnic languages spoken in Kiravia are Gaelic, South Coscivian (spoken in South Kirav), West Coast Marine Coscivian (spoken in easterly inland areas), Kalvertan Coscivian (spoken in the Baylands), Eshavian Coscivian (in Andera and by the Eshavian diaspora), Austral Coscivian (in Sydona), Antaric Coscivian, Æran-Kaltan Coscivian, and Serradan Coscivian.
Several Austronesian languages are spoken in Sarolasta and Seváronsa, Istroyan and the isolate Melote language in the Melian Isles, Thrakoslavonic and Pelian in Sydona, and numerous indigenous Cronite languages in Kiravia's Cronan territories.
Religion
Kiravia is a deeply religious nation. Notions of holiness and reverence are rooted deep in its cultural traditions, far beyond the depth of documentary history, and are of great importance in the lives of most Kiravians. A significant minority of Kiravians report participating in religious devotions other than personal prayer on a daily basis.
The majority of Kiravians are Christians, with a plurality adhering to the Catholic Church and mainly worshipping in its Coscivian Rite, followed by the Coscivian Orthodox Church and Insular Apostolic Church. The Christianisation of Kiravia occurred in three waves, first in the South in the late 2nd century AD, giving rise to the Coscivian particular church which would be recognised as the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of All Kir' in 370, and next in the Northeast and Kilikas Basin in the late 6th century AD, giving rise to the Insular Apostolic Church. In 464 AD, the Patriarchate of All Kir' underwent a complex internal schism, fracturing into a breakaway Coscivian Orthodox Church and a Coscivian Catholic Church in communion with Urceopolis. A third wave of evangelism began in 1456 as part of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, establishing Catholicism as the dominant confession in most coastal regions of Great Kirav and instilling a particularly strong affinity for the Catholic faith in Farravonia. Along with Audonian Christianity, Coscivian Christianity is one of two major non-Occidental expressions of the Christian faith. Rooted in the apostolic tradition, adapted to and/or informed by the Coscivian cosmovision and worldview, and expressed in a largely native ritual and iconographic vocabulary, Coscivian Christianity (especially in its Orthodox and Enochite forms) also preserves visible vestiges of Judaïc observance. In addition to the three major apostolic churches, a smaller but significant share of Kiravians belong to other Christian denominations, including Protestant ecclesial communities (mainly of Methodist and Lutheran persuasions), and a colourful collection of small native denominations referred to as Kiravian Sectarians.
The two main religious minorities in Kiravia are followers of Coscivian-origin religions and Muslims. Surveys of religious identification tend to misrepresent the extent to which practice of Coscivian religions such as Iduanism, Sarostivism, and Ruricanism continues in modern Kiravia, as many Kiravian Christians and Muslims engage in substantial syncretism with these older traditions in their spirituality, or at least maintain some connexion to rituals from these religions as part of their cultural heritage and community life. Islam arrived in Kiravia during the Xth century AD, carried by seaborne trade with Audonia, and spread mainly in the South. Kiravian Islam spans several different theological schools and social communities.
Common features of religious observance in Kiravia that cut broadly across different traditions and denominations include some form of prayer for the dead (likely absorbed from traditions of ancestor worship), association of the Moon and lunar imagery with the sacred, and an important role for ascetic orders and monasticism.
Arts
Kiravia has a rich and ancient artistic heritage. In the visual arts, it has a proud tradition of engraving and printmaking, tapestry, pottery, and statuary dating back thousands of years. Contact with the Occident introduced media such as stained glass, the mosaic, and manuscript illumination that became widely practiced and highly valued channels for artistic expression. Its plastic arts developed mainly in a monumental context that dates back to the massive standing stones of the Boreal megalithic, and has grown over the years to encompass such hallmarks as colossal statuary (best represented by the Marble Emperor and the protective nárivethamton ("mountain-sentinels") found on many Kiravian peaks), obelisks, steles funerary and otherwise, and religious statuary. The stylistic conventions of Kilikas art shared with the countries of Celtic North Levantia and the Kilikas Basin were were widely adopted in the centuries following Christianisation and continue to influence Kiravian art today, particularly among the Celtic minority, Ĥeiran and Fenian Coscivians, and the Insular Apostolic Church, who embrace the æsthetic as an important marker of their identity.
The social taboo of xolkriśgir has hampered the development of contemporary photography in the country.
Kiravian instrumental music is rooted almost entirely in two traditional contexts, social dance music and ritual-liturgical music. Coscivian opera and Coscivian classical music grew out of the latter tradition, while Kiravian folk music has its roots in the former and has become heavily influenced by Celtic folk music.
Sport and Recreation
Sports and other forms of physical recreation are an important part of Kiravian life.
Motoring
Economy
Kiravia has a large, developed economy in gradual but steady transition from an export-oriented, hard state-capitalist economic model toward a more 'mature' ordoliberal market-driven one buoyed by burgeoning domestic consumption. It has the largest national economy in Kiroborea, the third-largest by nominal GDP in Ixnay, and the Xth largest by GDP (PPP). A major trading power, it is among the top importers and exporters, with the largest effective merchant marine.[2]
Although currently ranked as Ixnay's third largest economy by gross domestic product, Kiravia faces considerable challenges with regard to global competitiveness in the postmodern world economy. In addition to energy insecurity and uneven regional development as discussed below, Reserve Bank of Kirav identifies a comparatively small free trade area, lack of a competitive edge in the culture industry and increasingly design-focused digital marketplace, relatively low intake of valuable foreign knowledge workers, moderate corruption and the influence of organised crime, and a less-than-seamless domestic common market as major disadvantages vis-à-vis the near-peer Urcean and Caphirian economies and highly developed, innovation-heavy economies such as Burgundie and Alstin.
Sectors
Agriculture and Forestry
See: Agriculture in Great Kirav
Great Kirav hosts the northernmost significant agricultural sector, as well as the vast majority of cultivated land between the 60th and 65th parallels north. However, the most productive agricultural regions per cultivated hectare are in warmer, more southerly areas such as South Kirav and the Middle Belt, the antipodean Sydona Islands, and other overseas possessions with more conducive growing conditions.
Kiravian agriculture is generously subsidised by the federal and provincial governments alike, both directly through dedicated farm aid bills and incentive programmes, and indirectly through various rural development, regional convergence, ethnic/tribal development, and sustainability funds under the purview of the Executive for Development & Regional Balance.
[Kérmipelakrāsta] [Kelvakrāsta]
Vast timber reserves in Great Kirav, Koskenkorva, and the Cusinaut colonies are a major natural resource, and historically contributed to the rise of Kiravian naval power. Kiravia is the largest producer and second-largest exporter of softwood timber in Ixnay. Softwood timber is also a crucial raw material supplied to domestic the domestic pulp-and-paper, upholstery, and pine flannel industries. During the Age of the Sail, the naval stores industry was of immense strategic importance, and the lowland conifer forests of Trinatria, South Niyaska, and littoral Váuadra were critical sources of resin and tar precursors to the vast quantities of rosin, pitch, and turpentine required by the burgeoning Kiravian merchant marine and naval fleet. This sector was hit hard by the advent of steel shipbuilding, but was able to restructure and remain profitable until the discovery of more cost-effective synthetic alternatives to pine tar and resin in the latter half of the 20th century AD. It has since been regarded as a sunset industry and is kept alive today mainly by demand from soap manufacturers, traditional medicine practitioners, and professional baseball as much as its remaining applications in carpentry.
Minerals and Metallurgy
As a geographically extensive and geologically diverse polity, the Kiravian Federacy is rich in deposits of various economically utile minerals, ores, stones, and other resources of a chthonic nature. Mining activities in Great Kirav are mainly concentrated in its three major mountain belts. The Eastern Highlands ranges are best known for their large (though considerably depleted) coal seams, such as the Darran Valley coalfield, and, to a lesser extent, for historically important tin, zinc, and lead ores. Advances in drilling technology have revitalised the extractive sector in many parts of the Eastern Highlands since the 2010s AD by enabling access to natural gas deposits of moderate size. The Ximantav Mountains of Upper Kirav are known to contain at least 47 species of economically valuable ores and minerals. Western regions are rich in chalcopyrite, nickel oxide, gold, platinum, chromite, and magnetite ores, as well as bauxite, potassium salts, talc, fireclay and abrasive emery. Small deposits of bituminous and lignite coal can be found along the southern slopes. Magnetite and taconite ore from the Ximantav iron ranges and coal from the Eastern Highlands fuelled the relatively early industrialisation of northern Kirav and accelerated the urban development of Lake Belt cities such as Escarda and Xūrosar. Outside of Kiravia, however, the Ximantav mountains are best known as a source of precious and semiprecious stones, including emerald, amethyst, aquamarine, jasper, rhodonite, malachite, and diamond.
Industry
The main industrial regions were the north-eastern seaboard, the Lake Belt, the Aterandic Piedmont, and the Leeward Front in Great Kirav, as well as the Sydona Islands. Æonara underwent rapid state-driven industrialisation during the Sunderance.
One of the key industries in Kiravia is electronics. The country is a major producer of high-tech electronics, such as semiconductors, computer systems, and electro-mechanical components, which are both exported and domestically assembled into a wide range of finished goods, including mainframe and personal computers, electrical appliances, industrial and transport machinery, handheld devices, imaging equipment. This sector has been a driving force behind the country's economic growth and has helped to establish Kiravia as a global player in the global marketplace. The brewing and distilling industry is also a significant part of the economy, with many companies producing a range of high-quality beers, whiskeys, and spirits that are sold both domestically and internationally.
Another important industry in Kiravia is the production of brewing and distilling products, as well as other alcoholic beverages. The country has a rich history of alcohol production, and its breweries and distilleries are known for producing high-quality products. This industry has also been a major contributor to the economy, and it continues to grow and innovate.
The chemical industry is another important sector in Kiravia. The country is a major producer of chemicals and petrochemicals, and it is home to some of the world's leading chemical companies. This industry plays a crucial role in the economy, providing essential materials for other industries and contributing to the country's overall growth.
The biomedical industry is another area where Kiravia is making significant progress. The country is home to a number of cutting-edge research institutions and companies, and it is at the forefront of developments in biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and other healthcare and agronomic products. This industry is set to play an increasingly important role in the country's economy in the coming years.
Shipbuilding is another key industry in Kiravia. The country has a long history of shipbuilding and is home to some of the world's leading shipbuilders. This industry has been a major contributor to the economy, and it continues to be an important part of the country's industrial base.
Trade and Services
A precocious revolution in seafaring technology and the consolidation of trans-oceanic trade networks was spurred by the lucrative Kiravian ice trade, in which Kiravia fed the ample demand for water ice in the calid climes of Sarpedon and South Levantia.
High technology and Digital economy
Both the Kiravian Union and Kiravian Remnant were pioneers of computing technology, and the reunified Kiravian high-technology sector established an early lead in many facets of the industry.
Communications, media, and entertainment
Industrial Organisation and Ownership Structures
As a legacy of the Clarendonomic "distributed privatisation" approach to liberalisation and a consequence of continued policies laid out in competition and antitrust law, Kiravia boasts fewer vertically-integrated "megacorporations" than other leading economies, with no answer to the Caphirian Quicksilver Industries or Paulastran Imperial Cola. Nonetheless, a considerable share of the country's economic output is concentrated in horizontally-integrated concerns such as the Baytrade Group, Lexicon Group, and KMT Group. A dharnagram of small and medium-sized (mostly industrial) enterprises stands as an important cornerstone of the Kiravian economy. Various degrees of employee ownership are common, mainly as a result of the privatisation procedures adopted for state-controlled enterprises that had notionally operated as workers' collectives under Kirosocialism.
Regional Disparities
See also: Three Kiravs Model
Post-Kirosocialist (and indeed, pre-Kirosocialist) patterns of economic growth and development, investment, and standards of living have been geographically uneven across Kiravian territory. Coastal metropolitan areas, such as those surrounding Valēka, Saar-Silverda, Primóra, and Bérasar, are well-integrated into the global economy, are major growth engines for the country as a whole, and enjoy access to world-class goods and services. In contrast, many inland, rural, and micropolitan areas have been adversely impacted by liberalisation and in many cases have stagnated since the end of Kirosocialism. South Kirav and many high-altitude and/or high-latitude regions of the country face persistent development challenges that predate Kirosocialism and may involve weak or extractive social institutions and geographic constraints.
Energy
See: Energy in Kiravia
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Kiravia is the largest[citation needed] energy consumer in Ixnay and the leading energy importer. The vast energy demand generated by its large population, advanced economy, and cool climate greatly outstrip domestic supply. Maintaining a reliable energy supply and reasonable prices is a perennial policy concern at the federal level, and a great deal of public expenditure has been dedicated to energy subsidies, energy research, the development of domestic energy sources, and the upkeep of good trade relations with major energy-exporting countries.
Kiravia is a world leader in nuclear research (both civilian and military) and has invested extensively in the development of nuclear power to meet its staggering energy needs.
Major fossil fuel suppliers to the Kiravian market include Cartadania and other nations. The most plentiful domestic reserves of oil and gas are located in the Pelian Ocean, offshore from the Sydona Islands and Saxalin Islands.
Peat is plentiful across many parts of Great Kirav, particularly the upper and upper-middle latitudes, where it is commonly used as a household fuel source, especially in rural areas. Kiravians traditionally harvested peat from nearby bogs themselves or purchased cut peat bricks or briquettes to be delivered to their homes, practices which continue today. There are also dozens of peat-fired power plants in Kiravia that feed into modern electrical power grids.
See Also
- ↑ Some larger provinces, such as Kaviska and Hiterna, include intermediate subdivisions, known generically as cantons in Ænglish, which are often responsible for culturally sensitive policy areas such as education, historical preservation, and language facilities.
- ↑ If vessels flagged to both the Kiravian Federacy itself and its associated state of Pribraltar are counted together.