Caphiria: Difference between revisions

Today, the Imperium of Caphiria is a highly developed country, with the world's second-largest economy by nominal GDP, accounting for approximately a tenth of global GDP. Caphiria is the world's largest importer and the second largest exporter of goods. Caphiria is the foremost military power in the world, making up a third of global military spending and accounts for nearly a quarter of its GDP; this has created an extraordinarily prodigious military–industrial complex that is rivaled by no other country in history. Caphirian proponents have cited this has the primary reason for Caphiria's continued growth and global superiority, while opponents have said that Caphiria is nothing but an "army with a state".

==History==

{{main|History of Caphiria}}

While the history of Caphiria spans two millennia, archaeology has revealed the land that it was founded on, has been inhabited for much longer. The area, Latium, covered most of the northern part of Sarpedon and the southern tip of Levantia. The traditional date for the founding of Caphiria is 480 BC by one of the local tribes, the Latinic people, who would eventually be known as the Latins. Because of the amount of consistent preserved information available throughout its existence, Caphirian history is traditionally divided into 9 distinct historical eras although modern historians choose to omit the Prehistory Era from future historiography because of the lack of substantial historical evidence.

===Prehistory===

{{further|Ancient Caphiria}}

The Prehistoric era covers time earlier than the founding of Caphiria. This would include the earliest inhabitants of the region and the establishment of the Latinic people and other associated tribes such as the Adonerii civilization, Cheylians, and Hebreinias. This era traditionally covers the formation of the Adonerii League in the 9th century BC up to the 6th century BC.

===Kingdom===

{{further|Kingdom of Caphiria}}

The first definitive historical epoch - the Kingdom Era - begins in 480 BC with the formation of Caphiria. The early city-state was characterized by a monarchical form of government in which according to tradition, Lanintius was the first of five Regis (kings). The kings were elected by group of elders called the senex (senate) and people of Caphiria served for life. The Kingdom of Caphiria lasted 110 years, falling after a series of invasions from rival kingdoms.

===Republic===

{{further|Republic of Caphiria}}

In 370 BC, the Republic of Caphiria commenced with the overthrow of its last king Admoneptis, replacing the monarchy with elected individuals representing the citizens, calling themselves the Senate. Through constant conquest and assimilation, the Republic had already conquered rival city-states like Chimoche and Despouso. During this period, which lasted an astonishing 783 years, vast expansion of territory such as Cartadania, and Pelaxia occurred and regional dominance over north Sarpedon would eventually take over the entire Ecinis Sea and parts of the Sea of Canete and Great Lakes. Part of Caphiria's ambition was derived from similarly ambitious leaders, such as Luccino Capontinus and Iscallio Maristo. The Republic would eventually face internal pressure from this, as contention for leadership caused a number of small fights among the ambitious youth and the elder aristocracy. The fighting would culminate with a five year civil war, known now as the War of the Republic, that left 120,000 people dead. The war was in such a frenzy that by the time it had ended, there was no decisive victor and as a consequence, the Republic was on the verge of total collapse.

===Principate===

{{further|Principate of Caphiria}}

In 414 AD, in an effort to establish the political stability desperately needed after the exhausting War of the Republic, an ambitious man called Bacchis Pavo Rahla seized the opportunity to consolidate power. Rahla reorganized the state into a Principate, a form of government characterized by the reign of the princeps, the "first among equals". Because the Caphirian people had a particular historical disdain for monarchy, the preservation of certain Republician instruments such as the Senate and Consul was kept. Although dynastic pretenses crept in from the start, formalizing this in a monarchic style remained politically unthinkable. Rahla's reign was marked by decades of peace and stability; he was was so popular and well-received that he was given the title Augustus (Venerated One) by the people and eventually Rahla would legally change his name to Augustus Rahla. The latter half of the Principate era marks the early stages of the city-state of Caphiria evolving into a proper empire, with vast territorial holdings, hegemony over Latium, and was among the most powerful economic, cultural, political and military forces in the world of its time. The Principate lasted 656 years, almost as long as the Republic before it, but it would eventually succumb to a similar fate: The Second Civil War, also known as the Great Civil War for its ferocity.

===The Civil War===

{{further|Great Civil War of Caphiria}}

This period of time, from 1070 - 1115 is known as the Civil War Era due to the dozen or so civil wars that took place over a period of four decades as contention for leadership and political groups vied for control over the massive and wealthy state. The most famous of these was between Marius Oratonius and Quinus Sator Alercius and the subsequent war between their successors and die hard loyalists. The Civil War Era began as a series of political and military confrontations between Marius Oratonius and Quinus Sator Alercius, both of whom were looking to shift Caphiria in opposite directions. Oratonius wanted to continue to become an empire and spread Latin culture to the known world where Alercius wanted to bring back the politically conservative and socially traditionalist Republic. This led to the state splitting into two: a monarchy in the north and a republic in the south. To complicate things further, the spread and dominance of Christianity could no longer be shunned; up until this time, the official policy towards Christianity was negative, and at some points, simply being a Christian could be punishable by death. Oratonius used this to his advantage, officially converting to Christianity in 1079. While he isn't recognized as the first Imperator to convert to Christianity due to the circumstances, he is recognized as the first person to give it legitimacy within the Imperium. Oratonius was then seen as a man of God, a man on the right side of the war. This helped him win the minds of many who did not initially support him and ultimately gave him an edge that the elder Alercius did not have on his side, the side of the old guard. The Great Civil War was a fifteen-year-long politico-military struggle that was fought over most of Caphiria, Cartadania, Pelaxia, Dorhaven, and even Audonia. The culmination of the Great Civil War was the Battle of Silanus, where Oratonius' army defeated Alercius'. Oratonius himself sustained heavy injuries in the battle and died shortly before victory but told his general Lucius Legarus Pius to spare Alercius if they were to capture him since he had deserted from battle after surveying the landscape and figuring he was going to lose. Pius assumed command and took over the army and wasted little time in searching for Alercius. After several months of searching, they found him hiding in the Cimisi-Extressio region of Abderia, a city-state bordering the Lacio mountains. Abderia wanted no part in the war, quickly giving Alercius to Pius and true to his word, after bringing him back to Venceia, spared Alercius' life. He did however, strip him of his power, status, and class; an effective neutering if there ever was one. Pius then exiled Alercius in 1110 and spend the next five years putting Caphiria back together after the last several decades of disarray and borderline anarchy. Pius was as intelligent in politics as he was on the battlefield, and knew that the only way to solve the issues once and for all was a compromise. The stresses and strains of those years (chronic usurpations, military insurrections, simultaneous military conflicts across multiple frontiers) exposed the weaknesses in the Caphirian Republic and the Principate, forcing a radically different approach to governance.

===The Reformation===

<nowiki>{{further|1115 Reformation of Caphiria]]</nowiki>

This marks the start of the Reformation Era in 1115, which is divided into two unequal parts, beginning with the reunification of the state into the Imperium, a hybrid political system that solved the crisis of the civil war. This new government retained Republic era bodies such as the Senate, but separated it into two distinct representative bodies, the Curiate Assembly and the Consular Congress. Conversely, the powers of the Imperator were increased even more from the Principate, but Pius, now Imperator Legarus, introduced the first version of the Constitution of Caphiria. This document was intended to be the solution to every problem past, present, and future. In it, he outlined what he felt were the three most critical ideas of the state: delineating the national frame of government, establishing the social contract between the citizen and state, and protecting its people. There had always been some form of this throughout Caphiria's history, but it was an uncodified set of guidelines and principles passed down mainly through precedent; it wasn't formal or even official, largely unwritten and changing at the discretion of whoever had control. The constitution sought to eliminate the constant power struggles as every constitutional proclamation is inviolable. Neither the Senate, nor the people, nor the military, nor the Imperator can break them. The combination of these political reforms ushered in Caphiria's Golden Age.

===The Dominate===

{{further|Dominate of Caphiria}}

Caphiria's golden age is called the Dominate, derived from the Latin dominus, which translates into English as lord or master. Beginning in the mid-15th century, Caphiria went through a phase of rediscovery of classical Latin philosophy which encouraged a new thinking that became manifested in art, architecture, politics, science and literature. This led to cultural and political achievement, with Caphiria becoming a symbol of artistic and cultural influence as it produced dozens of world-renowned artists whose literature, painting, sculpture, architecture and music have profound impact on the evolution of the arts. This era is usually marked as the transition from the Middle Ages to modern Caphiria as the development of capitalism, banking, mercantilism and accounting began and the Age of discovery was ushered in during the latter half of the era. Another interesting development of this golden age was the succession of ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes between the Levantine "north" and Caphiric "south", which had been gradually building up in the 16th and 17th centuries. The rulers of Caphiria began to look for new ways to explore and expand their power and influence and looked to religion as one of the final destinations. Historically, Caphiria had no official state religion and sought to foster a healthy religious tolerance by using a portion of its tax revenue to fund different types of churches. This would come to a head in the 17th century as the Papacy also sought to increase its influence and showed its disapproval and disdain for Caphiric politics.

===The Pontificate===

{{further|Caphirian caesaropapism}}

The culmination of theological and political differences between the Christian north and south was the Great Schism of 1615, where a break of communion between what are now the Levantine Catholic Church and the Imperial Church of Caphiria occurred. Over the previous centuries during the Dominate era, the role of religion was under heavy scrutiny and skepticism. Ecclesiastical papers began being published condemning the Catholic Church over a number of issues in the late 16th century, with the Catholic Church producing its own propaganda condemning Caphiria's rise of imperialism and heretical ways. The Latin Christian community was being split along doctrinal, theological, linguistic, political, and geographical lines, with each side sometimes accusing the other of having fallen into heresy and of having initiated the division. In 1615, the formal break occurred when Imperator Pius XII formally announced that the Basilicæ Magni, the cathedral and home of the Caphirian Church would be breaking communion to form the Caphiric Catholic Church. This led to the combination of the secular and religious authorities and a new form of government, the caesaropapacy. The caesaropapacy meant emperors were regarded as greater than other mortals, though not quite as deities in their own right, further playing into the concept of princeps. For many years after, pro-Catholic factions continued to challenge the leadership of the new Caphiric Church. These factions, and the people that supported the Catholic Church still, were known as Traditionalists and were heavily persecuted and executed under heresy laws. This period is known as the Months of Bloody Sundays as it was common practice for the Imperator to simply execute any people who were not coming to church in protest. Traditionalists were executed under legislation that punished anyone judged guilty of heresy against the Caphiric Church. Ultimately, the Caphiric Church went through a series of reformations (The Reformations of 1627) and the church was renamed to the Imperial Catholic Church. There were only a handful of modifications, namely that the Imperator of Caphiria was given a number of ecclesiastical titles: Episcopus Caphiria ("Bishop of Caphiria"), Pius Felix ("Pious and Blessed"), Santissimus Pater ("Most Holy Father"), Vicarius Christi ("Vicar of God") and was named Pontifex Maximus, giving him the ultimate authority of presiding over the Imperial Church. This was codified in the Constitution of Caphiria as well as constitutionally establishing the Imperial Church by the state with the Head of State as its Pope. As time went on, the identity of the marriage of the Imperatorship with the papacy became less clear and eventually the emperor became recognized more for his legal authority, rather than his religious one.

===The Mandatum===

{{further|Modern Caphiria}}

As Caphiria entered the modern era of the 18th century to present day, its role began to shift from regional hegemon to that of a superpower. Many of its conquered territories gained their independence, it began to foster positive relations with Levantia, and began to pull back its imperialistic tendencies in favor of becoming a global leader. Caphiria played a major role in the Great War, notably as the first nation to develop nuclear weaponry and is still the only sovereign nation to have deployed them on another country. This confirmed and solidified Caphiria's place as a superpower and gave it a global platform. Caphiria would go on to become a founding member of the League of Nations and has permanent status on its Security Council. In more recent times, Caphiria has made great strides to try to improve its international reputation by signing the Assumption Accords with Urcea, settling longstanding disputes with its historic neighbor who has had several centuries of animosity with each other. Additionally, it has been in favor of multiple free trade agreements with nations across the world and there has been speculation that Caphiria may even be exploring the thought of ending the 400-year old schism between the Imperial Church and the Levantine Catholic Church.

==Geography==

{{main|Geography of Caphiria}}

On the opposite side is the Intaris, comparatively smaller with its peak, Sull'Oglia, at 2,753 meters (9,032 ft) above sea level. The Intaris is unique in that the mountains are undulating, creating one of the easiest mountain ranges to climb. It is so easy to climb that there are routine competitions to see who can reach its peak the quickest, with the current record being under 4 hours and 45 minutes. Because of its geographic placement, the Intaris is one of the most fertile places within the Imperium. Vegetation ranges from scrub forests at the foothills, up to ubiquitous expanses of tea and coffee estates, to spice (pepper, cardamom, cinnamon) plantations and finally to the dense evergreen forests at the top. Dellarina, a point near Sull'Oglia, offers a wonderful panoramic view of the entire Intaris complete with its own 5 star resort that boasts an artificial lake and private spice plantations..

===Ecology===

Due to the diverse range of territory that is under the domain of the Imperium, the diversity of terrain, flora and fauna in the Imperium is astonishing. Regarding plants and animals, there are three areas of interest dispersed across the Imperium. Additionally, unique environmental extremes of geographical significance can be found at three locations.

[[File:Rainbirder - Leopard (1).jpg|thumb|The Escali leopard is an endangered subspecies of leopard native to Escal|alt=|left]]

[[File:3 Crowned gibbon .jpg|thumb|The endangered pileated gibbon has a refuge in the Great Reshai Rainforest]]

[[File:Kooshki (Iranian Cheetah) 05.jpg|thumb|An Audonian cheetah in Zaclaria|alt=|left]]

Of the ecological zones, the first to mention is the [[Escal Isles]], a semi-autonomous archipelago owned by the Imperium in the [[Okatian Sea]] both containing thousands of plant and animal species not found anywhere else. Of its flora, 70% are unique to the island chain, a fact which has made it intensely interesting to the science community, who believe it holds a wealth of medical substances. However, the human presence on the island, limited as it may be by provincial laws, has reduced the level of vegetation coverage to only 45% of what it was 300 years ago, and has led to a 70% level of deforestation. Today, the rate at which greenery is being lost is close to zero.

The third ecologically significant place is [[Zaclaria]], a Crowned Protectorate of the Imperium. It is a hub of unique aquatic and desert life and 80% of the species in the deserts on the mainland are endemic to Zaclaria, including 200 unique species of lizard. The greatest contributor to its biodiversity is the vast coral reef that stretches around 1,000 km of its perimeter. The magnificent Magnus Sidnari Reef is 5000–7000 years old and are largely formed of stony acropora and porites corals. The reefs form platforms and sometimes lagoons along the coast and occasionally other features such as cylinders (such as the Khasvaria Hole). These coastal reefs are also visited by pelagic species of Oduniyye fish, including some of the 44 species of shark. The Agarina Sea also contains many offshore reefs including several true atolls. Many of the unusual offshore reef formations defy classic (i.e., Darwinian) coral reef classification schemes, and are generally attributed to the high levels of tectonic activity that characterize the area. Unlike the aforementioned forest ecosystems, the Sidnari Reef, far from being threatened by human presence, is actually growing in size and splendor due to expansion by Caphirian artists, architects and biologists. The aesthetic beauty of the reef alone has driven many, the Imperator included, to protect and nurture this wonder of the natural world.

===Meteorology===

[[File:Mestravare Solar Field.jpg|thumb|Mestravare Solar Field, in Balatum Province|alt=|left]]

[[File:Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant.png|thumb|right|A high-pressure ultraviolet factory |alt=]]

Weather manipulation is not uniquely practiced by Caphirian engineers; dozens of other countries can seed clouds to induce rain with various degrees of precision. While the Kiravians use the most effective chemical inducer, the Caphirians deploy the seeding most efficiently using nanotechnology. Missile deployment foregoes the need for aircraft to release the inducer. Cloud seeding is the only technology for manipulating the weather that is available to multiple countries. Caphiria controls the weather with three unique techniques: Solar Energy Collectors, Integrated Climate Control Systems, and High-pressure Ultraviolet Factories.

On a national scale, climate control is strictly regulated by the Senate. Once detected, holes in the ozone layer of the planet are sealed by processing oxygen in aircraft high in the upper atmosphere. High-pressure ultraviolet factories in the bowels of these planes transform dioxygen into trioxygen (ozone) faster than natural atmospheric reactions, sealing local holes. The invention of this technique was necessitated by an international scare in the late 20th century when an antarctic-sized seasonal hole in the ozone was discovered and attributed to chlorofluorocarbons used by international devices. CO2 is regularly fixed into carbon polymers by the Galiran process. This practice not only lowers the global concentration of the gas but also creates oils and plastics. Careful management of global climate will continue for the foreseeable future.

===Climate and environment===

{{main|Climate of Caphiria}}

Caphiria is known for it's lush and beautiful environment, having been ranked in the top 10% of the most beautiful nations in the world, and in the top 5% in Ixnay. National parks cover about ten percent of the country, which attracts millions of tourists annually. In the last few years, Caphiria has moved away from being solely dependent on fossil fuels and begun investing in clean and renewable energy sources, primarily in the way of nuclear and solar energy, which make up about a third of national energy usage, and plan to raise that to over half by the end of the decade. Deforestation is illegal and punishable by prison time.

==Government & politics==

{{main|Government of Caphiria|Politics of Caphiria}}

Because of this unique system, the Imperator is the ''de jure'' head of each of the branches of government. However, the [[Corcillum|Corcillum of Caphiria]] wields significant power over the fiscal responsibilities of the Imperium, as well as possessing the ability to solely bring new laws to vote, and the Supreme Court system has gradually gained a tremendous amount of oversight and control over the application of the law, having the power to declare legislation or executive action made at any level of the government as unconstitutional, nullifying the law and creating precedent for future law and decisions. There have been many amendments to the Constitution to further delineate authority and organize the government further, but because of historical significance of the Imperator, it will always be the single point in which the government of Caphiria stems from.

===Government===

{{main|Imperator of Caphiria|Corcillum|Judiciary of Caphiria}}

The legislative branch of Caphiria is called [[Corcillum|The Corcillum]], a tetracameral legislature consisting of four chambers: the National Assembly, Military Assembly, Tribune Assembly, and the Senate. A combination of ''mais maiorum'' and statute determines the roles of each chamber. Many measures must be considered by more than one chamber, and these measures are known as "final decrees" (''consultum ultimum'') as their decisions cannot be overridden due to their acceptance by more than one chamber. The four chambers are divided into two categories; those which are said to be "representative", which are the Senate and National Assembly, and those which are said to be "meritorious", which are the Military and Tribunal Assemblies. The representative assemblies are viewed as a direct voice of the people of Caphiria within the nation's decision-making, whereas the meritorious chambers are the voice of those who are viewed to have sacrificed on behalf of the nation as a consequence of their service. Each chamber functions semi-autonomously from one another and as a result, the National Assembly has nominal authority over the entire Corcillum which means the National Assembly is functionally the national legislature. The Military Assembly is composed of every Commander in the [[Imperial Armed Forces of Caphiria|Imperial Armed Forces]] and are responsible of the conduct of wars as well as the prosecution of war and peace. The Tribune Assembly is composed of [[Magistrates of Caphiria#Non-parliamentary%20magistrates|non-parliamentary magistrates]] such as Aediles, Proaediles, Censores, and more. The Tribune Assembly is responsible for nationwide administrative tasks, and the organizing and reorganization of provinces and regions. The fourth chamber, the Senate, deals with national economic policy and treaties relating to trade, succession, grants of nobility, and more. Members of the National Assembly and Senate are chosen through direct election and every member of the Corcillum is elected to a five-year term.[[File:Wien 01 Justizpalast a.jpg|thumb|[[Supreme Court of Caphiria|The Supreme Court of Caphiria]]|alt=|left|300x300px]]The judicial branch for the Imperium is administered by the [[Ministry of Justice (Caphiria)|Ministry of Justice]] which oversees the overall judicial system. At the apex of the judicial hierarchy is the [[Supreme Court of Caphiria|Supreme Court]] (''Tribunalis Ultima'') which operates independently from the Ministry of Justice. As the highest court within Caphiria, the Supreme Court ensures the correct application of law in the inferior and appeal courts and resolves disputes as to which lower court (penal, civil, administrative, military) has jurisdiction to hear a given case. The Supreme Court can reject, or confirm, a sentence from a lower court. If it rejects the sentence, it can order the lower court to amend the trial and sentencing, or it can annul the previous sentence altogether. A sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court is final and definitive, and cannot be further appealed for the same reasons. Although the Supreme Court cannot overrule the trial court's interpretation of the evidence, it can correct a lower court's interpretation or application of the law connected to a specific case. The Supreme Court itself is composed of 15 judges that are collectively known as the Council of Supreme Judges (''Consilio Judicatis Magnus'') for the term of service of five ''lustra'' (25 years total): 5 appointed by the Imperator, 5 elected by the Senate, and 5 elected by the ordinary and administrative courts. Candidates need to be either lawyers with twenty years or more experience, full professors of law, or (former) members of the Ministry of Justice.  

According to the Constitution, the Supreme Court shall pass judgement on: controversies on the constitutional legitimacy of laws issued by the State and Provinces; conflicts arising from allocation of powers of the State and those powers allocated to State and Provinces, and between Provinces; and charges brought against the Imperator.

The Ministry of Justice handles the administration of courts and judiciary, including paying salaries and constructing new courthouses. The Ministry of Justice also administer the prison system. Lastly, the Ministry of Justice receives and processes applications for national pardons and proposes legislation dealing with matters of civil or criminal justice. The Ministry of Justice arranges the ''album judicum'' - a list of every licensed jurist eligible for judging cases in a lawful court - and decides on the time and place of sessions in every Caphirian court of law. It also serves as the backbone for all of the Imperium's provincial and municipal court systems. Each provincial government possesses its own ''provinciarum judex'', or provincial judge, who is subservient to the Ministry of Justice. While provincial judges have some leniency with their rulings and interpretations of the law, they are bound to the interpretation of law from the Ministry of Justice as a whole, meaning any ruling in one province will immediately affect the others. Excluding the Supreme Court, every judge and member of the Ministry of Justice is elected alongside every other member of the government each ''lustrum''.

===Magistrates===

Examples of non-parliamentary magistrates include ''Quaestores'' - individuals charged with collecting taxes from praetors for the imperial government, calling out financial corruption, and serving as right-hand men and messengers of the treasury, and ''Aedilis'' who supervise spending of money from the treasury, giving them the reverse role of the ''quaestores''.

There are hundreds of other miscellaneous non-parliamentary magistrates across the Imperium. Some unique to the Office of the Imperium are the ''numerarius'', who keeps records of national finances; the ''adjutores'', assistants to the Imperator; and the ''magister equitum'', organizer of the Imperator's transportation, to name a few.

===Political Parties===

{{main|Political parties of Caphiria}}

A few of the most popular political parties are:

*'''''Pars Ex Imperatoria''''' '''(PEI)''' (Party of the Imperium) – The de facto single-party of Caphiria. Its sole purpose is to reinforce the constitution and the power of the Imperator, though it may have secondary goals and motives that reflect the incumbent Imperator’s personal political ideology and agenda.

*'''''Kiro-Caphirian Party'' (KCP)''' - Single-issue party advocating a strong alliance between the Kiravian Federacy and the Imperium of Caphiria. It presents itself as an alternative to the Levantian Union Party, opposing supranationalism and continental integration while still supporting extensive international commerce, international military cooperation, and a more open attitude toward Latin-speaking immigrants and expatriates.

===Administrative divisions===

{{main|Subdivisions of Caphiria|Provinces of Caphiria}}

The highest level of the administrative structure is the provincial level, which includes provinces, autonomous regions, possessions, and special administrative regions. Provincial-level divisions are divided into prefectural divisions, which includes prefectures, autonomous prefectures, and super-prefectures. Prefectural-level divisions are further divided into municipal-level divisions, which includes cities, municipal districts, municipalities, towns, townships, and villages among others.  

[[File:CaphiriaProvinces.svg|thumb|floatright|400px|The provincial-level divisions of Caphiria]]

Provincial divisions are headed by an elected official called a ''praetor'' who serves as its chief executive. The government of the province is called the ''provinciarum'', holding legal and administrative jurisdiction within its bounds. Each provincial government is free to organize its executive departments and agencies in any way it likes. This has resulted in substantial diversity among provinces with regard to every aspect of how their governments are organized, though the Imperium does mandate certain things for the sake of continuity. In theory, the praetor is subservient to the Imperator, effectively acting as his representative. In practice however, Praetors have ''de facto'' authority over their province and the Imperator seldom interferes at the provincial level. Praetors are part of a sub-committee within the [[Tribunal Assembly (Caphiria)|Tribunal Assembly]], an assembly of the [[Corcillum]] responsible for the public administration of Caphiria.

The lowest political division is municipal and administered according to a system distinct from higher strata. Municipalities, within their self-governing scope of activities, perform the tasks of local significance, which directly fulfil the citizens’ needs, and which were not assigned to prefectures or provinces by the Constitution or law, and in particular affairs related to the organization of localities and housing, zoning and planning, public utilities, child care, social welfare, primary health services, education and primary schools, culture, physical education and sports, customer protection, protection and improvement of the environment, fire protection and civil defence, local transport. Municipalities are led by City Prefects (''Praefecti Urborum'') and are elected every other year by popular assembly of the inhabitants (not just citizens) of the township. City Prefects lead a municipal council, the representative body of citizens and the governing body. Municipalities have administrative departments as offices of administration chaired by the heads (principals). Municipal councilmen are elected for a two-year term in direct elections by secret ballot.

===Foreign relations===

{{main|Foreign relations of Caphiria}}

Caphiria is a member of many international organizations, holding key positions such as a permanent membership on the League of Nations Security Council. Caphiria's foreign policy today is summarized as strategic relations with neighboring countries and the continental powers to strive for Caphiria's national interest, and to create a favorable environment for Caphiria's international development for perpetual competition in the world.

===Law of the Imperium===

{{main|Constitution of Caphiria}}

The [[Constitution of Caphiria]] is the ultimate authority in every judicial, executive, and legislative matter. Every constitutional proclamation is inviolable. Neither the Senate, nor the people, nor the military, nor the Imperator can break them. For this reason, its tenets must be protected by the highest government office, the [[Censores]], who have the power to conduct an inquiry into literally any activity within the Imperium. In any censorial investigation, evidence against the accused is brought before the eighteen person ''Comitia Censoria'' (Censorial Assembly). A double majority for a guilty verdict is needed before the appropriate punishment for the crime - consistent with the Constitution - is administered.[[File:Censor-room.png|thumb|The courtroom of the Censorial Assembly]]The document's purpose is to guarantee citizens certain inalienable rights against imperial, senatorial, collegial, or cultural oppression and establish republican laws which institute a fair government of the people, by the people, and exclusively for the people.The power of Caphirian citizens (''demos'') is exercised through their right of assembly. Choices that must be made by the people are settled in mass public votes. Anyone with Citizenship in a voting region gets one vote. A conglomeration of voting citizens making a legally potent action is a Popular Assembly (''Comitia Popula''). Caphirians are proud of this extreme direct democracy, comparable to ancient polities, since it embodies their highly popular and direct style of self-government. Nowhere is this connection between a citizen and the state more present than in the signing of the social contract that formally grants an adult his or her citizenship.

The Constitution of Caphiria has three main objectives: delineates the national frame of government, establish the social contract between the citizen and state, and protect its people. The powers of an imperator exist by virtue of his legal standing. The two most significant components to an imperator's power are his supreme executive power and highest legislative authority, creating his role and power as chief legislative and chief executive. It also creates and delineates his fiscal, judicial, military, and social roles.

Outside the courtroom, citizens are afforded a base level of medical care and receive free education until adulthood. Every citizen has an equal share of national representation in the Senate and the cultural values of citizens are enforced in Caphiria by Consuls for culture.

===Citizenship===

The concept of citizenship (''civitatulas'') is an incredibly important political and legal status that is ingrained in Caphirian society since its origin. Citizenship is the individual possession of every man and woman recognized by the Imperium. For a person to be a ''cives'' (citizen) they must be 16 years of age or older and satisfy one of the following conditions:

*Born to two Caphirian citizens '''OR''' possess at least 51% Latin ethnicity (Birthright citizenship)

*Born to one Caphirian citizen within the borders of the Imperium and served a set term in the Caphirian military (Naturalized citizenship)

*Recognized as a citizen by a parliamentary magistrate. (proclamative citizenship)

Citizenship is the most coveted possession of a resident of the Imperium. Once held, it is irrevocable without extreme violations of national law - demonstrable guilt in treason, perjury, barratry, or desertion. Citizens are exempt from the painful death penalties and are guaranteed the protection of the Legion when traveling outside the limits of the empire.

By the age of 16, a candidate for civitatulas is allowed to visit the local Praetorian Palace to begin to become a citizen. First, a presentation of credentials is required, after which the candidate is to return once the secretaries have completed a background check. On return to the Praetor, an interview is conducted to determine whether the individual is fit to make decisions on his or her own behalf - an easy test to pass for anyone over 15. Finally, the candidate must read and sign the social contract (''pactum socialis'') and declare to the reigning Praetor, "Civis Caphiriavum sum" (I am a Caphirian citizen), before being given a small token, proving his or her citizenship. Every new citizen's name is entered into official records.

===Security===

[[File:Milano_Italy_Carabinieri-01.jpg|thumb|left|Two field agents of the Imperial Police Force|alt=|300x300px]]

Magistrates are afforded personal ''Lictors ''(imperial bodyguards) from a special department of the IPF according to the degree of political power possessed by their office. For example, an Imperator has 24 lictors and a Censor has 18 but a city prefect has 2. Wielding the fasces to indicate their civil authority, lictors have the power to arrest suspected criminals and kill anyone they deem a threat to their assigned magistrate.

==The Military==

[[File:Caphiria IAF COA.svg|thumb|right|The coat of arms for the [[Imperial Armed Forces of Caphiria|Imperial Armed Forces]]]]

The [[Imperial Armed Forces of Caphiria|Imperial Armed Forces]] has three main branches:

*[[Imperial Legion|The Legion]] (Army)

*[[Imperial Naval Fleet]] (Navy)

*[[Imperial Aerial Defense Force]] (Air Force)

In addition to the three main service branches, the Imperial Armed Forces contains three additional sub-branches: the [[National Guard (Caphiria)|National Guard]] (itself a function of the Department of Civilian Defense), which is the primary military reserve force, the [[Imperial Police Force]] tasked with being the principal law enforcement agency and domestic security service, and the [[Praetorian Guard (Caphiria)|Praetorian Guard]] which has two distinct and critical national security missions: protecting the nation's leaders and safeguarding the financial and critical infrastructure of the Imperium. The Praetorian Guard is also unique in that it maintains a division that reports directly to the Imperator with no oversight.

Caphiria's military is backed by a large stockpile of nuclear weapons. About 2,500 ICBMs are stored in facilities across the empire, either underwater, underground and on battleships. The majority of atomic warheads use a single-stage fusion design, while the rest are neutron bombs or dual-stage H-bombs. A great deal of these rockets will open in the atmosphere releasing multiple independent reentry vehicles (MIRVs) for a maximum spread of destruction. Each of the rest detonate as a single massive explosion.

===Intelligence Community===

[[File:Ministry-of-defense.png|thumb|The Ministry of Defense|alt=|left]]Caphiria maintains an internal military intelligence agency, the Ministry of Intelligence. The Ministry of Intelligence consists of several departments and agencies that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities to support the foreign policy and national security of Caphiria. This serves as the foundation of the Caphirian Intelligence Community (CIC), a collection of intelligence agencies that operate within and external to the military. The Department of Military Intelligence (DMI) contains agencies such as the Office of Naval Intelligence, Office of Reconnaissance, Office of Geospatial Intelligence, Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Office of Analysis, Research, and Intelligence, and the Intelligence and Security Command. The DMI also includes the Imperial Police Force, Praetorian Guard, and the Office of Security Affairs.

Running counter to the DMI is the Department of Civilian Intelligence (DCI), the collection of intelligence agencies that operate outside of the military of and report directly to the Imperator and the Caetus Legati. The two principal agencies of the DCI are the Advenarum Administratio (AA) and the Internum Notitia Securitatis (INS).

The Senate makes no secret of its military intentions to the national and foreign press. Statements to the public freely admit: restraining foreign powers, overthrowing threatening regimes, and destabilizing national foes. The central strategic goals of the Legion and Navy are defense of the Imperium at all costs and pursuance of Caphiria's policies by non-political means. These constitute the heart of Caphiria's armed forces.

===National Guard===

[[File:Castellanae-01.png|thumb|A group of National Guardsmen]]Supplementing the national defense of the Legion and Navy is the [[National Guard (Caphiria)|National Guard of the Imperium]] (''Castellanae Imperiae''). Its primary instrument is the web of forts (''castrum'') dotting the Imperium. At least one operates in each province, supplying between 1,000 and 5,000 c''astellanara'' to its protection. A single castrum is administered by a base commander (''Praefectus Castrorum'') of the same rank as centurions. His authority over his assigned base is typically respected by higher rank officers (like ''Duces'') but can be overridden if necessary.

Besides the guardsmen based in a castrum, new legionary recruits (''tirones'') and reserve legionaries (''adscripticii'') reside there to prepare for deployment to replace fallen legionaries. Legionaries themselves are based in special castra specific to each legion. One particular base, the [[Castrum Arzercavalli]], is tucked away in the mountains of the [[Xalen|Xalen Province]] administered jointly by the Generalissimus of the Legion and the Rector Indicius of Caphirian Intelligence.

==Economy==

{{main| Economy of Caphiria}}

The financial district, downtown Venceia

A recession of sorts was entered in 1998 but unemployment has yet to exceed 4%. Subtract cyclical unemployment to see that Caphiria's natural rate of unemployment fluctuates around 1-3.90%. However, unemployment protection is almost non-existent. The federal government only assists in the search for new jobs, by facilitating communication. General unemployment benefits have never been offered in the modern history of the Imperium. Also, unlike former platonic socialist countries, workers unions are absolutely illegal. There are federal regulations that force guilds to provide a high minimum wage and a safe, non abusive work environment for their workers, but there is nothing in the way of health benefits or of allowances for worker strikes. However, severance pay is very large by government law and every Caphirian worker can expect no less than 35 days of paid vacation. Certain institutions such as federal buildings and schools are not allowed to offer so many holidays but still offer about 20 days. With low regulation, no unions, high minimum wage, and no unemployment benefits, Caphirian voluntary unemployment rate is almost the lowest in the world.

===Income, poverty and wealth===

Data collected by the Imperial Census Bureau has calculated a per capita GDP of $67,109, which makes it the second highest in the world. A more meaningful quantity, the median pre-tax income of a Caphirian citizen, is equal to $63,435. However, Caphirian society suffers from an income inequality deeply ingrained into its history and class system. The top 6% of the population control almost 75% of the empire's wealth - the top 1% alone control more than a third. Still, a Caphirian citizen has an incredibly high standard of living compared with residents of other states. Every one of them has access to liberal amounts of food, water, electricity, living space and can afford telescreens, cars, computers, books, entertainment, and vacations in the plural. Non-citizens are not so fortunate.

That being said, historically when citizens or corporations lacked the means to support themselves the Senate's first action for centuries has been to offer low-interest loans. This policy of micro-financing poverty is the government's attempt to reduce public dependence on hand-outs and bail-outs while still mitigating the short-term damage from widespread private bankruptcies.

==Infrastructure==

The Imperium benefits from rapid infrastructural development that has not been marked by periods of decay or destruction. Roads built in the 8th century are still used today while protocols that have served for centuries continue to council policy-makers facing modern problems. The Senate is deeply involved in most large scale construction projects, providing commodities such as transportation and sewer access by directly paying large construction guilds (''curatores'') for their development.

Federal expenditure is largely allocated toward developing infrastructure that supports Caphirian citizens. Structures with which the Senate and Imperator are involved include ''viae'' (roads), ''aquae'' (aqueducts), ''cloacae'' (sewers), ''vehiculae'' (public transport), ''teleloquum'' (communications), and ''basilicae'' (public buildings). Caphirian highways are known for providing thousands of years of use with little maintenance. The empire's communication network is supported by 1,289 satellites and hundreds of thousands of miles of fiber optic cables.

===Technology===

Caphiria has been a leader in technological innovation throughout its history, particularly since the late 18th century and scientific research since the mid-20th century. Technology and science in Caphiria has a long history, producing many important figures and developments in the field. The [[Great War]] had a profound impact on the development of science and technology in Caphiria, leading to one of the most spectacular – and controversial – accomplishments of Caphirian technology: the harnessing of nuclear energy. The concepts that led to the splitting of the atom were developed by the scientists of many countries, but the conversion of these ideas into the reality of nuclear fission was accomplished in Caphiria and used to end the war.

As in physics and chemistry, Caphirians have dominated the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine since the Great War. The private sector has been the focal point for biomedical research in Caphiria, and has played a key role in this achievement.

===Internet===

The development of the Internet in Caphiria happened in parallel across the world and while Caphiria does not claim to have developed it first, it does claim to have possessed the first fully-connected country. Early computers were limited to direct channels for communication, where data flowed continuously between connected computers, primarily for military application. In the late 1940's, a supercomputer in the Petramori Region in [[Xalen]] and a small terminal in Venceia were linked over existing telecommunication networks by exchanging data in packets. This connection became permanent was critical in coordinating the development of the first nuclear bomb. This was eventually supplemented by a similar inter-networking of hundreds of magisterial and military computers across the Caphiric world.

Unclaimed domain names can be created after purchasing the domain directly from the government for ₳10. Once purchased, the domain is owned by its buyer who may sell it as his own property. Such transactions are made through the Ministry of Communication.

===Power production===

Every watt of power generated in the public sector of the Imperium comes from either renewable or nuclear resources. The Census of 2030 calculated that the Imperium uses an annual total of 57,000 TW-h in electricity consumption, which translates to 51,803 kW per household. This is broken down as:

A major industrial energy cost is urban climate control, which has existed in major cities for the past twenty years. Cities with a population above 10 million make use of an extensive climate control system to regulate temperature, precipitation and air quality. Meanwhile, animal life is restricted by natural and artificial means to permit eagles, falcons and domesticated mammals and eliminate rodents, insects and unwanted birds. Urban temperature is kept from 0 to 25 degrees Celsius by powerful heating and cooling stations built seamlessly into the city and below its streets. The city of Venceia receives special treatment in this regard as there are satellites in tundra orbits above Sarpedon that reflect additional sunlight onto the city during the day, giving it warm Spring temperatures all year round. Weather control by cloud seeding keeps rainfall in the countryside and softens disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes to more manageable scales.

===Transportation===

Cars (''Autokinetici''), or autoki, are class-oriented possessions, with specific designs common to certain strata of society. Most lower class Plebeians do not own a personal vehicle, using the empire's extensive public transit system. On the opposite end of the spectrum, patricians may own multiple luxury vehicles powered by autonomy . Cars are powered almost exclusively by onboard batteries that last days. Since vehicles larger than a bicycle are not allowed in city limits from 7 am to 9 pm, the state has always had a way to store cars while their owners visit a city. Recently, the government built massive storage towers a few kilometers from major cities to replace the public parking lots that were used in centuries past that themselves replaced massive public stables. These parking towers are reachable by public transit from nearby cities and can usually hold between 10,000 to a million cars at 10,000 per tower. The towers are very efficient in regards to space, extending several hundred meters underground (or above-ground) and using lifts to arrange the cars in racks.

The entire system, over the centuries, has an estimated cumulative construction cost over $700 billion and has needed minimal maintenance making it one of the largest construction projects in human history before the mega-projects of modern Caphiria.

===Megaprojects===

In the last century, Caphiria has proved its prowess as a civilization by engaging in monumental, even astronomical scale construction projects that dwarf anything else in its history. Without even including Caphiria's renovations of the skyline of Venceia or of the Athenaeum, a large list of costly programs can be made:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; text-align:center;"

|- style="font-weight:bold; "

|- style="vertical-align:middle;"

| style="font-weight:bold;" |1

|Development of nationwide weather manipulation tools

|1996

|- style="vertical-align:middle;"

| style="font-weight:bold;" |2

|Development of national nuclear weapon arsenal

|1966

|- style="vertical-align:middle;"

| style="font-weight:bold;" |3

|Development of international roadway system

|1989

|-

| style="vertical-align:middle; font-weight:bold;" |4

| style="vertical-align:middle;" |Network of atomic energy power plants

| style="vertical-align:middle;" |1981

|-

| style="vertical-align:middle; font-weight:bold;" |6

| style="vertical-align:middle;" |National integrated aerial defence system

| style="vertical-align:middle;" |2016

|-

| style="font-weight:bold;" |7

|(Failed) mission to establish an Martian colony

|1997

|-

| style="font-weight:bold;" |8

|$50 billion

|}

==Demographics==

{{main|Demographics of Caphiria}}

The total population of the Imperium is 785,178,356 as of 2021. Of these residents, 642 million are ''cives'', legal citizens of the Imperium. Citizenship is vital for living in the empire, exempting one from the poll tax, allowing one to join the army as a legionary rather than a guard, conferring inalienable rights like health care and welfare, and permitting appeals to a Praetor during litigation. It also grants voting rights at the age of 16 and allows someone to run for political posts according to their social class.

Several minority languages are legally recognized: Cartadanian, Kiravic Coscivian, Istroyan, Cronan, Julian Ænglish, and Lebhan.

===Religion===

{{main|Religion in Caphiria}}

{{Pie chart

| radius = 100

| color6 =NavajoWhite

}}

Christianity is by far the largest religion in the country, making up a total 88% of practiced religion. Prior to the formal mending of the [[Great Schism of 1615]], the de facto state religion of Caphiria had been [[Imperial Catholicism]]. However, since the Great Schism was officially mended in 2037, this has skewed current religious demographics since in theory, all Imperial Catholics were back in communion with the Levantine Church.

In modern times, Caphirians take great pride in their religious faith, openly discussing it in casual conversation. There is no stigma in professing one's belief or - in today's culture - non-belief at leisure. The majority of the irreligious are wealthy intellectuals who have personal qualms with the Church or who became disillusioned with the rigidity of religious faith. Despite their intelligent base and success at organizing, atheists have failed to challenge the two thousand years of theological hypotheses put forward by the Church. As well, silence in the face of their occasional attacks against religious institutions has dominated ecclesiastical policy for centuries.

===Education===

{{main|Education in Caphiria}}

The [[Ministry of Education (Caphiria)|Ministry of Education]] sets overall educational standards, though private schools are generally free to determine their own curriculum and staffing policies, with mandatory accreditation and regulation from the Ministry. This allows for more "creative" and "third wave" educational systems to have the chance to develop on top of the already established educational standards. By law, education is compulsory over the age of 3 and ends at 16. The public education system in Caphiria is highly complex and segmented, operated jointly by provincial and local governments. The educational stages are: Children's School (''discatorium''), Core Education (''regulatorium''), University (''universalis''), and Academy (''Academiae'').[[File:Hs-01.jpg|thumb|Giarier Core School]]A curriculum is arranged in 6-9 week terms separated by three week vacations. A term is closed by testing students' knowledge of the compulsory material learned that term. Tests for the advanced courses can be taken anytime during the last two years of the core curriculum. The results of any tests taken by a student are merely used to show the school which area of higher education, if any, they should encourage for the particular student. Marks for compulsory courses are also used to distribute students evenly by aptitude across the different higher schools. There are no strict entry criteria and most students get into places of their choice.

Higher education is done in either academies (''academiae'') or universities (''universales''), whether one wants to receive an Academy Degree and become a Doctor (PhD) or not respectively. While attending a grammaticus is compulsory for all citizens, higher education can be avoided in order to take an apprenticeship in manual work. At this level, courses are distinguished into the classical branches of philosophy. Graduating as a doctor in one's field is not only prestigious but beneficial for one's career as well. Modern lawyers, senators, medical doctors, scientists, generals and economists are almost unanimously doctores. There's no distinct school system for medicine or law as these already have academies like other subjects.

===Health===

{{main|Health in Caphiria}}

Caphiria has a (virtually) completely private healthcare system, with the only state-sponsored healthcare system in place for those who would otherwise have no access to it and are in severe need of it, as well as children of citizens before they acquire their citizenship and elder citizens above 70 years of age. In 2030, private insurance paid for 65.4% of personal health expenditures, followed by 34.6% by private out-of-pocket payments. All hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers are entirely private. Because of political and social pressure on employers to provide at least minimal private health insurance, only 13% of the public is uninsured.[[File:MappostațiCampus.jpg|thumb|Mappostați Medical Campus|alt=|left]]Even without medicine, Caphirians are part of a healthy society. Food is naturally grown - with no artificial additives, preservatives, drugs or pesticides at any stage of its production - in a manner that used to come at great cost to potential productivity. Nowadays, genetically modified crops and animals confer the same advantages as drugs and chemicals could offer to the agricultural industry but without side effects to consumers. A contributing factor to the health of Caphirians is that the Senate offers free healthcare to children of citizens before they acquire their citizenship and elder citizens above 70 years of age. Literally any medical demands, from dentist check-ups to eye exams are paid from the Imperial treasury. On a per-capita level, this costs the Senate about $1,100 for children and $11,400 for seniors, though wealthier seniors usually opt out of free healthcare out of social pressure or moral obligation. Outside these demographics, anyone can request a low interest loan from the government to afford medical treatment as has been done for the entire existence of the Constitution which guarantees the availability of necessary medicine for citizens.

In spite of Caphiria's monumental healthcare system, indigenous people and foreigners are not covered. Therefore, certain communities inside of the Imperium that experience shocking levels of poverty that give them health averages far below the rest of the Imperium. Since they are non-citizens, the federal government cares very little about helping them and even less sympathy is given by citizens.

The average national life expectancy in Caphiria is 81.3 years. By gender, the average is higher for women at 83.6 compared to 78.9 for men. This can be explored further by going into detail based off of social class: Obviously the Patrician class has the highest life expectancy at 86 years, the Equestrians at 81, Upper-Plebs at 78, Lower-Plebs at 76, and the Indigeni at 68 years on average.

==Social order==

{{main|Stratification in Caphiria}}

The final stratum is the lowest order who, in addition to receiving almost no government benefits, is heavily looked down upon by the rest of society. Making up 23.73% of the population, they are the ''Indigeni'', who are the native population who have been conquered by Caphiria. Most citizens view them as inferior to Latin races and, consequently, most of the country's racism is directed at them.

==Culture==

{{Main|Culture of Caphiria}}

The culture of the Imperium reflects the diversity of its population. Regarded as a melting pot of ethnicity and identities, Caphiria is tolerant and respectful of the majority of cultures within its empire, encouraging some of their activities through socioeconomic measures. Even the bureaucracy and local elites reflect the regional distinctiveness of the population, allowing a degree of cultural independence that goes beyond mere appearances into religious and political recognition.

A principle which underlies Caphiria's cultural achievements is Libertas (Freedom). Freedom of movement within the country, freedom to share ideas and customs and freedom to seek wealth. The Senate hardly limits these liberties of the people with law, force, or even propaganda. Furthermore, inside the Imperium's borders for the last 300 years has been a stability unseen at any other time or place, a true Pax Caphiria. Safety and liberty are no less immanent as factors today, driving Caphiria ever more into the future.

===Architecture===

Examples of Caphiric architecture

Traditional Caphiric architecture places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts. It often used visual and theatrical effects, designed to surprise and awe the viewer and to portray a sense of power, majesty and virility. The architecture of modern Caphiria is best described as "New Classical-Parametric Brutalism" in that it continues the practice of classical and traditional architecture (new classical) but also mixes in simple, block-like structures that often feature bare building materials and exposed concrete (brutalism) while subscribing to an overall design philosophy that rejects both homogenization (serial repetition) and pure difference (agglomeration of unrelated elements) in favor of differentiation and correlation as key compositional values (Parametricism).

===Cuisine===

<gallery>

File:Bistecca alla fiorentina (400gr).jpg|Bistecca alla Rotreyus, a dish made of Turianan veal

</gallery>

Caphirian cuisine developed through centuries of social and political changes and is diverse, varying with location and associated agricultural conditions. Traditionally, meals in Caphiria are served at three times throughout the day: at dawn, the middle and lower classes eat a quick breakfast called an ''ientaculum ''while the upper class typically eat Caphiria's equivalent of brunch called a ''prandium''. Both kinds of breakfast feature some kind of wheat bread dipped in olive oil or served with cheese and crackers. Prandium is interesting because it usually features meat of some kind, like pork or beef and animal products such as eggs. The most popular meat for this time of the day is ''lucanica'', a short, smoked pork sausage.

Alcohol, specifically wine, is the 3rd-most consumed beverage by volume behind water and coffee, and is commonly consumed (alongside water) in meals, which are rarely served without it, though it is extremely uncommon for meals to be served with any other drink, alcoholic, or otherwise. Caphiria consumed 25 billion liters of wine in 2035 alone. The second-most consumed alcoholic beverage is whiskey at 19 billion liters.

===Fine arts===

<gallery caption="Some examples of Caphiric artwork">

File:The Roses of Heliogabalus.jpg

Art museums are very popular destinations within Caphirian cities. The three largest museums of art receive 18 million, 9 million and 4 million visitors each year respectively. Also featured in the art museums are the ever popular Caphirian sculptures. The art of sculpting is perhaps the greatest product of the Western arts, and definitely one which the Imperium made full use of. The grandest statue in the Imperium, however, is the Statue of Victory (depicting an Angel) in the Castra Veteraian Bay. Standing on a 60 meter pedestal, the Statue itself is 240 meters tall. The Statue of Victory is a widely recognized national symbol representing the indomitable spirit and power of the Imperium.

===Media===

The immensity of Caphiria and the security that its citizens enjoy necessitates a great deal of effort in both entertaining and informing the public. Until recently, the primary means by which news was spread was the praeconis (heralds). These public-wage scribes stood in major plazas within the cities every day to declare recent news to people walking in the streets, in the manner of giving a speech. Amazingly, this form of reporting was so popular with the public that not even personal telescreens could supersede heralds in getting government funding to relay news. It is only in modern times, in the larger cities, that live heralds were replaced with holographic recordings. These holograms look realistic enough that the change is irrelevant to the public. The rich, as always, use personal secretaries to bring them the news. Except in Venceia and Adamentium, the news given by heralds is relevant only to the city itself, with the exception of major national news. While news of a murder or disaster in Osctatellia will be spread by heralds there, no one elsewhere in the country will hear about it. An interesting case regarding dissemination of the news is Cadro whose heralds proclaim global economic updates on top of local news.

Mass advertising has had an interesting life, never developing traditionally in the Caphiric world, leading to a commercial dynamic unseen anywhere in the world. Advertisements of any kind are banned in newspapers. The only permitted and publicly accepted form of advertising is within designated movies and telescreens street signs, though some businesses shrewdly bribe heralds to mention their product in a good light. Nearly all shops abide in distinct market districts in the cities and villages, so business owners rely on signs and their own charisma to attract customers to their stall or shop. Nearly every product is sold by a regional monopoly, or by two or three large businesses, therefore advertising for products is wasteful anyway. Certain kinds of street adverts like electric signs or excessive lighting are outlawed in large cities since people find them to be disruptive and bothersome - especially neon signs. That aside, the advertising industry has seen an explosive growth over the last decade or so. The laws have become less rigid and enforced, which as led to innovative marketing that sits in between the legal and illegal realm, though this appeals mainly to smaller businesses looking for a competitive edge against much larger companies.

===National reputation===

Society within the Imperium is regarded as a model for the rest of the world in terms of art and culture. Global polls by by an international institution which queried 10,000 people from each country, found that 65% saw Caphirians positive light while an opposing 32% saw it in a negative one. From these results, it seems that few lack a strong opinion of the empire. An internal census of the empire in 1977, polling its entire body of citizens, showed a 95% approval of their country. 3% were completely neutral on the subject and only 2% believed Caphiria was harmful to or had a negative impact on humanity.

Internationally speaking, the reputation of Caphiria is complex. There has historically been overwhelming negative sentiments about Caphiria, citing Caphiria's hyper-imperialism and military power and influence as a ‘major threat’ to their country. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Caphiria has been the subject of numerous reports with headlines such as "Caphiria Seen as Among the Greatest Nations, But Not Superior to All Others" and has been subject to numerous reports and papers with titles like "The Problem of Caphirian Exceptionalism".

=See also=

{{Caphiria}}