Layarteb

The Empire of Layarteb

Empire of Layarteb

</td></tr>
National motto: So we dub thee Unforgiven
Region	New York
Official language	English
Capital	Layarteb City
Largest Religion	Roman Catholic
Tech Level	Modern Tech
Emperor	The Emperor
Independence	October 31, 1157
Area  - Total   - Land  - Water	2,047,292 km² 1,970,761 km² 76,531 km²
Population  - Total (2004)  - Density	7,132,000,000 3,483.62/km²
Currency	Shingrot ($)
National Animal	Falcon
Time zone	GMT -5
Internet TLD	.EOL

Overview of an Empire

The Empire of Layarteb, a conservative, authoritarian state ruled by the Emperor. It's based in Earth II in North American, Central America, and South America in three provinces and one colony. It's vastness covers over 2 million square kilometers and its population in total exceeds seven billion. It comes with a vast and far stretching history, going back to the 12th century when, in a vast civil war, the forces of the Layartebian tribe finally claimed victory over those who had ruled them for the better part of five hundred years.

Since then it has arisen as a world leader in both economic and military might yet maintained its realist-isolationist stance in global politics. It has become a key figure in the international stage. Originally playing a significant role in a civil war in Khata, the Empire of Layarteb (then the Dictatorship of Layarteb) slowly expanded into its first province, South Eastern Virginia. Further evolving, after a bloody war with the Free Land of Dnalkrad, annexation brought them into the empire as the third province. Lastly, the colony of Ynoga, joined the Empire most recently as the troubles in South Eastern Virginia cooled down.

The Empire of Layarteb encountered a brief period of democracy when a revolution swept the nation, led by Nicholas Caratan. Upon the return of the Emperor, the state of the economy and civil affairs was a wreck. Crime was at an all time high as was unemployment and the economy was near collapse. Upon his return, the Emperor cleaned up the streets and reset the economy back on track, as well as getting unemployment figures back under 4%. Additionally, protesting was outlawed to prevent another revolution and all non-FDA approved drugs were considered illegal, thereby diminishing crime by some 600%.

Since then, the Empire of Layarteb has enjoyed tranquility and prosperity. It's citizens live how they choose and complain very little. In survey's ranked amongst the citizens of Layarteb, the most important issue for them was security. In this mixed up world, an overwhelming 92% felt that they were safer than many places in the world both from domestic and international crime as well as war. Second on the list was prosperity and from the figures, the population lives well.

Government

The Government of the Empire of Layarteb is highly centralized. It is not a democracy but does exhibit some ideals of a republic. The system is set up in tiers, with the lowest being the most local (towns and villages). These are ruled by councils or mayors who are elected or appointed by the populace of the town or village. The next tier up are cities, which are served in much the same way. Counties are still higher and they are ruled by councilmen who are appointed by the governors. Above counties are states, in which there are governors who are appointed by the province governors. Provinces and colonies are higher than states, the second highest level. All provincial governors are appointed by the Emperor. The highest tier is the Empire itself, ruled by the Emperor.

The ideology of the Empire is that of a new brand of conservativism. Whilst it is a new brand, it is not neo-conservatism. It is based on the old conservative values. While the government is high centralized and non-democratic on the whole, it grants its populace freedom to live as they please, as long as they stay within the confines of the law, law and order being the top priority of the country, followed by defense. The realist-isolationism of the Empire keeps them out of all but direct events in the international circuit. Realist-isolationism states that while the world is not a vacuum and countries are not individual actors, there is no world order (thus global anarchy on the whole) and a nation should not get involved with what does not directly effect them.

Subdivisions

The Empire of Layarteb can be divided into five general areas, four of which are directly part of the Empire. Three of these four areas are called provinces and consist of Layarteb, South Eastern Virginia, and Dnalkrad. The fourth is the colony of Ynoga. Lastly, the fifth is an autonomous republic on the continent of Europe, Kaliningrad. It is not part of the Empire but merely a division of it and thus to be included nonetheless. The Empire exhibits administrative control over Kaliningrad but its citizens are not considered citizens of the Empire.

The Province of Layarteb

The Empire is based in Layarteb, the first and oldest land of the Empire. It was the original part of the Dominion of Tnemrot, which once ruled Layarteb until 1157. The Province of Layarteb includes the following areas: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The capital of the Empire is here at Layarteb City (New York City) and its second largest city, Falcon City (Boston) is also based here. This central province is home to the bulk of the population of the Empire and one quarter of the military of the entire Empire.

The Province of South Eastern Virginia

The Province of South Eastern Virginia is largest of all the provinces and equal in terms of population to the Province of Layarteb. It consists of Venezuela in South America. This province was annexed into the Empire after a sale of $500B. It has yielded more than 10x that amount since its joining of the empire. It is home to another quarter of the military of the entire Empire and is the recent site of an uprising by pro-drug rebels. They were squashed under the colossal military might of Layarteb and North Germania.

The Province of Dnalkrad

The Province of Dnalkrad is the smallest of the three provinces in terms of population and land area. It is situated north of Layarteb in Labrador and Newfoundland. It was annexed after a blood war between Layarteb and the Free Land of Dnalkrad. The details of the war included seizure of the Layartebian embassy and demands of retribution for crimes that the corrupt leader committed. As standard policy, the Emperor refused to negotiate with terrorists and a war broke out, lasting a full week. It saw the complete and utter destruction of the entire military, infrastructure, and government of the Free Land of Dnalkrad. It is home to one quarter of the military of the entire Empire.

The Colony of Ynoga

As troubles in South Eastern Virginia began to waiver, anarchy swept through several Central American states, primarily Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. War broke out amongst the various tribes and a plea was made by the indigenous people for intervention by the Empire of Layarteb. Reluctantly, the Emperor sent one quarter of the military to these states to smooth over relations. After a referendum, it was obvious that joining the Empire was the most desirable option and thus it was so. Whilst they do not have the same freedoms that a province has, a colony under the Empire of Layarteb is subject to the same laws and protection as the provinces. It's population is miniscule in comparison to the rest of the Empire but provinceship is inevitable for this fast growing colony.

The Autonomous Republic of Kaliningrad

The Autonomous Republic of Kaliningrad is, by far, the newest addition to the Empire, though it is not part of the Empire, per say. As war seemed inevitable between North Germania and Belarus, in Europe, the Empire of Layarteb petitioned the Kaliningrad Parliament to allow a Layartebian military presence to stage operations against Belarus. They agreed. However, after the war, Layartebian forces remained. After a decree by the Parliament for full withdrawal of Layartebian forces, the situation began to decline. The Prime Minister was assassinated, presumably by pro-Layartebian citizens, and a vast insurgency broke out across the country, engulfing the once peaceful and unarmed nation in strife. Most recently, the Empire of Layarteb, in response to this insurgency, dissolved the Parliament and declared administrative rule over the country. It's population are not considered citizens of the Empire nor is it considered for colony status.

Geography

The geography of the Empire of Layarteb is very different. It is placed in three parts of the Western Hemisphere. Dnalkrad and Layarteb are characterized by having deep coasts for countless ports and harbors, mountainous backlands, flatlands, and luscious vegetation. The climate is moderate with hot to warm summers and cold winters. In Ynoga, the climate is more tropical with dense vegetation and access to both the Pacfic and Atlantic Oceans. The terrain is mountainous and flat and tropical in climate. South Eastern Virginia, the most southern part of the Empire, is tropical. Thick vegetation and forests cover the country along with mountains and a very flat and deep coast allowing for excellent ports and harbors.

Economy

The Empire of Layarteb is an economic powerhouse. Its frightening economy engulfs just about every sector. The capitalist market of Layarteb does have some pockets of monopolies. All defense needs are fulfilled by the Layartebian Defense Corporation, who must recieve approval from the government for all foreign sales. Power and other infrastructure needs are not controlled by the government but watched closely to ensure that corruption and greed does not vastly fill these areas. Book publishing, Uranium mining, and gambling are some of the major industries. Compared to the dollar, the Shingrot is substantially higher, usually in excess of $1.80.

Demographics

The primary language spoken in Layarteb is English, and it is taught in every school in the Empire. All citizens are required to know, speak, understand, and write in English. There are no laws against speaking other languages in the privacy of one's own home or in public. However, there is no dual language status in Layarteb. Signs are written in only English, instructions in only English, and documents in only English. Heritage of the country dictates that English is the only language. Citizens are encouraged to know and speak other languages, especially if they are business professionals, to expediate and assist with trade and ecnomics but there are no requirements for a second language. Of the populace, some 98% are literal meaning that they can read, write, understand, and speak the language. Females outnumber the males by 3.5% and outlive the males by some 6 years, dying on the average, at 83. There is no universal retirement age as there is no social security but often people will retire from work in their early 60s.

Culture

The culture of the Empire of Layarteb is vast. The people of the Empire are vast in number and ethnicity given the three main areas of the Empire. Sports are popular with all major sports being popular, though soccer and hockey are the least of them. There are several dozen, if not over a hundred, unique accents throughout the Empire and it is difficult to tell many of them apart.

Religion is a non-issue. The government is devoutly agnostic and does not encourage nor deny legitimate religion. While Catholicism (42.4%) is the most prominent, Judiasm (17.6%), other Christain religions (10%), and Islam (8%) are seen in small numbers as well as pagan (2%) and native (3%) religions. Atheism (7%) is prominent as well and 10% of the populace does not cite any religion and are categorized as agnostic. Churches are not free from taxation and churches are subject to severe testing to determine legitimacy. There is a distinct separation of church and state.

The Empire has adopted many contemporary principles for its youth. Popular music and films are common. Literature sales are significantly higher than many neighboring countries as it provides a quasi-center for world music, filmography, and literature. Art is also popular but not considered by many as a career path.

The character of the average Layartebian is generally a loyal, hard-working citizen. Immortality is not absent but not tolerated. Liberal ideals are suppressed and moral values are still upheld. Most people are cynical and not trusting of the government but also not distrusting of the government either. Military service is compulsory for all males. At the age of 18, each male serves a required two years in military service. The people are rabid consumers and often those who are troublemakers will be punished accordingly. Laws are strict and conservative in nature as are the principles of the Empire. Citizens are forced to make wise monetary decisions early on given the absence of social security and social welfare. Education is top notch with some 60% of all high school graduates going on to collegiate level studies. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force

Further Information

See Also

• Earth II
• Imperial Layartebian Military

Country Information

• Dnalkrad Nation Info
• Layarteb Nation Info
• South Eastern Virginia Nation Info
• Ynoga Nation Info