Galdago
From NSwiki, the NationStates encyclopedia.
Flag of Galdago | |
Motto: "Look like the flower, but be the serpent under it." | |
Map | |
Region | Aperin |
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Capital | Coronada |
Official Language(s) | Celdonian (Primary), Galdagan (Secondary) |
Leader | Prime Minister Lance Thibodeaux |
Population | 97,350,781 |
Currency | Thennat (ATN) |
Contents
Overview
Background
- The Commonwealth of Galdago is a federal socialist democracy located in the southwestern portion of the greater landmass of the Aperin continent. During its history, the Commonwealth has consisted as a number of different entities throughout that time, ranging from confederated nomadic and then agrarian tribes to a monarchy and finally a federal commonwealth. Galdago is a massive, socially progressive nation, notable for its punitive income tax rates. Its compassionate, intelligent population of just under one hundred million are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whoever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives. It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, liberal government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Social Equality, and Defence. The average income tax rate is 80%, and even higher for the wealthy. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Book Publishing. Crime—especially youth-related—is a problem. Galdago's national animal is the seraph serpent, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the Aperin thennat.
- The federal government consists of an executive, legislative, and judicial branch, with the legislature being responsible for base economic policy and civil statutes, the executive managing foreign affairs and investment, and the judicial branch maintaining the balance of federalism and rule of law. Decentralized administration includes seven regional economic planning councils which oversee local economic planning and collectively decide joint national economic policies, as well as twenty-three state governments which administer local social and civil functions such as health care, housing, utilities, and civil authority.
History
- Little is known about the nomadic tribes and agrarian collectives of early Galdagan society. The first recorded monarchy came to power in AD 538 when Prince Alvnorson Mentusií del Dreszemier subjugated a number of the tribes within present-day southern Galdago and the southern coastlands below it under his empire. He began construction of roads to facilitate heavy internal trade and resource distribution and established the first solid sea-bound trade routes heavily utilized by the early Kluuvar Belki [Black Band] Republic, as well as generating trade links east of the present-day Bleumont Mountain Range.
- The throne was passed down through eight generations of the Dreszemier family until King Illiano Marquez del Dreszemier III began an expansionist drive northeastward in AD 742, attacking through the Bleumont Range. The ambush of the king’s army at Blood Gulch Pass, just south of Dreszemier Peak, saw the end of the reign of the Kluuvar Belki dynasty. The King and his son Prince Vasco Marquez del Dreszemier were slaughtered by the eastern Panoptican tribes, as well as two full regiments of soldiers. The remainder of the King’s forces fled back home in terror and the country devolved into in-fighting.
- Within two years, however, the old republic began reformation. The southern portion of the country was reconstituted under a new monarch, the then Baron Bartok Sevorin del Marconiux, while the northern territories were held together by Chancellor Velouri Barbos del Galdago. He employed his personal army as well as the remnants of the Kluuvar Belki’s legions to serve as constables throughout the region, and after assuring civil stability, began to normalize relations with the eastern territories Marquez III had set his eyes upon, as well as drawing up non-aggression and free trade agreements with the southern portion of the former Kluuvar Belki Republic. The new empire struggled to regain its footing, but within two generations, the empire of Galdago began to stabilize and form a lasting identity. It was at this point that systems of feudalism began to emerge which wouldn’t be significantly altered until the late 1600s.
- The last native ruling family to emerge over the Greater Galdagan Empire was the Marapozan bloodline. During the nineteenth century, the Maripozas bled the country dry of resources in their quest to extend Galdago's empire overseas in the face of the daunting challenge of the Empire Aperin to the northeast. Colonial efforts were initially met with stiff resistance from the Celdonian Empire, but eventually, the Galdagan armed forces managed to secure holdings in modern-day Hell Bovines. The colonial government quickly began exporting lumber to help ease the resources being expended to clear-cut Galdago’s northeastern tropical forests and began marketing the meat of the native sentient bovid species to the world as a form of beef delicacy.
- However, the Greater Galdagan Empire’s hold on its overseas colonies was to last only a few decades. As the Empire Aperin began its war of western aggression, the Maripozas knew that Galdago would soon fall under the eyes of the Aperins, and the colonial policing force was bit by bit withdrawn from Hell Bovines. When the invasion of the northern republic of Litorandia began, the Maripozas withdrew the largest portion of its police forces to hold off the impending assault against its northern borders. When war broke out with the Empire Aperin, the defeat of the Greater Galdagan Empire was sure to be swift and methodical. After four years, an ensuing stalemate occurred where the Empire Aperin could not pass through the eastern tropical rain forests in order to launch an effective flanking attack against fortified Galdagan lines on the country’s western coastlands, and a ceasefire agreement was drawn up in the Galdagan city of Paxton which ceded the northern portion of Galdago above the 23rd parallel to the Empire Aperin.
- By this time, the resource drain on the country had caused the lower classes to become so starved, and the ranks of the Galdagan armed forces so underpaid, that a revolt arose which would attempt to usher the Maripozas out of power in an event known as the Starving Revolution. The Maripozas withdrew much of the last remaining armed contingent from Hell Bovines to attempt to quell the civil unrest, but to no avail. It was at this point that the now well-organized Bovine Liberation Squad, under the leadership of Commandant Mooo Blackhooves, initiated the final push that broke the Galdagan’s frail grip on the country.
- In the mean time, an aristocratic family from Celdonia, the Crittendons, entered the country and gained the support of the Galdagan armed forces by helping to usher the Maripozas out of power with the use of their private army. The Crittendons would be the first—and last—foreign ruling family to ascend the Galdagan throne. The Crittendons brokered peace with the revolutionary forces in Hell Bovines and set to the task of rebuilding the country’s military might. They also negotiated an alliance with the empires of Guo Leng and Imperial Outside in order to find markets not cornered by the Coal Cartel for its southwestern coal deposits, as well as to gain insurance against the likes of the Empire Aperin and Celdonia in case of potential invasion.
- When the Great Aperin War of 1912 ensued, the Galdagan Empire had not regained sufficient strength to maintain a significant push on its battlefronts, and the country folded early in the fighting after several protracted campaigns. Its alliances with Guo Leng and Imperial Outside proved to be largely fruitless, and the country was saddled with almost irreparable war debts. Things were so bleak that the prospects of any other ruling family on a Galdagan throne could not be tolerated; knowing this, the Crittendons fled their throne without question, leaving the country to govern itself.
- Citizens began implementing an order of democratic self-rule that divided the country into seven regions and twenty-three state entities which would be responsible to a federal authority that had limited power. The seven regional authorities became responsible for rebuilding economic sectors in each of their zones, and a measure of confederated socialist and communist infrastructure arose from the ashes. These seven authorities eventually became the basis for the modern-day decentralized economic planning councils which chart the country’s progress. The mechanisms which arose from the collapse of the Galdagan monarchy have been noted for their resistance to change, and the country is administered in a fashion highly similar to the way it has been since the mid 1920s.
- The country was refederated under the name of the Commonwealth of Galdago in 1934. It experienced a period of largely isolationist policies from that time until 1972 when it once again reemerged onto the world stage by engaging in vastly increased relations with the larger Aperin community of nations. The country's armed forces were rebuilt to significant proportions, but the isolationist policies of yesteryear still permeate defense policy today as these assets are generally used as strategic defense. In 2002, the Commonwealth accomplished what was arguably the final casting off of its isolationist remnants by entering the International Fair Trade Agreement, and subsequently the Coalition of Anti-Capitalist Economies; it remains an active member nation of both international organizations to this day. Most recently, the Commonwealth has further integrated itself into the Aperin community by relinquishing monetary policy to the Aperin Central Economic Planning Board's Central Bank and standardizing on the ACEPB CB's currency, the thennat.
Geography
Political Map |
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- Location
- Aperin continent, located along the southwestern seaboard bordering Kerla to the east, the Narangath Ocean to the west, and the Alçaerin Ocean to the south
- Geographic Coordinates
- 20 00 N, 145 00 W
- Area
- total: 1,037,300 sq km
- water: 12,500 sq km
- land: 1,024,800 sq km
- Land Boundaries
- total: 2,289km
- border countries: northern borderlands 633km, Kerla 1,224km, eastern borderlands 254km, southern borderlands 178km
- Coastline
- 2,656 km
- Maritime Claims
- continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
- exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
- territorial sea: 12 NM
- Climate
- predominantly temperate; tropical in far south; sub-tropical humid in center; temperate in north
- Terrain
- predominately coastal plains; foothills and tropical forests west and south of the Bleumont mountain range
- Elevation Extremes
- lowest point: Murphy’s Pointe -10m
- highest point: Dreszemier Peak 736m
- Natural Resources
- major deposits of natural gas and coal, varying minerals, most notably vast nickel deposits, several precious stones including large carbon and diamond deposits, and untapped timber
- Land Use
- arable land: 3.26%
- permanent crops: 0.09%
- other: 96.65%
- Irrigated Land
- 4,280 sq km
- Natural Hazards
- violent geothermal eruptions and tremors off the southwestern tip of the country; navigational hazard posed by coral reefs off the northwest coast
- Environmental Issues
- limited inroads being made into the sensitive upper Bleumont rainforests to facilitate mining of uranium
People
- Population
- 97,350,781
- Age Structure
- 0-14 years: 18.8% (male 9,205,552; female 9,096,395)
- 15-64 years: 67.4% (male 32,137,678; female 33,476,748)
- 65 years and over: 13.8% (male 5,757,603; female 7,676,805)
- Median Age
- total: 39.3 years
- male: 37.8 years
- female: 40.3 years
- Population Growth Rate
- 0.67%
- Birth Rate
- 13.71 births/1,000 population
- Death Rate
- 9.26 deaths/1,000 population
- Net Migration Rate
- 2.27 migrants/1,000 population
- Sex Ratio
- at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
- under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
- total population: 0.94 male(s)/female
- Infant Mortality Rate
- total: 11.81 deaths/1,000 live births
- female: 10.3 deaths/1,000 live births
- male: 13.14 deaths/1,000 live births
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- total population: 69.94 years
- male: 68.04 years
- female: 71.73 years
- Total Fertility Rate
- 1.87 children born/woman
- Nationality
- noun: Galdagan(s)
- adjective: Galdagan
- Ethnic Groups
- Galdagan 71.5%, Acadian Paristani 10.8%, Celdonian 8.2%, Kerlan 5.8%, Other 3.7%
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 84%, Protestant 9%, Other 7%
- Languages
- Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- total population: 99.2%
- male: 99.2%
- female: 99.2%
Government
- Country Name
- conventional long form: The Commonwealth of Galdago
- conventional short form: Galdago
- former: The Greater Galdagan Empire
- Government Type
- federalist social commonwealth
- Capital
- Coronada
- Administrative Divisions
- 23 states and 1 federal city*; Alçaera, Astralis, Bailey, Beckmond, Bleumont, Caliverde, Cora, Comaira, Coronada*, Courton, Downing, Galjour, Goddard, Landerich, Litheia, Marcelanus, Montevera, Murphy Island, New Athens, Newhaven, Peleus, Segallion, Sheryland, Vespus
- Independence
- 29 July 1934 (from the Greater Galdgan Empire)
- National Holiday
- Commonwealth Day, 29 July (1934)
- Articles of Federation
- 27 September 1935, effective 4 April 1937
- Legal System
- civil law system; judicial review of legislative and executive acts; has accepted full CJA jurisidction
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age, universal
- Executive Branch
- chief of state: Prime Minister Lance S. Thibodeaux (since 15 April 1998); note - the Prime Minister is both the chief of state and head of the government
- head of government: Prime Minister Lance S. Thibodeaux (since 15 April 1998); Ministerial Adjutant Caitlin E. Valdez (since 15 April 1998); Secretary of State Katherine M. Sanchez (since 21 April 2004)
- cabinet: Cabinet or Gabinete appointed by the Prime Minister with a 2/5 approval of the Greater Assembly or Asamblea Mayor
- elections: Top three executive positions of Prime Minister, Ministerial Adjutant, and Secretary of State are elected directly by the electorate every six years via plurality vote
- election results: Lance S. Thibodeaux (Common Welfare Party) 39%, Raymond G. Alberada (Ecosanct Party) 33%, Consuela V. Martinez (Progressive Evolution Party) 18%, Georgia E. Maxwell (Collective Solidarity Party) 9%
- Legislative Branch
- unicameral congress consists of the Greater Assembly or Asamblea Mayor (138 seats; each half renewed every three years; six representatives are appointed by elected state officials to represent each state)
- appointments: last made 1 January 2004 (next to be made 1 January 2007);
- appointment results: seats by party - Common Welfare Party 58, Ecosanct Party 41, Progressive Evolution Party 16, Collective Solidarity Party 15, Capital Value Reform Party 5, Galdagan Ascendancy Party 3
- Judicial Branch
- Superior Court (highest domestic court with seven directly-elected liftime justices); Regional Courts of Appeal; State Courts; Municipal Courts
- Political Parties and Leaders
Party Leader Platform Seats Percentage Common Welfare Party (CW) Marcos A. Monelli - Values social equality and welfare programs; has lobbied somewhat unsuccessfully for revised and improved healthcare programs
- Has gained significant ground in past years by advancing social equality programs and increased equality spending; values civil rights protections and is a strong proponent of the IFTA
- Wishes to revisit education programs to produce a more effective system while eliminating presently burgeoning government waste on education spending
- Champions of the existing federalist balance within Galdago and resistant to greater centralization within the CACE
58 42% Ecosanct Party (E) Maria L. Alesi - Values the safeguarding and expansion of current civil rights doctrine
- Has successfully channeled significant monies from defense spending into the expansion of SIERRA and development of alternative energy sources, but has not called for further budget redistribution
- Emphasizes continued defensive military posturing and maintenance of existing industrial policy
- Would like to encourage environmental standards within the IFTA and wishes to remain a part of the CACE
41 30% Progressive Evolution Party (PE) Jesse T. Sanders - Values sustained civil rights advocacy
- Wants to lessen autocratic structures and alter functions of economic planning boards in order to provide limited free-enterprise while keeping utilities and healthcare under the administration of the government
- Resistant to further international entanglement and holds reservations about IFTA membership
- Wishes to withdraw from the CACE
- Wishes to channel much of existing defense spending into healthcare reform
- Favors revision of electoral practices for more direct citizen rule
16 12% Collective Solidarity Party (CS) Nicolai S. Petrova - Wishes to dissolve regional economic planning boards and turn over economic planning control to the Aperin Central Economic Planning Board
- Strong advocate of further CACE integration and centralized continental as well as international economic and defense planning; *Values increasing globalization and integration of Galdagan systems of governance
- Favors a more aggressive foreign policy of anti-capital revolutionary assistance and instigation
- Emphasizes worker rights protection and is a staunch advocate of continued IFTA membership
15 11% Capital Value Reform Party (KVR) Miriam G. Farnsworth - Advocates dissolution of economic planning practices along with CACE and IFTA membership and a return to free markets
- Wishes to reform the educational system towards knowledge-oriented training over skills-based training
- Presses for funneling of present social equality, welfare, and environmental spending into increased standing defense forces
- Advocates a complete restructuring of the electoral system in order to directly elect national assemblymen
5 3% Galdagan Ascendancy Party (GA) Frederico N. Suarez - Wishes to establish rigid centralized authority and abolish regional economic planning councils in favor of centralized planning and producing a job for every Galdagan
- Emphasizes Galdagan nationalism and creation of a Galdagan autarky
- Wishes to withdraw from the CACE and IFTA and reinstate the geldar as the national currency
- Places reformation, improvement, and expansion of Galdagan society, industry, and territory as the highest priority
3 2%
- International Organization Participation
- Flag Description
- white 23-rayed sun to the upper hoist-side over three white bands which cut the flag diagonally and converge in the lower hoist-side corner on an indigo background
Economy
- GDP
- purchasing power parity - Ŧ6.80 trillion ATN
- GDP Real Growth Rate
- 0.18%
- GDP Per Capita
- purchasing power parity - Ŧ21,843 ATN
- GDP Composition by Sector
- Text
- Investment (Gross fixed)
- 18.83% of GDP
- Population Below Poverty Line
- Text
- Distribution of Family Income (Gini Index)
- 18
- Inflation Rate
- 0.4%
- Labor Force
- Text
- Labor Force by Occupation
- Text
- Unemployment Rate
- Text
- Budget
- revenues: Ŧ5.528 trillion ATN
- expenditures: Ŧ? trillion ATN
- Industries
- Text
- Industrial Production Growth Rate
- Text
- Electricity Production
- Text
- Electricity Production by Source
- Text
- Electricity Consumption
- Text
- Electricity Exports
- Text
- Electricity Imports
- Text
- Oil Production
- Text
- Oil Consumption
- Text
- Oil Exports
- Text
- Oil Imports
- Text
- Proved Oil Reserves
- Text
- Natural Gas Production
- Text
- Natural Gas Consumption
- Text
- Natural Gas Exports
- Text
- Natural Gas Imports
- Text
- Proved Natural Gas Reserves
- Text
- Agriculture Products
- Text
- Exports
- Text
- Export Commodities
- Text
- Export Partners
- Text
- Imports
- Text
- Import Commodities
- Text
- External Debt
- Text
- Currency
- Aperin Thennat (ATN)
- Currency Code
- ATN
- Fiscal Year
- Calendar Year