Baranxtu
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| Flag of Baranxtu | |
| Motto: United for Peace, Justice and more Unity. | |
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| Region | International Democratic Union |
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| Capital | Ωn-Baranxiž |
| Official Language(s) | Baranxeï, Asuaneï, Nidajii, West Helenaian Sign Language |
| Leader | King Ateni Prime Minister Htalui Asabijitu Mersagi |
| Population | 85,000,000 |
| Currency | Aimau |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Most Serene Republic of Baranxtu is a country located in the International Democratic Union, and also a member thereof.
Originally a staunchly conservative and religiously almost fanatic colony of the Kingdom of Baranxtu, it is today a socially progressive nation with a tightly regulated, but stable and prosperous economy.
Contents
Name
Baranxtu is Baranxeï for of Baranxi.
When settlers came to what is now the kingdom of Baranxtu, their named the first village to be founded after the home city of most of them. That city was called Baranhide (city of Baranxi), which later developed into Baranxiž. The city's patron deity Baranxi became also the patron god of the whole area, and the lands where thus called Baranxtu.
The etymology of Baranxi is not as clear at all. Whereas it is known for a fact that modern-day Baranxi is a merge of at least two different deities (a Sumyaian intersex deity and a male Talitrian god), it is not known from which deity he ultimately received his name.
One Sumyaian Origin Theory claims that Baranxi is derived from Sumyaian '*pjasa(n)' (spring) and '*naja(n)' (winter), and interpreting it as a name for the life-death aspect of Baranxi.
Another Sumyaian Origin Theory says that Baranxi comes from Ilatemaian 'bahasa' (health) and 'ranyhe' (sickness), also mirroring the life/death aspect of Baranxu.
The most important Talitrian Origin Theory, however, says that Baranxi evolved from Proto-Talitrian *bharanje (love, devotion).
History
Main Article: History of Baranxtu
Founding
Baranxtu was found as a theocracy by Baranxtuan colonists in the 17th century for whom the progressively liberal attitude in their homeland towards other cultures had become unbearable. Their first leader was the High Priest Ahogi Detitu Gguri-Ahadi, a member of the influental Gguri family.
The first city to be founded was Ωn-Baranxiž, inhabited by about 1,200 people in 1687. The overall population of the Theocratic Colony of Baranxtu grew to a stable 10,000 by the turn of the century, with most inhabitants making a living with farming.
Growth and Independence
After the Religious Tolerance Act of 1725, many of the more conservative people of the Kingdom Baranxtu came to the colony, until in 1767 High Priestess Aleida Mallanatu Gguri-Ahadi put a stop on immigration in order to safe the stability of the land threatened by the too fast population growth - the country had already grown to more than 100,000 inhabitants which could barely survive off the land available to them.
Eventually, Baranxtu was forced to expand southwards to gain possession of more farming land in order to feed the population. Frightened by the threat of famine, Aleida Mallanatu Gguri-Ahadi called the home land for help, but in the Kingdom of Baranxtu, people protested against the support of a backwards nation like the Theocratic Colony of Baranxtu, so the Kingdom of Baranxtu was forced to set its colony free. After long negotiations, the Theocracy of Baranxtu became independent in 1792.
The Constitution of 1814
Despite the original intentions of the founders, the Theocracy of Baranxtu shifted towards a more relaxed attitude regarding religion and democracy, and in 1810 a bloody revolution brought forth the reconsitution of Baranxtu as a constitutional monarchy. The ruling dynasty of Ggurυa-Ahadυa was disposed, and the High Priest Apri Naostatitu Gguri-Ahadi was executed in public on March 24th, 1811.
For the first time ever, the people were allowed to vote. The first election in 1812 served the establishment of a Constitutional Committee.
The Committee's job was to draft a constition for the country, which was for the meantime governed by the Council of the Nation. Despite its best attempts to bring peace to country plagued by civil war, the next years saw a surge of crime, as a majority of the infrastructure had been destroyed in the revolution.
Finally, in 1814, the Constitution of the Constitutional Monarchy of Baranxtu was approved of by the Council of the Nation and it became official law, with the Gguri-Eilari line of the royal family becoming the new ruling dynasty. One of their first steps was to repeal the ban of other religions, thereby triggering a new wave of immigration.
The Constitution of 1860
In the first quarter of the 19th century, the Kingdom Baranxtu faced a series of economic threats, and a great number of disappointed inhabitants decided to move to the economically more stable Constitutional Monarchy of Baranxtu. Among them were many intellectuals and influential philosophers of the time, like Uhana Estoratu Ebiscoba. Her book "On the Republic and Its Importance for A Truly Free People" was published in 1844, and it soon became the first 'best seller' in the modern sense. It also led to the founding of a party called "For A Baranxtuan Republic", which gained a surprising 26% of the popular vote in the parlamentary elections of 1852. It eventually succeeded in demanding a redraft of the Constitution, which shifted the majority of power from the regnant to the Prime Minister.
The new Constitution went into effect in 1860. The country's name was changed to The Most Serene Republic of Baranxtu, though the royal family was still allowed to fill the position of head of state.
Industrialisation
The 19th century also saw the advent of industrialisation. However, the government - whether during the Constitutional Monarchy period or from the Republican period on - strictly regulated the development of new industries, as the whole country was very suspicious of the new technologies.
This had the effect that for a long period, Baranxtu stayed a largely agricultural state. Only the recent decades have seen a slow growth of industry.
Recent Developments
The Most Serene Republic of Baranxtu joined the International Democratic Union in 2005, after a national referendum approved of the suggestion with a majority of 74.45%.
In late August 2005, Baranxtu basically annexed the former nation Jonquiere-Tadoussac and installed a Protectorate of East Baranxtu. This was (mostly) met with indifference in the international community.
The official reason for this was that Baranxtuans had grown increasingly nervous with the failed country being the closest neighbor, although opponents of the annexation claim this reason was only brought up as an excuse for the economic interests Baranxtu has in the neighboring country.
About a month later, Baranxtu also sent peacekeeping troops to Hadu Qirala, the island lying just of the shore of Qiru province after the government of United Liberator Front had failed.
Demography
The population of Baranxtu consists mostly of three peoples - the Baranxtuans, the Nidajians and the Asuanituans.
Baranxtuans
About 65% of the Baranxtuan people identify themselves as belongig to the Baranxtuan People. They are further divided into three groups, the Traditional Baranxtuans, the Old Baranxtuans and the Modern (or New) Baranxtuans.
'Traditional Baranxtuans'
They make up about 5% of the whole population and consider themselved to be the descendants of the first settlers. Most do not approve of modern inventions and the majority lives in the rural provinces where they try to live the same lives as their ancestors did about 300 years ago.
Before the introduction of Compulsory Voting, they had no political organisation, but in 1986 (the year the law of Compulsory Voting passed, which was overturned in 2004), they founded the "Conservative Party of Our Holy Traditions", which promotes independence of the province of Abasina, where about 82% of Traditional Baranxtuans live.
Interestingly, the Traditional Baranxtuans still speak Middle Baranxeï, which was replaced by New Baranxeï in the Kingdom of Baranxtu in the 18th century.
'Old Baranxtuans'
About 12% of the general population identify as Old Baranxtuan, which means their ancestors came as immigrants to the country between 1725 and 1814. Like the Traditional Baranxtuans, they promote conservative values and regulating the influx of people of different faith and nationality. However, they do embrace industrialisation of Baranxtu, as most of the old industrial families come from this background; they also make up the majority of the upper class in Baranxtu.
Their political represantion is the "Organisation for Tradition and Economy", which has not been able to enter the Baranxtuan parliament during the last election, due to the 5.1-percent-hurdle.
'Modern Baranxtuans'
Representing about 48% of the total population, the Modern Baranxtuans (also called New Baranxtuans) are the largest group in Baranxtu. Not only do they represent all immigrants who came to Baranxtu after 1814, but also those who do not wish to identify themselves with one of the other two groups belong here.
There is no common political view within this group, so they are represented by a variety of parties in the parliament.
Nidajians
The Nidajians are also a group indigenous to the Kingdom of Baranxtu. In the Republic of Baranxtu, they represent about 15% of the total population. Most of them came to Baranxtu after 1814, when the strict immigration laws were repealed.
The majority speaks the Nidajian language, which was granted status as official language in the province of Ωþ-Neila in 1862 and in all of Baranxtu in 1897.
Asuanituans
Although they only are a small minority in the Kingdom of Baranxtu with 5%, they are the third most important group in the Republic of Baranxtu with about 13% of the total population being Asuanituan.
Like the Nidajians and Modern Baranxtuans, no general assumptions about their political point of view can be made. They speak Asuaneï, a close relative of Baranxeï. It was granted status as an official language in 1707, as their culture is relatively close to the Baranxtuan.
Languages
Main Article: Languages of Baranxtu
Baranxtu has four official languages and many other tongues are spoken there. The official languages were all brought to the country by settlers; apart from the provincial level, no indigenous language has achieved this status. Two languages which were brought to the country are also not officially recognized.
The official languages are Baranxeï, Asuaneï, Nidajii and West Helenaian Sign Language. Indigenous languages all belong to the Akes Mersanint group, other languages include French and English, although both are spoken only by a very small minority.
Provinces
Baranxtu is currently divided into ten provinces and three city districts. For more information, see under the individual entries.
Abasina's inhabitants are mostly Traditional Baranxtuan, and therefore, the whole province still is very rural and the main source of income is agriculture, though tourism into this archaic world has become very popular. Abasina's capital is Lamaggra.
North Neila is the northernmost province and its population is very mixed, as many immigrants came here, because North Neila is the industrial center of Baranxtu. Its capital is Nei is the third largest city in Baranxtu, even larger than the city state of Deioprajji.
South Neila is the only landlocked province of Baranxtu, and its inhabitants are largely employed by large-scale agricultural companies. Its capital is Misma.
Covering the original area of the colony of Baranxtu, Bari Nazer houses most of the high-tech industries of Baranxtu as well as a strong tourism-driven economy. Its capital still is Ωn-Baranxiž, although it was split from the province in 1909.
Dorista
Superficially the largest province, Dorista never had many ressources or very fertile land to offer, so its unscathed landscape has made it the primary tourism destination in all of Baranxtu. Its capital, Leiris, is the only military port of Baranxtu.
Ziaha is the central province of Baranxtu. Its capital Eisha is the oldest city in all of Baranxtu, as it was founded by the native people of the Umtrenas in the 6th century CE.
Not including the three city states, Jjiria is the smallest of all provinces. Located on the northern shore between Abasina and Bari Nazer, it covers the area of the former Native kingdom Anier, which did not become part of Baranxtu until 1906.
The southwestern province of Qiru is the only province where the native population of the area still is an important force. It has no official capital, but the parliament of the province is in Pnema.
The easternmost province of Baranxtu, Halaora once was the center of the mining industry, however, this industry is no longer profitable. A lot of Halaorans have migrated to other parts of the country, or even to different states, and Halaora is the poorest province of Baranxtu. Its capital, Inar, has the highest unemployment rate of all Baranxtuan cities.
The bread basket of Baranxtu, Leumena is one of politcally and economically most stable provinces due to the government controlled agriculture that employs a majority of Leumena inhabitants. During the last decades, the many towns of Leumena with their historical buildings have also started to attract many tourist. Its capital is Leu.
The capital district is the second most populous administrative district after Ωþ-Neila and is only as large as the city of Ωn-Baranxiž itself. Named after the capital of the kingdom of Baranxtu, Baranxiž (city of Baranxi), it grew to be almost as splendid as the original Baranxiž. It lies on the western shores of Bari Nazer.
Named after king Deioprajji of the native people of the Masenas, Deoprajjni Make grew to be the fourth largest city of Baranxtu. It is an enclave of Dorista.
Siragge, the second largest city of Baranxtu, lies on the southern shore.
Politics
For more information, see Political System of Baranxtu and Political Parties in Baranxtu
Baranxtu is a multi-party parliament constitutional monarchy. Nevertheless, it styles itself a 'republic' as most power lies within the parliament and for a majority of the existence of the Most Serene Republic, the monarch always worked closely with the elected representatives of the people.
For the last century, the Republic of Baranxtu has enjoyed relative political stabilty. Over the course of the last decades, the power of the monarch has considerably decreased. Although by law, he is still entitled to enact his own laws, in reality if he choses to do so, he works closely together with the parliament and acts more or less as a second Prime Minister.
National Symbols
National Anthem
The National Anthem, titled "Ei Ðinnia Ω Ðηmηa, Xaštahoa Ixω" ("O brothers and sisters, come close") has been the official anthem since the installation of the Constitution of 1860.
Its lyrics are based on the poem "Médry" ("Home"), written in 1802 by the Manyaian poet Unárie Milátai Santé and translated into Baranxeï in 1823 by an unknown writer. In 1833 it was turned into a song by the famous composer Silhari Negutreitu Masuhagi which quickly become the unofficial hymn of the Republican movement.
It was adopted as the national anthem in 1860, replacing the "Hymn to the Regnant".
National Animal
The national animal is the tiger. It has been in use since the first days of the colony, as it is one of the animals associated with the country's patron deity Baranxi.
As it is sacred to this god, it is absolutely sacrosanct. Any harm done to it on purpose can -- and still is -- harshly prosecuted, and killing a tiger can be punished with a life sentence in prison. The last time such a ruling occured was in 1995, when three hunters shot a total of five tigers, wanting to sell their fur on the international market. They were all sentenced to a life term in prison, and all of their appeals were denied.
National Flags
Flag of the State
The official Flag of the State (also shown in the infobox on top of the page) has been in use in this form since 2005.
The earliest attested form is the banner of the Ggurυa-Ahadυa family, which was basically a triangle with its left side in green and the right side in blue.
This banner was turned 90° and used as the national flag of the Theocratic Colony Baranxtu from 1698 on, with a full moon added to the flag, representing the Triad of the Goddesses, which were back then considered the patron deities of all travelers.
In 1814, the new flag was an adaption of the older one, only now altered to a rectangular shape and with a tiger - the national animal - added to its center as a represantion of the country's strength and power.
According to the Constitution of 1860, the full moon was to be reduced to a crescent, representing the modesty of the Baranxtuan people (the crescent is considered a symbol of modesty as it is not as vain as the full moon in showing all its beauty).
Finally, after the Republic Baranxtu joined the IDU, it added the scales of justice to its flag, symbolizing its affinity with that organisation.
Holidays and Celebrations
National Holidays
King's Day (regnant) Date: February 24
Baranxeï: ðu unritu
Background: The current king regnant's birthday is one of the most celebrated holidays in Baranxtu.
Democracy Day Date: July 24
Baranxeï: ðu marxanηrtu sactakutu
Background: Following a proposal by International Democratic Union member Mikitivity, the Baranxtuan lower house passed a law on July 18, 2005 to make the 24th of July a national holidy called 'ðu marxanηrtu sactakutu' (lit. "day of the reign of the people").
Baranxtuan New Year Date: October 27-November 3
Baranxeï: ωn-ašaγηtu
Background: Although the republic has adopted the common era, the religion-based new year celebrations, starting on New Year's Eve on October 27 and lasting for a full week is still a national holiday. Secular parties have campaigned for its abolition, but so far, no law proposals or referends have passed due to a fierce opposition to such plans both among other parties and the population in general.
King's Day (consort) Date: December 5
Baranxeï: ðu unritu
Background: The birthday of the king consort is celebrated as well. Their is no distinct name for it, but it is an occasion of joy nonetheless.
