Baranxtu
| The Most Serene Republic of Baranxtu Φuranη An-Maona Baranxtu | |
 Flag of Baranxtu | |
| Murtikainυa bagraφ ω zanteruφ ω ajajaφ. United for peace, justice and harmony. | |
| |
| Official Languages | Asuaneï, Baranxeï, English, Nidajii, West Helenaian Sign Language |
| Unofficial Languages | Qi, Jjiri, Chicoutim, French, others |
| Capital | Ωn-Baranxiž |
| Largest City | Ωn-Baranxiž |
| Head of State | King Ateni and King Iðari of Baranxtu |
| Head of Government | Prime Minister Htalui Mersagi |
| Population | 1,387,000,000 |
| Establishment Colony Theocracy Monarchy Republic |
1687 4.6.1792 28.10.1814 27.10.1860 |
| National Animal | Baranxtuan Tiger |
| National Colors | Blue and Green |
| National Flower | Iris |
| GDP - Total - GDP/capita |
$41,328,026,455,684.22 $29,796.70 |
| Currency -Exchange rate |
1 Aimau = 100 Paβta 1 Aimau=$1.4875 |
| Constitution | Baranxtuan Charter of Freedom |
| Nation Codes -ISO Code TLD ISO Currency Code |
IDBT .bt AIM |
| National Anthem | Ei Ðinnia Ω Ðηmηa, Xaštahoa Ixω |
| CHDI | 0.99 (very high) |
| Info: Nationstates NSEconomy Pipian 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 almost fanatically religious 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 following decades saw a few waves of expansian, especially unter Queen Agglija, culminating in the Hantis-Baranxtu War 1830-1832 and the infamous Leumi Wars 1840-1846. During the latter, a number of important cultural sites of the Leumi were destroyed, the most well known being the Riatena Shrine.
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.
Civil War and Mesumahana
Engagement in the IDU
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 established the Protectorate of East Baranxtu in Jonquiere-Tadoussac, its eastern neighbor which, at the time, was in a state of civil war.
After peace could be reestablished by Jontadain forces of the Démocratique faction, the nation was refounded as a loose confederation of provinces. The westernmost province of Chicoutimi, however, was ceded to Baranxtu and became the independent nation of Cikoutimi which is currently in personal union with Baranxtu with a joint head of state, King Ateni.
A few months later, Baranxtu also sent peacekeeping troops to Otea, the island lying just of the shore of Qiru province after the government of United Liberator Front had failed. The newly established country is now also in personal union with Baranxtu and Cikoutimi.
Demographics
Ethnicity
Today, the populace of Baranxtu is a mix of many people with often largely different cultural and religious backgrounds, and ensuring harmony and peace between these groups has been one of the common main goals of the past governments.
By ethnicity, three constructed groups are differed:
- The Natives who are mainly of Marani descent and nowadays in the minority.
- The Colonists who consist of Baranxtuan, Asuanituans and Nidajians. They hail from the Kingdom of Baranxtu and are the majority today.
- The Immigrants are non-Baranxtuan/Asuanituan/Nidajians who came to the country since the 19th century. They are a minority, albeit a sizeable one.
As Baranxtu was named after the main ethnic group of colonists, in the last years, a heated debate arose as how to adress the citizens of the country and how to contrast them from Baranxtuans, the ethnic group.
Currently, it is considered politically correct to use baranxtumalω when referring to citizens of the country Baranxtu in general, and baranxtimω when referring to the ethnic group of Baranxtuans. In English, the terms Baranxtuan and Baranxtiman are sometimes used.
| Historical Group | Ethnicity | % |
|---|---|---|
| Natives | all Jjiri Qiri Other |
10.8% 4.5% 5.2 1.1 |
| Colonists | all Baranxtiman Traditional Baranxtiman Asuanituan Nidajian French (Jontadain) |
77.9% 56.2 2.4 13.2 6.1 1.6 |
| Immigrants | all English French German Scandinavian Others |
11.3 2.3 1.2 2 1.7 2.5 |
Natives
All Baranxtuans who identify as one of the Native People of Baranxtu (~10.8%) belong to the larger group of the Marani people and the subgroups are often referred to as tribes. Although 17 tribes are registered within Baranxtu, only two are large enough to be often political importance.
Although their relationship with the Colonists was strained in the 18th and 19th century, it is mostly cordial today as both sides have taken steps towards reconciliation early in the 20th century.
Jjiri
About 4.5% of all Baranxtuans identify as Jjiri, most of whom live in the province of Jjiria. They refer to themselves often as ñorimi in Jjiri or anihoreme in Akes Mersanint.
One reason for their relatively large number is the fact that the Jjiri kingdom Anier remained independent until 1906 and was therefor not "overrun" with colonists.
Qiri
The Qiri are the largest native group in Baranxtu, making up 5.2% of the overall population. Most live in the provinces of Qiru and Dorista, but they are also an important force in Siragge.
As the war in which the former Qiri empire became part of Baranxtu were relatively unbloody and quickly ended with a peace treaty that made southern Dorista, Siragge and Qiru part of Baranxtu, the number of Qiri tribe members was not as largely decimated as that of other tribes which fought bloody wars.
'Other Tribes'
About 1.1% of all Baranxtuans identify as a member of one of the other tribes, among them the Abasi, Leumi, Halami and Neimi. The smallest is the Daunimi tribe which only has about 100 members today.
Colonists
Baranxtuan
About 58.6% of the population of Baranxtu identify as baranxtimω. Baranxtuans (or Baranxtimans) are further divided into two groups, Traditional Baranxtuans and Modern (by political activists also Democratic) Baranxtuans. This division is rather political and ethnical.
Traditional Baranxtuans
They make up about 2.4% of the overall 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.
Some jokingly refer to them as Baranxtuan Amish; however, they are much more radical and fundamental about their culture and as they disapprove of democracy in general, some see them as a threat to the political stability of Baranxtu - despite their small size.
Almost all Traditional Baranxtuans live in Abasina where they are the majority by a very small margin. Interestingly, they neither are part of the mainstream Baranxtuan Religion nor do they speak Modern Baranxeï. Their dialect is most closely related to Middle Baranxeï.
Modern Baranxtuans
About 56.2% of the overall population identify as Modern Baranxtuan, making them the single largest ethnicity in the country. They also include originally Traditional Baranxtuans who no longer want to identify as such.
Asuanituan
The second largest group with 13.2% of the overall population. They originally hail from the same region as the Baranxtuans, but differ in language and culture from them.
Until 1706 they had their own colony in the east of what is today Bari Nazer, but they quickly merged with the Baranxtuan colony and their language Asuaneï was granted official status soon thereafter.
Nidajian
In Baranxtu, the Nidajians are the third largest single ethnic group. 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.
Immigrants
Today, about 11.3% of all Baranxtuans are Immigrants, which is actually a misnomer as it also includes the descendants of actual immigrants who still identify as belonging to the ethnic group of their ancestors.
Most immigrants hail from other parts of the IDU and the main groups are English, French, Germans and Scandinavians. There actually exists a "native" French population in Halaora, however, they are usually counted as "immigrants".
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.
Geography
Provinces
Baranxtu is nowadays divided into 19 provinces. Until 2006, it was only divided into 13 provinces, but the Subnational Entity Acts of 2006 reorganized almost all Baranxtuan provinces.
Many people still refer to the historical provinces of Baranxtu when talking about their country.
Abasina
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. He is often depicted side to side with his loyal companion, the tigress Zihena (or Zihana) who protects his followers and destroys his enemies.
Although two subspecies of tigers are native to Baranxtu - the Doristan Tiger and the Halaoran Tiger - a third species was introduced by the colonists, the Baranxtuan Tiger. Originally they were kept in the gardens of the Temple District of Ωn-Baranxiž, but in the 1700s, some were released into the wild, establishing a small but stable population in Baranxtu.
Tigers are also kept by the Royal Family. In Ωn-Baranxiž, Siragge, Deioprajji-Make and Neila, the vast Royal Gardens are the home of a few tigers who have been accostumed to humans from a young age thereby rendering them relatively tame. Owning of tigers by private persons, however, has been outlawed.
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 Colors
The two national colors of Baranxtu are green and black. Since the country has distanced itself from its theocratic origins, they have been interpreted as representing the fertile plains and calm seas of Baranxtu, respectively; however, originally both colors can ultimately be traced back to the deeply religious founders of Baranxtu.
According to Baranxtuan Tradition, each color has certain properties; furthermore, each deity is assigned a color - black for Mηlηja, blood red for Asuani, etc.
As Baranxtimans saw themselves as being especially protected by Baranxi and Majja, the settlers frequently used their respective colors - green and blue.
Furthermore, the colors were also used on the Coat of Arms of the House of Ggurυa-Ahadυa, the first ruling dynasty of Baranxtu.
In the middle of the 19th century, green and blue came to be associated with newly emerging Baranxtiman nationalism and in the first decades of the Most Serene Republic of Baranxtu, it was quickly considered to change the national colors.
With the onset of Mesumahana after the Baranxtuan Civil War 1876-1879, however, Baranxtiman Nationalism had been largely crushed and it was decided to keep green and blue as Baranxtu's national colors.
National Flower
The iris is the national flower of Baranxtu. It is found in the Coat of Arms, on some coins and on decorations and medals awarded by the Baranxtuan government.
The history of the iris in Baranxtuan culture is an old one. It has been associated with the god Baranxi since at least the 4th century BCE. His idols are often adorned with wreaths of irises, as are statues of his pet tigress Zihena.
In 45 BCE, the Marganυa family was the first to incorporate the iris into its coat of arms, and many families since then have followed suit. Among them was the Ggurυa family; all of their branches since then have added another flower.
The iris was made the floral emblem of Baranxtu by a decree of Queen Agglija in 1828 and is found in the Coat of Arms of Baranxtu. As it had been in the flag of the Theocracy of Baranxtu, it was taken out of the national flag, however.
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 House of Ggurυa-Ahadυa, 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 hηtatu sohukuttu
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 hηtatu sohukuttu'(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.
