Baranxtu

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The Most Serene Republic of Baranxtu Φurañη Mi-Mωna Baranxitu Φuranη An-Maona Baranxtu La Republique La Plus Sereine de Baranktou Pulanna Ilanlan Baraŋemin
Flag of Baranxtu
Murtikainυa bagraφ ω zanteruφ ω ajajaφ. United for peace, justice and harmony.
Official Languages	Asuaneï, Baranxeï, English, French, Nidajii, Baranxtuan Sign Language
Unofficial Languages	Qi, Jjiri, Chicoutim, 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 2006 census	392.659.492
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	$9,604,064,800,983,870 $33,897.81
Currency -Exchange rate	1 Aimau = 100 Paβta 1 Aimau=$1.7700
Constitution	Baranxtuan Charter of Freedom
Nation Codes -ISO Code TLD ISO Currency Code	IDBT .bt AIM
National Anthem	Ma Baranxtu
CHDI	0.984 (very high)
Info: Nationstates NSEconomy Pipian XML

The Most Serene Republic of Baranxtu is a well-developed nation located on the South Continent of the International Democratic Union. Bordered by the Sea of Agrimai in the north and west, the Strait of Hima in the southwest and the Bay of Baranxtu in the south, Baranxtu is has developed strong maritime trade bonds with many other nations which remain firmly in place today. It shares a maritime border with Otea which lies across the Strait of Hima and is bordered in the southeast by Jonquiere-Tadoussac and Cikoutimi. Much of the land across its eastern border still belongs to the Unclaimed Lands.

Baranxtu is a democratic federal constitutional monarchy with a strong parliament. It is made up of twelve regular provinces, two city states, three metropolitan provinces and two autonomous provinces. However, there is little difference between the status of the different forms of provinces.

Originally a staunchly conservative and almost fanatically religious colony of the Kingdom of Baranxtu, it is today a self-proclaimed multi-cultural, liberal and progressive country that embraces the now indigenous diversity of cultures, languages and traditions of the peoples living within the country.

History

Main article: History of Baranxtu

Colonization

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The history of the country Baranxtu began in 1690, with the formal establishment of the three Crown Colonies of the Kingdom of Baranxtu - the Baranxtiman colonies Barei and Natjesa and the Asuanituan colony Naïη.

With funding and military support from their home country, these colonies soon fought a war with the surrounding native kingdoms, particularly with the northern part of the Nehikuman dependencies. By 1713, the two Baranxtiman provinces had a joint border and were united to Barei ω Natjesa, the political and linguistical forerunner of modern-day Bari Nazer. In 1720, the Baranxtiman and Asuanituan colony were merged to form the Colony of Baranxtu.

Around the same time, the Nidajan colony of Eisha was established in the south, and quickly extended its influence westwards, ultimately resulting in the Fall of Siragge in 1714, when the town was conquered by Nidajan forces. A year later, it became the capital of the newly formed, independent Kingdom of Sraŋana. Unlike the Baranxtimans and Asuanituans in the northern colonies, the Nidajans were more intent on forming stable alliances with their neighbors, and for the next four decades lived relatively peaceful as an ally of the kingdom of Hantis.

Expansion of the Colony

During the 1720s, the leaders of Baranxtuan leaders turned their attention towards the setup of their country's infrastructure. The mother country started to withdraw troops and monetary aid, and until then, Baranxtu had not a lot of industry to support any kind of independently financed infrastructure.

With the aid of foreign private money, Baranxtu started to develop an extensive agriculture, followed slowly by manifacturing industries.

The Marani Civil Wars

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During these times, Baranxtu was surprisingly safe from outward threats. The traditional, small-scale feuds of the different Marani tribes had slowly begun to escalate, ultimately resulting in two large and bloody wars, commonly dubbed the First and Second Marani Civil Wars.

The primary target was the large kingdom of Nehikuma, corresponding to modern Ωþ-Neila and Ωgg-Neila. Its vassals were bordering the Baranxtuan colony and were the primary victims of its early expansions. When the king of Nehikuma did nothing to stop the Baranxtuan colonies, many of his former subjects turned against him, resulting in a split of Nehikuma into first a Northern and a Southern, later a Northern, Central and Southern kingdom. These were constantly at war with each other, and each sought to get as much support as possible. In the end, the Northern and Southern Kingdoms signed a peace treaty and allied themselves with Baranxtu against the Central Kingdom.

This mutual support made it possible for Baranxtu to conquer much of the Central Kingdom, forming the basis for the later province of Ωgg-Neila.

By the end of the Second Marani Civil War in 1754, Baranxtu had more than doubled its territory, whereas the formerly so powerful kingdom of Nehikuma was a mere shadow of its former self.

Today merely a footnote in history is the campaign against Eastern Abasina, the area north of what is today Bari Nazer. The tribes in this area had a political union with the Abasi tribes of modern Abasina; their forces quickly succumbed to the superiorly armed troops of Baranxtu. Most natives escaped to Western Abasina by sea, although a not insignifcant number was slaughtered by the Baranxtiman army. Today, the north of Bari Nazer is home to more memorials than any other single province of Baranxtu.

Baranxtu-Nehikuma Wars

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The Baranxtu-Nehikuma Wars were the first of a number of large scale wars between the country of Baranxtu and the Marani tribes. After the Marani Civil Wars, the two Nehikuma kingdoms never really recovered from the massive destructions they had suffered, and so were seen as an easy target by Baranxtuan strategists.

In 1760, Baranxtu issued a declaration of war, citing various unresolved border issues and violations against the cooperation treaties that were negotiated in the 1740s.

The first waves of attacks targeted the Northern Kingdom, and at first, the Baranxtuan troops made fast progress towards the capital Nei. However, the campaign suddenly came to a halt in 1762, when the forces of the Southern Kingdom managed to breach through the Baranxtuan defense line after getting the support of the still powerful kingdom of Hantis.

All countries called ceasefire in 1764, but soon picked up combat again after all negotiations failed. Baranxtu had to call for additional support from the mother country and managed to capture Nei by the end of 1764. The King of the Northern Kingdom, Atimare, capitulated soon after, thus ending the Northern Kingdom and giving rise to the future province of Ωþ-Neila.

In the south, the tides started to turn against the Southern Kingdom and Hantis, as well. After attacking the Sraŋanan exclave of Eisha, Sraŋana and its Marani ally Anier decided to support Baranxtu. By 1766, joint Baranxtuan, Sraŋanan and Anieran forced had defeated the Southern Kingdom as well as the army of Hantis.

Ultimately, Eisha fell to Baranxtu which led to considerable tensions between the two countries that were only solved 13 years later during the First Southern Campaign.

The Southern Campaigns and Independence

Between 1777 and 1792, Baranxtu undertook a number of campaigns against its southwestern neighbors. Separated by a peaceful period lasting from 1779 to 1786, these are separated into the First and Second Southern Campaign.

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Originally, the First Southern Campaign was meant to be a permanent solution of the conflict between Sraŋana and Baranxtu that was the result of the peace treaty following the Baranxtu-Nehikuma War, according which the formerly Sraŋanan exclave of Eisha fell to Baranxtu. This was followed by a series of threats by the Sraŋanan Queen Šrapin; however, it was not until her son, King Baŋani came to power that these threats should be put into action. When King Baŋani publicly stated that he intended to go to war with Baranxtu, High Priestess Naosta of Baranxtu made the first step and declared war on Sraŋana in 1777.

Unexpectedly, the Qiri Empire declared its support of Sraŋana and prepared its navy to attack Baranxtu. In turn, Baranxtu sent its fleet to the coast of the easternmost tip of the Qiri Empire and troops made landfall in 1778, turning the expected naval war into a war on land. Meanwhile, with the Qirian forces now centered in this part, another fleet was secretly dispatched to land in the northern part of the empire, launching a surprise attack.

By 1779, Baranxtu had gained ground on the Qiri Empire (and installed a puppet king in Sraŋana). An armistice was negotiated between Baranxtu and the Qiri Empire. However, it only lasted until 1786, when Baranxtu declared the armistice null and void, beginning the Second Southern Campaign.

The continental part of the Qiri Empire was quickly conquered by Baranxtuan troops, but until 1790, all attacks on the island of Otea proved unsuccessful. Only then Baranxtuan troops were able to land on the southern coast of Otea. It took them another two years before finally being able to conquer the Qirian capital in Otea.

A direct, though unforseen and unwanted result of the Southern Campaigns was the independence of Baranxtu. The mother country decided that the hostile and unpredictable nature of the colony was unbearable to support, and decided to unilaterally declare it independent in 1792. The colony accepted, and declared itself the Theocracy of Baranxtu the same year.

Revolution and Constitutional Monarchy

The theocratic regime installed after Baranxtuan independency was largely unpopular with the majority of the population, and its leader, High Priest Apri, was outright despised.

Over the next two decades, two underground movements emerged. Both wanted to overthrow the Theocracy; however, one faction wanted to install a monarchy whereas the other wanted to turn Baranxtu into a republic. The leaders of both factions started to meet in secrecy and negotiate a pact; when an agreement to turn Baranxtu into a constitutional monarchy was reached in 1810, it was only a short step until the First Baranxtuan Civil War.

First Baranxtuan Civil War

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The Civil War began with the assassination of the mayor of Naïaž, who had implemented a statute that effectively outlawed both the public and the private use of Asuaneï. Following his death, the citizens of Naïaž constituted a Republican People's Council and declared the city and the surrounding counties independent. This was not done in actualy search for independency, but rather as an act of provocation towards the theocracy. High Priest Apri followed suit and sent troops to capture the rebelling city.

However, his troops were met with resistence even before coming close to Naïaž. A number of fights against with the Republican Army of Baranxtu ensued.

Soon, the spark of revolution spread to other areas and by 1812, the army of the theocracy only held the west of Bari Nazer, parts of the Neilas and the north of Ziaha. In turn, the Republican Army had taken control over the eastern Bari Nazer, central Ωþ-Neila and the Baranxtuan protectorate of Sraŋana. Another liberation army calling itself the "Army of the Free Baranxtuan Kindom" controlled the city of Nei and much of Ωgg-Neila.

In the southern provinces, a Qirian liberation army also turned against the theocracy's troops, quickly regaining control over the region.

Two years later, however, the two revolutionary armies had not only conquered much of Baranxtu, but also the rebelling southern provinces.

High Priest Apri was captured in April 1814, leading to an armistice between the fighting parties. The theocracy's troops were forced to capitulate in order to gain peace. Apri was tried and executed in 1815. The man who had delegated and financially supported the revolution, Sijjiari Mesopitu Gguri-Eilari was made the king of the newly constituted Constitutional Monarchy of Baranxtu.

Western Expansion

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King Sijjiari at first tried to focus on the rebuilding of his country, but faced growing hostilities from the kingdom of Dorista. When he died in 1821, his daughter, Queen Agglija, was not recognized by Dorista as his legitimate heiress. Instead, its king claimed the throne of Baranxtu and declared war on the country in 1822.

After a series of fierce battles, however, he called for peace, as the Baranxtuan army had quickly broken his eastern defenses and moved towards the capital Orinamaxista. Following this first war (nown as First Dorista Campaign), Dorista was forced to cede some territory in the east to Baranxtu as well as most of its western coast, leaving only a small strip east of Lake Phip.

Peace did not last long, however, and Queen Agglija started another war only two years later, in 1824. By 1826, she was able to conquer much of the southern coastal regions of Dorista. In a new peace treaty, Dorista now had to cede all of its southern coast as well as some central territories to Baranxtu, thereby creating two separate Doristan countries, of which one was landlocked.

The Kingdom of Anier denied Dorista's request to allow free passage between the two territories, and the Abasi tribe of the northern part saw their opportunity and started a revolution against the ruling Dauni. In 1830, Baranxtuan delegates were able to convince the Abasi tribe that as a part of Baranxtu, their situation would be better than either under self-rule or Dauni rule. In the Abasina Treaty, most of the northern Doristan country became part of Baranxtu.

Wars against Hantis

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The Baranxtu-Hantis War, although lasting only two and a half years from 1830 to 1832, became infamous as being the cruellest and bloodiest war ever fought by Baranxtu.

The kingdom of Hantis was displeased by Baranxtu's foreign policy and issued a declaration of war shortly after the Abasina Treaty was signed. Immediately afterwards, they invaded the Baranxtuan province Ziaha, conquering Eisha and destroying much of it. Baranxtu retaliated, and had fought back the troops of Hantis after three months. Its troops continued eastwards, laying waste to most villages they passed.

By the end of 1831, Baranxtu had half of Hantis and its troops stood only a few miles before the Hantis capital Ggao. When it fell in 1832, its king Hoatena was forced to abdicate in favor of his two year old daughter, Peiara. Her legal guardian from Baranxtu - the new territory's governor installed by Queen Agglija - surrendered all Hantis territory to Baranxtu, although formally it was chosen that she should remain Queen of Hantis until her marriage. Therefore, she was arranged to be married to one of Agglija's descendants, which ultimately was the future King Hubri.

As a result of the war and in order to protect themselves from future hostilities, Baranxtu and Jonquiere-Tadoussac signed a border agreement in 1834. According to the agreement, the island of Otea was ceded to Jonquiere-Tadoussac, where a small strip of Jontadain territory fell to Baranxtu. Of all of Baranxtu's border agreements, this was the only one that should last.

Peaceful Path

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After the disrupting Baranxtu-Hantis War, Queen Agglija tried to redeem her country by steering back to a more peaceful path. In 1842, she initiated the "Masenar Union". The territory of the Phip and the city state of Deioprajji Make became Baranxtuan protectorates.

In 1850, the two Doristas were assimilated. This was a peaceful enlargment. The new queen of Dorista had decided that her country, consisting of two separated, landlocked entities with few access to natural ressources was not able to survive on its own and that it would be better to become a part of Baranxtu.

Queen Agglija was happy to oblige these wishes, and the new province of Dorista was created the same year. Back then, it was the largest of all Baranxtuan provinces, but also the least populated one. A lot of money was spent on creating a new, top-notch infrastructure (by Baranxtuan standards) to entice more people to move to Dorista, which back then also included Abasina.

When many of the conservative Baranxtimans - those who had been in support of the theocratic regime - focused especially in moving to the northern part, the province of Abasina was split from Dorista in 1853.

Transformation into Republic

The republican movement, which had only grudgingly agreed to the formation of a constitutional monarchy in 1814, grew stronger in the 1850s. A newly formed party, For A Baranxtuan Republic, won the absolute majority of seats in 1852, and the new Prime Minister Edoani Sahaleti entered negotiations with King Sijjiari II. When the party became even stronger in 1856, he finally issued a royal proclamation that called for the election of a national convention that should draft a new constitution for Baranxtu.

It took four years before the new constitution was finalized. It turned Baranxtu into what was termed a republican monarchy. It retained a king as head of state and gave him a few rights, but was a huge step towards democracy nevertheless. In time with the Baranxtiman new year, the country reconstituted itself in 1860.

Second Baranxtuan Civil War

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A series of unfortunate events ultimately led to Peiara, a Halani princess married in childhood to future King Hubri being installed as the Queen regnant of Baranxtu in place of her son Sijjiari, who was only an infant when his father died.

Queen Peiara slowly and subtly gave herself more powers through small steps, until she was secure enough to attempt to storm and abolish the parliament in 1876 through her Royal Guard after her son's death. She was declared the omnipotent, absolute queen of Baranxtu by a government installed by herself on November 4th, 1876, marking the begin of the Second Baranxtuan Civil War.

Her daughter Harma, who was seen by a vast majority as the true new queen of Baranxtu, was to be arrested, but with the help of her many supporters, she managed to escape to the neutral kingdom of Anier just in time to escape her mother's henchmen.

Whereas Queen Peiara found support in the then still Marani-dominated southern and eastern provinces, riots soon broke out in the northern part of the kingdom, forcing her to retreat to Siragge to avoid the violence in the north.

Her troops, the Royal Guard, started to fight a bloody war against the Baranxtuan National Army, the remnants of the officially dissolved former army. Although initially the Royal Guard could gain control over the central provinces, the north remained under firm control by the BNA throughout most of the war.

The fighting, combined with purges, massacred and plundering by both armed forces and civilian vigilante groups devastated much of Baranxtu worse than during the First Civil War; it turned into the bloodiest war fought on Baranxtuan ground after the Baranxtu-Hantis War.

In the end, Peiara had to surrender to the troops of Harma in 1889. Her reign was officially ended on November 12th and Peiara was detained, with Harma being crowned the new queen of Baranxtu. Peiara was tried in 1880, and found guilty of treason and attempted regicide and executed on December 1st.

Mesumaha

Baranxtu in the 20th century

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Baranxtu in the 21st century

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Geography

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Baranxtu lies in the southwest of the South Continent of the IDU.

Baranxtu's east-west extension is about 3000km, whereas its northsouth extension is almost 2000km. Due to its dimensions, its geographical features are anything but uniform. The landscapes vary from low-lying plains to high mountain ranges and rolling hills covered by dense forests.

Inbetween, many areas are far removed from their natural state; especially the northern and southern coasts are an impressive example of city building, and cultivated land dominates much of the center of Baranxtu, especially of the province Ziaha.

Although Baranxtu is surrounded by water on three sides, the only large island close to Baranxtu is a separate country, Otea. Whereas there is a large number of islands belonging to Baranxtu, all are rather small and most are uninhabitated.

Most commercial ports of Baranxtu can be found on its northern shores, as they provide a portal to much of the rest of the IDU.

The two major rivers of Baranxtu, the Misdan and the Inaroxa are both running from the two major Baranxtuan mountain ranges to the south. Other, smaller rivers can however be found throughout Baranxtu.

Home to many small lakes, the largest freshwater body is Lake Phip, which lies on the northwestern edge of Abasina.

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Two major mountain ranges dominate much of Baranxtu. In the west, the Adijan Mountains (or simply the Adijan) is runs from southwest to the northeast, and whereas the highest points can be found in the Doristas, it extends up to Ωþ-Neila. Much of the Ωgg-Doristan Adijans has been declared a sanctuary by now, and as a result of this attract many tourists each year. The Mt Azra National Park is Baranxtu's single largest reserve; it is centered around Mount Azra, which is Baranxtu's highest elevation at 4026m.

In the southeast, close to the border to Jonquiere-Tadoussac, the Halaoran Mountains run parallel to the Adijan. They once had important coal and iron beds, but they have been mostly depleted. As the much strained environment slowly recovers, temperate forests are regaining territory for the first time in decades and some parts of the Halaoran Mountains have been declared a biological reserve.

Much of the rest of Baranxtu is mostly made up of smoothly rolling hills, apart from the coastal areas which are mostly flat. Only small strips are made up of bluffs, mostly in northern Abasina and eastern Qiru.

Politics

Government of the Republic

Legislative Branch

Executive Branch

Judiciary Branch

Foreign Relations

Political Divisions

Baranxtu is divided into 19 provinces (in Baranxeï called rajjua, singular rajjy). It is further subdivided into 1200 districts (aβηzua).

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	Official Name	Colloquial Name	Province Code	Capital
1	Province of Abasina	Abasina	AB	Lamaggra
2	Province of Bari Nazer	Bari Nazer	BN	Milhaη
3	Metropolitan Province of Deioprajjiβa	Deioprajjiβa	DP	Deioprajji Make
4	Metropolitan Province of Eishaβa	Eishaβa	EI	Eisha
5	Province of Izana	Izana	IZ	Inar
6	Autonomous Province of Jjiria	Jjiria	JJ	Ansa
7	Province of Gileγa	Gileγa	GI	Gil
8	Province of Halaora	Halaora	HA	Xanai
9	Metropolitan Province of Leuβa	Leuβa	Lβ	Leu
10	Province of Leumena	Leumena	LM	Timera
11	Province of Naïη	Naïη	NA	Naïaž
12	City State of Ωn-Baranxiž	Ωn-Baranxiž	ΩB	Ωn-Baranxiž
13	Province of Ωgg-Dorista	Ωgg-Dorista	GD	Orinamaxista
14	Province of Ωgg-Neila	Ωgg-Neila	GN	Misma
15	Province of Ωþ-Dorista	Ωþ-Dorista	ΩD	Leiris
16	Province of Ωþ-Neila	Ωþ-Neila	ΩN	Nei
17	Autonomous Province of Qiru	Qiru	QI	Pnema
18	City State of Siragge	Siragge	SI	Siragge
19	Province of Ziaha	Ziaha	ZI	Kimesa

See also: Names for Baranxtu

Demographics

Population Distribution

Baranxtu currently has approximately 1.6 billion citizens. Due to the favorable natural conditions along the country's coasts, most population centres can be found along the shores, especially in the northeast and southeast. More than two thirds of all Baranxtuans live in urban areas, and about a third lives in the six major metropolitan areas.

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	Metropolitan Area	Inhabitants (in mio)	Center	Inhabitants (in mio)
1	Siragge-Uparida-Sehema	180.620	Siragge (city)	23.059
2	Deioprajjiβa	127.910	Deioprajji Make	21.204
3	Inida-Ωn-Baranxiž-Ansa	102.432	Ωn-Baranxiž	29.340
4	Leuβa	62.420	Leu	12.520
5	Neiβa	70.739	Nei	25.607
6	Eishaβa	32.027	Eisha	10.502

However, there are also a number of major cities in the inland of Baranxtu, such as Orinamaxista or Kimesa.

Overall, Northern Baranxtu and Southern Baranxtu are the most densely populated regions. Only Abasina, which belongs to the north, is an exception - it is the least densely populated province of Baranxtu.

Ethnicity

Main Article: Peoples of Baranxtu

Baranxtuan citizens belong to a number of different ethnicities, of which the major group are the so-called Colonists who account for approximately 77.9% of the overall population. This groups is made up of the descendants of the four major colonizing ethnic groups, the Baranxtimans, Asuanituans, Nidajians and French.

According to the last census, 10.8% of the population belong to one of the native peoples of Baranxtu, called the Natives. There are 23 recognized tribes, most of which belong to the Marani, the only exceptions being the Masenasi in Deioprajji Make and Ωgg-Dorista and the small group of the Phip in Abasina.

The rest of the Baranxtuan citizenship is made up of the Immigrants who mostly came frome other countries of the IDU. The largest subgroups are French and German.

By far the largest single group are the Baranxtimans who hold a small majority in the country, followed by the Asuanituans with about 15 percent. The largest Native group is the Qiri tribe, making up about 5.2% percent of the overall population.

Language

Main Article: Languages of Baranxtu

Throughout all of Baranxtu, more than 40 languages are spoken. The most common is Baranxeï, the native language of almost two thirds of the population. Of the rest, almost all are fluent in Baranxeï as a second language.

Other major languages are Asuaneï, Qi, Nidajii, French and Chicoutim.

Of all these commonly spoken languages, Asuaneï, Baranxeï, French and Nidajii are official languages on a federal level. In addition, the Baranxtuan Sign Language (Raptriẽ Baranxtalu) is recognized on a federal level as well as English. However, English has a special status; only foreign citizens and non-citizens may use it when communicating with the authorities; natives must use one of the other three languages.

However, other languages are recognized in different provinces, such as Masenar in Deiprajjiβa, Qi in Qiru, Siragge and Ωgg-Dorista.

Religion

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Just as there are many different languages and ethnic groups, Baranxtu is also home to a number of different religions. About 74.3% of Baranxtuans belong to an officially recognized religion, only another 14.3% are atheists.

The largest single domination is by far the Baranxtuan Religion to which about two thirds of all Baranxtuans belong. Traditionally it is the religion of Baranxtimans and Asuanituans but it has also attracted a number of converts from other ethnic groups. As originally Baranxtu was a theocracy built based on the Holy Scriptures of this religion, it was the only allowed one for more than 200 years before the country was officially secularized in 1814.

Although the country is officially secular, there are still many connections between Baranxtuan Religion and politics. There are a number of religious parties, and a number of MPs are also priests, or were at one point.

Furthermore, the Baranxtuan monarch traditionally is also one of the High Priests of the Temple of Baranxi in Ωn-Baranxiž.

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Most other Baranxtuans belong to one of the Native Religions. As their beliefs are relatively similar to those of Baranxtuan Religion, they never faced as much persecution and oppression as for example Christians and thus could keep their religions alive over this 200 year period.

Only about 5% of the population identifies as Christian. As most denomination differ fundamentally from the beliefs of Baranxtuan Religion, they faced severe oppression and hostility from Baranxitunis, before and after the secularization of 1814. Especially in some rural areas, Christians still are forced to live in ghetto-like areas. In most cities, however, this is not a problem anymore.

The majority of Baranxtuan Christians are descendants of French settlers in the southeast and thus Roman Catholic. Non-Roman Catholics account for only .8% of the population.

Economy

Culture

National Symbols

Federal Flag

Main Article: Flags of Baranxtu

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The Federal Flag of Baranxtu has a long history, dating back at least 400 years. It originated as the Coat of Arms of the House of Ggurυa-Eilarυa. When they took power in Baranxtu after 1814, the older flag of the theocracy - a simple yellow rectangle with an iris in the center - was dropped and the Coat of Arms was adapted into a flag. It was vertically divided into a blue and green half, rather than the modern horizontal diversion. However, a charging tiger could be found in the center and two opposing crescents in the two upper corners.

After 1860, the crescent in the upper right corner was dropped and the charging tiger was exchanged for a standing one. Also, the vertical division into a blue and a green field was changed into a horizontal one, creating the flag used today.

When Baranxtu joined the IDU, the Scales of Justice were added below the crescent to show the country's affinity to the region.

National Animal

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Baranxtu's national animal is the tiger. As the animal associated with the country's patron deity Baranxi, it has been so since the establishment of the colony. Baranxi's loyal companion is the tigress Zihena (or Zihana).

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.

Due to their special status originally within Baranxtuan Religion, tigers have always enjoyed a status of protection; harming a tiger was severely punished. Although the death sentence for such an act was abolished in 1814, tiger hunting remained forbidden. As a result, none of the three subspecies of tigers in Baranxtu is currently considered endangered.

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.

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.

Federal Holidays

The following holidays are recognized and celebrated throughout all of Baranxtu.

ðu unritu atenitu (Day of King Ateni): February 24

• Instituted 1992
• This is one of the two current king's birthdays. It is marked by nationwide celebrations and the king's birthday parade, the most watched annual event in Baranxtu.

ðu hηtatu sohukuttu (Democracy Day): July 24

• Instituted 2005
• Following a proposal by IDU 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").

ωn-ašaγηtu (New Year): October 27-November 3

• Instituted 1687
• 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.

ðu unritu iðaritu (Day of King Iðari): December 5

• Instituted 1992 (King's Consort Day), 2006 (King's Day)
• The birthday of the second king. Until 2006, it was celebrated as the King Consort's Birthday.

Transportation

Baranxtu has well-developed motorway and railroad networks, allowing for a quick and reliable transportation to all areas of the country. As the railroad network has been regularly expanded and is well maintained, the majority of goods transport still takes place via train instead of by truck.

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Until the 1970s, there were only two major motorways, the FE Nei-Misma-Eisha-Leu and the FE Inar-Eisha-Siragge-Ωn-Baranxiž-Leiris. Since then, an extensive program has seen the construction of the modern network of Federal Expressways and Federal Highways. Seven of the former and seventeen of the latter provide a connection of all major parts of Baranxtu.

In addition, a number of provincial motorways exist which tie also more remote places to the general highway network.

The high-capacity railroad system is operated by the state-owned Jaupritη Baranxtala (Baranxtuan Railroad), which provides regular services to most of the tracks; in the last decades, only few have been abandoned.

Apart from normal train service on the routes, a special inter-city express service exists. It consists of high velocity trains that travel between the major cities of Baranxtu.

Almost all larger metropolitan areas are served by a rail metro system; in many cities there is usually also an underground network often connected with older tram systems. Urban and overland bus services are ubiquitous and almost unexceptionally well maintained.