Difference between revisions of "Billopesha"

Revision as of 09:07, 25 March 2007

The Democratic Republic of
Billopesha

Flag of Billopesha
National motto: "Through Sense We Prevail"
National anthem: "On Billopeshian Ground"
[1]
Region	Rineu
Capital	Billopec
Largest City	Billopec
Population	32 145 858
Suffrage	All citizens aged 18 or over
Official Language(s)	English (main), Latin, Aenbreannec, Beluwreng
Government - President - Principal Senator	Constitutional Republic Aaron Throne David Redway
Formation - Billopeshian State - Under Roman Occupation - Split into East and West Billopesha - Reunited - Republic	563BC 41BC-288AD 407-411AD 1746 1772 2006
ISO Nation Code	BIPA
Currency	connaro (CONN)
Time Zone	(UTC+5)
• Summer (DST)	RST (UTC+6)
Internet TLD	.bia
Calling Code	+229
National Symbols  • Sport  • Animal  • Fruit  • Flower	national tennis gecko apple bluebell
UN Status	member
Info: NationStates NSEconomy Pipian NS Tracker XML

Billopesha (pronounced 'Billowpeesha', officially the Democratic Republic of Billopesha) is a state located among a collection of islands called The Confederates which make up part of the region of Rineu. It is the second largest country of the islands and consists of a main section on one island and three smaller islands in the northern region. In relation to other countries, the Frissian Islands are to the east, the Republic of Bironta to the south and the Empire of Hontock to the west. The islands are located near the mainland coastline that lies to the east with the vast Cordial Ocean to the far west. Off the west coast of the main island is the Golden Bay which is shared with Hontock.

Billopesha is a member of the Silvereye and holds the seat to the 'Grand Stage of Politics' which gives the nation high prestige. Billopesha is a significant historical country as it was the first state to be established on The Confederates, making it the ancestor of all the other four nations on the islands. It's capital, Billopec was the first city to be founded on the islands and is an historical world city. It has also been a member of the Justice Alliance since 1972. In the past, the country has established a grand empire, been a subject to the Roman and Tullowtan Empires and suffered during a number of wars. Billopesha has a infamous rivalry with its neighbour, Hontock, which has lasted over 2000 years.

Today, Billopesha is a presidential republic, but has only recently abandoned it's constitutional monarchy. The last monarch was Lord Richard Billopec who was replaced in 2006 by President Aaron Thorne. Since then, Billopesha has joined the United Nations and the Republican Federation and has 2 Developed Productive Colonies (DPC's) located in the developing countries of Derenny and the Frissian Isles.

Name

The word "Billopesha" derives from a very ancient form of Latin meaning "modest culture" (Billo-pesha). The name was given by King Oliver Billopec who founded the country in 563BC who named it, referring to their own family name "Billopec" which similarly means "modest people" (Billo-pec). This refers back to the Billopec Family from Kenacirron.

When Billopesha formed it’s own language, Beluwreng, Billopesha was translated as "Beunaspotea" (pronounced 'Beeownusputeea'). Although this was never officially used, many of the indigenous natives referred to it as that name.

As The Confederates were once all owned by Billopesha, they were all once known as the Billopeshian Isles. This name has never been used since the formation of the other Confederate nations. The same situation was applied for the people of the Confederates, who were also collectively known as 'Billopeshians'. This label, though, has remained and is still considered valid as all native Confederate people were Billopeshians, but the reference is discouraged so is rarely used.

History

Main article: History of Billopesha

Parts of Billopesha’s active history can be seen in many places in Rineu. The earliest proof of human inhabitancy of the country was dated to around 170 000BC when human remains were uncovered. From there, a primitive culture formed. The country was established soon after The Confederates were discovered in 563BC by the Billopec Family when Oliver Billopec founded the settlement of Billopec and in 558BC, formally established the state. The indigenous natives were quickly displaced as the Billopeshian state expanded across all the islands.

King Oliver then formed the Billopeshian civilisation. Its languages were Belluwreng (writing) and Aenbreannec (speaking) and believed in the religion of Guduffa, one of the first religions to believe in one God. As Billopesha’s military power was weak, they were unable to stop the uprising in the Hontopeshian Revolution (207BC) where the Empire of Hontock was formed and Billopesha lost much of its territory. Billopesha’s military power grew, with a new rival at its borders, leading up to the Honto-Billopeshian War (173 – 168BC), which began with the loss of the region of Bironta. The war, which Billopesha won, and the Silvereye Revolution of 171BC saw the start of the Billopeshian Empire but the loss of much of its original territory with the formation of Bironta.

In 41BC, the Billopec Family merged with the Roman Imperial Family to form the Billopeshus Family. The Billopeshus Family subsequently made the Billopeshian Empire part of the Roman Empire and expanded through the Confederates until 288AD, when a rebellion ended the Roman Occupation. From there, the Billopeshian Empire expanded greatly and spread into mainland Rineu where it established their cultural mark there. Billopesha became a powerful, wealthy nation with a strong economy and miltary force.

It then, again, became part of the Western Roman Empire (407 – 411AD) when Contantine III inherited the throne. But Constantine's short tyrannical rule brought an end to the Billopecian Empire and brought Billopesha into a dark age. It suffered in the Tullowtan War (677-685AD).

Billopesha then had a revival in power when it joined a crusade to the Holy Land in 1223. The crusade proved more than successful when Billopesha took over Jerusalem and soon expanded to Antioch and Damascus. It defeated the Turks and made a grand alliance with the Byzantine Empire (whose imperial families were related), before aiming towards the east. It was initially defeated by the Mongols who severely halted the empires expansion but soon gained superiority in 1256. The empire expanded to Samarkand where Billopesha made it a leading trade city. The was a Royal Crisis which lasted from 1304 - 1327. The empire lasted until 1346, when the Black Death hit the empire. The empire was weakened and then the empire was taken over by the Turks and the Mongols.

Since then, the nation has been effected by the Billopeshian Civil War (1746 – 1772) and, more recently, the Twenty-Two-Year War (1972 – 1994) against Hontock. Kings ruled it until 170BC, Emperors until AD832 and then Lords. In 2006, a small-scale conflict broke out between the Imperialist Enterprise and the Republican Federation in the Political War. The Republican Federation won and the monarchy was abolished, replaced by a constitutional republic.

Government and Politics

In October 2006, the monarchy was abolished after over 2500 years of being established. Lord Richard VI voluntarily abdicated after a war between democracy and imperialism so the Billopeshian Senate then passed through a referendum which saw the beginning of the republic. It was then in December 2006 when the Billopesha was put under the Silvereye Constitution which was approved and a constitutional republic was officially declared.

The government has three branches:

• Legislative - The Silvereye Council of Ministers (SCM) who have the power to make laws that are approved by the members of the Silvereye, which includes the Billopeshian Senate. The Billopeshian Senate has great influence on a selection of national laws known as the 'Municipal Laws' and has the power to engage in international diplomacy and impeach officials.
• Executive - The President who decides how to administer and enforce the 'Municipal Laws' while being head of the Cabinet which is appointed from the Senate by the SCM. The Cabinet deals with carrying out actions of enforcing the constitutional laws nationally.
• Judiciary - The Silvereye judges how to institute law according to the Silvereye Constitution created by the SCM. The SCM was to act as a collection of judges that each interpret laws depending on the ministers field of expertise.

The most powerful constitution in Billopesha is the Silvereye Constitution which states all laws except the 'Municipal Laws'. The highest national constitution is the Constitution of Billopesha which includes the 'Municipal Laws'. This constitution is subject to review and change by the Senate and the laws can be overturned by the judicial branch, although the 'Municipal Laws' are rarely related to the court.

To see what the Silvereye Constitution and the 'Municipal Laws' involve, see the Silvereye.

To decide on what political party should rule and who the members of the senate should be, an election is called every four years. The political parties involved are listed below:

Political parties

Local Government

Local governments are established in each of the 275 administrative regions which is represented by two senators of the Billopeshian Senate. At every general election, a new pair of senators is elected in each constituency and the winning party will have established a senatorial seat there.

Influence

In Billopesha, local governments are very important in trying to present the views of the constituency in the government. Every month, a 'Communal Assembly' is held at the 'Local Political Hall' where any member of the public over the age of 13 can attend and debate issues that they believe need to be addressed or existing ones they are concerned about. In the meeting, when someone expresses a view, the two senators resolve the issue on behalf of the government. If they are unable to resolve the issue, a immediate vote is done by the attendees on whether they agree with the issue put forward. The process is made easy by using technology. If the majority agree, then that issue is put on the 'Communal Queries List' and this list is then put in the long queue of all the CQLs of Billopesha with the issue most disagreed on put at the top.

At a senatorial meeting, the senators of each local government present their people's issues to the Billopeshian Cabinet and the Silvereye in the list order. If the issue involves a constitutional law, then the query is resolved by the Silvereye Council of Ministers. If the issue involves a Municipal Law, then the query is resolved by the Billopeshian Cabinet. Once the issue is resolved, then the other foreign branches have their say on the issue. Any other issues that might result from the discussion of a particular issue will go through the same process. If all the issues are resolved, then the pairs of senators return to their constituency to give the results in the next Communal Assembly. If more issues are then put forward, then the process starts again.

On the other hand, there is the slim possibility that someone’s expressed opinion might be considered correct both by the Billopeshian Cabinet and the Silvereye Council of Ministers. In this case, a law is created which resolves the issue which is presented and then voted on by the Members of the Silvereye. If the majority agree on the law, then it is passed. An award is given to the person who originally put forward the issue know as the Citizen Award for Outstanding Political Innovation. If one person gets four of these awards, then they can be appointed a senator. This form of law-making is called a 'Full Citizen Influence Law' (FCIL). If in one presidential term, 20 of these laws are passed, then a vote of no confidence can be instigated.

Foreign Relations

Billopesha is very influential on The Confederates and has close relation with the other five countries. Billopesha is a member of the Silvereye which is the international organisation that joins Billopeshian politics profoundly with the other members, Bironta, Derenny and the Frissian Isles. Foreign relations have improved over the years as Billopesha had been seen as an imperial giant in the past. When the monarchy collapsed, Billopesha joined the Republican Federation which allied the nation to the other members further. Billopesha's closest ally is Bironta. Billopesha has now gained high recognition as an important nation in Rineu which exerts good influence on other nations.

Relations with Hontock, the only Confederate nation to not join the Silvereye, are as bad as they have always been. There is still a great rivalry between the two countries that can also be seen throughout the two country's history. Billopesha and Hontock are not unified in any way and are in fact unified against each other. Billopesha put through the creation of the Justice Alliance to combat Hontock's efforts to gain superiority in 1972. All the other Silvereye nations joined the alliance and collectively declared war. Hontock set up the Sharkcutter Union Corporation to combat the alliance.

Billopesha also has good diplomatic relations with countries outside of The Confederates. Being part of the Union of Rineu and the United Nations, Billopesha is attached to many other countries politically which has enables the country's influence to further widen towards the world stage.

Geography

Billopesha is the second largest country of The Confederates after Hontock with a total area of 53 770 sq km and consists of a main section located on an island shared with Hontock and Bironta and three smaller islands, two located off the north coast and one to the north west, near the Hontockain coast. The main island is surrounded by the Cordial Sea to the north, east and west with the south side bordering Hontock and Bironta. Most of the country's industry is located in the south with major ports on the coast while rural areas are to be found in the north. Billopesha is also considered as the most environmentally stunning nation of The Confederates as well as ranking high in Rineu overall.

Billopesha consists mostly of lowland terrain with a small range of mountain to the east of the centre called the Yennetts. This highest mountain of the range is Mt. Orbi which is also the highest of The Confederates at a height of 2013 metres. The capital, Billopec, lies at south foot of the mountain. Billopesha is known for its lush Perresta Forest which is located to the north of the Yennetts and houses a great deal of wildlife including geckos that attract a number of tourists. There are a number of small lakes scattered around the flat grassland with other areas of high rocky hills. The main rivers and estuaries of Billopesha are the Tanii, Niktus, Roose and the Billopec Estuary. The Billopeshian coastline is mostly flat, allowing for a amazing display of long sandy beaches, mostly on the north coast, to form which have become a great tourist attraction. Another famous geographical feature is the very dry Golden Plateau which has its northern region located in the south of Billopesha. This shows a great diversity in the geographical features of Billopesha caused by its diverse climate.

Climate

The climate in Billopesha is very diverse which is caused by high exposure in the north west and low exposure and warm currents in the south east. There are three main types of climate that can be found in Billopesha. These three types divide the country into three sections and are described below:

• Oceanic Climate - This type of climate is found in the north-west region of Billopesha where there is significant exposure from the cold north-west wind that comes from the North Pacific. This means the north-east has quite warm mild winters while having summers that are not hot. The seasonal temperatures are therefore quite consistent and rainfall is apparent at any point of the year, the wettest month generally being November and the driest being June. Mist and fog are very common along the west coast due to high humidity. Average winter temperatures range from 9 - 14°C and in the summer they range from 12 - 26°C.

• Mediterranean Climate - This type of climate is found in a smaller area to the north-east where it comes into contact with warm currents from the south. This leads to very low rainfall and warm temperatures all year round. The area is protected from northerly winds by mainland Rineu to the far north. Average summer temperatures range from 12 - 18°C while summer temperatures range from 22 - 34°C. The highest temperature in the country was recorded here at 42°C.

• Continental Climate - This leads to irregular rainfall and high evaporation rates, leaving land arid. This climate is what created the Golden Plateau in the south where temperatures are warm in the summer but cold in the winter, causing widespread frost despite low rainfall. There is a rainy season from March to May, but rainfall remains unreliable. Temperatures are a little less extreme on the coast and the warm summers attract many visitors. The average temperatures in the summer range from 23 - 29°C and in the winter the range is from 3 - 8°C. The lowest temperature in the country was recorded here at -9°C.

Cities and Urban Areas

Largest Cities

• Billopec ~ 6 870 000
• Rosebury ~ 2 200 000
• Masilla ~ 1 450 000

Largest Urban Areas

• Greater Rosebury ~ 5.23 million
• Inner Billopec ~ 4.45 million
• Outer Billopec ~ 3.15 million

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Subdivisions of Billopesha.

Economy

There is a considerable amount of farming in Billopesha as most of the country is lowland countryside. Billopesha has a significant private sector where a growing industry is centred around the capital focusing mainly on automobile manufacturing, book publishing and soda sales. There is also an industry in food processing and textiles. Tourism is also a valuable source of the Billopesha’s income, as is gold, which is received from Derenny and made into jewellery etc. Billopesha is seen as the banking centre of The Confederates and it is the richest country on the island. The tax rate stays around 35% but it projected to increase rapidly.

External Links

Billopesha's page on the NationStates website[[2]]