Ceorana


Flag	Seal

Motto: "Ad Servo Medium"
(Latin: "To Serve the Common Good")

Anthem: "Ceorana: The Future"

Region

International Democratic Union

Capital

New Boston

Largest city Tzatzing

Official language

English

Government

President
Joint Speaker of Congress

Unitary congressional republic
James Lin
Alexander Klaus

Establishment
- Mode I
- Mode II
- Integration 1959
2003
2033

Area
- Total
- Water (%) 5,004,067,056 km²
6.4%

Population
- Current
- August 2006 [1]
2 billion

GDP (PPP)
- Total
- Per capita August 2006 estimate
$16,511,021,551,527.63 USD
$8,126.41 USD

CHDI (August 2006) .868 (18^th in IDU) – high

Currency Gnor (CEGN)

Time zone
- Summer (DST) UTC−8
UTC−7

Internet TLD

.ce

Calling code +236 (CEO)

The Congressional Republic of Ceorana, also known as simply Ceorana (IPA: [siəɹænə]), is a democratic republic located in the region of the International Democratic Union. Its economic power is concentrated in the giant metropolis of Tzatzing, while political power is concentrated in New Boston, the capital and northernmost city.

Ceorana is devoted to pacifism, although it does maintain a small military for minor operations and for defense. It is generally open to other nations, especially in terms of trade; Ceorana is devoid of virtually all protectionist barriers. This has led Ceorana to be on acceptable terms with most nations, and very good ones with other members of the International Democratic Union.

History

Main article(s): History of Ceorana

Ceorana's complex history came in two modes, two different branches of fractal reality: one stemming from the real world Scandinavia and the other stemming from the real world United States. After Mode I from Scandinavia was thrown into turmoil due to a corrupt government, the modes integrated, and formed one nation (they had previously not known of each other). After the Integration, Ceorana stepped onto the world stage and became delegate of the IDU as well as writing two UN resolutions.

In the year 2048, Ceorana was hit by a major disaster, including a radiological dispersion and massive flooding around New Boston, and the whole nation was forced to move. The nation relocated to an area previously inhabited by Yuunli, keeping only Kelvin Island from the old territory.

Politics

Main article(s): Ceoranan Constitution

Ceorana's government, defined in the Constitution of Ceorana, is broken up into three parts: a bicameral legislature, known as the Congress, an executive, and a judiciary. They are separate in terms of power, but they are close together in terms of operations, as detailed below.

Congress

The Ceoranan Congress is a large part of the Ceoranan government. It consists of 512 members, divided into two houses. The upper house, known as the House of Delegates, has 120 members, elected using a single transferable vote system with 20 members from each province, plus 20 at-large members. The lower house, known as the House of Representatives, has 262 members, elected from "areas" drawn randomly by population every 10 years. Delegates serve five year terms and Representatives serve three year terms.

Both houses in the Congress are divided into committees of around 10 to 20 members each, each of which can have subcommittees of varying sizes (a Congressperson can be on more than one committee and subcommittee), which fall under categories which correspond to the departments of the Executive Branch. Each committee corresponds with a committtee in the other house, and also an office in the Executive Branch.

The Congressmen elect officers in each house, who run business and decide the agenda. Each house has a Speaker, and the houses together elect a Joint Speaker of Congress (JSC). The Joint Speaker of Congress is the most powerful person in the legislative branch. His or her duties mainly consist of negotiating with the Executive Branch over legislation, but they can also take over being the presiding officer of either house if they have the time or inclination. The position of JSC is currently held by Alexander Klaus.

See also: Ceorana House of Delegates elections

Executive Branch

The Executive Branch of Ceorana consists of a President and several Departments, led by Department Secretaries. The president is elected by popular vote to a four year term and appoints the secretaries, who must be approved by Congress. The president is currently James Lin and the most senior secretary, the Secretary of State, is currently Theodore Locke. The Secretary of State also succeeds the president in case of death or emergency.

The Executive Branch has several Departments, each led by a Department Secretary. Each department has several offices. Offices are in charge of executing laws made by their corresponding committee in the Congress. Offices can have suboffices, although not all operations of an office are part of a suboffice.

Judiciary

Main article(s): Judiciary of Ceorana

Ceorana's judicial branch consists of a provincial court system, which is administered by each individual province. Above that system is the Court of Ceorana, which also handles constitutional law of Ceorana. The judiciary is the least prestegious of the three branches, but generally just as powerful.

Administrative divisions

This map shows the provinces of Ceorana.

Ceorana is divided into five provinces, all centered around a city, which functions as the province capital. The provinces are named after the cities. A map of the provinces is shown here. As shown, Tzatzing Province occupies all of Kelvin Island (see Geography section) to the west while the other four. occupy the mainland in north-south succession.

Foreign affairs

Foreign affairs in Ceorana are handled by the Department of State. It has strong relations with most nations in the International Democratic Union. The Ceoranan Immigration Policy places nations into categories for immigration purposes, which generally reflects Ceorana's relations with them.

Ceorana is very active in the United Nations. The nation is the author of two UN resolutions, UN Patent Law and [[UN Copyright Convention, and is currently drafting, with varying levels of commitment, several more. It is also a United Nations forum regular and member of UNOG, FAIRTRADE and Reclamation.

Ceorana was also a participant at the First Winter Olympics. The nation won one gold and one bronze medal, coming in 26th place overall. It is also planning on competing in further Olympic Games.

See also: Ceorana and the United Nations

Political parties

Ceorana previously consisted of very few political parties. However, with the introduction of the single transferable vote system, many minor parties have sprung up. The parties fall into two "caucuses" which are the two major "parties" for winner-take-all elections, which include a slim majority of all elections in Ceorana. However, the parties do not have a huge amount of influence due to their size, and candidates usually form a temporary party for elections anyway, with a platform of their personal beliefs. Due to the fact that they change so often, it is impractical to list them.

Law

Main article(s): Ceoranan Law

Although the highest law in Ceorana is the Constitution, there are other laws as well: Meta Law, which governs how the government works (more specific than the Constitution), Uncommon Law, which governs things that most Ceoranans don't use in their daily lives (taxes, business law, etc.), Common Law, which governs criminal acts, and Civil Law, which governs civil suits and other related occurences.

Geography

Main article(s): Geography of Ceorana

Ceorana is fairly cold and mountainous, especially in New Boston up north. However, it has a very valuable natural phenomenon: hot springs. For this reason geothermal energy is the top source of energy in Ceorana, accounting for 85% of Ceorana's total energy production. In addition, certain areas around large hot springs form a small and contained biome, where tropical fruits can be grown, even oranges to make orange juice, Ceorana's national drink.

New Boston is separated from the rest of the nation by the Konvensjon Mountains, which mean that access would be difficult if not aided by a plane or monorail. There are no roads across the mountains, which makes sense due to the difficulty of building them and the low number of cars, so public transportation makes a special effort to be reliable in that area. The monorail is popular in that area, as well as short, cheap flights to New Boston from other cities in the nation.

Economy

Before the revolution, Ceorana was a well-functioning communist state. But once the elected government was found to be completely corrupt, it was decided that reforms were needed. Ceorana is now a fully capitalist state, keeping socialism only in the areas of education, public transportation and healthcare, along with areas such as military and law enforcement.

Currency

A ∂20 bank note.

Main article(s): Gnor

Ceorana's currency is the gnor (both singular and plural), with the currency code CEGN. It is abbreviated in front of a number as ∂, as in ∂4,949 for 4,949 gnor. It is minted both in coins and paper money. Credit cards are almost never used and have towering interest rates due to the massive amount of identity fraud. Debit cards are somewhat more common, although they require extensive verification for use.

Industry

Ceorana's largest industry is information technology. It's "powerhouse" hi-tech sector is regulated by anti-trust laws, which keep corporations a bit on the small side. Production includes everything from personal computers to huge corporate "solutions". Information technology is followed by book publishing, including media such as Ceorana's current newspaper of record, the Stormdale Intelligencer.

Culture

Ceorana has a varied culture, but one that has many virtually universal traits. Due to complete state-sponsored education, social mobility is very high, because it is possible to become educated mostly regardless of previous condition of poverty. This social mobility is accentuated by the mostly free market, which gives anyone a chance to start a business and move up the social ladder. Of course, the system is not perfects: poverty still occurs from lack of employment opportunities, disability and disease, and other factors. However, the government is working to combat this with job-training programs and increased equal-opportunity legislation.

Food

Ceorana's two main food exports are orange juice and cheese, especially Kolatch Gouda. It imports large amounts of tropical fruits for producing smoothies, a popular drink in Ceorana.

Kolatch gouda

Main article(s): Kolatch Gouda

Kolatch Gouda is a sharp cheese originally manufactured by the Kolatch Tribe. It is a traditional gouda, preserved over the winter to go with smoked salmon. Old Kolatch Gouda is considered a delicacy, and served at formal events. Today, it is manufactured both in the traditional method and through industrialized machines.

Orange juice

Orange Juice is the national drink of Ceorana. It is prized along with Kolatch Gouda as a symbol of the nation. It was originally produced as a refreshing alternative to ox milk in the tribes living near the Konvensjon Mountains. Orange juice is produced using Agriqo oranges, a breed of orange that is more suited for growing in colder climates.

Education

Ceoranans are generally recognized as very intelligent, probably because of the comprehensive education system. Schooling is mandated up to completion of high school, and can continue upwards. The main university is the University of Ceorana, located in Tzatzing, with branches in Squamouth, Stormdale and Wasport. Correspondingly, the Education Department is the largest department in the Ceorana government, receiving over 40% of the budget.

Cities

Ceorana contains five major cities, which also function as capitals of their corresponding provinces. In this way, Ceorana functions somewhat like a unitary group of city-states: each city also administrates a larger rural region. The cities, in order of population, are Wasport, Stormdale (the national capital), Squamouth, Tzatzing (previously the largest city, but population was hit by the disasters in northern Ceorana), and Edgeria.

Transportation

Most of Ceorana's transportation is done through a national monorail system, which connects all cities and settled areas. The system is financed by taxes and a nominal ridership fee and administered by the various provinces under direction of the national government.

Air travel is also widespread. There are three international airports in Ceorana: Tzatzing Cooper International Airport (TZT, formerly Ceorana-Tzatzing International Airport but renamed in honor of former president Bjorn Cooper, Jr.), Wasport International Airport (WPT), and Stormdale/Capital International Airport (STM), SkyCeo and Ceair, also fly to main destinations in the International Democratic Union.

Flag

Main article(s): Flag of Ceorana

The flag of Ceorana

Design

The flag of Ceorana consists of a a Big Dipper in the canton and a Wikipedia:gyronny of blue shades and tints in the main field. The Big Dipper symbolizes integrity and strength as well as Ceorana's national animal, the bear, while the gyronny represents opportunity, enterprise, and freedom.

Flag customs

The Ceoranan flag is generally honored in a manner similar to many other flags: the flag should not be dipped in honor of a person, the flag should not be laid upon the ground, etc. The preferred method of disposal is respectful burning. If an honored person dies or is killed, the flag is flown five-eighths of the way up the pole. Although these courtesies are usually observed when using the flag, Ceoranan law does not mandate it, and the flag can be burned or desecrated in protest.

Seal

Main article(s): Seal of Ceorana

The Seal of Ceorana

The Seal of Ceorana is circular, and contains various text and graphics that have immense symbolism for the nation. The stylized bear is the national animal, and represents the environment as well as the nation as a whole. On a scroll under the bear is the national motto "Ad Servo Medium": Latin for "To Serve the Common Good". Under the bear on the border is the key, symbolizing rule of law, and above it on the border are two crossed quills, representing freedom of expression, learning, and wisdom. The rainbow shooting into space represents goals and achievements, while the mountain represents challenge. The Big Dipper is both another reference to the bear and a symbol of a guiding presence.

International Membership

External Links