Dagnia
| |
| Flag of Dagnia | |
| Motto: Wealth is the measurement of man's ability to think. | |
| Region | Galts Gulch |
|---|---|
| Capital | 겐천 (GenZhon) |
| Official Language(s) | Gengo |
| Leader | 陳林美 (Chen Linmei) |
| Population | ~6 billion |
| Currency | Gold (Symbol- 金).*see economy |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Dagnia is an alternative name of the Planet and Nation Gensae 겐새. Dagnia is used formally and internationally, while Gensae is the local name. This planet is known for its adventurous, entrepreneurial people, fast ships and cities of crystal skyscrapers.
Geography
Dagnia is a large planet on the outer rim of the NS galaxy. The planet has three continents, Kimtou, Sitou and Yutou. Dagnia is a very young planet with many active volcanoes and fault lines. Minor earthquakes area daily occurrence in nearly all regions. All three continents have a wide variety of climates and landforms. Government and business are working to control plate movement and volcanic activity to avert disaster and very few major earthquakes occur.
Continents are very flat, except for large ranges of mountains on Kimtou, a large mountain range and plateau covering Sitou, and individual mountains/volcanoes on Yutou. Kimtou is the largest continent, stretching from close to the North Pole to far below the equator. It is shaped almost like an inverted triangle, with a large bay cutting through the east and a small peninsula stretching north into the icecap. Sitou is the second largest, about three quarters the size of Kimtou stretching from the southern ice cap to just above the equator. It is oval shaped, with two peninsulas stretching out of the northeast. The smallest, Yutou straddles the equator and is about one-third the size of Sitou.
Climate
Dagnia on the whole is generally much cooler and drier than standard planet. It is mostly a cool desert with some forests and grassland. The equator is what most worlds consider subtropical and can sometimes experience frost.
Flora and Fauna
Dagnia scientists have genetically engineered all animal and plant life on the planet. Not a single plant or animal that lives on the planet had ever existed anywhere else in the form that is found on Dagnia. All plant and animal life is engineered so that they are not able to reproduce on other planets, since they require Dagnia soil, or are an animal that must eat a certain plant that requires Dagnia soil, or are a predator that must eat a certain prey that must eat a plant that requires Dagnia soil. They are perfectly able to live off the planet, although without a certain combination of chemicals, their reproductive organs will not function. This protects Dagnia’s growing pet animal industry.
One of the more famous animals of the planet the Gensae Akma (Dagnia Devil), a modified Tasmanian Devil, adapted for many different climates, live over 20 years and with better intelligence and temperament. It has been domesticated, although it also lives in the wild on Dagnia. They are popular pets all over the galaxy. Another animal that gains popularity as a pet is the Shun (Dagnia Falcon). Various food animals including types of cow, pig, poultry, fish, whale and mollusk are either wild or raised on farms.
In addition to various food plants, there are a few large forests of Evergreens. Maple, Oak and Redwood also grow close to the equator. Various species of Cacti grow in the desert. The planet is home to several fruit-bearing Cacti. Different types of Holly can be seen in many areas of the planet.
Travel
Getting In and Out
Travel to and from the nation is becoming easier, as the government's controversial campaign against crime in Dagnia has started to ease up. Passports are still mandatory and background checks are still carried out, but people are no longer detained for them, simply tracked down and thrown out if it is found that they have a criminal background. All people entering the country must pay a 金10 entry fee. Exceptions are made only for emergencies and refugees. The 아인란주강 ('Ainran Chugang' Ayn Rand spaceport) is considered an excellent spaceport with services to many ports across the galaxy.
Getting Around
Transportation around the planet is generally good with many highways and trains. The planet is still mostly wild and many roads away from coasts or major cities are dirt paths. Speed limits are non-existent outside of cities. In cities, one can find nearly every imaginable form of transportation, including trains, buses, taxis and trams. Travel around the planet has been safer in recent years, because of the severe crackdown on crime. The gangs that once prowled the highways of Dagnia are now a thing of the past.
Points of Interest
The cities are known for their modern architecture, and are often considered attractions in themselves. Daeshingang is known for its immense size and crystal skyscrapers that reach over a kilometer in height. The biocity, Shengshi is known for being the first large-scale construction project involving organically-grown buildings and almost entirely organically-based as opposed to electronic/machine-based technology. GenZhon 겐천 is a picturesque city of parks and arcologies containing government ministries.
The cities are also home to large shopping districts, at which nearly anything can be bought, including many things which are illegal on other worlds. Ethnic restaurants of every kind can be found in the cities, along with fusions of popular ethnic styles of cooking. Science, art and history museums can be found in nearly every city.
Dangerous Places
Over the past few years, the planet has become safer because of the recent successful, if controversial crime prevention measures. Daeshingang, once a haven for criminals, has been cleaned up, and is considered one of the safest cities in the universe. Crime is almost non-existent. In the more wild, rural areas private property is often unmarked and homesteaders are known to shoot trespassers. Under very rare circumstances does the government ever consider this a crime.
People
The government has only recently begun keeping a formal census, and the population around six billion.
Ethnic makeup
Little information is available on ethnic makeup, but it is probably evenly divided into sixths between Polish, Irish, German, Ukrainian, East Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese) and others. The others category was once the fastest-growing, but stricter immigration laws and xenophobia caused this category to slow down in growth for a short time. As the country is beginning to open up again, it may start to grow. 99% insist that their ethnicity is “지진” (“Chijin” mind people).
Philosophy/Religion
90% are believed to be Objectivists, adherents of Ayn Rand's Objectivism philosophy. Just about all of the galaxy's major philosophies and religions are represented in the remaining 10, but mostly include other Aristotelians, Nietzscheans, Christians, Jews, Pagans and Existentialists.
Language
Dagnia has created its own language Gengo. Modeled partially on East Asian languages, words consist of monosyllabic "units of meaning". A modified version of the Korean Hangeul alphabet is used for writing and includes separate letters for L and R, plus a few other vowels. HwangZi (pictographic characters originating in China, also known as Hanzi, Kanji or Hanja) is also used on storefronts, headings of official documents and for official placenames, and knowledge of these characters is considered a sign of education.
Government
Although Dagnia is still a constitutionally limited democratic republic, the tough anti-crime measures have included giving the Chief Executive more power, although the CE is giving these powers up gradually. Three branches include the National Council, the High Court and the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive can make day-to-day decisions alone (although the high court will review all executive decisions at the end of the year), while anything that changes the nation significantly must go through the Council. After a bill is passed and signed by the Chief Executive, the High Court reviews it for constitutionality. GenZhon 겐천 is the place where the government meets and most of the bureaucracy is located in GenZhon.
Political parties
Major
The National Action Union: This party is now the most popular in Dagnia. It believes in a minimal welfare state, with a small amount of regulation of business and personal behavior and increased police powers. Membership is now about 62% of the country. In spite of its strong stance on restricting borders, it is very popular with immigrants, mainly for its anti-crime stance.
The Liberal Democratic Party: This party was formed by members of the original group that settled and chartered Dagnia as an independent planet. It was formerly a consistent winner of elections, beating out its rivals often with over 55% of the vote. It is still popular with people whose families have been on Dagnia for many generations. Membership is now about 28% of the country. It believes in the "Nightwatchman State", no government regulation of the economy or people's personal lives, that the government should be limited to the police, military and courts. It still believes in open immigration and has been vocally against the controversial anti-crime and terrorism laws.
The National Vanguard: Similar to the NAU, but believes in closing Dagnia to any more immigrants. It also advocates a larger military and some intervention in foreign affairs, along with the belief that the Chijin of Dagnia have evolved beyond the rest of humanity and would be justified in committing genocide. It was once on the fringes of Dagnian politics, but became a more mainstream party because of the anti-immigrant and anti-anything-foreign sentiments during the high crime era. When crime became almost nonexistent, the party's growth stopped entirely, but it manages to hold on to most of the members it gained, who represent about 10% of the country.
Minor
The Progressive Freedom Party: Formerly a major player, this party now struggles to get one percent of the vote in any election. It believes the government itself should be privatized, and broken into "competing governments".
The People's Democratic Union: Consider themselves “Idealistic Communists”, mostly refugees from communist nations that are dictatorships, which will not tolerate even small differences of opinion. Not considered a problem. Many members form more or less self-sufficient communes outside of the major cities.
The Workers Revolutionary Front: Communists from various types of nations, capitalist, fascist, mixed, and communist countries in which there was an internal power struggle, or was not “their version” of communism. This party has been known to use violence, although most of the time, the violence is not a political statement or for the purpose of intimidating a rival, but simply for the glee of smashing a shop's windows. Its bank accounts have been frozen and its assets seized as a part of an investigation of its ties to criminal organisations. Some members have been shipped off world, sent to labour camps or even executed.
Foreign Relations
While Dagnia is very outgoing in many respects (especially trade) the government seems very introverted. Dagnia has never been involved in a foreign war, has no treaties with other nations. At the few meetings that Dagnia leaders and representatives have attended, especially with any kind of anti-capitalist, they have managed to create the stereotype of Dagnians as insolent, brash, boastful and direct. The government of Dagnia consistently drives the point home to socialist, fascist or theocratic nations with weaker economies that they have drained all of their brains out. All of them find this insulting and meetings with Dagnians usually come close to blows.
Alliances
It participates only in the Galts Gulch and ACCEL alliances, but minimally. For years, Dagnia struggled with trying to have its voice heard in the UN without having to comply with any resolutions that may force it to harm the economy. The government created Kaneshima, a nation within a nation (actually the Foreign Affairs Ministry) to represent Dagnia in the UN.
Aid
Dagnia has long been against giving aid of any kind. More recently, Dagnia has been willing to give aid in exchange for trade concessions, bringing the nation under fire from several humanitarian groups. Dagnia does have an “almost no strings attached” aid programme for nations in transition from any non-capitalist government to capitalism.
Military
Dagnia maintains only a small peacetime air, naval and space force. The few times war has come to Dagnia, civilians have done most of the fighting. Wealthier Dagnians had their spacecraft fitted with weapons and fought in space, while those who stayed on the ground fought off invaders when they managed to get a foothold on the planet.
Economy
A relatively unregulated economy combined with "GongZhin" (a Gengo term that denotes a range of individualist qualities, such as independent thought, originality, entrepeneurial spirit and productivity) has created one of the strongest economies in the universe. Lack of regulation has lead to the growth of ChimBol (megacorporations), some of which are large enough to own several planets. In spite of the fact that they practice business honestly and raising the living standards of every nation and planet which they operate on, they are criticised, more often than not, for being "too big" and their executives "too rich". The government has ignored all requests to break them up. The tough anticrime measures have had only a marginal affect on the economy, only affecting the tourism industry, which is making a recovery.
Currency
Early on, companies and banks printed promissory notes backed by their products, which could be legal tender. Later, firms from the ChimBol to small sole-proprietor workshops formed associations to standardise the currencies. Today Dagnia has three main currencies, two from rival standardisations and one government gold-backed currency. There are also a few holdouts printing their own currency. All of Dagnia's currencies are descibed as "strong as Dagnian steel". Printing fiat money is unconstitutional.
Products
While Dagnia is most famous for its fast ships, Book Publishing is the largest industry in Dagnia. Uranium mining has also been very important, but has declined a bit in recent years. Information Technology is the third-largest industry, producing both hardware and software products.
Dagnia has also become known for producing some of the finest weapons in the NS Universe, for both personal and military use. This has drawn the anger of many nations in the galaxy, especially planets where guns are tightly controlled, because on the planet, weapons can be bought like candy. Also, Dagnia’s companies are always finding new ways to get the products to off-world buyers.
Dagnia has also developed a strong automobile-manufacturing sector, and its cars are becoming known universe-wide for their efficiency, reliability, build quality and expensiveness. They are also built for speed, off-roading and safety as Dagnia's inter-provincial highways have no speed limits and government-owned roads are often in poor shape. Dagnian brands built off-planet may be of slightly lower quality and price.
Insurance and various beverages are also important to the economy and nearly any imaginable product from trout to transgalactic spaceliners is produced on Dagnia and sold off-world.
Employment Issues
Labour/Management Relations
Strikes in Dagnia are almost non-existent, in spite of the fact that companies provide few benefits and there is no minimum wage. Workers do not stay with one employer for very long, even when relations with the employer are good. Over 60% of all people in Dagnia are self-employed.
Unemployment
The unemployment rate never goes much above 3%. The government does not believe that it would not be a problem, since most people on Dagnia see any employment by others only as a means to gaining money and learning skills to pursue their own activities. The “unemployed” people create their own work.
Child Labour
It is still legal for any person of any age to work any job in Dagnia, although it has become increasingly restricted. Most see child labour as the quickest way to learn skills and become financially independent faster. They regard with disdain the idea that a child should "be a kid" if that means putting on hold time that could be spent becoming independent. Most of Dagnia's ChimBol executives scientists and other prominent people started as child labourers.
Education
Less than 20% of Dagnia children attend a formal school for education. Most begin apprenticeships by age 6, or simply begin working.
Dagnia’s formal schools are coming to be considered the best in the world. The Reeva Rae Montessori Academy has a large interstellar student body and is universally accredited. Several universities, especially Gensae Daehak, have become internationally renowned. Most students never return to their home nations. Literacy is 100 percent and even functional literacy is almost non-existent.
Media
Print Media
조김신문 Chokim Sinmun (Morning Gold Newspaper)- Dagnia’s largest, most popular, interstellarly read broadsheet newspaper. It is considered a model of objectivity and journalistic integrity, reporting on news from all over the planet and galaxy and printing editorials from all viewpoints. The print version is delivered early in the morning on Gensae and a weekly print version is delivered off-world. The Holonet and Internet versions are updated to the second and require a subscription for more than just a headline and stub. The weekly off-world and Internet versions come in Gengo, English, German, Japanese, Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Swahili, Hindi, Quenya, Dutch and Polish.
엥신문 Engsinmun (Picture Newspaper)- A daily mass-market tabloid, known for its sensationalist reporting. Because of recent falling sales, the paper has resorted the tactic of featuring naked women and sometimes men. Chijin often look down on the Engsinmun, but some say that more often than not, it proves that it is worth reading sometimes, as it is often more willing to go ahead and break stories earlier than other papers.
Various small newspapers are published in small cities, along with thousands of organisations publishing their own newspapers and magazines.
Broadcast/Cable Media
There are too many television and radio stations to list, and not a single one is particularly prominent for two main reasons. First, there are many independent stations, because the government has no license laws regarding television and radio. To prevent stations from interfering with each other’s signals, the government has instituted the “Airwaves Homestead Act” which protects the rights to a given frequency when a station establishes itself on it. Second, the people of Dagnia despise most forms of commercial entertainment, since they see it as unentrepreneurial, and believe it is better to make one's own entertainment.
Internet/Holonet
Similar to Earth in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Internet and Holonet contains the greatest variety of news and entertainment. Most television and print news organisations have their own websites. Individuals have websites for their personal lives, including sites for diaries and pets. Inter- and Holonet pornography is not common, although many servers for this form of entertainment are located here because of the nation's lax obscenity laws. Internet connections are monitored for criminal activity, but there is no ban on any site content.
