Fortestan

Fortestan

Flag of Fortestan
Motto: "Veritas!"
None available.
Region	Europe
Capital	Ferroton
Official Language(s)	No official language
Leader	President Dr. Orlan M. Khayyam, K.S.C.
Population	2.118 billion (6/20/05)
Currency	tolar
NS Sunset XML

The Federative States of Fortestan is a massive, environmentally stunning nation, notable for its absence of drug laws. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 2.118 billion hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt, liberal government stops and the rest of society begins, but it devotes most of its attentions to Education, with areas such as Law & Order and receiving almost no funds by comparison. The average income tax rate is 100%. A powerhouse of a private sector is dominated by the Uranium Mining industry.

Crime -- especially youth-related -- is a major problem, probably because of the country's utter lack of prisons. Fortestan's national animal is the raphus cucullatus, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the tolar.

UN Category: Civil Rights Lovefest

Civil Rights: World Benchmark

Economy: Good

Political Freedoms: Superb

Origin and history of the name

Fortestan comes from a combination of the Proto-Wassan words fuertas, meaning strong, bold, or brave, and staenns meaning home of. According to ancient Wassan mythology, Lord Fuertes was a warrior-poet who founded the city and kingdom of Wassa, which has existed as a state in some form for over five thousand years. Over time, Lord Fuertes became a widespread folk-hero among the different Fortestani peoples (In Rutas, he is known as Father Foortan of the Sky). It was a common tradition for a city or region to be renamed after its founder or a famous native folk-hero. Therefore, Fortestan could mean Home of the Strong, or Home of Lord Fuertes.

The formal name of Fortestan has changed several times since the foundation of the nation, but has always reflected the sense of union between the Fortestani peoples.

• Union of Wassa, Rutas, and Belostavia upon the adoption of the Constitution of the Free Union of Fortestan by the three main powers.
• Union of Fortestan when the name was changed to reflect the universalism of the Constitution's ideals.
• United Socialist States of Fortestan when socialists came to power and changed the Constitution to provide the government with the power to nationalize industry and institute communist reforms.
• Federal Unitary Republic of Fortestan when the Constitution (supporting a confederate system of government) was temporarily abolished during the Great Southern War in favor of a unitary republic by the fascists.
• United Republics of Fortestan when the Constitution was readopted favoring a federation with greater autonomy to the administrative units.
• Federative States of Fortestan when the people voted in a referendum to change the name of the country when it became clear that the 'United Republics of Fortestan' was a very unpopular name

History

Geography

Area:
total: 2,717,300 sq km
land: 2,673,500 sq km
water: 43,800 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Coastline: 35,435.9 km

Climate: see below

Terrain: see below

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Valley of the August Ones -47 m
highest point: The Luminous Mount Olimbos 6,755 m

Natural resources: Aluminum, Amber, Antimony, Arable land, Asbestos, Barite, Borate, Bronze, Citrus, Chromium, Clay, Coal, Coffee, Copper, Cotton, Diamonds, Dye, Emery, Fish, Gems, Geothermal power, Gold, Gypsum, Hydropower, Iron Ore, Lead, Limestone, Magnesite, Marble, Mercury, Natural gas, Nickel, Obsidian, Perlite, Petroleum, Platinum, Pumice, Rubber, Salt, Sand, Silver, Solar power, Spice, Sugar, Sulphur, Timber, Titanium, Tobacco, Uranium, Whales, Wheat, Zinc

Land use:
arable land: 23.71%
permanent crops: 1.87%
other: 74.42%

Natural hazards:

Environment - current issues:

Geography - note:

Wassa

Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Terrain: high central plateau; narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges

Belostavia

Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas; mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain: Golga Desert in the south; flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered low coastal plain; central mountains; some vegetation in the north, but barren in the south

Rutas

Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands

Pellucidar/Aztekatl

Climate: varies from tropical in south to dry desert in north; temperate to frigid in Chan Mountains

Terrain: eastern coastal plains; high and rugged Chan Mtns in center; southwestern lowland jungle in Azchot river basin

Macc

Climate: temperate; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers

Terrain: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

Sarro Islands

Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; heavy rainfall

Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas

People

Population: 2.118 billion (2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-13 years: 23.1%
14-60 years: 69.6%
61 years and over: 17.3% (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 35.6 years
male: 34.8 years
female: 36.2 years (2005 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Fortestani(s)
adjective: Fortestani

Ethnic groups: Wassan 24.1%, Belostavian 19.3%, Rutasian 17.8%, Aztekatl 14%, Golgese 7.3%, Laconian 5%, Frimian 2.3%, Chanite 2%, Sarro Islander 1.6%, other 6.6% (2005 est.)

Religions: Discordianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Jainism, Baha'i Faith, Sikhism, Agnosticism, Sufism, Mysticism (syncreticism of these faiths to some extent is common throughout Fortestan with variation)

Languages: Wassan 31%, English 13.9%, Old Belostavian 13.7%, Ruta 9.5%, Revived Belostavian 7.8%, Aroi Lesser dialect 6.7%, Pellucian 3.4%, Aroi Highborn dialect 2.1%, Neo-Kalmiyan 1.8%, True Jino 1.3%, Maccese 1.1%, Achosian English 1%, Peosian 1%, Taato-Muatese 1%, other 4.7% (2005 est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 99.65%
male: 99.4%
female: 99.8% (2005 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Federative States of Fortestan
conventional short form: Fortestan
local long form: Foedhun Archonos du'Fuerstanas (Wassan)
local short form: Fuerstanas
former: United Republics of Fortestan

Government type: Constitutional federation with specified powers delegated to the federal government and other powers reserved to member states, strong democratic tradition

Capital: Ferroton, Federal Capital District

Administrative divisions: 77 semi-independent states, 15 federally-administered territories, 7 freely associated states, 14 autonomous districts, and 1 federal capital district.

Independence: 5 July, a.D. 1777

National holiday: Union Day (5 July)

Constitution: ratified 7 September, a.D. 1776; effective 5 July, a.D. 1777

Legal system: federal court system; each state, freely associated state, and autonomous district has its own unique court system; judicial review of legislative and executive acts

Suffrage: 14 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

chief of state: Pres. Dr. Orlan M. Khayyam, K.S.C.; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Pres. Dr. Orlan M. Khayyam, K.S.C.; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the president with Congressional approval
elections: President elected directly by a two-thirds majority, president elected to serve a four-year term, elections last held 8 November, 2004 (next to be held November, 2008)

Current makeup of the Executive Council:

Political parties: Social Democrats, Democratic Socialists, Liberal Democratic Socialists, National Socialist Fortestani Workers' Party, Agrarian Union, Right-wing Alliance, People for Private Enterprise, Leftist People's Party, Natural Democratic Party (Green Party)

Political pressure groups: National Belostavian Front, Alliance for Belostavian Independence, Federation for Rutasian Separation and Complete Independence, High Guard of Ferroton (veteran's association), FSF Dental Union, FSF Commerce Guild

Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known domestically as the Sun of Chupporros and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Free People's Congress consists of the Ancient Senatus of the States (168 seats; two senators from each state and freely associated state are directly elected to serve eight year terms) and the Great House of the People's Representatives (675 seats; members from every administrative unit elected to serve two year terms). Numerous ministries headed by a minister direct the lawmaking policies of the legislature. A Prime Minister, elected by the entire Congress, nominates the ministers with the approval of Congress.

Current Heads of Legislative Ministries:

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court of the Federative States of Fortestan (Five superior chief justices are elected to life terms by the people, the most senior of whom is designated Supreme Justice; five inferior chief justices are elected to one five-year term by the Congress); Federal Criminal Courts; Federal Civil Courts; State and Autonomous District Courts.

Current members of the Supreme Court:

Organization

States

The basic administrative unit within the Union is the state. Each state is allowed to have its own unique system of government (i.e. presidential system, semi-presidential system, parliamentary system, unicameral legislature, bicameral legislature, constitutional monarchy, socialist republic, etc.) Each state uses the tolar as its currency, and the foreign affairs and defence of the states is the concern of the federal government. Individual state governments have complete sovereignty over domestic issues not concerning other regions. States are also the only administrative unit (aside from freely associated states) that may leave the Union.

The following is an abridged list of states:

1. Wassa
2. Rutas
3. Belostavia
4. Pellucidar/Aztekatl
5. Macc
6. Peos
7. Sarro Islands
8. Lysithea
9. Trakes
10. Solips
11. Jinopolis¹
12. Vrijheim City¹

¹ These are city-states

Territories

Currently, there are fifteen federally-administered territories. These regions are governed by an appointed governor who reports directly to the President of the Union and his Secretary of the Interior. The territories are officially unorganized and therefore do not have a government of its own. The executive branch is appointed by the President with approval from Congress. The territories do not possess their own legislature or court system asthe other regions do. Once a territory reaches certain qualifications set forth by the Congress they are qualified to become a full-fledged state within the Union after the populace approve such measures through referenda. Territories are not represented in either house of Congress.

Freely Associated States

A Freely Associated State (FAS) is any foreign nation which has allowed the federal government of Fortestan to handle its foreign affairs and defence. A FAS may or may not use the tolar, depending on if they reached certain economic requirements. Each FAS handles their own domestic policies and are exempt from certain legislation that full member-states must follow. Also, citizens of an FAS are citizens of Fortestan but do not have to pay taxes if they are residents of any current FAS. This tax exemption status is null once the citizen becomes a resident of a full member-state or any other region of the Union. FAS's send non-voting delegates to both houses of Congress.

Autonomous Districts

Autonomous districts are a part of a full member-state and therefore do not send senators to the Ancient Senatus of the States, but they do send representatives to the Great House of the People's Representatives. The autonomous districts have been called 'states within states' because they have their own legislature, court system, and administration but are subordinate to the state government to which they are attached.

Federal Capital District

The Federal Capital District (FCD) is the administrative authority for the capital of Fortestan. Ferroton lies entirely within the FCD and is governed by a city council elected by the people. The Congress is responsible for administering the FCD and appoints a mayor, approved by the people through referenda, to lead the council. The FCD has its own court system. All federal government offices are located within the FCD.

Economy

Culture

National Holidays