Difference between revisions of "Gruenberg"

Revision as of 21:52, 6 March 2006

The Holy Wenaist Sultanate of Gruenberg
Tep Zlatani Melli Wenaisti Gruenbergersk vom

(In Detail)
National motto: Kab-sez Schialnach Brachtrauron (Rukialkotta: There's nothing wrong)
Official languages	Rukialkotta, Bazhtan
Capital	Flurthwel
Largest city	Merlefurt
Government  - Sultan  - Grand Vizier	Wenaist monarchy Gardab Woltzten IX Mikkolic Weltin
Nation Code	GRMI
Area  - Total  - % water	1,027,824 km² 3.4%
Population  - Total (est.)  - Density	258,000,000 251/km²
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	$2,889 billion $11,200 per capita
Establishment	The 436th Year
Day of Glory	1st of Kreen
Religion	Wenaism
Currency	Opst
Currency Code	GROP
Time zone  - Summer	MTC +5-6 MTC +6-7
Internet TLD	.gb
Calling Code	627
National game	Cricket
National fruit	Pear
National flower	Woltzten rose
National animal	Moon ram
National fish	Spliantes Carp

Although densely populated, Gruenberg is one of the smaller countries in the world, with a population of under 300 million. Home to the Wenaist religion, Gruenberg has the largest population of adherents in the world, with over 97% of its citizens being registered Wenaists. Although the area has a long and rich history, no major civilizations united the many diverse tribes until comparatively recently, when the Grand Duchy of Naffarron was formed in the wake of the First Reawakening nearly 700 years ago. Gruenberg has existed in its present state for almost 300 years under the rule of the Woltzten Dynasty, who were the first to bring Naffarron and the Gelzien Nub under a common flag, although the union has been far from harmonious, and the separatists in the Gelzien Nub have become increasingly vocal and violent in their calls for autonomy.

Once a relatively poor and undeveloped country, Gruenberg has seen major agricultural, industrial and financial reforms in the last century, with its economy the fastest-growing in the region, and being ranked in the top 1% worldwide. Social and political freedoms have also increased, but the image of Gruenberg as a despotic land of oppression persists. The military has also been strengthened significantly, although at this point it does not possess NBC weaponry.

The name Gruenberg (IPA:/gryːnbɛʁk/) means Green Mountain in Rukialkotta, a reference to Hatash Myari, the sacred mountain of the Wenaist religion that lies in the north-west of Naffarron.

Geography

Main article(s): Geography of Gruenberg

Gruenberg has a total area of 1,027,824 square kilometres, with a land area of 992,514 square kilometres. This is divided in an approximate 6:1 ratio between Naffarron (880,254 km²) and the Gelzien Nub (147,570 km²). The two provinces are separated by over a thousand miles, and are fairly geographically distinct.

The Naffarronese coastline on the Bay of Abzhan-Rejak plays host to some of the most beautiful beaches in the region, famed for their fine white sand.

People

POPULATION:

• Census Of The 720th Year: 226,426,000¹
• Census Of The 730th Year:
  • Males: 130,677,806
  • Females: 124,984,623
  • TOTAL: 255,662,429
• Current estimate (mid-The 732nd Year): 258,000,000

BIRTH RATE: 32.6 live births per '000 head

DEATH RATE: 9.6 registered deaths per '000 head

POPULATION GROWTH RATE: 2.16% per annum

AGE STRUCTURE:

• 0-14 years: 38.2%
• 15-49 years: 55.4%
• 50+ years: 6.4%
• Median age: 20.4 years (males 19.6, females 21.0)

GENDER RATIO:

• Birth: 1.02 male:female²
• 0-14 years: 1.07 male:female
• 15-49 years: 1.05 male:female
• 50+ years: 0.96 male:female
• TOTAL: 1.05 male:female

LIFE EXPECTANCY:

• Males: 60.1 years
• Females: 60.7 years
• TOTAL: 60.4 years

INFANT MORTALITY RATE: 106 per '000 head³

FERTILITY RATE: 4.4 children per woman⁴

HIV/AIDS ADULT PREVALENCE: 0.05% Although the State UNAIDS Offices in Flurthwel have established several HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment programmes as requested by UN Resolution #84, 'NS HIV AIDS Act', Gruenberg has never had a significant HIV/AIDS problem, and as such these initiatives are given fairly low priority and little funding. Gruenberg is not entitled to funding from UN Resolution #32, 'Global AIDS Initiative'.

BASIC ACCESS:

• To water: 92%⁵
• To sanitation: 58%⁶

Gruenberg has done its best with limited resources to extend access to water and sanitation in the hope of complying with the aims of UN Resolution #9, 'Keep The World Disease-Free!'. However, the difficulties of establishing an extensive sanitation network have been exacerbated by Gruenberg's terrain, and problems with flooding, seismic activity and cyclone damage. Similarly, Gruenberg has invested in UNWCC water-improvement initiatives, but even these have not been sufficient to ensure a regular, adequate supply of clean water to remote settlements.

AVAILABILITY OF HEALTHCARE:

• Physicians: 0.38 per '000 head
• Hospital beds: 0.47 per '000 head

HEALTH EXPENDITURE:

• Per head: US $436.8⁷
• % of GDP: 3.9
• Public: 29.8%⁸

MAJOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES:

• Food or waterborne diseases: Bacterial diarrhoea; Hepatitis A and E; Typhoid fever.
• Vectorborne diseases: Dengue fever; Malaria.⁹
• Water contact diseases: Ampirspirosis.¹⁰
• Animal contact diseases: Rabies.

It should be noted that in accordance with UN Resolution #9, 'Keep The World Disease-Free!', vaccinations against many of these diseases, including malaria and typhoid fever, are available to the general public of Gruenberg. However, such vaccinations are voluntary, and many have refused the injections, thus leading to the unfortunate continued prevalence of several potentially fatal diseases. Foreign visitors must not assume that they will be safe from the risk of infection, and are strongly advised to procure inoculations before making their trip.

ADULT LITERACY RATE:

• Males: 56.2%
• Females: 30.2%
• Total: 43.4%

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX: 0.64¹¹

ETHNIC GROUPS: Gruenberg has no major ethnic divisions, and it is important to note that Gelziens who seek autonomy do so for national and cultural, not ethnic, reasons. Differences between tribes have always been slight, and have all but disappeared.

LANGUAGES: Rukialkotta is the state language of Gruenberg and is being taken up rapidly by the population at the expense of more traditional tribal languages. Bazhtan is the holy language of the Wenaist religion, but may only be spoken by a very select minority. Figures here apply only to the first language of respondents:

• Rukialkotta: 62.4%
• Salsaffron: 8.9%
• Malhiati: 6.2%
• Deshpatt: 5.3%
• all other: 17%

RELIGION: Wenaism is the state religion of Gruenberg, and over 99% of Gruenbergers are Wenaists. A few thousand citizens are registered as atheists, Christians or otherwise, mainly in the Gelzien Nub.

Government

Main article(s): Government of Gruenberg

Gruenberg is a technically a semi-democratic constitutional monarchy, but in fact cannot be easily classified under conventional political nomenclature, and its form of government does not conform to traditional models. This is principally because there is no separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary. Because the power of the executive (the Sultan) is hereditary, and extends over the legislature and judiciary as well, it has typically functioned as much closer to an absolute monarchy. As there is no separation of church and state, it is also a theocracy.

The Head of state is the Sultan, currently Gardab Woltzten IX. The line of succession is exclusively male, and in descending age order, such that the oldest son of the incumbent is first in line to the throne. Only one family has occupied the throne: the Woltztens. The longevity and stability of this rule has led to their classification as a dynasty. All federal laws are issued by Sultanic decree.

There is also a high degree of devolution in Gruenberg's political system, representing the tribal history of the nation. Towns have elected councils with powers usually including aspects of taxation, education and law and order. The nation is divided into administrative districts, each with elected councils that oversee town policies, and then each major province has a regional assembly, which exercises considerable legislative power.

At the federal level, the legislature is bicameral. The Regional Congress consists of 200 seats, with 40 representatives from each administrative region; the 500-seat National Congress is apportioned on the basis of straight popular vote. The Head of Government is the head of the largest party — this has always been the Monarchists, and hence the Sultan shares both Head of State and Head of Government titles. The Cabinet is appointed by the Head of Government. The Court and federal government technically have the power to legislate on all matters, but concern themselves mainly with foreign policy and economic and military affairs.

A distinct feature of Gruenberger governance is the role of the Viziery. The Grand Vizier is a political appointment, but is immune from dismissal, and so one Vizier may serve more than one Sultan. The Viziery is staffed by a mixture of civil and religious personnel, and has numerous areas of responsibility. It is also completely unaccountable to the federal government, and is seen as a buffer against the ability of the people to vote the Sultan's powers away.

Politics

Political history

Main article(s): Politics of Gruenberg

Whilst there are many sources of legitimate criticism of the Woltzten dynasty, most would admit that, whatever troubles post-unification Gruenberg has seen at their hands, political instability has not been one. The factional wars and tribal divisions that marked most of the First Age have largely disappeared. The political system has evolved gradually, and has generally been receptive to change. Political theorists have argued that the Sultans have preferred to move gradually towards constitutional democracy with themselves at the helm, than attempt to retain absolute autocracy and suffer violent revolution, which would clearly be more damaging.

Political parties

Main article(s): List of political parties in Gruenberg

Economy

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP):

• In purchasers' values: US $2,889,691,505,520
• Real growth rate: 7.4%
• Per capita: US $11,200

GDP BY SECTORAL COMPOSITION:

LABOUR FORCE¹³:

POPULATION BELOW THE POVERTY LINE: 37%

HOUSEHOLD INCOME BY PERCENTAGE SHARE:

• Lowest 10%: 3.2%
• Highest 10%: 44.6%

DISTRIBUTION OF FAMILY INCOME¹⁶: 44

INFLATION RATE ON CONSUMER GOODS: 5.0%

COST OF LIVING:
Consumer Price Index, base: The 720th Year = 100.

• Food, beverages and tobacco: 240.4
• Clothing and footwear: 199.8
• Rent: 232.1
• Fuel and lighting: 247.2
• Household requisites: 209.2
• All items (including others): 236.5

GROSS FIXED INVESTMENT: 17.2%

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE:
All figures US $.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE:
All figures US $.

PUBLIC DEBT: 38.6%

MAJOR PRODUCTS:

• Agriculture: Sugar cane, rice, wheat, maize, sweet potatoes; milk, pig meat, eggs, poultry meat, buffalo meat; fish.
• Mining: Coal, natural gas, petroleum; iron ore, limestone, salt, phosphate rock, bauxite.
• Manufacturing: Cotton, paper and paperboard, urea, sulfuric acid, chemical fertilizers, petroleum products, pig-iron, crude steel, sugar, electrical equipment.

INDUSTRIAL GROWTH RATE: 15.1%

ELECTRICITY:

• Production: 788.8 billion kWh
• Consumption: 660.8 billion kWh

OIL:

• Production: 1,272,000 bbl/day
• Consumption: 1,972,000 bbl/day
• Exports: 0 bbl/day
• Imports: 988,000 bbl/day
• Proved reserves: 5.68 billion bbl

NATURAL GAS:

• Production: 100,680 million cu m
• Consumption: 100,680 million cu m
• Proved reserves: 7.56 trillion cu m

CURRENT BALANCE OF PAYMENTS: US $8,888,000,000

MONEY SUPPLY:
All figures US $.

• Currency outside banks: 70,800,036,720
• Demand deposits at scheduled banks: 185,912,016,640
• Total³: 263,585,744,800

EXPORTS:

• Value: US $238,788,000,000
• Principal commodities: Mineral fuels and lubricants, clothing and accessories, textile yarn and fabrics, food and live animals, chemical products.

IMPORTS:

• Value: US $217,080,000,000
• Principal commodities: Construction materials, textile yarn and fabrics, mechanical and electrical machinery, chemical products, plastics.

INTERNATIONAL RESERVES:
All figures US $.

• Gold²: 4,086,800,000
• Foreign exchange holdings: 279,921,200,000
• Total: 284,008,000,000

FOREIGN AID DISBURSEMENTS:
All figures US $ million unless stated otherwise. Calculated on an exchange-rate basis i.e. not PPP. Difference between inflow and repayments. Loans from private organizations excluded; formal aid commitments included.

CURRENCY UNITS:

• 60 Tiklata = 1 Opst
• ISO CURRENCY CODE: GROP

FISCAL YEAR: 1st of Edol - 24th of Monan

Appendix

1. Including adjustment for net underenumeration, estimated to have been 3.2%.
2. Registered live births only. The practice in remote rural communities of killing or abandoning unwanted female children means that these figures are unreliable.
3. Ratio of registration of under-5 deaths to registration of births over same period.
4. Figures assume a 0% mortality rate for women of child-bearing age.
5. The availability of at least 20 litres of water per person per day from a source within 1 km from the user's dwelling, including domestic connection, public standpipes, boreholes with handpumps, protected dug wells, and protected spring and rainwater collection.
6. The availability of access to sanitation at a source within 1 km from the user's dwelling, including connection to a sewer or septic tank system, pour-flush latrine, simple pit latrine, and ventilated improved pit latrine.
7. Standardised estimate derived by dividing the value of the Opst by an estimate of its purchasing-power parity (PPP) compared to international currency units.
8. State health-related outlays plus expenditure by social schemes compulsorily affiliated with at least 40% of the population, and extrabudgetary funds allocated to health services. Figures also include grants or loans provided by international agencies, other national authorities, and commercial banks.
9. Risk of infection is dependent on location.
10. Lethal, water-borne virus found in the Chaubhan river in the Gelzien Nub.
11. The HDI is a summary of human development measured by three basic dimensions: life expectancy, knowledge (weighted in a 2:1 ration between adult literacy rate and universal enrolment in all levels of education) and a PPP assessment of GDP per capita. The index range runs from 0 to 1: a value above 0.8 indicates high development, whereas a value below 0.5 indicates low development.
12. Percentage contribution to GDP at factor cost.
13. Persons aged 10 years and over. Excluding armed forces.
14. Percentage composition of total labour force.
15. Plus considerable under-employment.
16. Gini index figure. This measures income equality: the more unequally distributed family incomes, the higher the number. 20-25 indicates high income equality; 45-50 indicates high income inequality.