Iriyan Jaya
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The Federation of Iriyan Jaya (Senet: Janaljanalkoler Estiden Jayal Irian) is an island nation in the Broad Ocean. The main island is Jaya Island, and the diminuitive island is called Long Island off of the northern shore. Its compassionate, hard-working, intelligent population of 150 million enjoy a sensible mix of personal and economic freedoms, while the political process is open and the people's right to vote held sacrosanct. The current president is Harry Senate, a Shiriyu of Gadolinium, Sakalum, and the capital is Molybdenum.
A federation of eight provinces and one autonomous republic, seven ethnic groups dominate the Island, the Chalkyitsik, the Neal, the Shiriyu, the Brigolians, the Shu-Mai, the Toz, and the Illyrians. The federal government does its best to balance the freedoms of these nations by taking a mostly hands-off stance to local affairs, and instead handles foreign and economic affairs as part of its day to day business.
Contents
History
Anthropologists still debate over the arrival of man, but most agree that Jaya Island was settled about 5,000 years ago. Tribal folklore describes a mainland called Pakelon, a location that still has yet to be pinned down. These settlers landed in separate locations: the Chalkyitsik landed in the northwest; the Neal landed in the northeast; the Toz landed around Botany Bay; and the Shiriyu and Shu-Mai landed near present day Polonium. From there, the settlers spread out over the Island and began to cultivate the land.
About 1500 years ago, the Five Nations began to interact with one another, and in 1721, a series of treaties were enacted to formalize relations. The most enduring of these treaties was the Treaty of Witol, establishing the conlang of Senet as the language of diplomacy for the Island.
Brigolian colonists landed 500 years ago near Rampart, encountering, in the words of Captain JS de Sailor, "a primitive people ripe for taming." The Island was claimed in the name of the Brigolian Crown, and was divided into three principalities, the Principalities of Selenium, Rampart, and Queen's Village. Oppressive rule by the Crown reduced the populace to serfdom, growing cash crops of coffee, pineapple, and cocoa.
In 1954, Shiriyu rebels rose up and declared the independence of the Free State of Sakalum, triggering the Iriyan Independence Wars. These wars concluded in 1962, with the Treaty of Central City. Many Brigolians chose to remain rather than return to Brigoliland, but a great cross-migration did occur of Brigolians leaving the Island and overseas Islanders returning to rebuild the nation.
The Treaty of Central City created several independent states, which federated in 1970. The capital was first situated at Confluence, before moving to Kowloon Harbour and finally Molybdenum.
Geography
Though deceptively simple, the geography of Iriyan Jaya is wide and varied, rolling from sandy beaches to evergreen forests, from coffee plantations to snow-capped mountains.
Jaya Island, the main island, is a Texas-sized island shaped similar to the continent of Africa. Three distinct regions are created from the two major geographic features, the Jalissa River and the Evergreen Mountains.
The Jalissa River almost creates a north-south divide to Jaya Island. It originates from the southern end of Idien, in the Evergreen Mountains, to flow through Confluence, Kirikeet, and Tozinider, before finally meeting the ocean at Yittrium. To the north of the Jalissa River, the land is mostly tropical plain. To the south of the Jalissa River, the land is temperate forests, though some farmland exists immediately south of the Jalissa River in Tozinider.
The Evergreen Mountains create a west-east divide. This mountain range originates just south of Idien and runs south towards Polonium and east along the Crown Free State-Dorval border. The Evergreen mountains serves as a boundary between Lawsy and Dorval, Crown Free State and Dorval, and also the site of Sakalum nestled on the Touch-The-Sun Plateau.
Due north of Johnsonium lies Long Island, a narrow island 2457km long and 41km wide.
Government
Iriyan Jaya is a democratic federal republic. The head of government and head of state are both the President of the Federation, which is currently Harry Senate. The legislative bodies are the lower House of Commoners, whose members are referred to as Senators and Senatrixes, and the upper House of Governors, whose members are referred to as Governors. Members of the House of Governors double as both the Governors and Vice-Governors of the individual provinces.
Divisions
Iriyan Jaya is divided into nine provinces:
- Ilideljanoil, capital Illyrian Landing
- The Chalkyitsikskaya, capital Tizli College
- Crown Free State, capital Central City
- Idien, capital Confluence
- Aisjengel, capital Tellurium
- Sakalum, capital Gadolinium
- Lawsy, capital Acropolis
- Dorval, capital Wo-Do
- The City-State of Polonium
In addition, Tozinider, capital Tosmedelko, though legally independent, is represented in foreign affairs by Iriyan Jaya. The Toz Ambassador to Iriyan Jaya serves a double role as a full member of the House of Governors, but usually chooses not to exercise his vote. Tozinider also elects one member to the House of Commoners.
Political systems
Iriyan Jaya has a variety of political systems operating throughout its territory, owing to the diverse states that federated to form the republic. In some provinces, two levels of government exist, Island and provincial, while in others a third, local level exist. Officials are elected by secret ballot by citizens of their respective districts.
The Congress of Iriyan Jaya consists of the Senate and the House of Governors. The Senate is comprised of 103 seats, allocated proportionately to each province with a minimum guarantee of 3 seats. These seats are then elected popularly, by proportional representation or by single member districs in Idien and the Crown Free State. The current government is a Green-Labour coalition, and the Loyal Opposition is the United Island party. The House of Governors is comprised of the Governors of each province and their designee, along with the Ambassador of Tozinider to Iriyan Jaya. This system was devised to give each province a high degree of control in the central government.
People and Culture
Ethnicity
Iriyan Jaya is comprised of seven distinct nations.
The Five Nations
The Chalkyitsik live in the northwest of the Island, comprising the majority of the Chalkyitsikskaya and a sizable portion of northern Aisjengel province. The Chalkyitsik also comprise a plurality of Johnson Memorial, the largest city of Iriyan Jaya, thus comprising a plurality of the population of Iriyan Jaya. The Chalkyitsik language is called Chalkyitol.
The Neal live in the northeast of the Island, a majority of the Crown Free State and a plurality of Idien. The Neal language is called Neal Gretch.
The Shiriyu live in the Evergreen Mountains, in central Jaya Island. They are the majority of Sakalum. In addition, a subgroup of the Shiriyu, the Lowland Shiryu, comprise the majority of Lawsy Province. The Shiriyu language is called Shiritel; the Lowlanders refer to their dialect as Shritil.
The Shu-Mai live in Dorval, in the southeast of Jaya Island below the Evergreen Mountains. The Shu-Mai are the largest ethnic group in Dorval. The Shu-Mai language, Shai-Tel, is now extinct; the Shu-Mai speak Senet as a native language now, though some words are still spoken with Shai-Tel pitch inflection.
The Toz live in Tozinider, and northern Aisjengel, in the west of Jaya Island. The Toz form the hypermajority of Tozinider. The Toz speak Toz Nadal.
The Brigolians, the Illyrians, and the Senet
The Brigolians were the former colonial power of Iriyan Jaya. Those Brigolians that remained after independence and confederation mainly live in the Crown Free State and Dorval.
The Illyrians accompanied the Brigolians to Jaya Island as servants. After independence and confederation, most Illyrians relocated to Long Island and the city of Johnsonium. The Illyrians speak Illyrian Senet, a dialect of the Senet language.
In addition, many reject their tribal affiliations. This is partially due to the higher rate of intermarriage. These people refer to themselves as the Senet, after the language, and tend to be monolingual in Senet, an oddity as most are bi- or trilingual.
Clothing
If one word were used to describe Island dress, it would be 'conservative'. Hats, gloves, and cloaks, garments long considered obsolete in daily wear by most countries, are still routinely worn as day-to-day wear by most Islanders.
Most outfits incorporate elements of traditional tribal garments. Shu-Mai still incorporate traditional tartan cloth into professional and formal wear. Illyrian women still routinely wear hijabs as a sign of cultural pride and modesty, and Illyrian men can be spotted by their distinctive breeches and high knee socks. Shiriyu men still wear ornamental belts, and women still entwine flowers and feathers into their hair. Neal hats have a worldwide reputation for quality, and even in the coldest weather, Toz men and women rarely venture out without flip-flops.
Brigolian clothing has long influenced Island fashion, and the suit could well be described as the national costume.
It is worth noting that clothing is usually highly-priced in Iriyan Jaya. This is because nearly all clothing is still woven and sewn in factories on the Island, and therefore must comply with Iriyan minimum wage laws. In spite of this high cost, most Islanders still choose to buy Island made clothing, because of a common belief that foreigners cannot make Island clothing of the same quality as Islanders. Indeed, Island capes and cloaks are famous for their lifelong quality and are a prized export of the Island.
National Identity
Most Islanders reject the idea of an 'Island' identity. The prevailing belief is that if an Island identity is created, it will subsume tribal independence, which is highly valued. The multiculturalism of the Island is also carefully managed, so that no one culture becomes dominant and overtakes the Island.
It is this spirit that continues to hang over the federal government's actions towards promoting national unity. Most citizens of Iriyan Jaya will refer to themselves nationally as "Islanders", and the federal government as the "Island government", rather than the "national government" or the "federal government". The national anthem, The Butterfly, was selected primarily because it has no words, and therefore cannot favor any language.
Some symbols have come to signify the Island, though. The pine cone has been long recognized as a symbol for Jaya Island, and this was continued by the Island government. The fiddle also has been taken up as a national emblem, and most Islanders can at least scratch out "The Butterfly" or another simple folk song. In an odd way, the balkanized stations of the Iriyan Broadcast Service have provided a sense of national unity also.
Business and Commerce
In a desire to create a self-sufficient economy, Iriyan Jaya pursues an economic policy of home-grown businesses, and has high tariffs on nearly all imports.
Agriculture is the main business of Tozinider and Aisjengel. Idien specializes in clothing, and the cities of Confluence and Stannum are the fashion capitals of the Island. Chalkyitsikskaya and Sakalum pursue information technology, centered around the Silicon Mountain area of Gadolinium, and the Silicon Coast of Johnson Memorial. Newly discovered deposits of oil sands at the base of the Evergreen Mountains in Lawsy provide the bulk of employment for that province. Dorval and Crown Free State are referred to as the "factories of the Island", producing most of the heavy machinery of the Island.
Iriyan Jaya has also long capitalized on its strategic location in the centre of the Broad Ocean as the transportation hub of the Broad Rim. The port of Yittrium is the busiest port in the Broad Ocean, and the three international airports of Johnsonium, Selenium, and Polonium are some of the busiest in the world.
Important businesses of Iriyan Jaya include:
Military
The military of Iriyan Jaya is comprised of the Island Armed Forces. Iriyan Jaya is unique among nations in that its armed services are unified under one command, rather than separated into separate branches. The military is headquartered at IFB Carbon Creek, Idien. Out of 5,750,000 men and women of draftable age (18-24), the combined manpower of the Island Armed Forces is 80,000.
Each province also maintains a small Provincial Guard of about 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers. These Guards are still part of the Island Armed Forces, but are limited to being stationed only within their province. The Provincial Guards are usually the primary responders to natural disasters within their respective provinces.
Education
Education is compulsory and free from ages 5-18. Private schools are not uncommon, but do not carry the same prestige as they may in other countries. Indeed, education is the largest part of the Federal budget, usually ranging from 23 to 27%.
One hallmark of Iriyan education is its emphasis on multilingualism and multiculturalism. This is more pragmatic than aspirational; 5 languages are used almost equally in day to day life, and immigration patterns to the Island suggest that as many as five more languages will be present within 20 years. All children are expected, at a minimum, to be bilingual in their own native language and Senet, unless Senet is their native language in which case they are taught a foreign language.
Transport
Iriyan Jaya is a major transport hub for the Broad Ocean, both by air and sea.
There are three international airports in Bandross Point, Chalkyitsikskaya, Anandarko, Aisjengel, and Polimodymium, Dorval, which are marketed as Johnsonium, Kirikeet, and Polonium, respectively. Further, to alleviate capacity problems, two further airports will be opened at Shang-Nai, Dorval, and Faridalium, Idien, which will be marketed as Selenium and Confluence. The federal government limits which airports are international airports in order to ensure a stability for the supporting towns, and to lessen the general impact of travel on the Island. Johnson Memorial International Airport is the busiest airport in the Broad Ocean. Other major airports include Molybdenum, Kirikeet, and Central City.
The ports of Iriyan Jaya handle almost 90% of the cargo of the Broad Ocean. The port of Yittrium is the busiest in the Broad Ocean, and not far behind are the ports of Kowloon Harbour, Aisjengel, Sarik, Dorval, and Rampart, Crown Free State.
