Difference between revisions of "Kheion"

Revision as of 13:54, 24 January 2005

Kheion

Flag of Kheion
Motto: Be all you can be.
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Region	Europe
Capital	Arden
Official Language(s)	English
Leader	PM Tom E. Hobbes
Population	135 million (after 10% rule)
Currency	Euro
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Geography

"The island jewel in the Southern Sea"

• In short

Kheion is a small island that is located in Southern Europe*. It lies in the middle of Southern Sea and the mouth of Varlden Straight. Western Kheion has dense forests and hills and a lowland of plains and low hills, that is covered with the largest population centres in the nation. Central Kheion is characterized with a highland, or a minor mountain range called the Mercadias. Eastern parts of the island mixture of hills and lowland of fertile soil and grasslands, a minor mountain range, a fertile coastline with beautiful beaches. Kheion's highest point is Mt. Ephesos at 3541 meters above sealevel and it's lowest point is Crystal Valley at -19 meters above sealevel.

• Natural resources

Small amounts of Iron, copper, silver, nickel and minor amounts of coal. Some oil and natural gas pockets have been found in the seabed in close proximity to the coast.

National Factbook

• People

Life Expentancy, Total population: 78.05 years

Total Fertility Rate: 2.16 children born/woman

Ethic groups: 92 % white, 8 % black, primary ethnicities are Anglo-Saxon and Nordic

Religions: 68% atheists, 26% protestants, 6% catholics

Languages: English

Literacy (people over 15), Total population: 99,99%

• Government

Country name: Long conventional form: Republic of Kheion Short conventional form: Kheion Abbreviation: RoK

Government type: Republic

Administrative divisions: Central administration controls the capital and the surrounding vicinity. The rest of the state is split into 24 other local administrations.

Independence: 15th of August, 1749

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: Chief of state and head of government: Prime Minister Tom Hobbes.

Cabinet: Council of State (12 ministers), appointed by the Prime Minister and responsible to Parliament

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (250 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve five-year terms). Latest election results: percent of vote by party: The Free Right (FR) (43%), Enduring Development (ED, right-leaning liberal enviromentalists) (20%), The Rural Voice (RV) (a centrist party) (9%, in the opposition) , the Socialist Labour Party (SLP) (28%, in the opposition).

Judicial Branch: Supreme Court of Arden

Diplomatic representation in the European Affairs: Supreme Ambassador Kane Tienkim

• Economy

GDP - real growth rate: 4,1%

GDP – per capita: € 35000

GDP – composition per sector: Agriculture: 4%, Industry: 28%, Services: 68%

Population below poverty line: 10,1%

Unemployment rate: 3,5%

Budget:

Revenues: 55,5% of GDP

Expenditures: 55,3% of GDP

Industries: Military industries, industrial & construction and mining machinery, medical technology, biotechnology, ships, motor vehicles

Agriculture – products: Wines, fish, fruits, wheat, beef, pork

Exports: 25,6 % of GDP

Imports: 24,3 % of GDP

OIL

Production: 2.356,000 bbl/day

Consumption: 8.796,500 bbl/day

Proved reserves: 7,194 billion bbl

NATURAL GAS

Production: 37.6 billion cu m

Consumption: 37.33 billion cu m

Proved reserves: 1.006 trillion cu m

Imports: 1.5 billion cu m / year

Electricity production by source:

Nuclear: 66 %

Wind / hydro: 22 %

Natural gas: 10 %

Coal: 2 %

History, traditions and people

The Old and Recent

• THE BEGINNING

The island the oldest maps call Northfort, which today makes up the Republic of Kheion (RoK), was colonized by Gunnlandian, Great Brittanian and Scandinavian colonists during the early 18th century. The provincial capital of Arden was found in 1749, only months before a peaceful separation from colonial rule and a declaration of independence both occured. The nation was forced to become self-sustained, where it excelled quickly by concentrating on trading, banking and industrial innovation, becoming a central marketplace in the area within few decades. Hard-working and business-wise Kheionians attracted foreign interest, especially traders and industrial investments. Early Kheionians understood the value of a powerful defence after a series of pirate invasions into many coastal cities, and built a network of guard towers and forts along the coasts of the island. Always equipped with the best soldiers, should they be Kheionians themselves or foreign mercenaries, this defense proved worthy of all expectations and Kheion was made free to pursue prosperity and development.

• THE RECENT HISTORY OF KHEION

The Republic of Kheion hasn't always been a primarily right-wing nation. More than two decades ago Kheion was a welfare state of the Scandinavian type, with democratic socialists, farmers and leftists in the control, and rightists in the opposition. Taxes and unemployment were high, and the nation was very dependant on foreign imports, energy and investments.

• The beginning of the end for the Kheionian welfare state

Twenty-three years ago Kheion was struck with a depression of a historical magnitude. The welfare state had slowly been closing its doom as economic experts indicated, basing their views in the stiffness and stubborness of labor unions and overloading of the social services. This Great Collapse seemed to decapitate the whole welfare system. Huge amount of foreign investments were lost, hundreds of thousands lost their jobs and purchasing power, the healthcare and social service systems crumbled and gave in as the nation was buried in foreign debt.

• The Collapse and the domestic crisis

It all changed all most overnight. In panic, many Kheionians ran to the streets in search for answers. The Government had only empty answers, and in a week it resigned wholly. This act of desperation only fueled the fire which was engulfing the nation, as protests and riots escalated in every major city. Like in every similar situation, a few men rose through the ranks and into the spotlight.

The leaderless state was fighting for its survival. The Parliament was ravaged by intensive argues over who would rule next as the new Prime Minister. The beaten Labor Party was also in the clash - old mistakes where blamed on the old Prime Minister Cullins, as a new power figure, MP Jason Ashley, emerged. However, this political crisis gave strenght to the Conservative Party, who rallied behind their candidate, MP Mark Walker. Walker was on top, however, and would have become the new Prime Minister if not for a certain J.G. Ritter..

• The Nation Divides - The Assassination of Mark Walker and the Communist Uprising

As the arguing continued in the Parliament, riots in the cities intensified. Many people, who earlier had been very rational and somewhat indifferent about politics but now had lost their jobs and savings, were outraged and demanding action. As nothing was done by the Government, many of these angry people organized politically, either joining an already existing Party or creating one with others who had similar ideals. A never-seen-before rise of Communism could be seen and heard in the streets. The conservatives, and the ones who had survived the Collapse (and intended to keep their wealth) didn't stay passive, but rather got organized too as an answer to the power-mongering communists. Overall most of the people didn't react so politically - the average citizen of Kheion was rational enough to understand that inflammatory speech and rioting didn't help solve the already bad situation.

A month and a half had passed after the Black Day of the Collapse, when the Parliament, only nearly, had reached a decision of some sort. The Chairman of Parliament, decided to let the leader of the Conservative Party, Mark Walker to become the Prime Minister and choose the new Government. But as Walker was giving his speech of thanks and future plans to the Parliament, a tall, mysterious man rose from the public stands and with a swift, accurate aim, shot PM Walker to the head, killing him instantly. The shooter was Jonathan Gerard Ritter, a middleman of the Communist Party. Only seconds later, after shooting two random shots towards the seats belonging to the Conservative Party (shots hit no-one) he was shot by a security officer. The situation calmed as fast as it had began, but the effects were horrendous.

The Communist Party was been arming itself in secrecy constantly following the Collapse. It had also demanded the Parliament to let it in so it could take part in the political decision-making, but it was soundly rejected - only they who had been voted into the Parliament were allowed to participate, and the Communist Party hadn't had a single member in the Parliament in years. This enraged the party leadership, and a vicious plan was laid - a plan that would change the face of the nation. The new party leader, Edward Greenwood, was the perfect icon for the party - this frantic but impressive person accumulated dissapointed souls under the leadership of the communists by the tens, even hundreds of thousands. By soon, the party had grown to a point where its leaders decided to act. The assassination of PM Walker was only the start, what had been primed by the communists who had allied themselves with the hardline socialists and centrists, who feared the possible new Government. The second move was the uprising.

to be continued..

Ideologies

The face of Kheion

• Capitalism
• Liberalism
• Rationalism
• Responsibility
• Utilitarianism

Government

Small, centralized and effective

• Goals and ambitions - Be all you can be.
• Policies
• International Relations
• Ministries
• Personal biography of Prime Minister Tom E. Hobbes

Society

The community of individuals made true

• Local democracy independent from central government - the key to successful and effective management of the Society
• Parties - history and present
• Social sense of responsibility - superseding the bureaucratic and unflexible social welfare

Legislation

• The never-ending conflict of the liberalism of the Individual and the utilitarianism of the Society
• Characteristics

The Special Features of Kheion

Business in Kheion

The backbone of Kheion's success

• History
• Andersen Plan: Companies as legal persons - teaching businesses to behave responsibly
• Large businesses - Kheion's international impact
• Small and medium businesses as the foundation of national economy

• GEC - an international success story
• K24 - Kheion's leading media corporation
• Parker-Fulcrum Group - an example of innovative and daring business management

Kheion Defence Force

The military of Kheion

• Five branches of KDF
• The Pride of KDF: Air/Coastal Defense Network DefNet
• The Pitt Plan