Labhekistan

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'The Democratic-Socialist Union of Labhekistan
labhekistan.jpg |
National flag
Motto Державой с помощью свободы
Anthem
Capital and largest city Augustgrad
Official Languages
 
Russian, English
Population
 - Total

1,524,119,358
GDP
  - Total (NSD)
  - GDP/capita (NSD)

$61,267,500,000,000
$40,845
Currency Labhekistan Dollar (L$) = $1.03 USD


Labhekistan (Russian: Лабонкыятн), officially The Democratic-Socialist Union of Labhekistan, is a vast, culturally diverse nation, with citizens from a variety of ethnicities. It's official languages are Russian and English, with both languages being spoken by the majority of the population. However, many other languages are spoken across the country, including French, Arabic, and Japanese.

Labhekistan is a Social Democracy with the leader being elected in democratic elections. The current head of state is Prime Minister Alexi Strumov. A technologically advanced and industrialized nation, Labhekistan is a leader in its region for healthcare and education. Labhekistan has abundant natural resources, including oil, natural gas, lumber, and hydro-electric power.

Government

Labhekistan is currently a democracy with strong socialist infulences. The Prime Minister, Alexi Strumov, is also the leader of the People's Socialist Party, which currently holds a majority of seats in the parliament.

All the legal framework of Labhekistan is contained within the Constitution of Labhekistan. The Constitution contains the rights and freedoms of Labhekistani citizens, which generally cannot be overridden by any level of government, except in the most extreme of circumstances.

The position of Prime Minister is held by the leader of the party which recieves the majority of votes in a Federal Election. The Cabinet is formally appointed by the Prime Minister, and its members are drawn from the party of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister exercises vast political power in the appointment of various officials within the government and civil service.

The Federal Parliament is made of of two houses, the House of Commons and the Senate. The Members of the House of Commons, more commonly referred to as the Members of Parliament (MPs), are elected by a majority vote within their electorial district. An MP may come from any party, the the number of MPs elected during a Federal Election determines the overall winner of the election. A general election can be called by the Prime Minsiter at any time. The maximum term for a Prime Minister is ten years, and a federal election must be called every five years. The Senate is also appointed by the Prime Minister, and often used to pass complex legislation, but may not originate any bill imposing taxes or appropraiting public funds.

Economy

Labhekistan has a very strong economy. The people of Labhekistan have many traditional socialist values when it comes to the economy. The government is more involved in the economy than more traditionally capitalist nations, and several industries, including healthcare, public transportation, and education, are all subsidized by the government. The government's progressive socialist policies in regards to healthcare make Labhekistan a beacon of health throughout the world. All healthcare services are provided free of charge, and the nation's well-funded and highly capable hospitals are the envy of many capitalist nations with less progressive policies.

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Wind Power Site in the Northern Steppes
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Labhekistan's exports include natural resources (oil and natural gas, zinc, uranium, coal, gold, aluminum, lumber, etc.), automobiles, pharmaceuticals, computers, and aviation technology. Labhekistan is also one of the largest exporters in the region of renewable energy, generally drawn from solar, hydroelectric, and wind power. Although Labhekistan is not a nation that values the environment zealously, many steps have been taken to reduce emissions throughout Labhekistan by using alternative fuel and power sources. Currently, the global market has been focusing on Labhekistan's extensive research on corn ethanol as an alternative fuel source.

Demographics

The population of Labhekistan is currently more than one billion people, the majority of whom live in dense urban areas, such as the capital, Augustgrad. The majority of Labhekistan citizens are Russian (35%) and English (32%), but there are also many citizens of other ethnicites, including Arabs, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese.

Labhekistan has a very high immigration rate, which is partially responsible for the surging population. Labhekistan also accepts many refugees, who often settle in or around the largest cities.

Labhekistani citizens practise a wide variety of religions. The majority are Christian (52%), however, there are also many Muslims (21.2%), and Jews (6%). 18% of all Labhekistani citizens claimed no religious affiliation.

Education

Education in Labhekistan recieves a very high portion of the government budget. While conservative in many areas, the people of Labhekistan are very progressive when it comes to eduction. Primary Education (mandatory from ages 6-18) is composed of twelve grades or "Education Levels", and is provided free by the government. The adult literacy rate in Labhekistan is 100%. Secondary Education (after graduation) is administered by the Federal Government. Secondary Education (including colleges and universities) is also provided free by the government, as long as certain qualifications are met. (For example: A student wishing to study medicine must score a certain mark on an entry examination to go to a medical university. If the mark is met, than the government will provide education free of charge.) More than 70% of all Labhekistani citizens have a secondary education.

Geography

Labhekistan is located on one of the smaller continents in Western Haven, on the Western coast of the Aralonian Channel. Labhekistan is bordered by the Cravanian Home Countries to the Northeast, Alacea to the west, and by the Eastern Havenic Mandate (a colony of the Questerian Empire) to the East. Across the Aralonian Channel, Labhekistan shares an ocean border with Central Prestonia.

The majority of Labhekistan's 1.5 billion citizens live in the southern part of the nation or on the group of large islands off the coast. Many of Labhekistan's largest cities are located on the coastal lowlands, amongst the many bays and river deltas that are located there. The southern lowlands are generally temperate throughout the year, however, unlike much of Labhekistan, they do not have the long, cold winter of the northern steppes.

The Byel Mountain Chain runs more or less through the center of the country, dividing the southern lowlands from the steppes and agricultural centers to the north. Cities in and around the mountain chain, such as Urengoyy and Voronezh, are popular tourist attractions due the excellent skiing conditions which occur throughout the long winter months, as well as their scenic beuty and mountain trails.

North of the Byel Mountains, the northern steppes feature gently rolling hills and unending wheat fields which stretch to the horizon. The northern steppes provide most of the agriculture for Labhekistan, but are also host to several large cities near the Labhekistan-Cravan border. The steppes generally have a colder winter than the lowlands due to their proximity with the mountains, but have more stable weather which is well suited for agriculture.

Military

Labhekistan's Armed Forces currently consist of 1.72 million members, which are divided into four services, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, and a further 1.20 miliion in the reserve components, . The Labhekistan Armed Forces is an entirely volunteer military, with compulsory military service having been abolished in 1992.

Labhekistan's current Chief of Defense Staff of the Armed Forces is General Mikhail Sergetov, and under him is Deputy Chief Admiral Gregori Putkin. Each branch of the Armed Forces is led by a Department Chief, who reports directly to the Chief of Defense Staff.

The Labhekistani Armed Forces currently has a budget of $1.5 trillion Labhekistani Dollars ($1.545 trillion USD) anually. Although Labhekistan has one of the smaller militaries of Haven, its forces benefit from the highest quality training and equipment, making them an elite, if small, fighting force.


Labhekistan Army


The Labhekistani Army is the largest of the Armed Forces branches, with 875,000 service personnel and 600,000 reservists. The Labhekistani Army is divided into both the Regular Army and the Reserve Army. The Reserve Army functions not only as a "home guard" which is trained to defend Labhekistan but may serve abroad, but also a capable reserve force with members training in addition to working another full or part-time job.

The Labhekistani Army consists of 13 Armies, which are further divided into four Army Groups each consisting of three armies. The 4th Army is independent from the traditional Army structure, instead serving on standby with the UFAN Rapid Reaction Force 1.

Each army consists of four or more divisions, usually made up of two motorized infantry divisions, an armour division, and a support and logisitics division.


Vehicles and Equipment

For a complete list see: Vehicles and Equipment of the Labhekistan Army


The Labhekistan Army currently relies on technology drawn from both the Russian Federation and pre-existing late-Soviet designs. Mnay of these designs have been upgraded with the latest in electronics and other systems, making them much more potent than their predecessors. Recently, there has been a shift towards domestically designing and producing equipment, rather than procuring it from other nations.

The primary main battle tank of the Labhekistan Army is the recently developed M5A2 Stormcrow main battle tank, which has only recently entered service. The Labhekistan Army plans to produce 65,000 units, and more than 100,000 have been ordered for export. In addition to the M5A2, the Labhekistan Army Reserves currently maintains several thousand Russian T-90 main battle tanks.

In addition to its tanks, the Labhekistan Army fields several types of armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, including the BTR-90, BTR-80A, BMP-3, BMP-2D, and BMD-3. Labhekistan Army doctrine emphasizes coordinated attacks by elite motorized infantry and tank divisions, supported by artillery, attack helicopters, and air strikes. Therefore, large numbers of tanks, APCs, and IFVs are fielded by the Army.

The Labhekistan Army also fields several types of Russian air defense vehicles, artillery (both self-propelled guns and rocket artillery), trucks, and tactical ballistic missiles.