Difference between revisions of "Qarez"

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{{WIP}}
 
 
{{Infobox_Nation |
 
{{Infobox_Nation |
 
flag=http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/qarez.jpg |
 
flag=http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/qarez.jpg |
Line 5: Line 4:
 
motto=''"Death Before Dishonor"'' |
 
motto=''"Death Before Dishonor"'' |
 
map=http://www.newmidnight.com/nationstates/qmapt.gif |
 
map=http://www.newmidnight.com/nationstates/qmapt.gif |
−
language=English, Arabic |
+
language=english, arabic |
 
capital=Qarez City |
 
capital=Qarez City |
−
population=~55,000,000+ |
+
population=~380,000,000+ |
−
currency=The Dollar |
+
currency=the credit |
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leader=Emperor
+
leader=Emperor Malik Rashad
 
}}
 
}}
  
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'''The Holy Empire of Qarez''' is a very large, economically powerful nation, renowned for its compulsory military service. Its compassionate, hard-working, cynical population of 56 million are ruled with an iron fist by the corrupt, dictatorship government, which oppresses anyone who isn't on the board of a Fortune 500 company. Large corporations tend to be above the law, and use their financial clout to gain ever-increasing government benefits at the expense of the poor and unemployed.
+
'''The Holy Empire of Qarez''' is a huge, safe nation, renowned for its complete absence of social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 383 million are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.
  
−
The medium-sized, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Defence, Commerce, and Law & Order. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 3%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, followed by Gambling and Basket Weaving.
+
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Defence, Law & Order, and Commerce. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 42%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing, Arms Manufacturing, and Gambling industries.
  
−
The government's new 'Crime Can Fight Itself' policy appears to be backfiring rather badly, Pinkerton agents are called in to forcibly break up white collar strikes, welfare funding has recently gone through the roof, and hundreds of thousands of convicts work as slaves in Qarez's many privately-owned prisons. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is relatively low, thanks to the all-pervasive police force. Qarez's national animal is the scorpion, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the dollar.
+
A National Academy regulates grammar and usage, senior citizens can usually be found doing heavy manual labour, artists are pillars of society, and children as young as eight can be found working in factories. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Qarez's national animal is the scorpion, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the credit.
  
−
= Modern Qarez =
+
==Modern Qarez==
  
−
Today, Qarez is a fast evolving, economically powerful country, which prides itself on its growing [[military]], public transit system, and rich history.
+
Qarez is a rapidly evolving, econonmically powerful nation. Qarezians pride themselves on their well-funded and efficient military, their extensive public transit system, and rich [[History of Qarez|history]].
  
−
= Government =
+
==Government==
  
−
The government is a technically a ''[[dictatorship]]'', though is run by an emperor. The nation is divided up into seven regions, based on the seven ancient tribes, with each region being represented by a ''Consul,'' the American equivalent of a governor. Each city or town is run by a ''Sultan'', or mayor.  
+
The government is a essentially a ''[[dictatorship]]'', though it is run by an emperor, not a techincal dictator. The nation is divided up into seven regions, based on the seven ancient tribes, with each region being represented by a ''Consul,'' roughly the American equivalent of a governor. Each city or town is run by a ''Sultan'', or mayor. The government system in unique in that Qarez is run on mostly Western principles such as free trade, no cencorship etc, but is run by an Emperor and an unelected council.  
  
−
= Military =
+
Six of the seven consuls serve on the '''Holy Council''' as decision makers, with the seventh member serving as the '''Judiciary Head'''. The emperor can, at any time for any reason, propose a new law, decision or idea. The six council members then vote, in private on the decision. If there is a tie, the Emperor is the deciding vote.
  
−
The Armed Forces of Qarez, or AFQ, is a small but growing efficient defense force. Focusing primarily on defending its borders, in recent years Qarez has gained the ability to project force abroad, and could participate in an invasion of a small to medium sized country. The AFQ is divided up into four main branches:
+
The Judiciary Head is the equivalent of a one man supreme court, making the final ruling on any court cases that reach his desk.
 +
 
 +
While Qarez is a dictatorship, the current line of emperors, including the incumbent, Malik Rashad, have been widely regarded as fair and peaceful. It is this line that has built Qarez up to its current economic and military propserity. Though there have been some (quited) calls for an alternative government, the majority of Qarez seems content with their structure.
 +
 
 +
===Organization===
 +
 
 +
<pre>
 +
                        Holy Emperor of Qarez                           
 +
    /      /          |            |            \            \          |
 +
Region A  Region B Region C    Region D      Region E      Region F  Region G 
 +
    |      |          |            |            |            |      _ _ | _ _
 +
Defense Industry  Enviornment Transportation Public Services Humanity |Judiciary| 
 +
                                                                        - - - - -
 +
</pre>
 +
 
 +
===Legal System===
 +
 
 +
The Qarez legal system is similar to most Western legal systems. Accused criminals are innocent until proven guilty, and may appeal the case up several courts until a final verdict is reached. However, police receive much less punishment for arresting an innocent, and the Judiciary Head makes final decisions on court cases, leaving all of the power in the hand of one man.
 +
 
 +
==Military==
 +
 
 +
The '''A'''rmed '''F'''orces of '''Q'''arez, or '''AFQ''' is a large, extremely efficient national military, dedicated primarily to defense of Qarez's borders, shores and skies. With its recent economic propserity, and defense minded leadership, Qarez has gained the ability to project force abroad, as indicated by the purchase of a Nimitz class Air Craft carrier, as well as the rumored purchase of several nuclear submarines.
 +
 
 +
Qarez spends a plurality of its funds on defense, nearly [http://nseconomy.thirdgeek.com/nseconomy.php?nation=Qarez 32%, according to recent budget reports.]
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Defbudget.png]]
 +
 
 +
The military is currently structured into 5 main branches, with 2 secondary branches.
 +
 
 +
The 5 main branches are the
  
−
Branch / American equivalent
 
 
*Qarez Marine Corps ([[Army]])
 
*Qarez Marine Corps ([[Army]])
 
*Qarez Air Guard ([[Air Force]])
 
*Qarez Air Guard ([[Air Force]])
 
*Qarez Naval Guard ([[Navy]])
 
*Qarez Naval Guard ([[Navy]])
 +
*Qarezian National Guard ([[National Guard]])
 
*Department of Intelligence ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA CIA]/[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI FBI])
 
*Department of Intelligence ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA CIA]/[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI FBI])
  
−
According to [http://nseconomy.thirdgeek.com/nseconomy.php?nation=Qarez recent studies], Qarez spends the majority of its budget, 37%, on defense. This is evident in the explosion of purchases in the last year, with Qarez nearly doubling its Air Force and tripling its Navy.
+
The 3 supplementary branches are the
  
−
= Culture =
+
*Qarez Support Corps
 +
*Qarez Emergency Response
  
−
Qarez is a central middle-eastern dictatorship, but with much American influence. Relative to most dictators, Qarezian emperors are fair and relaxed. While there is a large focus on domestic art, sports and entertainment, Qarezians are very much interested in American movies, music and sports, specifically, [http://www.nba.com/ The NBA]. This is primarily due to Hasek Lazir, a Qarezian-born basketball player who recently entered into the NBA draft.
+
==Culture==
  
−
= Economy =
+
Qarez combines an entirely unique blend of rich middle-eastern mystery with the western concepts of capitalism and glamour.
  
−
Gross Domestic Product: $1,630,915,060,716.23
+
===Popular Culture===
−
GDP Per Capita: $26,305.08
+
−
Unemployment Rate: 2.89%
+
−
Consumption: $1,443,360,000,000.00
+
−
Government Budget: $222,254,887,500.00
+
−
Government Expenditures: $200,029,398,750.00
+
−
Goverment Waste: $22,225,488,750.00
+
−
Exports: $192,949,336,809.98
+
−
Imports: $205,423,674,843.75
+
−
Trade Deficit: $12,474,338,033.77
+
  
−
= Geography =
+
====Movies====
  
−
Qarez is a reasonably large nation, roughly shaped like Africa but closer in size to Saudi Arabia. While 85% of Qarez is desert, it has some distinguishable features. A large mountain range in the north-west housed one of the seven ancient tribes, and even today helps protect the nation from land invasions. To the north-east is a barren wasteland, little more than rocks and dirt. On the west and east coasts are two large beaches. The western coast houses the third largest city in Qarez, on the north part of the beach. On the east coast, adjacent to the largest lake in the nation, is the largest city in the country.  
+
Hollywood affects Qarez as much as it does the rest of the world. American blockbusters are wildly popular, and the stars are followed by teen Qarezians nationwide.
  
−
The most remarkable feature of Qarez is the large rainforest in the south-west, a rarity for a desert nation. This is the lifeblood of Qarez, as, excluding oil, it accounts for 65% of all exports. The capital city is located on the edge of the rainforest, near the coast, and another large city sits to the south, even closer to the forests edge on the south coast.
+
Recently, however, Qarezians have begun to produce their own movie industry. The recent national hit ''Man of Honor'', about the nations nameaske Sayid Al-Qarez took in over $100 million at the box office. More and more films are being made in the wake of the first ever Qarezian hit, and the Qarez indie industry is flourishing like no other.
  
−
= History =
+
====Music====
  
−
Qarez has had a rich and interesting history.
+
Conversely, there is little original music originating in Qarez, and what there is conservative folk and world music. A few rock bands have begun to gain attention, but struggle to compete with the multitude of other entertainment options, and the countries old-fashioned music tastes.
  
−
== Ancient History ==
+
====TV/Radio====
  
−
From the 3rd millenium BC until the 16th century AD, Qarez was a sparsely inhabitated region, insolated because of its geographical features. Seven nomadic tribes roamed the land.
+
Until recently, most of the TV was funded and controlled by the Qarez Broadcasting Network, a government run entertainment group. However, with the success of the [[Qarez International News Network]] abroad QINN has branched out into entertainment at home, and for the first time several homegrown sitcoms, dramas and original entertainment will premiere on TVs across Qarez.
  
−
*The mountain peoples
+
Radio never caught the popularity in Qarez it did internationally, and there are more satellite radio subscribers then AM/FM. Airspace is devoted mainly to folk music, news programs and religious broadcasting.
−
*Peoples of the wasteland
+
−
*The lake peoples
+
−
*The rainforest tribe
+
−
*The beach peoples
+
−
*The desert clan
+
−
*The south-desert clan
+
  
−
Besides oil, which was then both undiscovered and useless, and the rainforest, which was guarded fiercely by its tribe, the region was of no interest to other nations, from ancient explorers to the Romans. However, in 537 AD a large asteroid struck down in the northern desert, bringing with it gold. By 545 AD the ancient nation was threatened with invasion by outside barbarians.
+
====Sports====
  
−
The 7 tribes, while nomadic, seldomly moved outside their regions and had little contact. There is archeological evidence of small trade routes, but for the most part they had each adapted to subsist off their own surroundings. However, when the news of the asteroid spread around, and tribes began sending messengers to view it, contact increased. But when the first tribe was attacked by outsiders, a man stood up and organized the country for the first time ever. This man was '''Sayid Al-Qarez'''.  
+
Qarez is known as being an athletic nation, particularly in [[basketball]], boxing, and competitive shooting. The national sport is basketball, a rarity for the region, and Qarez is a perennial contender in the championship. Boxing and marksmanship embody the warrior spirit within Qarezians, and Friday Night Boxing is extremely popular.
  
−
== Sayid Al-Qarez ==
+
[[Football]] (soccer), baseball and rugby are also popular.
  
−
Sayid Al-Qarez is a legendary figure in Qarezian history, and obviously the country is named for him. Faced with the prospect of losing control of the country to outsiders, he united the seven tribes under his name. A member of the lake peoples, they began setting up a city, which is even today the most populous city in Qarez. With his military philosophy and love of his country, he inspired all regional residents, regardless of origin, to fight for their land, and they did, for several decades. The barbaric tribes were eventually pushed out of the country, and control was established by 700 AD.
+
=====Hasek Lazir=====
  
−
== Colonization ==
+
Hasek Lazir is a basketball player in Qarez. As a 6'9" small forward he is an imposing prescence, and is known for his quick speed, outlandish dunks and vicious defense. At age 17, he brought home the Zurich Regional Athletic Games basketball trophy and became a national hero. He has applied to the NBA draft, and many scouts predict he may be taken in the first round, making him the first ever pro-athlete from Qarez. Because of this, and the international attention he has brought to Qarez, he has become a celebrity and national icon.
  
−
Sayid Al-Qarez was made emperor over the seven tribes after the war, and the country became a monarchy. Each tribe moved back to their origins, but stayed connected to the others through as principalities, each with an appointed sultan. With the gold, Qarez began to trade with other countries.
+
In an ESPN special about him he was nicknamed "the Lazer", and his number is #7.
  
−
With the onset of the era of colonization, Qarez was claimed as a territory by 18th Century America. Like India and England or Canada and France, Qarez was treated as a son, not a slave. The unique brand of western thought that is America greatly influenced Qarez, and is still noticable today. However, as Qarez was milked for its gold and other valuables with little return profit, many began to feel this was unfair.
+
===Conventional Culture===
  
−
== The request for independance ==
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====Demographics====
  
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In time, the native Qarezians began to feel abused by their American colonizers. And again, for the second time in history, a young warrior stepped up and pushed back. Farik Wased, a young politicion and warrior, began organizing a rebellion force. He claimed to be a direct descendant of Sayid Al-Qarez, and changed his name accordingly, although modern historians are skeptical of this claim as Sayid had no recorded children.
+
*44% Arab
 +
*29% American
 +
*13% European
 +
*10% African
 +
*2% Persian
 +
*2% other
  
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The rebellion force led by the newly named Farek Al-Qarez claimed the title ''The Arabian Knights''. Given that the majority of the population sympathized with the cause, the Knights did not have to be secretive about their activities, and after several weeks held a sizable army. It is widely acknowledged that Farek Al-Qarez stood up on a boulder outside of his home city and gave a rallying speech to his troops, demanding that they gain independance, "...if not for our earthly pride then for our childrens hearts". He had written a peace offering to the Americans, demanding sovreingty, and there he and his six other top advisors signed it. From here it is difficult to seperate fact from legend.
+
====Religion====
  
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According to the general story, Farek once again gave an uplifting speech asking for any citizen who desired freedom to step right up and take the treaty by horse to the American governmental setup in the south. A mob of patriotic residents all burst forth, but a young teen boy reached the rock first. Again, and this is still according to popular legend, Farek asked his name.
+
There is and never has been an official state religion, other than the widely accepted concept of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism deism]. The "Holy" in "Holy Empire" is attributed to the belief that Qarez is eternally blessed by God, not a particular religious interpretation of God. Regardless, due to European and Arab influence there are large contingents of organized religion.
  
−
"Amir" shouted the eager boy.
+
*36% Muslim
 +
*36% Christian
 +
*18% deist
 +
*4% other
 +
*3% Buddhist
 +
*2% atheist
 +
''Note: 1% is unaccounted for''
  
−
And Farek yelled "Ride Amir" as the crowd cheered him on.
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====Language====
  
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== The fight for independance ==
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The official language, and the primary language spoken in the government, businesses and taught in schools is English. However, Arabic is widely spoken and used commonly enough to be recognized as a secondary language. It is still spoken as the first language among large percentiles of the lower and working classes.
  
−
Continuing the story, Amir rode seven nights and seven days to the American town with three compatriots. Upon arrival he was confronted by two guards. According to procedure, they asked what he wanted. Amir responded with a call of ''freedom''. The guards told him to go away, and when he refused to move, they shot him. The other three brought this news to Farek, and he called for an immediate march on the Americans.  
+
An impressive 45% of Qarez is bilingual.
  
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Here fact presides again. The Knights, as well as a growing mob of angry Qarezians, marched again, this time only taking six days and six nights. They arrived at dawn on the morning of June 29th, 1821, and promptly attacked the first guard they saw. Soon the American cavalry met them with some resistence, and the Knights were pushed back to behind a large dune. Night fell, and the leaders met. The defeat was discouraging, but Farek felt strongly that they should persist. The next afternoon, June 30th, the Americans rode out to finish off the resistance. The Knights faught valiantly, and the colonists retreated at night fall.
+
====Holidays====
  
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Again on July 1st, the colonist militia rode out with additional firepower. The Knights advanced from their bunker, and the two sides faced each other, neither daring to shoot first. As the two generals rode up and down their respective lines rallying the troops, tension grew. As the story goes, each sides guns were aimed and fingers were on the triggers when two messengers rode out onto the middle of the field. An American messenger on a white horse and a Qarezian messenger on a black horse slowed as they reached the middle, and each dismounted and turned to their own sides. They read, one in English and the other in Arabic, that America had granted Qarez freedom on the condition that the two nations retain good relations. Within two weeks, Qarez had its own government set up once again, and Farek Al-Qarez was appointed emperor.  
+
*'''January 1st''' New Year's Day ''Celebrated according to the western calendar''
 +
*'''April 10th''' Emperor Day ''A day set aside so that Qarezians may pay condolences to their ruler. In modern times this is little more than a day off and time to show patriotism.
 +
*'''June 29th''' Day of pain ''Not as nasty as it sounds, this commemorates the day when Qarez rebels were defeated in battle by the Americans. They day is treated as a day to deal with pain and death. Many Qarezians are given the day off.
 +
*'''June 30th''' Day of victory ''Celebrates the first victory in the revolutionary war by the same rebels. Many feast, party and give gifts. Most Qarezians are given the day off.
 +
*'''July 1st''' Independance Day ''The day when Qarez became an independant nation. The most widely celebrated holiday all year. All but the most imperative of jobs are given the day off, and there are many parties, parades and festivals.
 +
*'''October 7th''' Sayid Al-Qarez Day ''Celebrating the supposed birthday of Sayid Al-Qarez, the nations founder.''
 +
*'''December 25th''' Christmas ''Celebrated by the many Christians in Qarez.''
 +
*'''December 31st''' New Year's Eve ''A national holiday.''
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*'''Corresponding month''' Ramadan ''Celebrated by the many Muslims in Qarez.''
 +
*'''Corresponding day''' The Emperor's birthday ''The current emperors birthday is a national holiday, usually observed to the closest Friday.''
  
−
= Trivia =
+
==Economy==
  
 +
The Qarez economy is an entirely [[capitalist]], free-market system with a few exceptions:
 +
 +
'''Enviornmental restrictions''' to protect the earth, '''anti-trust laws''' to protect the consumer, '''standardized schools''' for social reasons, and a basic level of standardized '''[[healthcare]]''' as health is believed to be an inherent human right.
 +
 +
Police stations, many hospitals, fire stations, schools and public services are all payed for through taxes by citizens, any and all other services are privately run.
 +
 +
===Economical Statistics===
 +
 +
'''Exchange Rate:'''  1 credit= $1.5000<br>
 +
'''Gross Domestic Product:''' $6,635,820,756,495.56<br>
 +
'''GDP Per Capita:''' $30,300.55<br>
 +
'''Unemployment Rate:''' 2.57%<br>
 +
'''Consumption:''' $4,742,383,680,000.00<br>
 +
'''Government Budget:''' $2,192,215,579,200.00<br>
 +
'''Government Expenditures:''' $1,863,383,242,320.00<br>
 +
'''Goverment Waste:''' $328,832,336,880.00<br>
 +
'''Exports:''' $831,724,577,175.56<br>
 +
'''Imports:''' $801,670,743,000.00<br>
 +
'''Trade Surplus:''' $30,053,834,175.56<br>
 +
 +
==Transportation==
 +
 +
The railway system is the pride of Qarez. There is no standard highway system in Qarez. For citizens to move city to city, trains are more efficient and cheaper than owning a car. Within cities there are many roads, but many citizens again opt for the better metro system. There are highways, but they are reserved for the government (to move supplies, troops etc.) and are rented by corporations to move supplies,
 +
 +
==Geography==
 +
 +
Qarez is a reasonably large nation, shaped roughly like Africa but closer in size to Saudi Arabia. While 85% of Qarez is desert, it has some distinguishable features. A large mountain range in the north-west housed one of the seven ancient tribes, and even today helps protect the nation from land invasions. To the north-east is a barren wasteland, little more than rocks and dirt. On the west and east coasts are two large beaches. The western coast houses the third largest city in Qarez, on the north part of the beach. On the east coast, adjacent to the largest lake in the nation, is the largest city in the country.
 +
 +
The most remarkable feature of Qarez is the large rainforest in the south-west, a rarity for a desert nation. This is the lifeblood of Qarez, as, excluding oil, it accounts for 65% of all exports. The capital city is located on the edge of the rainforest, near the coast, and another large city sits to the south, even closer to the forests edge on the south coast.
 +
 +
===Enviornment===
 +
 +
Qarez is a dry desert nation, apart from the tropical air to the south-west.
 +
 +
===Largest Cities===
 +
 +
The largest city, '''Qarez City''', has a population of over 8,000,000 people. The capital city, '''New Baltimore''', has close to 5,500,000 people.
 +
 +
==History==
 +
 +
Below is an outline of major eras and events in the history of Qarez. For more information, see {{main|History of Qarez}}.
 +
 +
{| style="border="1"
 +
|'''Dates '''|| '''Era Name''' || '''Distinguishing Features''' || '''Important Events''' || '''Important People'''
 +
|-
 +
|''~BC 300 - ~AD 712'' || Ancient Qarez || inhabited by seven clans, very internal || unification of tribes || Sayid Al-Qarez
 +
|-
 +
|style="width:125px" |''AD 712 - 1780'' || Stable Period || interaction between tribes || formation of (semi-)organized government || none
 +
|-
 +
|''AD 1780 - 1814'' || Colonial Era || colonization by 18th century America || utilization of Qarezian goods for American profit || James Warburton
 +
|-
 +
|''AD 1814 - 1821'' || Qarezian Revolution || fight for independance against America || the 3-Day War || Farik Wased
 +
|-
 +
|''AD 1821 - 1937'' || Independant Qarez || rough beginnings as Qarez sets up its foundation || basic modern structure formed || none
 +
|-
 +
|''AD 1937 - 1988'' || The Long Expansion || Qarez gains regional footing as a relevant nation || discovery of oil || none
 +
|-
 +
|''AD 1988 - ''|| Modern-day Qarez || Qarez continues to prosper and grow to record heights || opening of international embassy || Malik Rashad
 +
|}
 +
 +
===Trivia===
 +
*Qarez's national animal is the scorpion.
 +
*Qarez's national colors are black and gold.
 +
*Qarez's national sport is basketball.
 
*Qarez is the home country of the [[Qarez International News Network]].
 
*Qarez is the home country of the [[Qarez International News Network]].
 +
 +
===Notable Qarezians===
 +
*'''Malik Rashad''' - ''current emperor of Qarez
 +
*'''Sayid Al-Qarez''' - ''important historical figure and noted warrior''
 +
*'''Farik Wased''' - ''rebel in the fight for independance''
 +
*'''Hasek Lazir''' - ''pop-culture hero and NBA hopeful''
 +
 +
<br><table border="5" cellspacing="10" width="95%">
 +
<tr>
 +
<td colspan="3" align="center"><strong>UN Category:</strong> Compulsory Consumerist State</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
<td align="center" width="33%"><strong>Civil Rights:</strong><br>Some</td>
 +
<td align="center" width="33%"><strong>Economy:</strong><br>All-Consuming</td>
 +
<td align="center" width="33%"><strong>Political Freedoms:</strong><br>Rare</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
</table>
 +
</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
   
 +
 +
[[Category:Qarez]]

Latest revision as of 16:09, 19 February 2006

Qarez
qarez.jpg
Flag of Qarez
Motto: "Death Before Dishonor"'
qmapt.gif
Region Zurich
Capital Qarez City
Official Language(s) english, arabic
Leader Emperor Malik Rashad
Population ~380,000,000+
Currency the credit 
NS Sunset XML

The Holy Empire of Qarez is a huge, safe nation, renowned for its complete absence of social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 383 million are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Defence, Law & Order, and Commerce. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 42%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing, Arms Manufacturing, and Gambling industries.

A National Academy regulates grammar and usage, senior citizens can usually be found doing heavy manual labour, artists are pillars of society, and children as young as eight can be found working in factories. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Qarez's national animal is the scorpion, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the credit.

Modern Qarez

Qarez is a rapidly evolving, econonmically powerful nation. Qarezians pride themselves on their well-funded and efficient military, their extensive public transit system, and rich history.

Government

The government is a essentially a dictatorship, though it is run by an emperor, not a techincal dictator. The nation is divided up into seven regions, based on the seven ancient tribes, with each region being represented by a Consul, roughly the American equivalent of a governor. Each city or town is run by a Sultan, or mayor. The government system in unique in that Qarez is run on mostly Western principles such as free trade, no cencorship etc, but is run by an Emperor and an unelected council.

Six of the seven consuls serve on the Holy Council as decision makers, with the seventh member serving as the Judiciary Head. The emperor can, at any time for any reason, propose a new law, decision or idea. The six council members then vote, in private on the decision. If there is a tie, the Emperor is the deciding vote.

The Judiciary Head is the equivalent of a one man supreme court, making the final ruling on any court cases that reach his desk.

While Qarez is a dictatorship, the current line of emperors, including the incumbent, Malik Rashad, have been widely regarded as fair and peaceful. It is this line that has built Qarez up to its current economic and military propserity. Though there have been some (quited) calls for an alternative government, the majority of Qarez seems content with their structure.

Organization

                        Holy Emperor of Qarez                            
     /       /          |            |             \             \          |
 Region A  Region B Region C     Region D       Region E      Region F   Region G  
    |       |           |            |             |             |       _ _ | _ _
 Defense Industry   Enviornment Transportation Public Services Humanity |Judiciary|   
                                                                         - - - - -

Legal System

The Qarez legal system is similar to most Western legal systems. Accused criminals are innocent until proven guilty, and may appeal the case up several courts until a final verdict is reached. However, police receive much less punishment for arresting an innocent, and the Judiciary Head makes final decisions on court cases, leaving all of the power in the hand of one man.

Military

The Armed Forces of Qarez, or AFQ is a large, extremely efficient national military, dedicated primarily to defense of Qarez's borders, shores and skies. With its recent economic propserity, and defense minded leadership, Qarez has gained the ability to project force abroad, as indicated by the purchase of a Nimitz class Air Craft carrier, as well as the rumored purchase of several nuclear submarines.

Qarez spends a plurality of its funds on defense, nearly 32%, according to recent budget reports.

Defbudget.png

The military is currently structured into 5 main branches, with 2 secondary branches.

The 5 main branches are the

The 3 supplementary branches are the

  • Qarez Support Corps
  • Qarez Emergency Response

Culture

Qarez combines an entirely unique blend of rich middle-eastern mystery with the western concepts of capitalism and glamour.

Popular Culture

Movies

Hollywood affects Qarez as much as it does the rest of the world. American blockbusters are wildly popular, and the stars are followed by teen Qarezians nationwide.

Recently, however, Qarezians have begun to produce their own movie industry. The recent national hit Man of Honor, about the nations nameaske Sayid Al-Qarez took in over $100 million at the box office. More and more films are being made in the wake of the first ever Qarezian hit, and the Qarez indie industry is flourishing like no other.

Music

Conversely, there is little original music originating in Qarez, and what there is conservative folk and world music. A few rock bands have begun to gain attention, but struggle to compete with the multitude of other entertainment options, and the countries old-fashioned music tastes.

TV/Radio

Until recently, most of the TV was funded and controlled by the Qarez Broadcasting Network, a government run entertainment group. However, with the success of the Qarez International News Network abroad QINN has branched out into entertainment at home, and for the first time several homegrown sitcoms, dramas and original entertainment will premiere on TVs across Qarez.

Radio never caught the popularity in Qarez it did internationally, and there are more satellite radio subscribers then AM/FM. Airspace is devoted mainly to folk music, news programs and religious broadcasting.

Sports

Qarez is known as being an athletic nation, particularly in basketball, boxing, and competitive shooting. The national sport is basketball, a rarity for the region, and Qarez is a perennial contender in the championship. Boxing and marksmanship embody the warrior spirit within Qarezians, and Friday Night Boxing is extremely popular.

Football (soccer), baseball and rugby are also popular.

Hasek Lazir

Hasek Lazir is a basketball player in Qarez. As a 6'9" small forward he is an imposing prescence, and is known for his quick speed, outlandish dunks and vicious defense. At age 17, he brought home the Zurich Regional Athletic Games basketball trophy and became a national hero. He has applied to the NBA draft, and many scouts predict he may be taken in the first round, making him the first ever pro-athlete from Qarez. Because of this, and the international attention he has brought to Qarez, he has become a celebrity and national icon.

In an ESPN special about him he was nicknamed "the Lazer", and his number is #7.

Conventional Culture

Demographics

  • 44% Arab
  • 29% American
  • 13% European
  • 10% African
  • 2% Persian
  • 2% other

Religion

There is and never has been an official state religion, other than the widely accepted concept of deism. The "Holy" in "Holy Empire" is attributed to the belief that Qarez is eternally blessed by God, not a particular religious interpretation of God. Regardless, due to European and Arab influence there are large contingents of organized religion.

  • 36% Muslim
  • 36% Christian
  • 18% deist
  • 4% other
  • 3% Buddhist
  • 2% atheist

Note: 1% is unaccounted for

Language

The official language, and the primary language spoken in the government, businesses and taught in schools is English. However, Arabic is widely spoken and used commonly enough to be recognized as a secondary language. It is still spoken as the first language among large percentiles of the lower and working classes.

An impressive 45% of Qarez is bilingual.

Holidays

  • January 1st New Year's Day Celebrated according to the western calendar
  • April 10th Emperor Day A day set aside so that Qarezians may pay condolences to their ruler. In modern times this is little more than a day off and time to show patriotism.
  • June 29th Day of pain Not as nasty as it sounds, this commemorates the day when Qarez rebels were defeated in battle by the Americans. They day is treated as a day to deal with pain and death. Many Qarezians are given the day off.
  • June 30th Day of victory Celebrates the first victory in the revolutionary war by the same rebels. Many feast, party and give gifts. Most Qarezians are given the day off.
  • July 1st Independance Day The day when Qarez became an independant nation. The most widely celebrated holiday all year. All but the most imperative of jobs are given the day off, and there are many parties, parades and festivals.
  • October 7th Sayid Al-Qarez Day Celebrating the supposed birthday of Sayid Al-Qarez, the nations founder.
  • December 25th Christmas Celebrated by the many Christians in Qarez.
  • December 31st New Year's Eve A national holiday.
  • Corresponding month Ramadan Celebrated by the many Muslims in Qarez.
  • Corresponding day The Emperor's birthday The current emperors birthday is a national holiday, usually observed to the closest Friday.

Economy

The Qarez economy is an entirely capitalist, free-market system with a few exceptions:

Enviornmental restrictions to protect the earth, anti-trust laws to protect the consumer, standardized schools for social reasons, and a basic level of standardized healthcare as health is believed to be an inherent human right.

Police stations, many hospitals, fire stations, schools and public services are all payed for through taxes by citizens, any and all other services are privately run.

Economical Statistics

Exchange Rate: 1 credit= $1.5000
Gross Domestic Product: $6,635,820,756,495.56
GDP Per Capita: $30,300.55
Unemployment Rate: 2.57%
Consumption: $4,742,383,680,000.00
Government Budget: $2,192,215,579,200.00
Government Expenditures: $1,863,383,242,320.00
Goverment Waste: $328,832,336,880.00
Exports: $831,724,577,175.56
Imports: $801,670,743,000.00
Trade Surplus: $30,053,834,175.56

Transportation

The railway system is the pride of Qarez. There is no standard highway system in Qarez. For citizens to move city to city, trains are more efficient and cheaper than owning a car. Within cities there are many roads, but many citizens again opt for the better metro system. There are highways, but they are reserved for the government (to move supplies, troops etc.) and are rented by corporations to move supplies,

Geography

Qarez is a reasonably large nation, shaped roughly like Africa but closer in size to Saudi Arabia. While 85% of Qarez is desert, it has some distinguishable features. A large mountain range in the north-west housed one of the seven ancient tribes, and even today helps protect the nation from land invasions. To the north-east is a barren wasteland, little more than rocks and dirt. On the west and east coasts are two large beaches. The western coast houses the third largest city in Qarez, on the north part of the beach. On the east coast, adjacent to the largest lake in the nation, is the largest city in the country.

The most remarkable feature of Qarez is the large rainforest in the south-west, a rarity for a desert nation. This is the lifeblood of Qarez, as, excluding oil, it accounts for 65% of all exports. The capital city is located on the edge of the rainforest, near the coast, and another large city sits to the south, even closer to the forests edge on the south coast.

Enviornment

Qarez is a dry desert nation, apart from the tropical air to the south-west.

Largest Cities

The largest city, Qarez City, has a population of over 8,000,000 people. The capital city, New Baltimore, has close to 5,500,000 people.

History

Below is an outline of major eras and events in the history of Qarez. For more information, see

Main article(s): History of Qarez

.

Dates Era Name Distinguishing Features Important Events Important People
~BC 300 - ~AD 712 Ancient Qarez inhabited by seven clans, very internal unification of tribes Sayid Al-Qarez
AD 712 - 1780 Stable Period interaction between tribes formation of (semi-)organized government none
AD 1780 - 1814 Colonial Era colonization by 18th century America utilization of Qarezian goods for American profit James Warburton
AD 1814 - 1821 Qarezian Revolution fight for independance against America the 3-Day War Farik Wased
AD 1821 - 1937 Independant Qarez rough beginnings as Qarez sets up its foundation basic modern structure formed none
AD 1937 - 1988 The Long Expansion Qarez gains regional footing as a relevant nation discovery of oil none
AD 1988 - Modern-day Qarez Qarez continues to prosper and grow to record heights opening of international embassy Malik Rashad

Trivia

  • Qarez's national animal is the scorpion.
  • Qarez's national colors are black and gold.
  • Qarez's national sport is basketball.
  • Qarez is the home country of the Qarez International News Network.

Notable Qarezians

  • Malik Rashad - current emperor of Qarez
  • Sayid Al-Qarez - important historical figure and noted warrior
  • Farik Wased - rebel in the fight for independance
  • Hasek Lazir - pop-culture hero and NBA hopeful

UN Category: Compulsory Consumerist State
Civil Rights:
Some		 Economy:
All-Consuming		 Political Freedoms:
Rare

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