Qarez

Qarez

Flag of Qarez
Motto: "Death Before Dishonor"'
Region	Zurich
Capital	Qarez City
Official Language(s)	English, Arabic
Leader	Emperor Malik Rashad
Population	~220,000,000+
Currency	The Dollar
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The Holy Empire of Qarez is a huge, economically powerful nation, renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 219 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 government -- a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, corrupt morass -- juggles the competing demands of Defence, Law & Order, and Commerce. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 27%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing, Arms Manufacturing, and Gambling industries.

The government snoops on private internet connections, phone taps are frequently carried out by the police, a survey of the nation's rivers and children has shown that pesticide levels are at an all-time regional high, and drunk drivers are sentenced to death. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is relatively low, 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 dollar.

Modern Qarez

Today, Qarez is a fast evolving, economically powerful country, which prides itself on its growing military, public transit system, and rich history.

Government

The government is a technically a dictatorship, though it 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, 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 a dictator 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.

Military

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:

Branch / American equivalent

• Qarez Marine Corps (Army)
• Qarez Air Guard (Air Force)
• Qarez Naval Guard (Navy)
• Department of Intelligence (CIA/FBI)

According to 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.

Culture

Qarez is a central middle-eastern dictatorship, but with much American influence. Relative to most dictators, Qarezian emperors are generally viewed as 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, The NBA. This is primarily due to Hasek Lazir, a Qarezian-born basketball player who recently entered into the NBA draft.

Economy

Gross Domestic Product: $6,605,766,922,320
GDP Per Capita: $30,163.32
Unemployment Rate: 4.77%
Consumption: $4,742,383,680,000
Government Budget: $2,192,215,579,200
Government Expenditures: $1,863,383,242,320
Goverment Waste: $328,832,336,880
Exports: data currently unavailable
Imports: $801,670,743,000
Trade Deficit: data currently unavailable

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.

History

Qarez has had a rich and interesting history. A timelinecan be seen below. For more information, see

Main article(s): History of Qarez

Trivia

• 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