Satimon
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| National motto: The Basis of All We Hold Dear is Liberty | |||||
| National anthem: Satimonian National Anthem of the Republic | |||||
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| Region | The Mediterranean | ||||
| Capital | Solomon City | ||||
| Largest City | Solomon City | ||||
| Population (6/21/06) | 5.938 billion | ||||
| Suffrage | All persons 18 years and older | ||||
| Official Language(s) | English | ||||
| Government Chief Minister
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Federal Republic Robert Newman | ||||
| Formation of Republic | October 30, 1987 | ||||
| ISO Nation Code | SAT | ||||
| Currency | Satimonian Dollar (SATD)
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| Internet TLD | .sat | ||||
| GDP (6/21/06) | $248,885,202,266,383.38 | ||||
| GDP Per Capita (6/21/06) | $41,913.98 | ||||
| Exchange Rate (6/21/06) | 1 Satimonian Dollar = $1.9056 | ||||
| National Symbols • Sport • Animal • Tree • Flower |
Chess Hawk Ebony Lotus | ||||
| UN Status | New York Times Democracy | ||||
| Info: NationStates NSEconomy XML | |||||
Satimon, officially the Austere Republic of Satimon, is a North African country located in the region of The Mediterranean. Satimon has the honor of being the region’s de facto Cartographer and has been an active and contributing member of the Med since its beginning. Satimon has a rich and developing history, and has one of the strongest economies in the Med region.
Contents
History
The country of Satimon was formed from ancient tribes that united together after the fall of the Carthaginian Empire in 146 B.C. The tribes, known as the Albinites, Somnintes, and Kryptenites, had feuded with each other for hundreds of years. Their boundaries at the time of unification are still seen today, as the three provinces of the country: Alben, Somnen, and Krypten.
Unification and History of Name
The story of how Satimon was formed is steeped in mystery, and the only explanation is a tragic national myth. The myth has many variations depending on where one lives, but the story remains the same throughout. The story tells the tale about a man from the Somnite tribe and a woman from the Albinite tribe who fall in love with each other but are forced to not see eachother. The Albinite girl was killed in a skirmish between the two tribes, and the Somnite man snuck away to her funeral. It was a custom for a woman in the Somnite tribe to through herself on the funeral pyre of her husband if she had no will to live after his death. This tradition was known as sati. The man, in his grief, threw himself on the woman's funeral pyre, thereby ending his life. He was a sati-do-mon or "Man of Sati". This act of grief and devotion seemed to strike a heartstring in both of the Tribes Chieftains', and afterwards they ended their feud and united under the name Satimon, so they would never forget the man's sacrifice for his loved one. Later, the two tribes would come to defeat the Kryptenites, and thus fully forming the country of Satimon.
Excavations and discoveries point to such an event actually happening, but historians doubt that this is the reason that prompted the Somnites, the strongest of the tribes, to seek an alliance with the weaker (but more skilled in iron smithing) Albinites. The formation of the country was most likely a common interest in the tribes to destroy the Kryptenites, who had plans to unite themselves with neighboring forces. Others point out also that both the Chieftains lacked suitable families to continue on their bloodlines, and that inter-marring the two Chieftain families would mean both the families would live to see another day.
Growth and Change
The country united, and the Albinite and Somnite families united, Satimon became a monarchy under the newly formed super-family "Everts". The name was a mixture of the Albinite name Evergard and the Somnite name Tsolumon. Through the next millennia, the nation grew and advanced. The monarchs through the 1300 and 1700's sought to change the country drastically by adopting successful reforms from other Med nations. Through these centuries, Satimon adopted foreign inventions and ideas to bring Satimon into technological and agricultural modernity. Seeing English as a superior language then his own (a mixture of Latin and Phoenician), King Rabulon II forced the country to learn and speak the language. His successors followed suit, and after 200 years, the country was united under one foreign language.
Education and literacy became more important to the people, and growth of Universities and Colleges grew. This gave Satimon more of a chance to compete in the Industrial Revolution, and the country grew fast to industrialize it's economy. Trains, roads, and new inventions in telecommunications and transport united the country more and more, and allowed the economy to grow more and more as factories and and under industries expanded.
Modern Satimon
Satimon continued to grow and prosper through the 20th century, until the mid 1900's. Invading communist forces blockaded the country and demanded that it surrender. The King at the time, Lucifer III, brokered a deal with the communists which demanded of them tons of gold in exchange for total collaboration with them. Lucifer III surrendered to Communist forces in 1948 which created much distain for the Monarchy through the next 39 years, popularly called the Reign of Malice. From 1948 to 1987, the Monarchy helped Communist Forces control the nation. The Royal family is estimated to have received 260 thousand tons of gold from the Communists for their peaceful collaboration. Lucifer Everts III, who was the 18 year-old King when Communist Forces invaded, is portrayed as a "Benedict Arnold" of Satimon for "selling" the country for bribes in gold.
In 1980, fed up with the monarchy, a popular upheaval began in the streets of the capital and quickly spread across the country. The citizenry formed a rag-tag army which battled communist forces stationed in the country as well as Royalists. A revolutionary parliament was formed during the havoc and violence, their biggest role was to form a government after said revolution. Money was taken from noble families to fund the effort. An estimated 23 million people died in the war, thousands of whom were of the nobility. On October 30, 1987, the day communist forces left and Lucifer captured, the Revolutionary parliament signed into law a temporary transitional revolutionary government, which is considered the birth of the Satimonian Republic.
Politics
Satimon has a unicamerial legislature which seeks to write and make up laws. The Executive branch is seperate from the Parliament, and is known as the Ministry. There are 6 major parties within the country which vie for power to control both the Ministry (by being elected as Chief Minister) and Parliament (by getting the most seats).
Political Parties
Tradtionalist Party of Satimon
The ideology of the Traditionalist Party, or TP, tends toward conservativism, capitalistism, and libertarianism. It's leader is Robert Newman (Chief Ministers are considered the "leader" of their party, even though they are not part of Parliament). Norman Schwattsburg is the Majority leader in Parliament. The party has 298 eats in Parliament out of 621, giving it control of the Parliament and 13 seats less than almost near control. It is one of the newest parties of Satimon and is made up of old Tories, Conservatives, Progressive Nationalists, and Libertarians. It is without words the most powerful force in Satimonian politics.
Socialist Party of Satimon
The ideology of the Socialist Party, or SP, tends toward liberalism, socialism, and the creation of a welfare-state. It's leader is Vladimir Norstrum, a former high school teacher and socialist philosopher from a wealthy family in northeastern Krypten. Nortstrum is the Minority Leader in Parliament. The party has 128 seats in Parliament out of 621, leaving it 183 seats from control of the Parliament and 71 seats less than a majority against the Traditionalists. It is the oldest party in Satimon. It used to be called the Communist Party of Satimon, but changed it's name after the Satimonian Revolution. It is considered a crumbling force within Satimonian politics.
Christian Reform Party of Satimon
The ideology of the Christian Reform Party, or CRP, tends toward christian values, social conservatism, and a so-called "preparation for the rapture." It's leader is Robert "Bobby" Nites, Secretary of Parliament and former televangelist. He is known to profess the word of the Bible, "without a creepy bible-thumping sort of way." Nites was voted in as Secretary of Parliament in a coalition attempt by the Traditionalist Party. The CRP has had a stagnant base, and support comes from mostly by the christian elderly. It used to be the only opposition party allowed during the years of King Lucifer. It never won control of Parliament. It is considerd a sort of tie-breaking bloc within Satimonian politics.
Satimon First! Party
The ideology of the Satimon First! Party, or SFP, tends toward isolationism, huge tariffs, and certian steps that many would probably consider xenophobic. It's leader is Hugh Slughorn, a promenent businessman and financial advisor and contributor. Slughorn has made known his contempt toward the nation's rising trade deficit and involvement in international affairs. The SFP has 12 seats in Parliament and remains unpopular in Alben and Somnen. All of it's support comes from a few regions in Krypten where a loss of jobs has made some Satimonians not even want to vote socialist. This party is probably the most ignored party in Parliament. They have very vague goals beside isolationism, and don't do or say much. However, it is considerd a growing force within Satimonian politics.
Green-Marxist-Leninist Party
The ideology of the Green-Marxist-Leninist Party, or GML, tends toward environmentalism, Communism, and the advocation of violent and bloody "World-Wide Socialist Revolution." It's leader is Lauren Swistock, a communist immigrant who is probably the most hated figure in Satimonian politics. She is also an ardent environmentalist and has been arrested by authorities for assulting people on the grounds of "driving a gas guzzler" and "wearing dead animals. The GML only have 6 seats in Parliament, mostly because it is a conglomerate of many unpopular parties that have banded together (namely between the widely unpopular Greens and the even more unpopular hardcore Communists who are dissatisfied with the Socialist Party). The GML's basic role is just to be loud and annoying. It is considerd a joke and a "freak accident" within Satimonian politics.
