Difference between revisions of "Tharra"
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| − | The Principality | + | Geography of Tharra |
| + | The Principality of Tharra is fairly unique in the Nationstates world geographically. Instead of existing as a mostly undeveloped land, with a scattering of large cities, Tharra is almost entirely a metropolis. | ||
| − | + | Most of the Principality has been developed into one large city. With the fall of the Second Empire, feudalism was abolished. This led to an increasing shift from agriculture to industry. In order to accommodate this economic change, massive industrialization took place. Cities grew, especially the capital at Lirra. Over the next fifty years, entire rivers and lakes were drained, and transferred to either the sea, or large underground reservoirs. | |
| − | The | + | The end result was that Tharra became almost entirely urbanized. As one large city, with some of the border territories and frontier being the only arable land. These lands are referred to as the “outskirts”, and are mostly forests, with some meadows. For the most part, the outskirts are used by the military, for training grounds and patrols. |
| − | + | Tharra as a city is wide and varied. Skyscrapers and high rise buildings dominate the skyline, with the ground floor consisting of paved roads and city squares. The Industrial | |
| + | District is mostly made up of factories, and the horizon is filled with smoke from industry. As a result, only the poorest of citizens dwell in the district. Tharra itself is divided into 25 administrative districts, based on population and relative importance. They are all assigned administrative names based on roman numerals, along with a common name. These include the aformention Industrial District, Capitol District, Corporate District, etc. Many residential districts also have names based on the old city that once occupied the area, such as Corva or Lirra. | ||
| − | + | The Principality also retains control of several colony islands within the south sea, known as “territories”. These territories are governed as state lands. Corporations and government interest groups seized the area after the urbanization. Now days, they are mostly turned into massive farms, with a few administrative towns. The territories form Tharra’s only major agrarian center. The territories are also used for raw materials, with mines and oil wells occupying most of the remaining lands. | |
=Government= | =Government= | ||
Revision as of 23:25, 2 January 2006
| |
| Flag of Tharra | |
| Motto: Long Live the Prince! | |
| Region | Monarchy |
|---|---|
| Capital | Lirra |
| Official Language(s) | English |
| Leader | HSH Prince Leopold V |
| Population | 5.5 billion |
| Currency | livre |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Contents
Overview
The Sovereign Principality of Tharra is a massive, safe nation, remarkable for its complete absence of social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 5.164 billion 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.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt, moralistic, pro-business government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defence, and Commerce. The average income tax rate is 100%. A powerhouse of a private sector is dominated by the Uranium Mining industry.
University graduates and new home-owners toil in labour camps to work off their debts, mobile phone masts are being erected all over the country, Tharra's army is full of 2 metre tall super-soldiers, and Pinkerton agents are called in to forcibly break up white collar strikes. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force. Tharra's national animal is the imperial lion, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the livre.
Geography
Geography of Tharra The Principality of Tharra is fairly unique in the Nationstates world geographically. Instead of existing as a mostly undeveloped land, with a scattering of large cities, Tharra is almost entirely a metropolis.
Most of the Principality has been developed into one large city. With the fall of the Second Empire, feudalism was abolished. This led to an increasing shift from agriculture to industry. In order to accommodate this economic change, massive industrialization took place. Cities grew, especially the capital at Lirra. Over the next fifty years, entire rivers and lakes were drained, and transferred to either the sea, or large underground reservoirs.
The end result was that Tharra became almost entirely urbanized. As one large city, with some of the border territories and frontier being the only arable land. These lands are referred to as the “outskirts”, and are mostly forests, with some meadows. For the most part, the outskirts are used by the military, for training grounds and patrols.
Tharra as a city is wide and varied. Skyscrapers and high rise buildings dominate the skyline, with the ground floor consisting of paved roads and city squares. The Industrial District is mostly made up of factories, and the horizon is filled with smoke from industry. As a result, only the poorest of citizens dwell in the district. Tharra itself is divided into 25 administrative districts, based on population and relative importance. They are all assigned administrative names based on roman numerals, along with a common name. These include the aformention Industrial District, Capitol District, Corporate District, etc. Many residential districts also have names based on the old city that once occupied the area, such as Corva or Lirra.
The Principality also retains control of several colony islands within the south sea, known as “territories”. These territories are governed as state lands. Corporations and government interest groups seized the area after the urbanization. Now days, they are mostly turned into massive farms, with a few administrative towns. The territories form Tharra’s only major agrarian center. The territories are also used for raw materials, with mines and oil wells occupying most of the remaining lands.
Government
Tharra is legally a constitutional monarchy. In practice, however, the Prince weilds a great deal of power, some of which is de facto, and some of which is constitutional. The Constitution of Tharra was first introduced after the formation of the Principality, and continues to remain in force to this day.
The Prince
The Sovereign Prince of Tharra is head of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government, as well as being Head of State. According to the constitution, all government bodies act in his name, with his influence and control upon them varying, according to situation and organ of government.
The Prince's powers include the right to declare war and peace, to veto all legislation, to dissolve the National Assembly at will and call for reelections, to appoint the Prime Minister, to appoint all government ministers and officials, to award dignities and honors, to grant pardons and commute sentences, to deport foreigners, to mint coinage, to act as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, to declare a state of emergency, and to act as representitive of the nation. The Prince is also inviolable and legally immune to all forms of prosecution. In addition to this, no Act of the National Assembly can be passed without his consent, which can be witheld as a veto. The Prince can also issue legislation, within the framework of State Acts, which must be countersigned by a minister of state.
Additionally, the Prince is also head of the princely family. He also has the express right to appoint bishops and archbishops, by papal bull; an important power as Roman Catholicism is the state relgion, adhered to by a majority of the population.
Executive Branch
Cabinet
The Cabinet of Ministers is made up of the heads of each minstry of state, appointed by the Prince from amongst the National Assembly. These men bear the title "Minister of State" and preside over one of the various ministry departments. The ministries include War, Interior, Foreign Affairs, State, Commerce, Princely Household, Finance, and Justice. The cabinet reserves the right to advise the Prince on all decrees (which must be countersigned by one of its members) and to issue status reports on current affairs, acting as an elite advisory body. Other members of the cabinet include an appointed Prime Minister. Cabinets may only remain as long as the National Assembly's term, and are automatically dissolved upon the dissolution of the National Assembly.
Council of State
The Council of State consists of twelve members, titled as "Councillors of State". They are charged with advising the Prince, and with reviewing all legislation introduced into the National Assembly. Councillors are usually appointed on an equal basis of spiritual, military, and civil advisors. In addition to these members, the Prince chairs the council, and the heir to the crown is allowed a seat as vice chair. The Prince may also appoint any other members of his family as councillors.
The Prince must consult the council before declaring war, peace, or a state of emergency. However, the council does not neccessarily have to agree with the descision, and its convening for advice can be a simple formality.
Ministries of State
The ministries of state serve as state departments. They are purely administrative bodies, and act in accordance with the will of the Prince and the policy charged to them by supriors. Each ministry administers according to its sphere of influence. The ministries are headed by ministers appointed by the Prince. Ministries opperate at a local and national level, acting in the Prince's name to carry out the state's policy.
Legislative Branch
National Assembly
The National Assembly of Tharra is the principality's chief legislative body. It is unicameral and acts as the source of all legislation and state acts. 600 Deputies make up the Assembly. Of these, two thirds are elected by popular vote in each province, and one third are appointed by the Prince. Deputies serve a term of no more than six years, without limit. National Assemblies can be dissolved early or at the conclusion of six years by the Prince alone, who must then call for elections. Elections are held a month later, with all those above the age of seventeen having sufferage.
Legislation is introduced in the form of bills, which after being reviewed by the Council of State, are reveiwed, discussed, and then voted upon by the Assembly. Those that pass are submitted to the Prince for consent, after which they are either defeated or come into force as Acts of State.
Judicial Branch
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeals existing in Tharra. The court also acts as a court of last resort on all disputes that are appealed. It is made up of nine justices, appointed by the Prince for life. Justices rule on cases by a pure majority, with rulings carrying the force of interpretation of the law.
Local Government
Local government is divided into provincial and communal spheres. Provincial government is headed by Lord Lieutenants, appointed by the Prince for life. Each Lord Lieutenant acts as an administrator, carrying out the Prince's will. Communes consist of municipal districts, and are under the authority of a Lord Mayor, elected by the commune for a term of six years. He is advised by a communal council, appointed from amongst the residents of the commune's chief city. Local branches of ministries also operate at communal and provincial levels, and oversee the local government.
Demographics
The state religion of Tharra is Roman Catholicism. 96 percent of the population is Catholic. Tharra itself nationally recognizes Pope Leo XIV of the Holy Vatican See as the true NS pope, and considers all others antipopes and heritics. The Catholic clergy are given special recognition and status in Tharra. Minority religions include Protestantism (3 percent) and Islam (0.5 percent). All minority religions are not given recognition or special status, and are as a rule unofficial. By law, all subjects are required to attend one catholic mass per month at the nearest church, on pain of a heavy fine.
A majority of Tharra's population are of Tharran ethnicity (99 percent). All ethnic groups are granted equal rights under the constitution. Literacy rate at 96 percent and life expectancy is at an average of 75 years, though it is often much higher for the wealthy and lower for the poor. Legal adulthood is 17 years, with universal sufferage granted to all adults under the law. Most of the population speaks English (99 percent), though Latin and French are minority languages, given special status under the constitution.
Catholic bishops and archbishops are given special tax exemption under the law. They are also allowed to collect a special tax for the church, called a "tithe". The tithe is collected from all citizens annually, along with all other governmental taxes.
Nobility
The Prince alone may grant noble titles and honors, according the constitution, which he does by letters patent. Nobility follows the continental system, with all legitimate descendants in the male line of a noble bearing the same title as their ennobled ancestor. The noble titles are Count and Countess, Baron and Baroness, and Untitled Noble. As a rule, untitled nobles are much more common, with counts and barons being very rare. Nobles alone are allowed the predicate of "de" before their surnames, as well as the right to bear a coat of arms, to belong to the College of Nobles, and to be exempt from all taxes (save the tithe). The nobility are granted, upon being ennobled, a property endowment in the form of a majorate. These majorates are hereditary, being held by the head of the family, and come in the form of land property or financial estate (such as stock or investment).
All hereditary nobles belong to the College of Nobles, which is a nonprofit, corporate body, which records all members of the nobility, and protects their rights. Each family sends a representitive, who serves for life.
Personal nobility can be granted in the form of knighthood, and does not include a majorate or membership to the college. Personal nobles also do not have the right to pass on a coat of arms or to bear the predicate of "de".
Economy
Economically, Tharra is extremely powerful. Being one of the oldest nations in nationstates, it has managed to develop into something of a superpower. In fact, the economy is quite frightening, when ranked with all the others accross the globe.
While agriculture maintains a larger sector than industry, it is only slightly. The economy is very strong agriculturaly. This is due to the use of agricultural corporations as an economic system. Free peasants work corporate lands. Most of the output is taxed via internal terrifs and then taken and sold nationally, as well as being terrifed and sold internationally by export. Thus, agricultural products are one of Tharra's major exports.
Industry is also powerful. Nobles commonly invest in the industrial development of their lands, as does the state. Raw materials are thus obtained via investments and agricultural revenue (further aiding the economy). Wealthy corporations then invest and develop them, selling them on the nation's free market, and exporting them. Many natural rescources are also obtained and sold, and Tharra is infamous for its free and capitalistic market.
Corporations are granted special tax exemptions and protection under the law. This allows the economy to prosper, with terrifs evening out profits and giving the government heavy sums of money. However, only nationally based corporations recieve privliges, with foreign bodies not being subject to the same treatment. This ensures are positive economic budget.
Military
Tharra invests much in its military. Defense is something very important to the princely government. A career in the military is something advertised by the state, and rewarded well. Pensions are often granted to successful officers, and the pay of a soldier is not by any means lacking.
The Grand Army of the Principality is the main unit of the armed forces. It is charged with external defense and all foreign campaigns. The Princely Navy defends the seas and territories, and also is charged with external defense and foreign campaigns, as well as internal defense. The National Guard defends the internal land of Tharra, and is often posted at or near the frontier. Finally, the Princely Guard serve as the elite troops of the principality, fighting in wars as the vanguard of the Grand Army, and protecting the Prince, with some of its cohorts serving to guard the palace.
The Prince is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In practice, leadership is often administered to by the departements of state for war and the navy. Leading marshals also have some role in forming military policy.
