Difference between revisions of "The Zoogie People"

Revision as of 18:38, 7 January 2005

The Zoogie People

Flag of The Zoogie People
Motto: Usus libri non lectio prudentes facit
Map of Zoogiedom
Region	Isles of Arden
Capital	Jaganda
Official Language(s)	Zoogietic Extended Latin
Leader	Michael Hanelis
Population	2,000,000,000
Currency	Limos (lime)
NS Sunset XML

This is the pending and official work-in-progress page for my nation, the Zoogie People. Feel free to contribute or discuss it in the discussion tab. For Current News on the latest developments in the IC world, follow the link or if you prefer, scroll through an excruciatingly large amount of text.

Overview

Terrae liberae Zoogidi Plexis, generally known to the world as 'The Free Lands of the Zoogie People,' or, more simply, as Zoogiedom, is a rather large island nation located on the easternmost edge of The Isles of Arden. It has a rich history that runs at least for three or four thousand years, and a intricate but tightly knit culture that make possible a complex political system that is in use today. The nation will be hitherto referred to as 'Zoogiedom,' although the initials TLZP will be used in much the same sense as 'SPQR' (Senate populusque romanus) was used in Roman times.

Location and Geography

Zoogiedom is primarily defined by the 'mainland,' seen on the map as the largest contigent of land. To the Southwest are the Mythelian Islands, in which the greatest amount of foreign influence is centered; it is here that lies Embassy Row. In the Southeast, the island Tagyr and the fort Taqyr are collectively an important military stronghold and establishment. To the far east is the region known as the Three Islands (Arimos, Walthoris, Trimes), through which all invading forces from outside the Isles of Arden must cross.

It should be noted that the First Island Arimos has no relation or bearing with the nation Arimos.

Mythelian Islands

The Mythelian Islands are the home of Embassy Row, beautiful scenery, inactive volcanoes, and tropical beaches. It is Zoogiedom's foremost tourist attraction as well as Zoogiedom's foreign relations center. The National Air & Space Museum is located here, as well as showcases of rival aerospace corporations Zoogie Aerospace (not a crown corporation) and Star Systems.

Tagyr

Whereas the Mythelian Islands are referred to as the foreign center of Zoogiedom, the small island Tagyr is a formidable military stronghold. Tagyr was made a military stronghold to facilitate the Navy's ability to patrol the trade routes in times of war, and to provide strong military assistance to the Three Islands region in the case of a foreign invasion.

Tagyr is legendary for Henson Harbour, a renowned naval base on the western side of the island, which is home to the 1st Naval Fleet. It is also known especially for Taqyr and the Tagyrs. Taqyr is the name of the primary military stronghold on the island, and the Tagyrs are the namesake of the most elite units of the military; comparable to Raysia's ELDERS.

Three Islands

The Three Islands' primary significance is its extensive military strongholds and its position as the last line of defense for the mainland. Here a great deal of defensive military force is deployed in the event of an attack on Zoogiedom from outside the Isles of Arden.

Culture

Zoogiedom is composed of one ethnicity - Zoogiedus Plex, the Zoogie People. In the ancient times cultures may have intermingled, which probably accounts for the overwhelming genetic diversity seen today, but over time all have been assimilated into one distinct culture.

As was the case of the ancient Romans, virtues such as honour were valued greatly, and the vices of greed and laziness were frowned upon. Throughout Zoogiedom history this has always been the case, and as a result the people of today still cherish these virtues, essentially making possible a system in which people for the overwhelmingly most part govern themselves.

This mindset has also two other major ramnifications; first, the view of military. To be in the military is considered a virtuous and honorable thing, to such a point that recruiting for the armed forces was never a problem. The Zoogiedom Military, particularly as a result of its recent downsizing, has become a selective institution - not all those who apply to join are accepted, although the general acceptance rate is high.

Second, Zoogiedom has always placed a very high value on education. Even today, when the school system is largely privatized, an overwhelming percent of the national budget is poured into the government overseeing of the nation's education.

Although largely atheist today, this culture descended from a religion of sorts - not a traditional monotheistic religion, but something slightly remniscient of the Roman polytheistic beliefs, with certain extensions. As a result the citizenry has firmly engrained a common sense of morality, and therefore crime is largely unknown.

A side effect of this is that those criminals that do exist stick out - and feel like - a sore thumb.

Language

While in roleplays characters of Zoogiedom are seen, obviously, speaking in English, the official language of Zoogiedom is known as Zoogietic Extended Latin. It is essentially a continuously evolving, modernised derivative of classical latin such as is fit for use in today's society.

Of particular significance is the word Plex, Plexis, (noun, m) which is an irregular and separate word from Plex, Plicis, (adj, late) however much they may resemble one another. There is speculation that it is derived from the suffix 'plex' for multiplicatives, but this is not certain.

Plex, Plexis, an irregular i-stem noun of the third declension, is used only with 'Zoogiedus' to translate as The Zoogie People. Therefore, plex literally means 'people,' but is subtly different from populus, -i (m) in terms of character and texture. Note that Plex may not be used to describe other cultures or peoples.

Population and Demographics

Under 5% of all Zoogiedom citizens are immigrants; the vast, vast majority are from the diverse group identified as of the Zoogie race. Despite this fact, racial tensions have not really been a problem; the soul has always been judged to be more important than the man.

Zoogiedom is populated by roughly two billion people; this population is spread for the most part loosely across the vast expanses of the nation. A large part of Zoogiedom is wholly unpopulated, and population density rarely reaches high levels.

Climate

Climate varies greatly across Zoogiedom. The Skurven Peninsula and the northern and particularly north-western regions tend to be more barren, frost-bitten tundra, while the Southwest is home to tropical beaches and volcanic islands.

A large part of Zoogiedom is temperate, but this by no means defines Zoogiedom in general. There are flat plains and towering mountains, frozen glaciers and year-round beach resorts, drenching rainforest and baked deserts. As such the climate varies drastically from region to region.

Motto

VSVS LIBRI, NON LECTIO PRVDENTES FACIT

This is Zoogiedom's national motto, representative of the cultural mindset of Zoogiedom, which places high value on education and virtue and lower value on acheivement and glory in itself.

For 'v' read 'u;' it translates to : 'The use, not the reading of books makes us wise.'

Anthem

The national anthem of Zoogiedom is 'Pro Plexi,' which translates to 'For the (Zoogie) People.' It is generally light and airy, relaxing and euphonious as opposed to stirring and accentuated.

In the past the declared national anthem was 'Little Boxes.' While this charming bit of music is undeniably an ... interesting piece of music, it has been decided that it is unfit for a national anthem and therefore please bury all vestiges of posts declaring it to be the Zoogiedom national anthem in the back of your heads.

Alliances and History

Both of these topics are extensive and distinct discussions of their own; and as such, are discussed elsewhere. For a review of alliances, which you are encouraged to add to, see Zoogiedom Alliances.

A review of Zoogiedom history, both in the having-been-roleplayed and the prior-to-having-been-roleplayed form, is in the works.

Government

Zoogiedom is currently operating under a quasi-libertarian government; however, it is not quasi-libertarian by definition. The foundation of Zoogiedom is a government by the people; and as people's views shift over time so does the government. Zoogiedom's government system facilitates swift changes as the general opinion wills it.

Current Administration

The current administration is, as aforesaid, quasi-libertarian and headed by Michael Hanelis of the astoundingly small Cherub Party. There are a number of policies of note, to be discussed in the following paragraphs.

First, the view of the government was reshaped after a leftist/socialist period. The concept that citizens are perfectly capable of governing themselves has come into play, and as a result the size of government has been greatly reduced. Government programs such as healthcare and welfare were also slashed tremendously, while education spending had a gigantic leap comparatively.

The focuses of the government have very little to do with the lives of its citizens - education, to a point, aside - and so, in a sense, it is a reversion to the classical liberalism of the real world's 18th and 19th centuries. The government leaves most of the tasks of typical neoliberal governments to private industry, with government oversight and certain limitations. In other areas, what little government spending there is focuses on commerce and maintaining a healthy economy, and defense, maintaining a healthy military. There is also some spending on administration, but due to the size of the government, this spending is minimal.

For instance,

With regards to government oversight of traditional neoliberalism government roles, there are two primary case-in-points to consider. First of all, the environment. Zoogiedom is not a very densely populated country, and the government sets off significant portions of the land that are to be untouched except by government-approved researchers. There is also a fair amount of preserves; the curious thing to note is that both of these mandates are not actually enforced by the government but by corporations.

Education is also maintained such. The considerable amount of money poured into education is used for the basis of the government oversight portion; actual education is provided for the most part by private industry, although province charter schools are not uncommon. The standards for education are provided by the government; these are solely developed by government programs and experts. The actual educating is done by the corporations. A roughly analagous situation is ETS, which produces admissions tests such as the SAT that are used for colleges nationwide. Roughly.

To many, it is truly an absurd system; however, historically it has always worked, at least in Zoogiedom. In a way, it may be considered as a sort of 'honour system,' placed for corporations, and capitalistic and free-market as Zoogiedom society is, honour carries enormous weight and plays a huge role in everyday life. The Zoogies are particularly and exceptionally nationalistic and united by their cultural identity. 'Zoogies' is more than a cultural identity, it is a belief,if you will, and this is what makes Zoogiedom unique.

A quasi-similar situation exists in, most notably, Letila. The Letilans are also united by common customs and morals, and fiercely committed to common goals, and thus can a total anarchy thrive there.

Economy and Currency

Zoogiedom has a very free-market, consumer-based economy (although certain industries, such as those of education and environmental preservation, are semi-government-regulated) that depends on high consumer confidence and low costs of goods to acheive a general prosperity.

Currently tax rates are at a flat 13%, although they figure to drop to an all-time low of 6% in more peaceful times. Due to the heavy reduction in most other government programs, defense figures to be a substantial part of the budget and as a result the state of affairs determines tax rates.

At this time, the gross domestic product is near $80 trillion limores and the GDP per capita roughly $40,000 limines.

The currency of Zoogiedom is what is generally referred to as the lime, not to be confused with a certain tangy green fruit. In the native tongue the word is limos, limoris (f). Current exchange rates hold at 1 lime = 1.7002 USD.

Zoogiedom also has a 3.24% unemployment rate, the lowest in its region.

Military

Historically Zoogiedom has prided itself in its military and continues to do so, although the concepts of military and its purpose have evolved with time. In this modern day and age wars are decided often not by numbers, or by individual heroics. In classical and medieval times the armies of Zoogiedom were very much based on individual skill along with group cohesion. However, a recent trend has reflected the new concept of war that has now taken hold.

Most marked in the current administration of President Hanelis, defense spending has gradually declined, but not with it military pride. The military has become a drastically smaller organization, as focus has shifted from manpower to technology and efficiency. The modern Zoogiedom army is based on intelligence, technology, communications, and the cooperation of all available units. The military is regarded as a war machine that is fully integrated with all relevant branches of the government (primarily, defense and intelligence) and operates as such.

The Zoogiedom Air Force and Navy are the most heavily invested in forces, and are employed first and foremost. The Marines, generally defined as a separate unit, are included in this definition under the auspices of the navy. In contrast, the army, while technologically advanced and logistically stable, is ridiculously small in comparison. The army has been reduced to a bare minimum in manpower as Zoogiedom has no land borders with other nations and therefore the army would be rarely used for defensive purposes.

Being a member of the military is something highly prided - those that give up a comfortable, stable life that would probably otherwise await them for service to their country fit every definition of 'honorable' in Zoogiedom - but not all who want to are admitted; in contrast to most countries, the physical is not the only exam that is required for admission. The military's recruiting drive is almost nonexistant because it is not needed: there is a considerable recruiting excess, and so it is not a force that can take as much manpower as it can get. Many that wish to join their ranks are deemed not worthy enough; as famous former defense minister William Tarquin often joked, "We're probably one of the few countries that don't have a recruiting problem, and it's because our army is so damn small." (This quote can be found on a plaque in the current defense minister's office)

In fighting wars, Zoogiedom has also never instituted a draft (although this is perfectly legal and within the bounds of the constitution in emergency situations such as defense of the homeland) or instated a tour of duty system. Soldiers sent to fight a war are generally stationed there for the entire duration of the conflict; rotations may be enacted based on necessity, depending on the circumstances.

Current News

This section is for current IC developments regarding Zoogiedom and the Isles of Arden. Feel free to contribute.

War with Drizzts - Longtime Zoogiedom ally Drizzts was taken over by a man named Dean and transformed into a communist dictatorship; protesting and rioting citizens were quickly dispatched. As a result Zoogiedom has mobilized, responding in retaliatory mobilization by Drizzts. In addition, regional neighbor Tseukamou-Rekuwatoru denounced Zoogiedom's actions and is preparing for war against Zoogiedom; and Zoogiedom's staunch ally Anaressa has mobilized in support of her. This development is perhaps the first conflict and tension in the Isles of Arden for a long, long, long time.