Difference between revisions of "Ximea"

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Note: this information is no longer strictly accurate. A far more comprehensive factbook is currently in the works. Estimated time: January 20.

Ximea

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Flag of Ximea
Motto: "Live Long and Prosper"
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Region	Atheist Empire
Capital	Xim
Official Language(s)	English
Leader	The Lord Commander
Population	0.5 - 1 billion
Currency	Slinky
NS Sunset XML

World Factbook Entry for : Ximea

Name 

Conventional Long Form: The Free Land of Ximea

Conventional Short Form: Ximea

Ximea is a very large, socialistic nation governed by an elected Lord Commander and a Senate of one thousand members, along with a Supreme Court of nine Justices. The nation occupies the southern part of an immense continent (also called Ximea) and a large island in the Atheist Empire. Its rocky, volcanic terrain is home to vast expanses of rainforest and several megalopolises. The massive (yet corruption-free) federal government is devoted to the welfare and advancement of its citizens and the world. Ximeans tend to be liberal, atheistic, and proud of their homeland and way of life—but without the blind patriotism of more conservative nations. As a result, the people of Ximea welcome foreigners and respect the customs of other nations. Progressive social policies, a superior educational system, and a well-funded police force have reduced violent crime and crime against property to virtually nil.

Major industries in Ximea include biotechnology, information technology, mining, and manufacturing. Most indistries in Ximea, particularly utilities, public transportation, and biotechnology, are government-run, and strict commercial regulations make megacorporations and monopolies impossible. Several factors, including strict environmental protection laws, reliance on geothermal energy, and a nationwide public transportation system have preserved the splendor of Ximea's vast natural areas.

Geography

The southernmost areas of Ximea, South Island and the Tailbone (peninsula), are covered with an almost unbroken expanse of rainforest and swamp. The central area contains deciduous forests, cloud forests, and grassland. The most northern portion of the country is occupied by grasslands and deserts.

Natural Hazards

• Flash floods can occur in the south throughout the tropical season. Other major risks include landslides, mudflows, earthquakes, tremors, tsunamis, typhoons, and volcanic eruptions.
• The dominant biomes of Ximea are rainforest and swampland, making overland travel hazardous.
• Numerous species of indigenous fauna are hazardous to humans (including the land lamprey, Ximea’s national animal), as are a few species of carnivorous flora.

Geology

Ximea occupies the volcanic southern portion of a massive continent in the Atheist Empire. Most of the nation's territory is geologically active, and tremors, earthquakes, and minor volcanic eruptions are common. Three volcanoes, Vesuvius II, Alighieri Peak, and Mount Faustus, are in a continual state of low-level eruption. A thick layer of lava rock covers a granite and basalt continental mass.

In areas more distant from the volcanoes, thick layers of sedimentary rock can form. These areas are rich in fossils dating back to the precambrian era and boast several extensive cave systems, many of which remain largely unmapped.

Culture

Religion

Ximea is a secular nation whose government is dedicated to the strict separation of religion and state. The government does not officially recognize any religious holidays (although government employees and most private employees are allotted paid holidays to use as they wish). The population is largely atheistic, with only 26% considering themselves religious, and 6% espousing deistic religions.

• Nonreligious 74%
• Shinto Buddhist 13%
• Other Buddhist 5%
• Christian 4%
• Pagan 2%
• Other 2%

Language

The official language of Ximea is English, though many citizens utilize Latin and Esperanto as second (and sometimes tertiary) languages. Japanese is common in the south; Italian and German are common in the north. Literacy is nearly universal in English in citizens over the age of 15.

Holidays

All holidays officially recognized by the Ximean government are secular in nature, even if some of them have roots in various religious traditions. It should be noted that most employees in Ximea, in both the private sector and the government, are allowed varying amounts of payed time off which they may use for religious holidays if they so choose.

• Bacchus Day, March 16th. A celebration of intoxication. This celebration usually involves the excessive consumption of wine, since beer is far less popular in Ximea than in most other nations where alcohol consumption is permitted. Bacchus Day actually extends until dawn of March 17th.

• April Fools Day, April 1st. A day of jest and mild practical joking. Ximea’s newest national holiday, April Fools Day became “official” shortly after a joke circulated by email somehow reached the Lord Commander. According to the joke, April Fools Day is a religious holiday celebrated by atheists. Since most of Ximea’s citizens are atheists, the Lord Commander made April 1st an official holiday, mostly for his own amusement, but also because “April Fools Day is the one day when we must exercise the most critical thinking. People who blindly believe whatever they’re told are liable to end up extremely confused.”

• The Solstice Festival, December 21st. A secularized version of Christmas, the Solstice Festival is a time of merriment and goodwill. Gifts are exchanged at the end of the day and old grudges are dropped. As Ximea does not have any conifers, the “Christmas tree” is replaced by a “Solstice Cycad.”

• Hot Springs Day, December 29th. No one is really sure why, but this is the most popular day for people to visit one of Ximea’s many hot springs. Eventually, the government officially recognized it as a holiday.

Vice

Ximea is a very liberal nation, and many so-called vices which are illegal in other nations are perfectly acceptable here—though they are often well-regulated.

Cannabis

Cannabis and similar mild drugs grow like weeds thoughout the countryside and in the swamps and jungles, making them impossible to outlaw, and most of them are less dangerous than tobacco or even therapeutic in some cases. Their use has been popularized in mainstream culture, though abstainers are common as well.

Narcotics

Harder drugs are produced by private corporations under a watchful government eye. They are available only through special venues, colloquially known as "coke lounges," where they are administered by licensed physicians. Citizens must register for a special license to patronize these coke lounges, and private possession of these harder narcotics can be punishable by law.

Prostitution

Prostitution is also legal, with certain limitations. Clients must be registered with the Sex Workers' Guild, and must be tested for STDs and HIV before their first visit to a prostitute and every three months thereafter as long as they continue to visit prostitutes. All prostitutes must be licensed by the Sex Workers' Guild. They must keep stringent business records, including dates, names and personal information for each of their clients and performances. They must be examined for parasites and external symptoms of disease once a month; they must be tested for pregnancy and common STDs, including HIV, once every three months; and they must be tested for a full battery of sexually communicable diseases once a year. On the plus side, the Sex Workers' Guild provides them with free contraceptives of their choice, plus morning-after pills and first-trimester abortions for a very low co-pay.

Government

Ximea's government is run by an elected monarch, known as the Lord Commander, a Supreme Court with nine Justices, and a Senate of one thousand members elected from districts of roughly equal population. The Lord Commander has a lifelong term, but he can be impeached and he can abdicate. Upon his death, his second-in-command assumes his responsibilities until an election can be held. Close family of the Lord Commander are prohibited from running for that office and from holding positions as Senators or Federal Ministers. Justices are elected for a single thirty-year term; they may not serve more than once. New elections are held at the end of this period or upon the death of a Justice. Federal Ministers act as the Lord Commander's Cabinet as well as the senior officials of the divisions of the Federal Government, called Ministries.

Senators hold office for a period of six years and elections are held every two years. They may not serve for more than five consecutive terms.

Divisions of the Federal Government

• Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry of Culture
• Ministry of Energy
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Industry
• Ministry of Resources
• Ministry of Science and Technology
• Ministry of State
• Ministry of Transportation
• Ministry of War

Major Cities

Xim (capitol)

Located roughly in the center of the country and boasting a population of 66 million, Xim is both the capitol and the largest city in Ximea. The Capitol Building, the Senate Dome, Monument Park, and most foreign embassies are located in the Federal District, in the center of the city. Farther north is Tef International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in the country. To the west one finds Classical Xim, an area of the city which has stood largely unchanged for thousands of years. Xim has a temperate climate kept mild due in part to the proximity to Lake Charon.

Bruno

Bruno is a city of 45 million nestled on a peninsula in the south. Ximea's fishing industry is based here, as is a bustling tourist industry fueled by its breathtaking environmental beauty. Visitors can enjoy diving among the coral reefs or the forests of tropical kelp (a species unique to Ximea's territorial waters), take guided hiking tours through the lush jungle, or simply unwind on the beach and admire the sapphire-blue sea.

Cape City

Located on South Island, Cape City is a resort city of about 38 million people. Its formidible heat and humidity make it less attractive to tourists than Bruno, but its thick jungles and swamps and its proximity to numerous ancient cities and ziggurats make Cape City popular with adventure seekers. Unfortunately, a black market in stolen archaeological relics has formed in the city, but the Federal Government has formed a special, inter-ministerial task force to stamp it out.

Cobalt Point

On the tip of a peninsula northeast of Botany Bay sits Cobalt Point, a major manufacturing center with a population of 34 million people. Its climate is balmy, but cooler than the more southern cities due to trade winds coming in from the sea. Its secondary industries are fishing, crab and lobster fishing, and adventure diving—its rocky reefs are fertile nesting grounds for shellfish, and its underwater caves and numerous sunken wrecks provide plenty of excitement for seasoned divers.

Fiorina

Fiorina sits in the middle of Ximea's most fertile agricultural zone. Its 49 million residents make their living primarily from growing, processing, and shipping crops such as soybeans, lentils, hemp seeds, grapes, rice, and swamp melons. Factories in the heart of the city make derivative products such as tofu, hemp-fu, wine, ground melon, and animal feed. The city also has a thriving textile industry based on hemp, silk, spider silk (from genetically altered spiders) and synthetic fabrics.

Old Iron Peak

A former mining colony in the north, Old Iron Peak has now grown to about 31 million people. Much of the city's industry still revolves around mining, smelting, and metalworking. In addition to iron ore and other common metals, the mines surrounding the city produce uranium and precious gemstones. Old Iron Peak sits just west of the massive caldera of Vesuvius II. According to historical records, Vesuvius II has not erupted in 600 years, and modern geologists expect it to remain quiet for the forseeable future, but the area is still volcanically active—the locals must deal with frequent minor tremors, the caldera constantly emits a plume of steam, and the rock in the center is soft and glows dull red at night. Old Iron Peak exploits this activity to produce 18% of Ximea's geothermal energy.

Sif

The 41 million people of Sif live on the Tailbone Peninsula, just across Cape Bishop from South Island. Sif has the largest seaport in Ximea and most of its economy revolves around shipping, both domestic and foreign. It also runs about 27% of Ximea's desalinization plants-more than any other single city. Sif is the center of culture in Ximea, home to its largest opera house and most successful orchestra. In addition, Sif is home to Ximea's most famous red light district, though the adult entertainment industry is heavily regulated to ensure that everyone remains safe from disease and abuse.

Industry and Technology

The information technology and biotechnology industries are the two dominant fields in Ximea, though mining and manufacturing are also represented strongly. Because of strong anti-monopoly, anti-conglomeration, anti-trust and consumer-safety laws, most companies in Ximea (but not all) are actually government-run, as are power and water utilities.

Ximea generates nearly 65% of its electrical power from nuclear energy, 27% from geothermal energy, and 8% from hydroelectric dams. Roughly 62% of fresh water comes from natural sources such as lakes, rivers, underground streams and aquifers, and 38% comes from desalinated ocean water. Sea salt is exported as a by-product of the desalination process.

Exports

Mined exports include uranium, iron ore, tungsten, titanium, copper, tin, platinum, nickel, lead, zinc, phosphates, basalt, granite, marble, pumice, sea salt, mineral water, and precious stones.

Agricultural exports include commercial fish, shellfish, seaweed, timber, hemp, natural fibers, certain tropical fruits, and plant-based medicinal products.

Additional exports include heavy machinery, electronics, laboratory and medical equipment, and industrial chemicals.

Military

Ximea boasts a small but efficient military whose operating principles are modular systems and quality over quantity. Its total armed forces make up less than a percent of the total population and the military budget takes up a smaller percentage of the GDP than the education budget, but the average Ximean infantry soldier is the tactical equivalent of a Marine in many other nations. Its branches are listed below.

• The Air Force includes all military aircraft in the Ximean military, including those aboard aircraft carriers, as well as the logistical units and crew needed to support them. Its primary role is to support Army and Navy units in combat or in a logistical capacity. Its secondary role is to attack strategic targets when using ground troops would be unfeasible. The Air Force includes jet aircraft in all the usual roles, but it is dominated by helicopters.
• The Army includes all land-based fighting forces plus the logistical units and crew needed to support them. Its primary role is to take contested territory and to hold it against enemies. Its secondary roles are to eliminate strategic targets and to maintain order in occupied territories. The typical uniform consists of camouflage patterned BDUs, composite armor, reinforced boots, and a helmet with a built-in communication system.
• The Navy includes all seaborne fighting forces, seaports, and the logistical units and crew needed to support them. Its primary roles are to patrol Ximean territorial waters and to provide logistical support for Air Force and Army units. Its secondary role is to enable Ximean troops to land on enemy territory. In addition to standard surface ship and submarine classes, it is experimenting with small, fast-moving hovercraft and "fighter" submarines.
• Strategic Forces include all weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, and the logistical units and crew needed to support them. These weapons are mostly low-radiation nuclear devices and biological agents.
• Special Forces are comprised of the most elite soldiers of the Ximean military. They are more rigorously trained and taught to operate in teams or individually in hostile territory for months at a time with little or no support. Their gear is more sophisticated than that of infantry soldiers, consisting of more extensive composite armor with integral damage and vital-sign sensors; fully-enclosing helmets with HUDs, low-light, and infrared imaging; more extensive personal medikits; emergency 20-minute air supplies and rebreathers; and grappling-hook launchers, among other things.
• BioSWAT is actually a branch of the Bio-Sciences Division of the Ministry of Science and Technology. This branch includes agents (mainly recruited from Special Forces) as well as aircraft, land vehicles and small ships redeployed from the other branches and refitted for BioSWAT's unique requirements. Its primary purposes are to procure hazardous biological organisms and samples, to eliminate threats from dangerous organisms both large and small, and to assist in the containment of such organisms. Its secondary purpose is to protect Bio-Sciences Division sites, property, and personnel from any threat. Its typical uniform consists of solid gray BDUs, black joint padding and composite armor, reinforced steel-toed boots, tactical gloves, a NBC mask, infrared/low-light goggles, and a standard infantry helmet. BioSWAT agents also typically carry some of the same gear as Special Forces soldiers, such as emergency air supplies and grappling-hook launchers, as well as more extensive personal medikits. They are trained in combat just as well as Special Forces soldiers, and they receive addtional training in tracking, hunting, and killing dangerous organisms. They also receive extensive education in medicine and biology. They may carry any of the small arms utilized by the other military branches, including the P12 Hunter pistol, but they have one additional weapon: the SMG13 Dragon, a .357 submachine gun with an integral grenade launcher and flamethrower.

History

Prehistory

• 24,000 BCE: Archaeologists believe nomadic humans first migrated to the Ximean subcontinent at around this time.
• 17,000 BCE: The beginnings of culture. Burial sites, agricultural and hunting tools, and the remains of large settlements have been found dating from this period.
• 8,000 BCE: The dawn of the Lamprey Cult. Not much is known about them. Massive ruined cities and enormous ziggurats, buried in vegetation, can be found buried in jungle vegetation on the South Island and in the Tailbone. They had apparently held the land lamprey in high esteem (hance their popular name) and performed human sacrifices to the creatures in pits within their ziggurats. They developed a very accurate calendar and remarkably advanced medical and ethnopharmacological techniques, some still used today.
• 7,000 BCE: Small civilizations began to appear in the northern part of the Ximean subcontinent. It appears that some of them engaged in trade with the Lamprey Cult.
• 6,500 BCE: The end of the Lamprey Cult. An unknown catastrophe wiped them out almost entirely. Many of the dead from this era were not burned or fed to land lampreys in the traditional fashion, indicating that whatever overtook the civilization, it happened very quickly.

The Classical Era

• 6,100 BCE: According to legend, the city-state of Xim is founded by a warrior of the same name. These same legends state he ruled for 131 years, finally dying during an honor duel on the edge of the "Path to the Underworld" (now believed to be the caldera of Vesuvius II).
• 5,400 BCE: Xim begins its imperial expansion, beginning the First Dynasty.
• 4,300 BCE: The First Dynasty of Xim reaches its height, occupying most of northern and central Ximea. A slow decline begins, due in part to food shortages, plagues, rioting, and incompetent Emperors.
• 2,855 BCE: The Empire of Xim fractures into three new empires: North Xim, Old Xim, and South Xim. These nations remain at war with each other for centuries.
• 2,100 BCE: South Xim, ravaged by plagues and a series of disastrous typhoons, dissolves into disconnected settlements. Many turn to Old Xim for protection from wild tribes to the south. This gives Old Xim an unexpected military advantage.
• 1,988 BCE: Old Xim forces push into the capitol city of North Xim, on the slopes of Vesuvius II, and burn it to the ground. The Second Dynasty of Xim begins, ushering in an era of peace and enlightenment.
• 1,055 BCE: The Great Library of Xim is established. It still stands today, although the texts it contained are now kept in secured locations.
• 973 BCE: The Great School of Xim is established. It served as a place of education, a hospital, and a place for the research of anatomy, medicine, chemistry, and botany. It, too, still stands today.
• 715 BCE: A massive earthquake destroys several cities and trade routes, effectively fracturing the Empire of Xim. Thousands starve. The Emperor institutes a policy of conscription, using troops to reestablish regular trade.
• 712 BCE: With the Empire now mostly intact again, a new Emperor uses this new army to conquer the untamed south.
• 700 BCE: Soldiers campaigning across the South Island encounter a new disease—one which causes necrosis and madness. The invading force is decimated and retreats to civilization. The disease is spread across the Empire by troops returning home. The Empire is reduced to chaos. Xim escapes the plague only by walling off the city and separating itself from the rest of the Empire. The Emperor who had attempted to conquer the south is assassinated. A new Emperor institutes a doctrine of strict isolationism, establishing the Third Dynasty. Little changes for close to four centuries.
• 340 BCE: The city-state of Xim expands its territory over the next decade, occupying an area slightly smaller than that of Old Xim. This expansion provokes the ire of barbarian tribes from the south.
• 291 BCE: Barbarian tribes drive the Empire back to Xim's city walls, but fail to sack it. After a seige of seven years, the parties agree to a truce.

The Feudal Era

• 285 BCE: Xim enters peaceful relations with surrounding settlements. The Emperor is deposed and replaced by a city council.
• 240 BCE: A feudal system develops in Xim and the surrounding areas. Artistic endeavor flourishes due to the influence of "barbarian" settlements. A state of harmony develops.
• 89 BCE: Buddhism enters the Ximean subcontinent, winning many converts. Once again, art and culture benefit.
• 1 CE: Xim becomes recognized as the cultural and economic center of the subcontinent. Its power begins to grow again, but it does not reach empire status.
• 205 CE: Xim establishes trade with other continents for the first time.

The Dark Ages

• 475 CE: Christianity sweeps through Xim. The Empire is reinstated, leading to the Christian Dynasty.
• 591 CE: The Empire establishes a social, economic, and religious hierarchy, similar to feudalism but with Imperial power in the hands of the Cardinals.
• 600 CE: Corruption runs rampant throughout the Empire. Intellectual and cultural development grinds to a halt. Records from this period are rife with revisionism. The Church maintains total control.
• 644 CE: The Council of Cardinals order the First Crusade, an effort to expand the Empire. The Army uses fire as its primary weapon, and entire cities are destroyed.
• 699 CE: The Second Crusade begins. It lasts twenty years and claims tens of thousands of lives.
• 751 CE: The Empire's economy collapses due to the vast cost of the Crusades. Poverty explodes.
• 782 CE: The Great Plague spreads through Xim and outlying territories. Modern historians believe it was the same virus which ended the Second Dynasty. The empire contracts, losing many of its border territories.
• 790 CE: The Church blames heretics, infidels, and promiscuous sexual behavior for the plague. The First Inquisition begins. Over a hundred thousand people are arrested and tortured to death over the next fifteen years.
• 828 CE: The Church institutes the Third Crusade. In an effort to avoid God's wrath, they do not admit converts into the Empire this time; all prisoners are brutally exterminated. For this reason, this episode becomes known as the Black Crusade.
• 831 CE: The Inquisition and the Black Crusade incense many of the Empire's remaining intellectuals. A secret society called the Surgeon's Knife is formed, dedicated to cutting out the corrupt and diseased organs of the Empire.
• 850 CE: Over the next few decades, the Surgeon's Knife grows in power and influence. In outlying areas of the Empire, they essentially become the law. They blackmail and assassinate high-level bishops and even some Cardinals; they rob shipments of gold and other valuables; they disseminate anti-Church and free-thought literature.
• 897 CE: The Church officially recognizes the existence of the Surgeon's Knife and declares them an offense to God. The Church orders any members discovered to be executed and any leaders to be burned alive.
• 919 CE: The Church, still plagued by the Surgeon's Knife, orders a Second Inquisition—this one designed to root out and destroy the secret society and other copycat societies. Both sides exhibit fantastic cruelty; the Surgeon's Knife dead are hung from the towers of the Imperial Palace; in retaliation, the Knife kills entire families of bishops and Cardinals.
• 975 CE: Facing extermination, the remaining members of the Surgeon's Knife enter exile or go into hiding within the Empire.
• 1000 CE: The Church holds a grand celebration at the turn of the millennium. Part of this celebration includes the public execution of over a thousand political prisoners at a rate of one per minute.
• 1085 CE: The Nation of Teeth invades from the north. After twenty-seven years of war, they claim half of the Empire of Xim.
• 1112 CE: The Empire attempts a Fourth Crusade against the Nation of Teeth, but it is swiftly and brutally repelled.
• 1119 CE: The Nation of Teeth retaliates by driving the Empire back to the borders of Old Xim.
• 1263 CE: The plague ravages the Nation of Teeth. Records suggest this was the same disease which ravaged the continent twice before. Some historians now believe the Surgeon's Knife deliberately spread the disease throughout the Nation of Teeth.
• 1299 CE: The Nation of Teeth, unable to cope with the devastation of the plague, reverts to a collection of barbarian tribes.
• 1311 CE: The Surgeon's Knife reasserts itself within the Empire, with a vengeance.
• 1401 CE: The Secular Revolution. In a massive uprising lasting five years and led by the Surgeon's Knife, the Church is deposed and the Christian Dynasty ends.

The Renaissance

• 1406 CE: The Republic of Xim is established.