Ximea
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| Flag of Ximea | |
| Motto: Live Long and Prosper | |
| View here | |
| Region | Atheist Empire |
|---|---|
| Capital | Xim |
| Official Language(s) | English |
| Leader | The Lord Commander Teflon Don |
| Population | 0.5 - 1 billion |
| Currency | Slinky |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Contents
World Factbook Entry for : Ximea
- Location
- Atheist Empire
- Name
- Conventional Long Form: The Free Lands of Ximea
- Conventional Short Form: Ximea
The Free Lands of Ximea is a huge, safe nation, remarkable for its punitive income tax rates. Its compassionate population of 646 million enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, liberal government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Public Transport, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 100%. The private sector is almost wholly made up of enterprising fourteen-year-old boys selling lemonade on the sidewalk, although the government is looking at stamping this out.
The nation's infamous boot camp is more brutal then most battlefields, the government is notorious for leaving citizens with almost nothing from their inheritance, truth is often impossible to tell from fiction on the evening news, and referenda can be called for any law at the request of at least one third of the voting population. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ximea's national animal is the land lamprey, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the Slinky.
Geography
- Area
- 20,450,000 sq km
- Maritime Claims
- Territorial Sea: 24 NM
- Exclusive Fishing Zone: 200 NM
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.
Climate
Varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north. The southernmost areas of Ximea, South Island and the Tailbone (peninsula), tend to be very hot and humid, while the northern areas tend to be cooler and drier.
Precipitation can reach up to 270 cm annually.
- 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.
- Terrain
- Mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands. Large areas of rainforest, swamps, and marshes in the south; deciduous forests, deserts, and grassland in the north.
- Lowest point: Lake Charon -905 m
- Highest point: Mount Kadath, 3,025 m
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 many most private employees are allowed to take time off of work). 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.
Government
Government Type: Elected monarchy; lifelong term.
- Divisions of the Federal Government
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Ministry of Culture
- Ministry of Energy
- Ministry of Finance
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Law
- Ministry of Industry
- Ministry of Resources
- Ministry of Science and Technology
- Ministry of State
- Ministry of Transportation
- Ministry of War
- Major Cities
- Xim (capitol)
- Bruno
- Cape City
- Cobalt Point
- Fiorina
- Old Iron Peak
- Sif
- Military Branches
- Air Force
- Army
- Navy
- Special Forces
- Strategic Forces
- BioSWAT (technically a branch of the Bio-Sciences Division of the Ministry of Science and Technology)
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.
Natural Resources
- Uranium, iron ore, tungsten, titanium, copper, tin, platinum, nickel, lead, zinc, phosphates, basalt, granite, marble, pumice, sea salt, mineral water, and precious stones.
- Massive geothermal power, moderate hydropower.
- Commercial fish and shellfish.
- Plant products, including medicines, foods, natural fibers, and lumber.
