Kolintha
| The Celestial Empire of Kolintha エカオカワ めナリ タイカク
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
| Motto: All Under Heaven By Force of Arms | ||||
| Anthem: Orol na Orol, Tusou Tai | ||||
 Location of Kolintha in Escar
|
||||
 Map of Kolintha
|
||||
| Capital | Arokima | |||
| Largest | Yagi | |||
| Official languages | Yezani | |||
| Recognised regional languages | Bezhtun, Gurani, Vioskan | |||
| Ethnic groups (2016) | 30% Yezani 29% Guran 10.5% Vioskan 10% Bezhtun 7.1% Transoxthraxian 6.4% Meriadnir 3% Dae 3% Allid 1% Other |
|||
| Demonym | Kolish, Kol | |||
| Government | Federal Parliamentary Neo-Confucian Constitutional Monarchy | |||
| • | God-Emperor | Skavaru | ||
| • | Konzhun | Valiya vi Uesoga | ||
| Legislature | Imperial Diet | |||
| Establishment | ||||
| • | First Empire | 670 BCE | ||
| • | Second Empire | 11th of March, 1636 | ||
| • | Third Empire | 4th of April, 1921 | ||
| • | Fourth Empire | 5th of January, 1954 | ||
| Area | ||||
| • | 899,616 km2 347,344 sq mi |
|||
| Population | ||||
| • | 2016 estimate | 120,025,034 | ||
| • | Density | 133/km2 344.5/sq mi |
||
| GDP (nominal) | 2016 estimate | |||
| • | Total | $3,473,025,031,405 | ||
| • | Per capita | $28,935.84 | ||
| HDI | 11px 0.885 very high |
|||
| Currency | Kolish Mon (KLM) | |||
| Time zone | Imperial Standard Time | |||
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy | |||
| Drives on the | left | |||
| Calling code | +41 | |||
| ISO 3166 code | EK | |||
The Celestial Empire of Kolintha (エカオカワ めナリ タイカク Ekokawa Vinari Taikaku) commonly called Kolintha (エカオカワ Ekokawa), is a sovereign state in Escar, Ordis' northernmost continent. It is bordered to the south by Allidron, Transoxthraxia and Violta, to the west by Meriad via a maritime border and to the north and east by the Haderic Ocean. Kolintha has an estimated population of 120 million. Kolintha is divided into 6 Imperial Despotates, 6 Kingdoms, 10 Noble Domains and 11 Imperial Republics; these units are the semi-autonomous states in the Kolish federal system, but their level of autonomy varies depending on classification.
Kolintha is a Federal Constitutional Monarchy with a Parliamentary system of governance; however, it is frequently referred to as an illiberal democracy by critics, as the rights to vote and stand for office are restricted by the Kakuyo examination system. The current monarch is God-Emperor Skavaru. The country's capital city is Arokima, a major financial center host to a multitude of domestic and foreign corporations. The city of Yagi, the most populous urban center in Kolintha at over 8.3 million inhabitants, is often regarded as the 'second capital', due to it's dominance in the media, the economy and in national politics, despite not holding any official status.
Kolintha became an influential nation in it's region in the 18th century thanks to the resources it gained from new colonial holdings in Transoxthraxia and in the Thalassic Ocean; eventually the Empire expanded it's borders as far as the Nyrossic peninsula. In doing so, it joined the ranks of the great powers, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Khorneran and Faldarunic empires, among others. It later collapsed into civil war following the First Endwar. Consequently, dictator Viyenako Kachane took power in 1922, and went on to start the Second Endwar, during which her regime attempted to exterminate religious and political dissidents, political opponents, and ethnic minorities such as Slavs and Nordic Peoples. Kachanist Kolintha was eventually defeated by the Comintern, led by the newly independent Nerotysia, and the Thalassic Sphere, led by Khornera. After the war, the country began to reconstruct it's stratocratic Confucian-influenced brand of democracy. It was not until the 1970s that the nation was fully stable however, as numerous small uprisings and failed coups threatened to overthrow the new government, prompting a gradual decentralization into a modernized form of the old Kolish feudal-federalism.
Kolintha's economy recovered rapidly from the war, and again managed to rise to prominence as the political situation stabilized; today it is among the Great powers of Ordis, and is a member of the Ordic League, the Association of Eastern Escari Nations and several other international organizations. Despite it's democratization since the Endwar era, it's attitude towards human rights remains controversial, with Kolish leaders largely ignoring the Ordic Declaration of Human Rights in favour of their own traditional codes of conduct, despite the Empire being a signatory state.
Etymology and Terminology[edit | edit source]
The term 'Kolintha' in fact has never been used by any Kolish state as a way of identification in it's native language -- instead, Kols use the term 'Ekokawa', meaning 'Mother's Land'. The origin of the present English language name, therefore, is not entirely understood, but there are a variety of theories. Some say the name may come from the name of the people living on the Kolish peninsula ('Kvolrate') in the Bezhtun language, while another commonly proposed theory is that it is a corruption of the Gurani translation of Ekvogawa ('Ekolga').
The current formal title of 'Celestial Empire' was adopted in 1954 following the end of Khorneran occupation. However, it is very common in political and historical discourse, especially internationally, to refer to Kolintha as simply 'the Kolish Empire'.
History[edit | edit source]
- Main article: History of Kolintha
Prehistory and Early Classical History[edit | edit source]
Anatomically modern humans first came to inhabit south-western Kolintha around 44,000 BCE, migrating north from Transoxthraxia. These humans survived as nomadic hunter gatherers in the remote plains and highlands of the Kolish peninsula, until, around 9000 BCE, a second migration occurred from Osova to Escar, wiping out most of the Escaric peoples in Toan and later Escar itself, save for a few geographically isolated areas. Somewhere between 8500 and 7500 BCE, these migrants reached the Aiko region, where they partially assimilated into the local population, producing the early Kolish and Bezhtun people, as well as the beginnings of the uniquely Escaric-influenced Kolinthic languages. The archaelogical records following the Osovan migration to Kolintha suggest that the migrants brought little of their agricultural know-how with them to their new lands, or at least failed to apply it to the Kolish terrain. Instead, they adopted the proto-Bezhtunic nomad's lifestyle, and eventually developed sophisticated animal husbandry techniques. These were later successfully applied after horses were introduced to the peninsula from Orda. With their new-found mobility, the Kolish herdsmen expanded to the north and east, crossing the central Kolish branch of the Milzas mountain range.
New territories led to new turf conflicts, which gradually increased in scale as the nomadic tribes evolved into citystates and later, small kingdoms governed by hereditary dynasties and priestly ruling castes. In 600-665, the Yezaya dynasty of central Kolintha, taking advantage of the war raging between the various dynasties, waged a number of wars to unite them all under Yezaya banner. The new Yezaya monarch - described in Kolish legend as a daughter of the gods - thereafter founded the First Kolish Empire and declared herself Empress Ygova. Unification led to the first Imperial Spring, during which Kolish culture flourished and the Empire began to embrace new foreign concepts, introduced by merchants and diplomats from Dae and Allid kingdoms to the south. Most important of these being Neo-Confucianism, which would go on to strongly influence the structure of Imperial society and government.
Despite centralisation of power under the Yezaya regime, and spread of the Imperial faith, the Empire remained very divided racially and culturally, a situation which only grew worse as generals and nobility began to ask for privileges and lands from the Throne. This culminated in the Yaupo War, in which a group of southern lords refused to pay tribute to the Imperial Government unless they received more power. While this rebellion, and many like it that came shortly after, where crushed, over time Imperial authority in the provinces began to lapse. From 1300 onwards, the Kolish Empress, while still nominally ruling over the entire country, effectively only held power within the city of Arokima.
The Imperial throne quickly became a political pawn for the various warlord regimes neighboring it; whoever held the capital had power over the Emperor, and thus, greater legitimacy than their rivals. This led to over fifty different Emperors reigning throughout the 3-4 centuries of the Yagokujo period, as the capital was hotly contested ground.
The country would not be unified until 1538, when the armies of the Clan Tagezhima, led by Kova Noryko vi Tagezhima, reconquered the country, province by province, and founded the military dictatorship informally known as the Tagezhima Konzhunate, or the Second Empire. The Konzhunate brought back the centralized government of the Classical era, recreating the Imperial Kolish Army and further empowering the Kolish bureaucracy. However, Tagezhima also allowed the local nobility - now the vassals of the Konzhun, to remain in control of small estates and maintain small private armies, providing they continued to pay tribute to the Imperial Government.
Post-Unification[edit | edit source]
In the decades following unification, Kolintha quickly began to catch up with the world in terms of technology and relations. The Empire also began to reassert it's sovereignty; in 1681, Odiko Tagezhima ordered the expulsion of Auridite missionaries, as well as merchants and mercenaries from Meriad that had settled in Kolintha during and after the Warring States period, hoping to make a profit from the civil war. In 1700, the offices of various Ordan trade companies that had set up shop in Kolintha during the early Tagezhima Konzhunate were raided and closed, replaced by official trade missions. Colonisation and further expansion also began in the late 17th century, both state-sanctioned and otherwise. In 1678, the Imperial Army, aided by the growing Imperial Navy, occupied a province of northern Transoxthraxia following a diplomatic incident; this province would eventually be annexed and renamed Ekko. A second invasion in 1681 brought large swathes of Transoxthraxian territory into the Empire, which would not be lost until the rise of the af Violta dynasty in the early 19th century. In the 1680s, the Navy made a number of forays into the Transneptic, establishing island colonies such as Kae Vilke, Ovstat and Tachiko. Unofficial settlements were also constructed in unclaimed portions of Valeya (which would eventually be absorbed into the Faldarunic Empire) and eastern Osova. Private efforts were largely led by the Southern Sea Company, a corporation that would thrive throughout the golden age of Kolish colonialism, eventually acquiring it's own army and navy.
The most profitable ventures for Kolintha however, turned out to be in northern Ordis, where by the late 18th century, the Empire went almost unchallenged in it's exploits. In 1803, Kolintha declared war on the Nyrossic Tsardom, officially in retaliation for the activities of Nyrossic privateers in Kolish waters. The Tsardom quickly fell, and was divided by the Kolish into a number of smaller protectorates, which were governed by a combination of Kolish and Nerotysian officials; initially, the treatment of native Nerotysians in these dominions would be quite good, and at first, Nerotysian serfs appreciated the lighter workloads and greater rewards of their new Kolish masters. However, in the late 19th century, many of these privileges were taken away, and practices that were commonplace in the more backwards Imperial colonies, such as forced labour and the kidnapping of both men and women for sexual slavery in noble households, were introduced to the Peninsula to compensate for the loss of some profitable holdings to the other great powers in the First and Second Thalassic Wars, and to the af Violtan conquests. This fueled resentment against Kolish rule.
All of these resources helped to fuel the Industrial Revolution in Kolintha which quickly propelled Kolintha to the ranks of the Great Powers. After the 1830s however, expansion slowed down - primarily due to the loss of resource rich regions in Transoxthraxia and the Transthalassic, and the domestic instability caused by the Hei Reformation, which saw the absolutist regime of the Tagezhima Konzhunate toppled in favour of a constitutional monarchy, with the Emperor of Kolintha, rather than the Konzhun, taking the lead role in government. Thus the Third Empire of Kolintha was founded.
Culturally, Kolintha prospered during the Imperial era; the Kolish language spread across northern Escar, and the rich noble and corporate families were frequently patrons of the arts, commissioning many now famous architects, composers and authors to create as a way of demonstrating wealth and status. Cities such as Yagi grew rapidly, and developed rich entertainment scenes. Religion also changed in this period, becoming more closely tied with the State than ever before, with governmental institutions regulating and funding Keroyasi shrines, and promoting the faith over all others.
However, due to the aforementioned resentment of Kolish rule and lost wars against colonial rivals, Imperial power declined towards the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century; this culminated in the ill-fated alliance with Imperial Faldarun, which dragged Kolintha into the First Endwar and left it bankrupt. Subsequently, a civil war broke out in the Kolish heartlands over a succession dispute, destroying the Third Empire. Finally, in 1924, after 5 years of warlordism, colonial uprisings and bloody fighting in the homeland, a popular general known as Viyenako Kachane dismantled the Third Empire, executed the previous Empress, enthroned a pretender, disbanded the Imperial Diet and declared herself Konzhun of a new 'fourth empire' - Kolintha was quickly transformed from a stagnant, decaying constitutional monarchy into a totalitarian dictatorship.
Kachanist Kolintha would go on to wage a war of racial domination against the nations of Escar, and eventually Nerotysia, alongside it's neighboring ally Transoxthraxia. This was known as the Second Endwar. However, although the Kols made rapid gains during the conflict, building a resurgent Empire spanning from the Toan subcontinent to Northern Orda, it and it's allies were eventually driven out of their conquered territories by a loose coalition of Nerotysia, Khornera, Daeseong, Lapria, Mingdai and various resistance movements that quickly rose to power under the overstretched Kolish colonial administrations.
Politics[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Politics of Kolintha
|
|
Kolintha is a Federal Constitutional Elective Monarchy. The Emperor of Kolintha is the head of state, and is elected after the death of the previous Emperor, by a gathering of Kolish nobility and clergy, from among the ranks of the Imperial Family. The current Emperor, elected in 1989, is Skavaru.
Once elected, the Emperor has three major roles. Firstly, they act as the leader of the Keroyasi faith, carrying out national ceremonies and appointing senior members of the clerical hierarchy. Secondly, they are the figurehead of the Imperial Government, and wield vast appointive and veto authority. They are responsible for appointing the Konzhun of Kolintha as well as the members of the Grand Council of State. As the passing of all acts of law, be they Council orders or Acts of the Diet, requires Imperial assent, the Emperor holds effective veto power over the entire legislature and executive. Finally, the Emperor and their Court are in fact the highest level of the Kolish judicial system, above both national and state-level courts. This means that in addition to addressing high level cases, the Imperial Court is also the supreme interpretor of the Constitution of Kolintha, and may overrule or block acts of government that are deemed unconstitutional. The Emperor himself also has the power to order arrest of an individual 'for the defence of the Imperial Constitution'.
The Konzhun of Kolintha is the head of government, and as mentioned, is appointed by the Emperor. Although the Konzhun can technically be appointed without even holding a seat in the Imperial Diet, political tradition dictates that the appointee is at least a member of, if not the leader, of the current largest party in the Diet. As the head of government, the Konzhun advises the Emperor and the Diet on domestic and foreign policy matters. They also lead and represent the Grand Council of State, which is responsible for the creation of government bills and may occasionally issue executive orders that bypass the usually slow parliamentary legislative process. However, these may be struck down by either the Emperor or the Diet. Abroad, the Konzhun represents the Imperial Government, sometimes alongside the Emperor, and sometimes independently. The current Konzhun is Valiya Uesoga.
As Kolintha follows a parliamentary system, the main legislative arm of the government is the Imperial Diet of Kolintha. Members of the Diet are known as Diet Representatives, and are elected through proportional representation. Suffrage in Kolintha is limited to citizens who have volunteered for military service or have performed sufficiently well in Kakuyo examinations. Criminals and non-citizens are unable to vote. Doing well in such examinations is also a requirement for political office. There are currently 655 representatives in the Diet. The Imperial Diet, alongside creating and enacting bills, also approves government budgets and has the ability to veto council orders. Voting is carried out using ceremonial voting sabers, which are raised into the air by to show agreement with a motion. If the Marshal of the Diet cannot ascertain which side, aye or nay, has the majority, the vote may be instead resolved by secret ballot. This is relatively rare.
Administrative Divisions[edit | edit source]
When the 1954 Constitution was originally signed, the new regime planned to make Kolintha a unitary state, removing the power once held by the many regional royal families that had managed local affairs on the behalf of the Imperial government since the foundation of the Second Empire. However, in 1959, after the government removed stipends for retired royalist bureaucrats, the Gurani dynasties of Northern Kolintha rose up in rebellion and fought a successful insurgency against the Imperial Kolish Army. This inspired further revolts in southern Kolintha by Bezhtun and Vioskan groups. All of them threatened to secede from the Empire, if they were not included in the governance of their former territories.
Finally, in 1961, the Imperial Diet approved changes to the constitution, which introduced the Imperial Federation System. This split the nation up into 33 semi-autonomous provinces (Imperial States), which were further classified into 6 Imperial Despotates, 6 Kingdoms, 10 Noble Domains and 11 Imperial Republics.
- The Imperial Despotates, which include key political, economic and military hubs such as Arokima and Yagi, are ruled directly by the Imperial Government, with Despots (Governors) appointed by the Emperor in charge of handling administrative tasks. Of all the provinces, these are the only ones unable to maintain official legislative bodies.
- The Kingdoms are primarily ran by influential non-Yezani nobility. The actual structure of their governments differ; some, such as the three Bezhtun Kingdoms; Stazheliktau, Basturliktau and Ystizhniktau; are absolute monarchies. Others have their own state constitutions, and royal assemblies which act as miniature regional parliaments. The Noble Domains are similar to the Kingdoms, but are almost entirely absolutist, with Yezani and Guran aristocratic families dominating the administration.
- The Imperial Republics are autonomous provinces without any hereditary ruling families. Some present Republics as a result of Nobility and Royalty being exiled and stripped of rank in the late 60s and 70s, after a string of coups and uprisings against Imperial rule. Almost all of the Imperial Republics hold democratic elections for governors and local assemblies.
All provinces are further divided into prefectures and subprefectures, most of which have their own local councils subservient to the provincial governments.
Foreign Relations[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Foreign Relations of Kolintha
In the Post-War era, Kolintha was initially a close partner of it's former enemy Khornera, and until the economy began to stabilize in the 1960s it was heavily reliant on Khorneran aid to survive. Later, as Kolish power began to grow, a strong nationalist movement began to develop, calling for the removal of Khorneran influence from Kolish shores and stronger ties with Kolintha's traditionalist neo-confucian peers - the Empires of Ming and Daeseong. This resulted in the foundation of the Heavenly Commonwealth in the 1980s. However, Kolintha would retain significant political ties to the Khorneran sphere until the early 2000s, when several Commonwealth-led interventions and highly publicized intelligence scandals led to conflicts of interest between the two allies, and a formal termination of the post-war alliance treaty in 2002.
Faldarun, while technically not recognized as an country, is yet another piece of the Kolish network of trade partners. God-Emperor Skavaru explained the Kolish approach to the issue of Faldarunic recognition as "not a rejection of Faldarunic sovereignty; it is in fact a response to the unique position of the Faldarunic government and it's relationship to the People - it would be incorrect to recognize Faldarun as a State, but equally incorrect and even demeaning to view it as a non-governmental organization."
Law Enforcement and Judicial System[edit | edit source]
Demographics[edit | edit source]
| Largest cities of Kolintha Imperial Census Bureau | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | City name | Province | Pop. | Rank | City name | Province | Pop. | ||
 Yagi |
1 | Yagi | Yagi | 8,336,599 | 11 | Yaka | Yakatava | 1,024,450 |  Vaisaka |
| 2 | Sarani | Saranya | 3,956,023 | 12 | Tanari | Satago | 986,652 | ||
| 3 | Vaisaka | Vaisaka | 3,026,764 | 13 | Tsego | Satezho | 895,730 | ||
| 4 | Aikoku | Aiko | 2,845,209 | 14 | Kate | Gozhiko | 835,831 | ||
| 5 | Asaro | Asaro | 2,406,950 | 15 | Tazho | Gurando | 802,008 | ||
| 6 | Bastur | Basturliktau | 2,245,010 | 16 | Oda | Ovari | 734,068 | ||
| 7 | Zhuno | Terezhutava | 2,098,234 | 17 | Sakani | Sade | 726,920 | ||
| 8 | Arokima | Yezaya | 2,002,023 | 18 | Agakoku | Agako | 700,349 | ||
| 9 | Stazhe | Stazheniktau | 1,768,025 | 19 | Base | Base | 650,347 | ||
| 10 | Viso | Viso | 1,056,976 | 20 | Kapite | Ekko | 645,503 | ||
Ethnicity and Language[edit | edit source]
Kolintha has historically been, and still is, a very ethnically diverse society, held together mostly by a common faith, language and a small number of shared cultural elements. Four major ethnic groups have shaped Kolish society since the nation's unification in 670 BCE; these being the Yezani, the Guran, the Vioskans, and the Bezhtun. Today, the latter three groups are afforded a degree of political autonomy as kingdoms under the central, Yezani-dominated federal government.
However, discrimination is to this day a pressing issue, particularly against Bezhtun and Vioskans, with the Kolish Institute for Equality reporting a 50% increase in the number of reported hate-crimes in 2015.
Religion[edit | edit source]
Education and Health[edit | edit source]
Military[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Imperial Kolish Army
- Main article: Imperial Kolish Navy
Geography[edit | edit source]
Topography[edit | edit source]
Climate[edit | edit source]
Culture[edit | edit source]
Architecture[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Kolish Architecture
Sport[edit | edit source]
Kolish athletes are most well known internationally for their frequent success in archery and combat sports such as boxing, judo, taekwondo and competitive dueling,
where a number of champions have emerged, particularly after government efforts to encourage and ease the growth of these sports in the wake of and the run-up to the 1964 Arokima Olympic Games. Competitive dueling specifically also owes much of its rejuvenated global profile to the export of Kolish media and popular culture to countries in Escar and the rest of the world; today Kolintha is host to the Ordic International Dueling Association and has held a large number of international pistol and fencing championships.
The Imperial Kolish Association Football Team was formed in 1910, but grew to prominence only in the 1950s, as the growing domestic leagues produced national football icons such as Ryu Takazhaho, Toki Orinori and Ueki Kanaki. Rivalries quickly formed between the Kolish team and those of frequent competitors. The aforementioned domestic leagues meanwhile continued to grow into the 21st century, fueled by commercial sponsorship and the growth of television ownership. In 2016, football was the most widely watched sporting event on Kolish television, followed closely by horse racing and baseball. There is also a significant following, among the well-off, for aviation and motor sports. Gambling, on both traditional horse races and their modern counterparts, has exploded into a highly lucrative industry since it's legalization in the 1960s.
In terms of sports practiced by the general public, the most popular are baseball and badminton, followed by volleyball, football and a variety of martial arts. Many of these have been cemented in Kolish culture due to their widespread nature in middle and highschools, where extracurricular activities are typically mandatory, leading to almost all Kols participating in at least one of these sports at some point in their lives. Cross country skiing is also widespread, due to the cold, at some points subarctic, climate of Kolintha, which in some cases makes it a necessary skill for those living in isolated rural communities.
Traditional Kolish sports, such as Yagdo Wrestling and Kolish Horse Archery, remain popular with audiences, especially thanks to their association with Keroyasi festivals and inclusion in major national sporting events such as the Empire Games, alongside more modern activities. These two sports in particular are considered to be 'national sports' by the Imperial Government.
Minority sports (for example, darts and table tennis) have experienced support in recent decades due to greater media attention and a resurgence in Kolish pub culture, which many drinking establishments across the country introducing such games to attract customers. Among the youth, E-Sports is a growing phenomenon, largely imported from Daeseong, that continues to attract larger and larger numbers of spectators and sponsors. Some Zaibatsu in the computing-technology industries have taken to promoting e-sports as a method of subverting more established rivals already sponsoring major physical sports teams.
Economy[edit | edit source]
