Polarus

The Republic of Polarus
Flag
Capital	Jandara
Largest city	Zulheina
Official languages	Polaran, Arabic
Recognised regional languages	Latin, English
Religion	Islam
Demonym(s)	Polarussian
Government	Republic
• President	Nassim Zakiyah
Independence
•	???
Population
• 2015 census	81,415,311
Currency	Polarussian dinar
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy AD
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.pol.he

Polarus is a nation along the western edge of Hesperidesia. Despite being a former province of the Empire of Exponent, Polarus remains the only majority Islamic state on the continent.

History

Nomadic Polaran tribes have occupied the area of modern day Polarus since antiquity. Shortly after the spread of Islam into Astyria, Islamic merchants from Riysa also began to establish settlements along the Polarussian coastline, using the area as an important stopover point before moving on to al-Raha.

Polarussian Crusade

In the 13th Century, the Empire of Exponent launched the Polarussian Crusade, which resulted in the area comprising modern-day Polarus becoming annexed to Exponent for the next seven hundred years.

19th Century Uprisings

Throughout the latter half of the 19th century - in particular following the Albandaean Crisis of 1896 - a new wave of ethno-religious nationalism swept across Polarus, culminating in a series of violent uprisings.

Geography

Polarus occupies a largely desert climate, seperated from the jungles of the rest of Hesperidesia by the Hesperidesian Highlands, which also serves as the border between Polarus and the Blackhelm Confederacy.

Politics

Politics of Polarus are placed in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Polarus is head of state while the Prime Minister of Polarus is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the People's National Assembly and the Council of the Nation. Polarus has a long history of revolution and regime change, making the political climate dynamic and often in a state of transformation. The country is currently a constitutional republic with a democratically elected government, though the military, in practice, remain major powerbrokers along with "a select group" of unelected civilians.

Elected politicians are considered to have relatively little sway over Polarus. Instead, a group of unelected civilian and military personnel actually rule the country, even deciding who should be president. The most powerful man may be Mohamed Bessaoud, head of the military intelligence. In recent years, many of the original generals have died or retired, and a younger generation is gradually replacing them.

Foreign Relations

Polarus maintains close relations with the Blackhelm Confederacy, and is a member of the East Astyrian Treaty Alliance. Polarus also has significant relations with Nikolia and Riysa.

Military

The military if Polarus consists of the Polarussian People's National Army, the Polarussian Navy, and the Polarussian Air Force, plus the Polarussian Territorial Defense Forces. The Minister of Defense is Sheikh Yabuti Ondadansflo.

Economy

Much of the Polarussian economy is dependant upon the export of petroleum. Throughout the late 1990's and early 2000's, the Polarussian government made extensive efforts to nationalize the nation's oil industry, however during the 2010's Griffincrest Oil Incorporated came to own a sizable portion of the nation's oilfields and production capacity - which they retain to this day.

Demographics

Islam is the predominant religion in Polarus, accounting for approximately 97% of the Polarussian population.

Culture

Modern Polarussian culture is a blend of Exponential, Polaran, and Riysian influences, and has been strongly impacted by recent events and the de-colonization of the 1990's. Modern Polarussian literature tends to focus heavily on the theme of decolonozation, as does much of the nation's cinema. In recent years, however, Polarussian cinema has begun branching into a wider array of genres, and has taken a more in-depth focus on capturing the lives of everyday Polarussian.