Transcandar

The Principality of Transcandar Çandaröte Beyliği
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Our Spirit lives in the Sail and Hoof.
Anthem: Çandaröte Marşı "Transcandar March"
File:Transcandar map.png
Capital	Sinop
Largest	Kastamonu
Official languages	Transcandarian
Recognised regional languages	Sükhbaataryn Ma'lbanil
Ethnic groups	Transcandarian (87%) Sükhbaataryn (8%) Malbanian (5%)
Religion	Göktanrism
Demonym(s)	Transcandarian
Government	Federal parliamentary Absolute monarchy
• Prince/Bey	Temür II
• Governor-General	Kâzım Orbay
• Prime-Minister	Egeli Rüzgar
Legislature	National Diet
• Upper house	House of Peers
• Lower house	House of Representitives
Establishment
• From the Malbanian Empire	11th Century
• From the Ötüken Khaganate	13th Century
Area
•	1,350,800 km2 (521,500 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 estimate	13.762 million
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$427 billion
• Per capita	$35,000
Gini (2017)	37.1 medium
HDI (2017)	0.689 medium
Currency	Transcandarian Lire (₺) (TCL)
Time zone	UTC+3
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	left
Internet TLD	.tcr

Transcandar officially the Principality of Transcandar (Transcandarian: Çandaröte Beyliği) is a Beylik situated on the coastal steppes south of the Transcander mountain range in eastern Catai bordered by 3 other nations with Malban to the north, Volghar to the north east and Elhazia to the west. It lays on the northern bank of the Gulf of Brassida. Sinop is the seat of the capital and to the prince, while Kastamonu is the largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Approximately 80-90% of the country's citizens identify themselves as ethnic Transcandarians. Elhazians are the largest minority at roughly 8% of the population while other minorities include Volghars and Malbanians.

The Transcander Beylik originated in the early 11th century when local tribes of the Turuk Khaganate ceased their nomadic life in the in the plains and steppes, crossing the Transcandar Mountains deciding to make the pastures south their homeland starting the process of assimilation by the nomads. The tribes and leaders of the Transcander fought with their neighbors for nominal control of the country for centuries to come, alternating between outright independence and submission as vassals to more powerful regional rulers and Khaganate Hordes. The Transcander people have long valued the importance of outside trade. The largest city Kastamonu was constructed by foreign merchants seeking trading routes with the far east, in return for trading in the Transcandar, Celâleddin Candar sought foreign weapons to modernize the Transcandar Army and eventually lead them to establish themselves permanently free from the surrounding hordes seeking their tribute and subjugation.

Etymology

The word Transcandar (Transcandarian: Çandaröte) comes from the local name of the large Transcandar Mountains that physically divide it's northern borders with it's neighbors. The name started to become widely associated with the lowlands south of the mountains when tribes of the Ötüken Khaganate migrated over the mountains and settled in the fertile regions of it's foothills.

History

Medieval Transcandar

What could be considered the proto-state or predessecor to the modern Transcandar nation emerged from the collapsing Malbanian empire, when a local prince; Atakhan the Elder seized the opportunity and seceded in 1071 founding the Atakhanid Dyansty with capitals first at İznik and then at Sinop. The Atakhanid Dynasty reached the height of its power during the late 12th and early 13th century, when it succeeded in taking key ports along the Brassidan coast. In the east, the Beylik absorbed other Transcandarian states and reached the Boihon region of Yidao. Trade from Ohen and Western Catai across Transcandar was developed by a system of caravanserai. Especially strong trade ties with Asurian city-states formed during this period.

Transcandarian Princes doing battle.

This was not to last however, with the Atakhanids eventually succumbing to Volghar subjugation in 1243 (Battle of Chormaqan). For the remainder of the 13th century, the Atakhanids acted as vassals of the Khanate. Under the new Volghar Khan Temçin, however, the Volghari began to pressure the Bey to go to Volghar in person, give hostages and accept a Volghar darughachi, all of which infuriated the local aristocracy and convinced the Bey to arrest the Volghar statesmen inside the Beylik and join a coalition with the remaining Malbanian states, winning a decisive victory and breaking the subjugation of the Transcandar.

Early Modern Transcandar

During Körmükçü Çandar's reign, Western science, technology, and educational methods were introduced into Transcandar and the country's modernization was begun. Körmükçü Çandar tried to exploit the mutual distrust between Midrasia and Ternca to preserve Transcandar's independence,

At that time, Transcandar was nearly bankrupt. During the next two and a half years Celâleddin Çandar initiated important reforms in virtually all sectors of society. Government expenditure was slashed, and a distinction was made between the private and public purses. The instruments of central administration were overhauled, and Celâleddin Çandar assumed responsibility for all areas of the bureaucracy. Foreign interference in Transcandar's domestic affairs was curtailed, and foreign trade was encouraged. Public works such as the bazaar in Sinop were undertaken.

Administrative divisions

The Principality of Transcandar is divided into eleven states and two special administrative cities. The capital Sinop is located in Altgöl.

Kastamonu

Carrack

Ömnöduul

Chormaqan

Tepeler

Körmük

Güneyçölü

Üstgöl

Çiftlikvatan

Ulaanereg

Züünereg

Altgöl

Uzunbozkır

Geography

Transcandar is a Central-Catainese nation divided from it's northern and eastern neighours by the extensive Transcandar mountain range system which feeds the major river systems that run down to south of the country. Transcandar can be generally divided into three regions; south, north and east. South being the heartland of the country, extensive watershed provides large fertile plains between the rivers that run down to the coast. In the north, the fertile plains of the north form into large rolling steppes that make their way up to the İznik valley which stands as the entrance through the Transcandar mountains. However in the east, the environment becomes a cold landscape of high mountains and few valley paths.

A photograph of Lake Kırşehir. Kırşehir is the largest lake in the country and is located south of İznik.

Climate

Transcandar map of Köppen climate classification

Transcandar has a variable climate. In the northeast, winters are cold with heavy snowfall and subfreezing temperatures during December and January. Spring and fall are relatively mild, while summers are dry and hot. The Transcandarian Brassidan coast receives the greatest amount of precipitation and is the only region of Transcandar that receives high precipitation throughout the year. The eastern part of that coast averages 2,200 millimetres (87 in) annually which is the highest precipitation in the country.

Mountains close to the north prevent desert influences from extending inland, giving the central plateau of the interior of Transcandar a continental climate with sharply contrasting seasons.

Winters on the eastern part of Transcandar in Ömnöduul region are especially severe. Temperatures of −30 to −40 °C (−22 to −40 °F) can occur in north-eastern Ömnöduul. Snow may remain at least 120 days of the year. In the west, winter temperatures average below 1 °C (34 °F). Summers are hot and dry, with temperatures often above 30 °C (86 °F) in the day. Annual precipitation averages about 400 millimetres (16 inches), with actual amounts determined by elevation.

Politics

Transcandar is an absolute monarchy with constitutional provisions and Transcandarian law and Custom. The head of state is the Prince, currently Temür II, who ascended to the throne in 2009 after the death of his father Ozmen III. The prince appoints the governor-general from the legislature and also appoints a minority of legislators to both chambers of the National Diet, with help from an advisory council. The Prince is allowed by the constitution to appoint some members to the diet for special interests. These special interests are citizens who might have been left out by the electorate during the course of elections or did not enter as candidates. This is done to balance views in parliament. Special interests could be people of gender, race, disability, business community, civic society, scholars, chiefs and so on.

The House of Peers consists of 30 members, of which some are appointed by the Prince on recommendation of the advisory council and others elected by the lower house. The House of Representatives has 65 seats, 55 of which are occupied by elected representatives from the 14 states around the country, 10 seats appointed by the Prince on recommendation of the advisory council. Elections are held every five years.

Law

The judiciary of Transcandar is made up of a three-tiered court system: first instance courts in each state and city district; appellate courts for each state and also the capital Sinop; and the court of last resort (for non-constitutional matters) at the Supreme Court of Transcandar. For questions of constitutional and federal law there is a unique independent constitutional court. A Royal Judicial Council (RJC) nominates judges which must then be confirmed by the parliament and appointed by the Prince. Arbitration councils provide alternative dispute resolution avenues for commercial and other disputes.

Foreign relations

Transcandar attempts to maintain warm relations with many of it's neighbors and states in comes in contact with. But It most notably keeps good ties with Volghar whom it maintains various trade and economic agreements with. The government has focused a great deal on encouraging foreign investments and trade.

Military

Main article: Royal Transcandarian Armed Forces

The Transcandarian Armed Forces are the military services. The forces are managed by the Ministry of Defence and controlled by the Defence Council, chaired by the Minister of Defence. The Commander-in-Chief is the Transcandarian monarch, Temür II, to whom members of the forces swear an oath of allegiance. The Armed Forces are charged with the defense of Transcandarian Sovereignty and interests.

The Transcandarian Army maintains the Rapid Reaction Brigade capable of responding to threats at any part of nation

The military is composed of four branches, all of which carry the prefix Kraliyet (Royal):

• Kraliyet Ordusu (KO), the Royal Transcandarian Army;
• Kraliyet Donanması (KD), the Royal Transcandarian Navy, including the Naval Air Service and Marine Corps;
• Kraliyet Hava Kuvvetleri (KHK), the Royal Transcandarian Air Force;
• Kraliyet Jandarma (KJ), the Royal Transcandarian Gendarmerie (Military Police), tasks include military police and border control.

Every fit Transcandarian citizen otherwise not barred is encouraged to serve in the military for a period ranging from three weeks to a year, dependent on education and job location. However benefits are given to people who plan on a career in the military. Transcandar did not recognize conscientious objection until 2007 in the case of conscription. Admiral Armağan Arıcan is the current Commander of the Royal Transcandarian Armed Forces.

Economy

File:TRA 1000 LIRA.png

Old Transcandarian Lira minted during a period of hyper-inflation in the country during the late 90's

Economic activity in Transcandar has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture, although development of extensive mineral deposits of copper, iron, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold have emerged as a driver of industrial production. It has a market economy, a moderate GDP per capita, and a relatively low rate of poverty. The Transcandarian Lire (₺) is the nations currency.

Demographics

Transcandar has an estimated population in 2018 of 13.762 million inhabitants, nearly three-quarters of whom lived in towns and cities. According to 2010 estimates, the population is increasing by 1.1 percent each year. Transcandar has an average population density of 6.49 people per km². People within the 15–64 age group constitute 71.4 percent of the total population; the 0–14 age group corresponds to 25.3 percent; while senior citizens aged 65 years or older make up 7.3 percent.

The Transcandarian Constitution defines a "Transcandarian" as "anyone who is bound to the Transcandarian state through the bond of citizenship"; therefore, the legal use of the term "Transcandarian" as a citizen of Transcandar is different from an ethnic definition.

Demographics

The ethnic composition of the population according to the 2009 population census: 87% Transcandarian, 8% Sükhbaataryn and 5% Malbanians.

Urbanization

In total, Transcandar has 78 cities, 63 city districts, and one special legal status city. These are followed by 261 urban-type settlements and 4248 villages.

Languages

The official language is Transcandarian (Türük language), which is spoken by approximately 92% of the population as a mother tongue. It belongs to the Türük language family. Malbanian and Midrasian play significant roles as second or third languages of education and communication.

Culture

The culture of modern Transcandar has developed to what it is as a result of centuries of cultural mixing between Volghari, Indiginous Transcandarians and Asuran merchants. Today, national traditions are well preserved in the country despite Western influences, including globalized consumer culture. Some of the main elements of the Transcandarian culture are: music, literature, folk dances and art, cuisine, architecture, cinematography, horsemanship and seamanship. Transcandarian culture is a product of efforts to be a "modern western" state, while maintaining traditional religious and historical values.

Visual arts

Two Musician Girls by Osman Pasha, at the Pera Museum.

Transcandarian painting, in the Western sense, developed actively starting from the mid 19th century. The very first painting lessons were scheduled at what is now the Sinop Technical University (then the Royal Military Engineering School) in 1793, mostly for technical purposes. In the late 19th century, human figure in the Western sense was being established in Transcandarian painting, especially with Osman . Impressionism, among the contemporary trends, appeared later on with Halil Hamdi.

Carpet weaving represents a traditional art. During its long history, the art and craft of the woven carpet has integrated different cultural traditions. Traces of Asuran design can be detected, Türük peoples migrating from Central-Catai, as well as Malbanian people, Elhazian and Volghar tribes either living in, or migrating to Transcandar, brought with them their traditional designs. The reformation of Göktanrism and the development of the Göktanri art also influenced Transcandar carpet design. The history of its designs, motifs and ornaments thus reflects the political and ethnic history and diversity of the area of Transcandar. However, scientific attempts were unsuccessful, as yet, to attribute a particular design to a specific ethnic, regional, or even nomadic versus village tradition.

Architecture

The Grand Post Office (1905–1909) in Sinop and the first Ziraat Bank headquarters (1925–1929) in Kastamonu are among the examples of Transcandar Neoclassical architecture in the early 20th century.

Since the 18th century, Transcandarian architecture has been increasingly influenced by Asuran styles, and this can be particularly seen in the reorganization era buildings of Sinop like the Dolmabahçe, Çırağan, Feriye, Beylerbeyi, Küçüksu, Ihlamur and Yıldız palaces, which were all designed by members of the Barış family of Transcandarian court architects. The reorganization era waterfront houses (yalı) on the Brassidan also reflect the fusion between classical Transcandarian and Asuran architectural styles during the aforementioned period. The First National Architectural Movement (Birinci Ulusal Mimarlık Akımı) in the early 20th century sought to create a new architecture, which was based on motifs from Volghar and Transcandarian architecture. The movement was also labelled Transcandarian Neoclassical or the National Architectural Renaissance. The leading architects of this movement were Ali Erkekli (1873–1942), Ogün Keçeci Bey (1870–1927), Cem Elmastaşoğlu (1888–1982) and Mert Evliyaoğlu (1873–1953).

One of 620 historic waterfront houses along the shores of the Brassidan gulf.

The traditional houses of Safranbolu.

Cuisine

Transcandarian coffee with Transcandarian delight

Transcandarian cuisine is regarded as one of the one most in-depth in Central-Catai, it’s development is owed largely to cultural influences of the Volghar Khaganate, Elhazian and Asuran traders, and partly because of its tourism industry. It can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central-Catainese, Yidaoan and Elhazian cuisines. Transcandarian cuisine was well established by the mid-1400s. Yogurt salads, fish in olive oil, and stuffed and wrapped vegetables became Transcandarian staples. The Principality used its land and water routes to import exotic ingredients from all over the world. By the end of the 16th century, the Transcandarian court housed over 1,400 live-in cooks and passed laws regulating the freshness of food. Since the establishment of Parliament, and increased liberalization and diplomatic openness foreign food such as Midrasian hollandaise sauce and western fast food have made their way into the modern Transcandarian diet.

Döner kebab being sliced.

An 80-layer dough baklava.

Media and cinema

Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related revenues. The Constitution of Transcandar guarantees freedom of speech. Frequent attacks on journalists of non-state sponsored media is a serious threat to Transcandar's press freedom. The number of assaults has recently declined, but the physical integrity of journalists remain at stake.

Yeşilçam is the sobriquet that refers to the Transcandarian film art and industry. Much of Transcandar's early access to foreign media came through Kastamonu, coming it's open attitude to foreign entrepreneurs and large foreign community. The first movie exhibited in the Transcandar was the Midrasian 1895 film, L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat, which was shown in Kastamonu in 1896. The first narrative film, Burak Mertoğlu's The Spy, was released in 1917. Transcandar's first sound film was shown in 1931.