User:Sinharia/Sandbox1

Republic of Sohar Rahelian: جمهورية صحار
Flag Emblem
Motto:  العدل والوئام والازدهار Justice, Harmony, Prosperity
Anthem:  أغنية لوطننا Song to My Homeland
Capital and largest city	Sanafir
Official languages	Rahelian
Ethnic groups (2019)	Rahelian-Amazigh (95%) Atudite (3%) Anniserian (1%) Other (1%)
Religion (2019)	Irfan (97%) Atudism (2%) Other (1%)
Demonym(s)	Soharan
Government	Unitary dominant-party semi-presidential republic
• President	Husani Kanaan
• Deputy President	Maged Sayegh
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	People's Council
• Lower house	National Assembly
Establishment
• Independence from Estmere	9 September 1948
• Admission to the Community of Nations	14 October 1950
• Current Constitution	15 June 1987
Area
• Total	1,534,132.2 km2 (592,331.8 sq mi)
• Water (%)	1.2%
Population
• 2021 estimate	40,159,042
• 2019 census	38,753,475
• Density	26.2/km2 (67.9/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	$596 billion
• Per capita	$14,864
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$164 billion
• Per capita	$4,103
Gini (2018)	32.4 medium
HDI (2019)	0.728 high
Currency	Soharan dinar (SOD)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy (AD)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+103
Internet TLD	.so

Sohar (Rahelian: صحار), officially the Republic of Sohar (Rahelian: جمهورية صحار) is a country in Rahelia. It is bordered to the south by Tsabara and Behera, to the south and east by Nise, and to the west by xx. With an estimated population of 40,902,179 in 2022, it is the 17th most populous nation in Coius and the 27th most populous in the world. The population is largely concentrated in the the fertile and urbanized coastal plain west of the Adras mountains, with the interior regions being arid and thinly populated. Sohar is the xxth largest nation in the world, with an area of 1,534,132 square kilometers, or 592,332 square miles. In addition, Sohar claims control of several areas in the Urí Margidda Valley under Niserian control as part of the Urí Margidda conflict. The vast majority of the population practices Irfan, which is recognized as the country's official religion; the remainder is largely Atudite and Sotirian. Most of the population is Rahelian-Amazigh, and the official language is Rahelian, though there are small pockets of Amazigh speakers. Sohar's capital and largest city is Sanafir, home to nearly 3.7 million people.

Inhabited since Neolithic times, Sohar was first settled by nomadic Amazighs moving north from what is now Behera. Demiscians from modern-day Tsabara began establishing city-states on the Soharan coast in the 12th century BCE, by the 7th century BCE Ahiram had emerged as the largest and most powerful. Over the following centuries Ahiram would establish a powerful mercantile empire that dominated the southern Gulf of Assonaire until its destruction by the Second Heavenly Dominion of Irfan in 103 CE. Irfan, which had arrived in Ahiram via trade around the turn of the millennium, became the dominant religion in Sohar under the Second Heavenly Dominion. It's collapse in the 10th century left a major power vacuum in Sohar, and the region was divided between a number of Rahelian states in the north and west, most notably the Ammarids, Basharids, and Awanites, while the south and interior region was dominated by Amazigh states like the Muharamite Confederation and Amassinids. Finally, the Khalji Sultanate established control over Sohar in the 16th century under the Regency of Sahira. In practice however, the Regency was de facto independent from the Khalji throughout most of its existence. Piracy, which had been an issue in the region since medieval times, escalated considerably under the Regency due to its rulers' frequent employment of corsairs to raise revenue.

Estmere would invade Sohar in 1809 following the Burdale Incident, leading to the downfall of the Regency in 1811 and allowing the Umarid dynasty to seize power in the country. The Umarids were quite friendly towards Estmerish interests, cracking down on piracy and allowing Estmere to take control of a number of coastal cities as treaty ports. In 1903, Sultan Humaidaan was briefly deposed by his brother Hishaam, who saw him as too subservient to Estmerish interests. With Estmerish support, Humaidaan regained his position and signed the Treaty of Benha the following year, making Sohar an Estmerish protectorate. Rising nationalist sentiment led to Sohar regaining independence in 1948, though Estmere retained substantial influence over the country. Rising Rahelian nationalist sentiment, an economic crisis, and anger over the Sultanate's percieved subservience to Estmerish interests led to a communist revolution in 1951 led by Colonel Haisam Salib. Escalating tensions with neighboring Nise would result in the Anniserian War of 1963-1967, which resulted in a decisive Niserian victory. Salib's poor leadership during the war led to his ouster in a military coup in 1967 led by the anticommunist Free Officers Movement. Following the coup, General Marwan Awad was installed as President. Awad governed Sohar as a military dictatorship, banning all political parties and harshly repressing any opposition movements. Awad would die of a stroke in 1990 amid compounding economic and political crises. He would be succeeded by Husani Kanaan, a reform-minded military officer who pushed through a a new constitution and the country's first ever multiparty elections the following year. Since 2022, Sohar has seen an enormous influx of refugees from the Tsabaran Civil War, placing substantial strain on the country's resources and infrastructure.

Sohar is considered a middle power. It wields considerable influence in Rahelia and plays an active role in regional affairs, most notably its heavy intervention in the Beheran Civil War on the side of the central government. Since 1998, the country has established close ties with the Union of Zorasani Irfanic Republics, and the two countries have closely cooperated on regional issues. Sohar holds membership in the Community of Nations, Bank for United Development, and Irfanic Cooperation Conference. The country is home to one of the largest oil and gas reserves in the world, and the petroleum industry has dominated the national economy since independence. Under the 1990 constitution, Sohar is a unitary presidential republic. Despite initial steps taken by President Husani Kanaan towards democratization, the country has experienced significant democratic backsliding under his 32-year reign. The International Council for Democracy rated Sohar's most recent presidential and parliamentary elections as neither free nor fair, and a recent Community of Nations report found endemic human rights violations by the government.

Etymology

Sohar takes its name from the Rahelian صَحِرَ (ṣaḥira), meaning "tawny" or "light brown" in reference to the arid geography of what is now southern Sohar. The earliest usage of the term is in a document from the Second Heavenly Dominion dating to around 475, which mentions repeated uprisings from Amazigh tribes in the area. The term was subsequently widely used by Rahelians to broadly refer to the arid regions of northern Coius, only becoming specifically associated with modern-day Sohar with the establishment of the Regency of Sahira in the early 16th century. The modern term "Sohar" is believed to be of Euclean origin, presumably the result of an inaccurate transcription of "sahira," and became widespread in the early 19th century with the Estmerish conquest of the region.

Geography

With an area of 1,534,132 square kilometers, Sohar is the Xth largest nation in Coius and the XXth largest nation in the world. The Adras mountain range is the dominant geographic feature in the country, stretching from central Behera northward until sloping downward into the gentle foothills of Gamasa Province. Sohar is split in two by the Adras, with the areas west of the mountains having a mild Solarian climate, while the remainder of the country consists of arid plains.

Farmland in Benha Province near the western slope of the Adras mountains.

Northwestern Sohar is the country’s heartland, and are home to over 70% of the country’s population. It can be divided into two regions: the fertile plains and rolling hills of the northwestern coastal plain and the valleys and basins of the western Adras foothills. The alluvial soils of Benha and El Sahil Provinces provide some of the most valuable farmland in northern Coius and provide most of the production in Sohar’s agricultural sector. Crops grown in these areas include wheat, barley, dates, nuts, and olives. In sharp contrast, agricultural production is limited in the valleys and basins of the Adras foothills due to intense summer heat and inconsistent rainfall.

Southwestern Sohar is dominated by the Urí Margidda Valley. Historically a primarily agricultural area, the discovery of oil in the early 20th century turned the valley into a major oil-producing region. The crucial importance of the Urí Margidda River to Nise, as well as long-standing border disputes between Sohar and neighboring Nise have made the Urí Margidda Valley one of the most politically contentious areas in northern Coius, and the two countries have fought numerous conflicts over the region. The outbreak of the Tsabaran Civil War in 2019 has further exacerbated tensions in the area, with large numbers of Tsabaran refugees fleeing into the valley.

Bordering the Gulf of Assonaire, the northern coast of Sohar consists of a narrow coastal plain, transitioning into dry grasslands and steppe further inland. While this area supports limited agricultural production, the soils are of poorer quality than those in the northwest with the exception of the Hurghada Islands and the Balat Valley, home to the city of Almina. As a result, population density is considerably lower here than in the northwest, and the area is largely rural with few towns or cities. Increasing desertification in recent years has devastated many farming communities in the area, forcing large numbers of people to move to Almina in search of work.

Arid landscape typical of the High Plains in Masra Province

Due to the rain shadow effect, eastern Sohar is extremely dry away from the coasts, with the steppe-like High Plains covering the vast majority of the country’s land area. Characterized by extreme temperature swings, the High Plains are extremely dry and thinly populated. During the wet season in the winter, rainfall creates large, shallow salt lakes which evaporate and become salt flats as the weather becomes hotter and drier. The High Plains’ small population is primarily Amazigh and rural, mostly settling in small farming communities, though a few groups still practice traditional nomadic lifestyles.

Hydrology

The Urí Margidda River, one of the most important and politically contentious rivers in Sohar.

Sohar bosts a handful of major rivers, most of which originate in the Adras. Two of the most significant are the Urí Margidda and the Balat. The Urí Margidda begins in northern Behera and flows northward into the Bay of Nise, forming most of Sohar’s border with the country of the same name. The river allows for extensive agricultural operations in the namesake valley, and is a vital source of water for neighboring Nise, a major reason for continuing disputes between the two nations over the region. The Balat River begins east of Sohar in xx and flows northward into the Gulf of Assonaire. The banks of the Balat provide fertile land and water in what is otherwise an arid and nearly barren region, and water from the river is crucial to Almina, Sohar’s second largest city. The exponential increase in Almina’s population in recent decades has led to a similar increase in the city’s water demands, creating tensions between the city and the farming communities upstream.

With access to fresh water highly dependent on a handful of rivers and snowmelt from the Adras, Sohar’s water supplies are insufficient to meet demand from its growing population. Since the early 2010s, water shortages have become commonplace in the High Plains due to an ongoing drought, and a decrease in snowpack in the Adras has led to lower than average water levels in most of the country’s rivers. With water shortages expected to worsen in the future due to climate change, President Husani Kanaan unveiled a plan in 2017 to alleviate future water shortages by building a network of desalinization plants along the coast to allow water from the Gulf of Assonaire to be used for drinking and agriculture.

Climate

Sohar is climatically divided by the Adras mountain range. West of the Adras has a mild Solarian climate, with dry, warm summers, and mild, wet winters. Snowfall occurs on the upper slopes of the Adras mountains. Temperatures in the area tend to range from 19 to 23°C in the summer and from 8 to 10°C in the winter. In sharp contrast, the High Plains east of the Adras are extremely dry, and have extraordinary swings in temperature, from nearly 30°C in the summer to nearly freezing in the winter.

Rainfall varies considerably across Sohar. The Solarian climate of northwestern Sohar gives it mild, rainy winters, with annual rainfall generally ranging from 400 to 670 mm in the area. East of the Adras rainfall is scarcer, usually well below 400 mm annually. Since 2013, much of the High Plains of southern and eastern Sohar have been under a drought, resulting in extremely low rainfall and chronic water scarcity across the region. The drought has been disastrous for the primarily poor and agricultural communities of the region, and has resulted in mass migrations to cities, especially Almina.

Biodiversity

Erythrean Stag, Sohar's national animal

With diverse landscapes ranging from fertile plains in the northwest to near-desert landscapes in the south, Sohar supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. Wild boars, jackals, and gazelles are among the most commonly seen animals in the country. Forested areas in the northwest are home to the Erythrean stag, Sohar’s national animal, while the arid steppe-like High Plains are home to the fennec fox. Much of northwestern Sohar was once covered by vast forests of Tsabaran pine, juniper, and evergreen oak. However, rapid population growth in the 20th century onward has led to the destruction of much of Sohar’s original forest cover, and today forests cover only a small area. Other flora native to the country include macchia, olive trees, and cedars, while fig, eucalyptus, and various species of palm tree grow in warmer areas.