Göke

The Gökan Federation Göke Federasyonu
Flag
Motto: Bölünmemiş, Onaylanmamış (Gökan: Undivided, Unconquered)
Göke within Northwest Meridon
Capital	Birlik Kenti
Largest city	Pashta
Official languages	Gökan
Ethnic groups	76% Gökan 7% Narendian 6.1% Bastainnach 4.2% Illarian 3.4% Isarléan 2.3%% Datch 1% Other Especian and Meridonian
Demonym(s)	Gökan, Gökans
Government	Presidential Republic
• Warlord (Dictator)	Enes Levent Burakgazi
Legislature	Congress of Göke
Establishment
• Foundation of the Gökan Empire	1207
• Foundation of the Gökan Confederacy	12th of April 1861
• Gökan Federal Constitution	16th of August 1942
Area
• Total	1,198,140 km2 (462,600 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 estimate	26,252,027 (12)
• 2015 census	25,852,152
• Density	21.911/km2 (56.7/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	$329,594,198,985 NSD
• Per capita	$12,555 NSD
Currency	Egemen
Date format	dd-mm-yyy
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.gf

The Gökan Federation (Gökan: Göke Federasyonu), also known as Göke is a Federal Presidential Republic located in Northwest Meridon in the global region of Greater Meridon. It is an ethnically heterogeneous state with several ethnic minorities existing in enclaves at the fringes of Gökan territory. The Gökan Federation has an extensive pedigree as a successor state to several previous realms that came to be known as the Empires of the Steppe, and presides over a vast territory, though it is behind many other Meridonian nations economically as a result of poor development of much of its territory.

Humans first arrived on the Gökan steppes did so nearly 10,000 years ago with early nomadic herders, similar to more modern Gökan clans, being these new inhabitants. Early history of the steppes largely consisted of the various clans raising animals, goats, sheep, and especially horses, with frequent but short lived raiding between the clans. The peoples of the Gökan Steppe were resistant to the development of settled society with only a handful of semi-permanent and permanent settlements scattered throughout the steppes, which were often short lived before being destroyed by a raiding party after their founding. An exception to this was the ancient city of Pashta, which was established on the Mızrak peninsula roughly 6,500 years ago.

The first attempts to unify the Gökan people under one banner were rather small in scale, with particularly powerful clan leaders claiming the title of Ruhan (spiritual leader, or fit to rule the peoples of the steppe). These attempts were largely unsuccessful until the rise of Ruhan Cebrail Teke. Teke established himself as Diktatör, or warlord of the Gökan Empire. The Empire however, did not rule for an extensive time period as within a few generations the Gökans returned to their historic grazing lands, abandoning central Walakia and Nordland.The Gökan tribes would again rise to form a major empire towards the end of the Post-Classical Period that lasted into the Early Modern Period. This second Gökan Empire would frequently come into conflict with the Treleini ruled kingdom of Bozton, as well as its historical rival, Walakia. The Second Gökan Empire did fall, though by this time a number of permanent settlements did exist in Göke, and some of their captured territories did remain in Gökan possession.

Gökan cities would slowly become a more prominent force in the cultural zeitgeist pressuring for the establishment of a unified Gökan nation. This led to the founding of the Gökan Confederacy in 1866. The Gökan Confederacy would become a major force in local politics, fighting the Plains Wars with Walakia, Narendia, and Golaria throughout the late 19th century. It would also participate in the Valden War, primarily against the Walakians until the Walakian Kingdom fell to revolution. An ethnically Narendia territory of Göke followed suit and declared independence as Murmusa, this would lead to the Morning War, and the accompanying Gökan genocide of Narendians in its territories. This act would spark the constitutional crisis that lead to the formation of the modern Gökan Federation, and would color Göke's relationship with its neighbors for the rest of the 20th century, and into the 21st.

The Gökan economy is the 13th largest in Greater Meridon but is comparatively underdeveloped, with only a 23 on the Meridonian Economic Development Index. Göke is also fairly sparsely populated with a smaller population than many of its neighbors in spite of having one of the largest landmasses on the continent. Göke is largely inwardly focused, pursuing a policy of autarky, and is hostile to some of its neighbors. It is one of the few nations in Meridon that is not a member of the Meridonian Union.

Etymology

The name of Göke is derived from a self identified name for the Gökan people. In ancient languages of the steppe, the term Gökun literally means people of the sky, in reference to the people's living under a free sky on the steppe. Over time the term eventually evolved into the modern Gökan, with the first states on the steppe being the Gökan Empire, and the Gökan Confederacy, literally being unions of the Gökan people, and Göke becoming the term for the land. The demonym for citizens of the Gökan Federation is Gökan, or Gökans.

History

Antiquity and Tribal Period

Humans would first arrive on the Gökan Steppes as nomadic herders 10,000 years ago. These early peoples would eventually spread throughout Northwest Meridon, though a population would remain in the steppe throughout the ancient period. The tribes of the steppe would not become a settled peoples in the Ancient Period, instead maintaining their long standing nomadic tradition with large extended groups, clans, moving with their herds to various grazing grounds. These clans would come into frequent contact with one another, often engaging in periodic warfare and raiding one another. It is during this period when Gökan Animism began to develop as religious reverence increasingly emphasized the importantance of the horse, already one of the more important animals in Gökan life to a near divine state.

The Stone Rider, a work of Gökan art dating to the late Post-Classical Period

The first permanent settlement to be established in the steppe was the city of Pashta, which was likely established as a trading post by non-native peoples roughly 6,500 years ago. Pashta eventually grew to become a substantial city as a growing number of clans came to trade what goods they could make, or steal from neighbors, for goods from the founders of the city. Pashta would remain relatively unique among permanent settlements until near the end of Classical period when Bastainnach traders from the south would establish further trading posts that lasted past the end of the Classical period.

There were some early attempts to unify the Gökan peoples, though these were largely localized attempts to secure a coalition of clans into a raiding band to invade a neighboring territory. These warlords would each claim the title of Ruhan, or spiritual leader. Ruhans in the Late Classical, and Early Post-Classical period would unify small clan groupings and launch raids into the settled lands of Datchlia and of the settled territories on the western and south western coasts of the region, as well as fighting amongst each other. Particularly successful Ruhanei would even manage to unify large portions of the Steppe's populace, and sack major neighboring cities. None however would manage to unify all of the Gökan peoples until the Middle-Post Classical Period, and the rise of Cebrail Teke in the late 1200s.

First Gökan Empire and the Inter-Imperial Period

Cebrail Teke rose from relative obscurity during the late 1200s as the bastard child (Teke being the surname of a bastard in Gökan culture) of a relatively unimportant Clan leader. Cebrail would eventually rise to power as a major Ruhan and and unify all of the steppe clans under his own banner and going on an extensive series of campaigns against the settled peoples of the western plains of Northwest Meridon. Teke successfully campaigned against the Walakian polities for twenty years before returning to Pashta. In an attempt to secure legitimacy and permanence for his captured lands, Cebrail returned to Pashta and crowned himself Diktatör of the Gökan Empire as the first of the Efendisi dynasty. Teke would die shortly thereafter during a siege in the Walakian region.

The Efendisi Dynasty would last two generations past Cebrail. However, after its founding, the Gökan Empire went into a steady decline as the clans began to break from their unity with the Empire and return to their ancestral grazing lands. As the military forces of the Empire disintigrated, the settled peoples began to retake their territory. By the middle of the 1300s, the Gökan Empire was nonexistent and the Gökan peoples had largely returned to the steppes. As the Gökans returned to their tribal groupings however, foreign traders followed them and established more permanent settlements in the steppe.

Gökan clans would expand during the times after the first Empire and a few would join foreign settlements as being among the first permanently settled Gökan clans. Settled clans were generally looked down upon by their nomadic bretheren, and settlements with large concentrations of Gökans were raided intensely by nomadic Gökans. Many settlements were even outright destroyed by these attacks. The arrival of Illarian Răscumpărare missionaries in the late 1400s, which heralded the beginnings of the reunification of the Gökan peoples and the formation of the Second Gökan Empire.

Gökans in Combat during the Inter-Imperial Period

The Second Gökan Empire and Inter-State Period

As Răscumpărare began to spread throughout the Gökan Steppe conflict arose between those who were converted by missionaries, largely the more settled peoples, and the traditional Gökan Animists. Eventually however, the practitioners of Răscumpărare rallied under the clan Kırmgöz and its leader Enes. Enes Kırmgöz launched a major campaign to reunify the Gökan peoples under a single banner, eventually making himself Diktatör in 1487. This new Gökan Empire quickly pushed against its neighbors seizing territory far to the west of traditional Gökan herding lands. The Kırmgöz dynasty took this opportunity to refer to its conquests as a holy war to spread their faith, Răscumpărare throughout Northwest Meridon. The Empire did manage to spread the faith to many states, even convincing the Watażki of Walakia to adopt the faith as a means to bring an end to the invasions of Gökan horsemen.

The Gökans would eventually see a challenge to their frequent invasions of their neighbors when Diternalist states, particularly the ascendant Kingdom of Bozton which managed to successfully drive the Gökans north of the Wolfbriar mountains. The Gökans would be pushed again by Narendian states as well, even as Răscumpărare would spread to this area as well. The mounting struggles of a holy war against the unbelievers saw a schism within the Gökan populace as those who still practiced the traditional faith revolted against the Răscumpărarists. The resulting civil war saw the collapse of the Gökan Empire as clans once again splintered into warring, religious factions.

However, as the Gökans retreated once again to their ancestral homes, settlements continued to spread as Răscumpăre practitioners abandoned the traditional life style of the Gökan people. The increasing sedentary population along the fringes of the steppe became increasingly important in the spreading of new ideas from other parts of the Meridonian continent. Among these nationalist sentiments were increasingly common. This would lead first to banding together of clans in the name of recapturing the grazing lands south of the Wolfbriars in the 1750s, but increasingly saw the clans of cities and steppe together identifying as Gökan. A council was called in 1866 that saw the creation of the Gökan Confederation.

The Gökan Confederacy

The Gökan Confederacy though relatively loose in governmental organization assembled a substantial military and began to invade their neighbors with the Plains Wars of the 1880s and 1890s. The Gökans first invaded Walakia during the First Plains War, in order to seize the mineral rich lands of the western Steppe in 1887. The War was successful with the Walakians being driven off the territory. The Gökans followed this invasion with the invasion of Narendia in 1888, and successfully seized more territory. In 1889 a coalition of Narendia, and Walakia attempted to retake the western and southern territories. In a conflict lasting 2 years, the coalition managed to retake some territory before being driven back, and being counterattacked themselves. The skilled Gökan Cavalry Corps managed to defend their territory leading to the Treaty of Birilik Kenti in 1891. A Fourth Plains War was launched in 1892 by the Gökans but this invasion failed, leading to a white peace in 1894.

The Gökans would enjoy a period of prosperity rivaling even that of Datchlia during the period of time between the end of the Plains Wars and the start of the Valden War. Göke would be an early partipant in the Valden War, siding with the Principality of Valden when they were promised Capisarian lands rich in Datchium. Göke quickly found itself in a two front war when Walakia and Falkenslovask intervened on the behalf of Capisaria. Walakia fell out of the war due to a revolution, however a disastrous offensive against Falkenslovask led to a mutiny and regional revolt in Göke prompting them to leave the Valden War, and leading to the start of the Morning War.

Narendians being marched out of a town near modern day Murmusa in 1931.

The revolt in the ethnically Narendian areas of Göke led to open conflict shortly after Göke left the Valden War. As the conflict escalated, the Gökans turned to increasingly drastic measures, eventually leading to Gökans rounding up and killing, en masse populations of ethnic Narendians near the conflict zone. Narendia proper in an attempt to put an end to the Narendian Genocide, intervened in the conflict. Mounting casualties led to an inconclusive end to the Morning War in 1937 and a long truce with ethnic Narendians, and at that time temporary independence for Murmusa. The disaster of the Valden War and Morning War, and the depopulation of many regions of Göke nearly saw the end of a unified Gökan state as revolution threatened to tear the nation apart. An emergency council was called in 1942 to resolve the crisis, and a new, more centralized Gökan state was formed with greater power to put down the rebellion, which was formalized with adoption of the Constitution of the Gökan Federation.

The Gökan Federation

During the first decades of the Gökan Federation, Federal authorities attempted to stabilize and secure the nation. The agents of the Constitutionalists proved enormously effective on cracking down on rebellious elements brutalizing captured rebellious members of ethnic minorities, and using torture and extrajudicial execution as major tools in pacifying rebellions. Such tactics did prove unpopular, and the Constitutionalists were replaced with an opposing political party for much of the 1960s and 1970s, which promised to develop the Gökan nation and massively improve infrastructure. Such development also saw the increasing urbanization of the Gökan populace as people moved into the cities to live in modern housing and work constructing the new Gökan cities.

In 1978, the truce between the Murmusans and Gökans came to an end as increasingly violent border skirmishes broke out into open war. Göke managed to successfully occupy the entirety of Murmusa though Murmusan resistance fighters bitterly resisted the Gökan occupation of the nation for nearly three years before intervention by the Narendians pulled Gökans from Murmusa and allowed the Murmusans to eventually reclaim their territory. Though fighting would continue for another year after that, a formal peace treaty was drafted and signed in 1982 mandating the recognition of the Murmusan state by Göke and formally seeing the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The Constitutionalists retook power in 1986, and radically re-prioritized the economic development of the nation. Emphasis was placed on the establishment of a self-sufficient Gökan state in order to prevent dependence upon foreign nations in the event that conflict became inevitable. Enforcing this policy became difficult however, as ethnic minorities often occupied the lands most economically valuable, resulting in the Federal government removing those people by force. Similarly, the Federal government began to engage in the economic censure of Murmusa, attempting to starve the nation into submission, and allow for Gökan exploitation of the Murmusan Plateau. As a result recent years have seen Göke increasingly become an international pariah, as well having substantial environmental degradation, and a decline in Gökan living standards. The last few years have as a result, had increased dissent in Göke and a possible return to power of the Reformists.

Geography

The Gökan Federation has a land area of 1,198,140 square kilometers and is located in the heartland of the Northwestern Meridon. Göke's landmass consists primarily of steppes and plateaus as well as more mountainous terrain. It is a landlocked country with the only standing bodies of water being rivers and lakes, with the Omuz Lakes at the center of the Gökan steppes being of great cultural significance. Göke was historically relatively nonindustrialized and suffered fairly little environmental degradation. Economic development in Göke has resulted in significant pollution as Göke has invested heavily in fossil fuel based infrastructure and less than clean agricultural industry.

Climate and Physical Geography

An area of Dosürrazi, a verdeant area of the steppe.

The Gökan Steppes, the heartland of the Federation is primarily a northern temperate, semi-arid climate region. In the northern reaches, colder, wetter climates see the formation of snow forests. Southern climates are more diverse, with arid, and semi-arid regions some of which have denser vegetation as a result of snowmelt from mountain ranges. The Gökan Federation's Southern and Eastern borders are marked by the Wolfbriar mountains and the northern spur of the same range. There are few major rivers in Göke, but many small streams and brooks crisscrossing the countryside, as well as a few large lakes in the center of the nation. The highest point in Göke is Mont Deschamps standing at 5,504 meters in height, and its lowest point is in the northernmost part of the Tyr Flod River valley at 13 meters.

Biodiversity and Conservation

The Gökan steppe is a somewhat desolate location, and though other areas of Göke have greater biodiversity, Göke as a nation is home to only 750 species of animal and vascular plant, though there is an exceptional variety of species of grass in Göke. Environmental conservation is a nonobjective for the Gökan government, and environmental degradation has been severe. There is no natural protection agency in the Gökan government, and conservation has mostly been the efforts of common citizens, though certain standards, mostly in place to protect human health are overseen by the Gökan Bureau for Economics.

Demographics

According to the most recent census in Göke (2015), Göke has a population of 25,852,152; and has been growing at a rate of roughly .5% per year which is roughly average for the region of Northwest Meridon. The Gökan Federation is fairly ethnically heterogeneous with many minorities and minority enclaves scattered through the Gökan Federation, though the dominant, Gökan ethnicity still represents a clear majority (76%) of the total population. Nominally, the official religion of the Gökan Federation is Răscumpărare, which is followed by a plurality of (36%) of its citizens, however, traditional Gökan Animism is also commonly practiced with fully a third of the populace practicing traditional faiths, a sizable minority (19%) of the populace practices Diternalism, with Traditionalists being most common. Nonreligious communities are the are quickly growing, with 15% of the populace being nonreligious or actively atheist. 48% of the population report as being on the lgbt spectrum with most being a part of traditional Răscumpărare family structures.

Göke is a very ruralized nation with only 20% of the population living in urban areas. The bulk of the urban populace (15% of the total) lives in the twenty largest urban areas of Göke. There are currently fifty cities in Göke (cities being defined as settlements with populations larger than 10,000 persons), seventeen cities with a population greater than fifty thousand, and twelve with a population of over one hundred thousand. There are currently no cities with a population of over one million. The Gökan population is spread thinly about the massive nation, with concentrations of population in the Mızrak region near the central lakes, the Northern border region and the Eastern border region, with the interior relatively uninhabited.

Largest cities or towns in Göke 2015 Census
	Rank		Territory	Pop.	Rank		Territory	Pop.
Pashta Kartuf	1	Pashta	Mızrak	840,410	11	Çamçukur	Büysürazi	117,110	Unarak Cebeci
	2	Kartuf	Islakan	550,181	12	Hoğusku	Güneymasa	105,670
	3	Unarak	Islakan	444,650	13	Mangalia	Islakan	96,170
	4	Cebeci	Güneymasa	421,120	14	Aydınlar	Mızrak	71,415
	5	Akbaba	Batlaşmak	222,415	15	Gümüşpınar	Islakan	61,342
	6	Pasaköy	Dosürrazi	198,564	16	Neuve Chateau	Batlaşmak	50,785
	7	Birlik Kenti	Büysürazi	187,520	17	Pitesti	Dosürrazi	50,686
	8	Gebze	Kumurgası	131,760	18	Neu Grüunfeld	Islakan	49,886
	9	Oeste Bleuchamp	Batlaşmak	125,610	19	Safaalan	Güneymasa	46,186
	10	Çamdibi	Kumurgası	121,111	20	Küçükyoncalı	Mızrak	45,213

Government

Right Side

  Constitutional Party: 52 seats

Left Side

  Reform Party: 44 seats

  Labour Party: 2 seats

Unaligned

  Independent: 2 seats

The Gökan Federation is a Federal presidential republic and a representative democracy. The Gökan Federation's government is elected by the people. Minority rights are, theoretically guaranteed by the constitution, however, certain ethnic groups have been subject to intense discrimination in times of political unrest. The Gökan Federation is dominated, on the national level by the office of the Diktatör, and through him, Territorial governors. The legislature has little power under normal circumstances, but is exceptionally strong when it comes to removing an abusive executive from power. There is no politically empowered judicial branch in Göke. Legally there are three levels of governance, the national with the legislature and the Diktatör, the Territorial governors, who largely rule by dictat though the governors of Mızrak and Islakan having ruling councils that act as a legislature. Below the territories there are the local governments, which generally are small councils of elders, though larger cities do have elected governing bodies. There are two branches of government, and they are as follows:

Legislative: The legislative branch of Göke is embodied by the Congress of Göke, a unicameral congress elected by the people once in a period of four years, or immediately after the conclusion of a vote of no confidence against the Diktatör, or of the Congress itself. The Congress has the power to determine the rate of taxation, and is responsible for the passage of legislation. Additionally, the Congress has the ability to remove a Diktatör from power with a vote of no confidence, to block certain initiatives, particularly those pertaining to the purse, made by the Diktatör. Lastly, the Congress of Göke is responsible for promoting a High Marshal to oversee the military.

Executive: The Executive is held by the office of the Diktatör (an term used to describe great Gökan warlords during the period of the Gökan Empire), who is elected once in a period of six years for a single, nonrenewable term. who appoints Territorial governors, and has substantial power over the enforcement of laws, in charge of the appointment most government ministers (aside from the military High Marshal), and who has power of the purse, and some, limited legislative power as well. The Diktatör is however, subject to votes of no confidence from the Congress.

The Constitution outlines the powers and structures of the Gökan Federal government as well as its interactions with the Gökan territories. The constitution also nominally enumerates the rights of its citizen body, though the rights of ethnic minorities have repeatedly been ignored by the Gökan Federal government in the interests of economic development, or removing rebellious ethnic populations.

Parties and Elections

Elections for the Congress occur on a four year basis, and elections for Diktatör occur on a six year basis. All citizens over the age of 18 may participate in elections and standing, in elections for high office. Each of the 50 historical Sürazi (herd lands, or ancient clan holdings) in central Göke, is given a seat in the Congress, which is elected in a First Past the Post fashion, which seekers for high office declaring a partisan leaning or as independents. At the conclusion of the election, the largest party will form a government, or form a ruling coalition with other parties. The President is elected similarly to individual members of the legislature, but is elected for a single, non-re electable term of office, and who appoints a Cenkbenin Sesi (literally mouth of the leader). Traditionally, the ruling Gökan party will sit to the right of the Cenkbenin Sesi, in the legislative chamber opposition will sit to the left, and independents are seated at the end of the chamber.

The Gökan Federation is a functional two party democracy with a handful of independents and minor party members. The government is currently split with the current Legislature ruling with a slight majority belonging to the classically liberal Constitutional Party, with the opposition coalition of the social liberal Reform Party, and social democratic Labour Party, and two independents who frequently caucus with the opposition, and with the Office of Diktatör, as well as the Cenkbenin Sesi being members of the Reform Party.

Foreign Policy

The Gökan Federation is somewhat isolationist as a result of its historical rivalries with many of its neighbors. The Gökan government, particularly under the rule of the Constitutional Party has pursued a policy of Autarky, and has frequently engaged in ethnic discrimination, up to and including deportation based ethnic cleansing to protect many of its more economically important territories. This has put Göke into frequent conflict with Narendia especially as the Narendian ethnic populations, long suffering under Gökan rule, and fueled by Murmusan agitators have been actively threatening to cede a large, resource rich territory to Murmusa or Narendia. In spite of this, Göke has maintained formal diplomatic relations with all members of the Meridonian community bar Murmusa, which it intermittently refuses to recognize, Versitea, and Snoaga, and even has intermittent trading relationships with Walakia and Golaria.

Economy

Economic Indicators

Monetary Unit: Egemen Conversion Rate: Ë = $.03312 NSD Fiscal Year: 16. August-15. August Nominal GDP: $329,594,198,985 NSD GDP per Capita: $12,555 NSD Labor Force: 16,276,256 Unemployment: 1,953,150 (12%)

The Gökan Federation is a Market economy operating under a capitalist economic model, with only a handful of industries seeing extensive government oversight, namely the indigenous armaments industry and certain resource industries. Historically there was a substantial presence of guilds and unions in Göke, decades of rule by the Constitutional Party however, has weakened their influence somewhat, in the name of economic growth and Autarky. Agricultural workers in particular have seen substantial weakening of their labor protections in recent years as a result of the decline of guilds, and the slow breakup of ancient Clan based herding in favor of mass agriculture. The Gökan Federation strives to be economically self sufficient and generally avoids trading with other nations, particularly for living essentials, attempting to acquire the means to support its citizenry locally. The Gökan Federation uses the local Egemen (Ë ) for its national currency, though many Gökans, particularly in rural areas operate on a barter system instead.

The Gökan labor force consists of 16,276,256 persons. The Agricultural Industry is the largest employer in the Gökan Federation, 3,255,251 employing persons, or roughly one fifth of the entire workforce, though subsistence farmers are rarely counted as part of this number. Second to agriculture are the consumer goods industry (16%), the armaments industry (15%), and the Gökan government (14%) respectively. Union penetration has been on the decline in recent years, and currently only 25% of the workforce is represented by a union or guild.

Unemployment and Poverty

Göke suffers from relatively extensive poverty, particularly in rural areas, with an average annual salary of $11,121 per year, well below the Meridonian median. In recent years agribusiness has supplanted more labor intensive local agriculture and herding, and as a result a large portion of the population, especially in rural areas is not employed, with a total number of 1,953,150 persons being recorded as unemployed, or roughly 12% of the total workforce. Due to low wages and high unemployment nearly 60% of the population lives below the Meridonian poverty line, with rural poverty being particularly endemic.

Früzümü Dere power station in Mızrak, one of the largest power plants in Göke.

Infrastructure

Göke is an underdeveloped nation, with infrastructure in particular being limited in scope. Overland transit is largely done via either a limited road network, or over short distance over animal trails. There are hundreds of small airfields in the Gökan Federation, though most are military, and there is only one civilian airport (at Birlik Kenti) capable of servicing large international jet liners. As a landlocked nation, there are few ports in Göke, with only a handful of smaller international ports on the lake that Göke shares with Finorskia. Communications are done over the air, with cellular and radio networks often being the only telecommunications systems available in many parts of rural Göke. Göke is largely supplied with power by a handful of coal and oil powered power stations, though there is a movement towards renewable sources of energy.

Government Finance

The state is primarily funded through taxation, though extensive tariffs also provide a major source of income to the Gökan state, with the government budget totaling roughly 6% of the national economy at $19,775,651,939 NSD. The Federal government, and the Gökan Armed Forces in particular spend the lion's share of the total treasure, though Territorial governors also raise extensive taxes of their own, and maintain their own security forces as well as paying into the support of local Gökan military regiments. Local governments have the smallest proportion of total government treasure.

Military

Gökan Bolum-2 IFV on exercise in Northern Kumurgası.

The Gökan Federation maintains a fairly sizable military in the form of the Gökan Federal Defense Force (GFSG) which operates under the authority of the High Marshal, and to a lesser extent, the Diktatör. The Gökan Federal Defense Force is divided into two branches the Army of the Gökan Federation (GFO), and the Air Force of the Gökan Federation (GFHK). As a landlocked nation, Göke does not have a militarized maritime force. The Gökan Federation is armed, supplied, and funded by the state. Gökan military forces operate under a conscription model with all men being required to serve in a 3 year term in the GFSG before they turn 30, and may volunteer for service upon completion of their mandatory service. Women are allowed to volunteer for military service, but are not conscripted. There are currently 210,016 personnel serving in the Gökan Armed Forces, with 168,126 serving in the Army, and 41,890 in the Air Force. The Gökan Federal Armed Forces funding is equal to 1.1% of the GDP of Göke, or $3,591,883,980 NSD, with the Army receiving a lion's share (66%) of the budget or $2,368,420,901 NSD, and the Airforce the remaining 34% or $1,223,463,079 NSD.

Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement is mostly provided at the Territorial level in the Gökan Federation. The Gökan territorial governors are expected to maintain their own security forces responsible for much of the beat law enforcement and traffic enforcement. Local law enforcement professionals are uncommon in rural areas, but are frequently used to investigate crimes. There is also a major crimes unit run by the Federal government which handles the investigation of crimes beyond the capacities of local law enforcement agencies, as well as operating a small counter-terrorism taskforce, and the Gökan Federal Lake Patrol, which patrols the shared Gökan-Finorskian waterways. There are currently 262,520 law enforcement officers working in Göke, who operate with a budget $9,887,825,969 NSD.

Human Development

Göke is an Underdeveloped nation according to the Meridonian Economic Development Index, and remains somewhat behind in human development. Infrastructure projects are at the forefront of Gökan development interests however, with human development being further left behind as a matter of economic policy for the Gökan federal government. Göke's attempts to secure Autarky, its massive territory, and its hostile relations with its neighbors makes it rather difficult to develop the Federation.

Education

The Gökan Federation does maintain a public schooling system which is free and mandatory for all citizens until the age of twelve, free non-mandatory education for students under the age of 16, and public education through the university level that is partially subsidized by the state. The public education system however, is severely underfunded, particularly in rural areas, and quality of education is somewhat low. As of 2015, adults over the age of 15 report a literacy rate of 72%, with older citizens in particular having low literacy rates, but with relative parity between the sexes.

Healtcare

Healthcare in the Gökan Federation is largely privately owned and operated without state subsidization, though there were historically some initiatives to subsidize rural clinics in the past, these funds have dried up in recent years. Gökan citizens must then, shoulder a substantial cost for medical treatment, and, particularly among the impoverished, and rural populations, have much lower health expectations than citizens other, more developed nations. Average life expectancy is rather low, forty five years of age, and in rural areas declining, and national healthcare outcomes are degrading rapidly.

A Yurt common in Göke, particularly among nomadic tribes.

Daily Life

Standards of living vary wildly among Gökans with urban persons having higher standards of living, and particularly a massive gulf in the quality of life between social classes. Gökan working class and poor persons can expect to not have access to Personal Electronic Devices, and in all likelihood will rely on pack animals and carts for long distance transit. Many of the wealthy, particularly in urban areas, have access to a number of technologies, frequently imported from Datchlia, that improve their quality of life.

Culture

Gökan culture is orientated heavily towards its nomadic past, and the traditions of the steppe, and the most notably of the horse. Though Göke has nominally embraced Răscumpărare as its official religion, Gökan Animism, and ancestor worship remain common, even among practitioners of organized religions. Religious influences remain significant in Gökan society, with religious ceremonies being a frequent part of the calendar year. Göke does not have a robust recorded media industry, and is a net importer of foreign films and music, while Gökan music is largely passed down by tradition. There is no particular architectural tradition in Göke, though many housing blocks, and other public works constructed during Reformist rule in the 1970s were constructed in the Pragmatist style. Gökan cuisine is heavily reliant upon animal protein, with herded animals, particularly goat meat, though many meals also use horse meat, though those have a more significant cultural meaning than meats. Sport is common, with Göke being the home of many equestrian sports including Tent pegging, and horse archery competitions, and equestrian sporting being the most common Gökan traditional games. Many Gökans in the modern period do enjoy football and other foreign sports.