Bakyern

Bak Confederation Laakyar Valötta (Bakyernian)
Flag Shield
Motto: Freedom or Death Placeholder
Anthem: Anthem of Unity
Capital	Saatöl (Executive) Kalvat (Legislative & Judicial)
Official languages	Bakyernian
Recognised national languages	Bakyernian
Ethnic groups	Bakyernian Kaampitë Sivuk-Modov
Religion	Roman Catholicism Samiism Weudalism
Demonym(s)	Bak
Government	Confederate Semi-Direct Democracy
• Chairman	Kal Strassman
• National Council	Ivak Paar Ann Baalmay Jon Graf
Legislature	Confederate Congress
• Upper house	Council of Governates
• Lower house	Council of Representatives
Area
•	2,058,726 km2 (794,879 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 census	97,531,984
• Density	47.37/km2 (122.7/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$4.870 Trillion
• Per capita	$49,940
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$5.480 Trillion
• Per capita	$56,191
Gini	30.3 medium
HDI	0.938 very high
Currency	Bak Gild (bg)
Time zone	UTC-4
Driving side	right
Calling code	+4
Internet TLD	.bk

The Bak Confederation (Bakyernian: Laakyar Valötta) or more commonly known as Bakyern, is a sovereign state in Anteria located in the eastern region of the Thuadian continent. It's a member state of the Anterian World Assembly and Sekidean Union. The administrative levels of Bakyern is divided into governates, which are unified by 6 respective cantons. As of 2020, the latest census has reported that Bakyern has a population of 97 million people. Bakyern has a land area of 2.058 million square kilometers, making Bakyern one of Anteria's largest nations. Bakyern is bordered by Grafenland to the south-east, Junterland to the east, Zhousheng to the south west, Nortence to the north, and Cocuryeo to the west.

Bakyern is considered a developed country due to its high human development and powerful and developed economy. The larger economic sectors of Bakyern are located in the eastern governates and cantons. A lot of Bakyern relies on a a service economy. Bakyern has a strong banking economic sector which contributes a lot into Bakyern's economy in the southern and western provinces. The official currency of Bakyern currently is the Bak Gild which has been in use since 1984.

Geography

Bakyern's geography is mainly flat terrain, with mountains bordering Junterland, Nortence, and Grafenland. 2,058,726 km² of territory is currently occupied by Bakyern. It's mainly made out of a single temperate and biome. Bakyern's coast is bordered by Clabury Lake. The 2 largest rivers in Bakyern are the Bavern River and Neufall River. Bakyern year-round is mainly temperately cold, with 31 °F the majority of the year and 49 °F during summer at its highest.

The largest mountain in Bakyern is the Haufergen Summit, located in the Wesernfeld Mountain Range bordering Junterland. The far-western regions of Bakyern have more mountainous terrain and colder temperatures year-round, with an estimated 27 °F year-round except in summer with 33 °F during summer.

Politics

Government

Bakyern is a confederation with a bicameral system for legislation and the national assembly. The upper chamber is called the Council of Governates while the lower chamber is the Council of Representatives. The Council of Representatives currently has a majority Confederate Coalition holding of seats, while the Council of Governates has a majority Liberal Coalition holding. Elections for seats in both chambers are held every 4 years with it relying on popular and majority vote.

Law

Bak Cantonal Police Car

The Federal Department of Justice is responsible for Bakyern's justice system. As of now the Bak Police Authority is the national law enforcement organization. Bakyern law enforcement organizations is divided between government levels as well, with municipalities having police forces as well. Crime in Bakyern is relatively low, with the majority of crime coming from drug dealing and non-violent crimes such as theft.

The judicial branch of the government, the Federal Supreme Court is the national judicial branch. Prisons in Bakyern have ownership that depends, with private corporations such as the Prisons of Bakyern Co., with a higher percentage of privately-owned prisons being used than prisons owned by public entities like municipal police.

Administrative Division

Administrative Map of Bakyern

Bakyern being a confederation is divided into multiple cantons which contain governates inside. Bakyern as of currently has 6 cantons. Cantons and governates have their own legislative bodies, with the cantons having unified legislative bodies made out of the unified body of legislative governates. As of currently, the administrative levels are;

• Canton
• Governate
• Municipality

Foreign Affairs

The Bak Federal Department of State is in charge of handling diplomatic relations with foreign countries. Bakyern is currently a member of the Sekidean Union. Friendly relations is maintained with countries such as Kentalis, Shadoveil, Aleni, and Zhousheng. Bakyern tries to maintain a policy of neutrality in armed conflict, only stating intents or anything else if a side in a conflict is a rival or communist/socialist.

Healthcare

Bakyern relies on a mix of private and universal healthcare, a lot of which is handled by non-profit companies and medical companies. According to law, citizens of Bakyern are required to have health insurance from the government or private entities. The majority of hospitals are privately-owned, while the government mainly only intervenes in providing ambulance corps and training. People with disabilities, children, and elderly receive benefits with discounts on medical appointments and services.

Economy

The Bak economy is a market economy, with a lot of the country's workforce being a skilled labor force. It's an important economic powerhouse in the region surrounding it, with Gabrielland considering Bakyern a main economic rival. By 2020, the Bak GDP is estimated to be around $5.48 trillion with a GDP per capita of $56,000. Bakyern is considered a developed country, with a lot of exports consisting of manufactured goods such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, automobiles, and medical equipment among others.

Education

The Bak public education system is operated by the state governments and Federal Department of Education. The public education system is well-funded when compared to other countries, with an estimated 67% of the Bak population studying in the public sector. Children are required to pass all grades before deciding on whether to continue an education in college or university or not continue education. An estimated 89% of students go through university or college and pass.

The private sector is run by separate companies or non-profit organizations but are still regulated by the Federal Department of Education, with students required to pass all grades like in the public sector. According to a census, 33% of children in Bakyern study in the private sector. The number of students who go onto university or college is higher than that of the public sector, with 95% of students going to university or college.

While Bakyern's education system has been praised for "being a model and efficient education system", concerns have been raised on how the system 'over-educates' children, meaning more skilled workers and less unskilled workers, with demand for unskilled workers rising since the early 2000s.

Military

Bakyern's armed forces is the Tuiivamäst. The Federal Department of Defense is in charge on all matters of national defense. The majority of the armed forces consists of reserves while a select few are serving in missions in Khemmi and Azureden. Bakyern has no standing navy, with all the military vessels Bakyern has under service of seperate Territorialheer. Due to this, Bakyern's capabilities to wage war overseas is extremely limited, with only the Bak Luftwaffe being able to operate overseas.

The Tuiivamäst has a budget of around $80 Billion. Conscription is not in effect but can only be put into affect when Bakyern's position in a conflict is dire and Bakyern's borders are at risk. Teenagers, with parental guidance, can enlist at the age of 16 to receive longer training. 17 year olds can join the military without guidance from parents or legal guardians.

Culture

Bakyern is ethnically diverse, with a divide between ethnic groups especially around the borders of foreign bordering countries. The current dominating and majority ethnic group are Bakyernians. The majority of east Bakyern is inhabited by Germanic ethnic groups and Bakyernians while in the south and west ethnicity becomes more diverse.

Religion

The majority religion in Bakyern as of currently is Samiism, a culture which has originated from Aleni. While an obvious majority of the population is Samiist, Roman Catholicism comes in close with a difference of less than 13%. Bakyern does not practice an official religion due to ethnic diversity and religious diversity, but have shown more favor towards Weudalism, a native religion, for symbolism (such as the raccoon as national animal.)

Earlier in the 20th Century, Weudalism used to be the majority and ruling religion in Bakyern, but this has changed in favor of Samiism especially during a time period in the 50's.

Popular Media

Entertainment

Entertainment in Bakyern is heavily driven towards television and the internet. The current most watched broadcasting channel is the KW Network with RACWORK right behind. The majority of Bak entertainment is animated rather than live-action, due to producers considering animation to be more effective and cheaper than live-action. For this reason, an obvious majority of movies and TV shows in Bakyern are animated rather than live-action. A clear majority of films in Bakyern aren't political and aren't supposed to be nationalist but critics have noticed the undertone of nationalism, anti-socialism, and pro-Wenelism.

Literature

Literature has been an important part of Bak media, with many Bakyernian literature being infamous and known. Many pieces of Bak literature have included drama, war, politics, and poetry. Bak literature had a lot of popularity outside of Bakyern during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century as Bakyern begun to open up more to the world. A lot of Bak literature had to do with particulary politics and philosophy, which became a breeding ground for Bak ideologies such as Wenelism and Lauterbachism.