Undreshistan

Volost of Undreshistan Ундрешистан
Flag of Undreshistan Flag
Capital	Al-Undresh
Official languages	Venadian, Arabian, Undreshistani
Demonym(s)	Undreshistani
Government	Volost of the Republic of Venadia
• Governor	Gennady Osokin
Legislature	Regional Veche
Area
•	341,512 km2 (131,859 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	5.1 million
• Density	15.1/km2 (39.1/sq mi)

The Volost of Undreshistan (Venadian: Ундрешистан Волость) is a district of Venadia located in the south-east. It is one of two Venadian districts with a Muslim majority, and the native Undreshistani people are the fourth largest ethnicity within Venadia. The Undreshistani steppes are spread around most of the volost, barring areas of highlands. Undreshistan is fairly arid, and possess great petroleum reserves. Parts of western Undreshistan is under a localized state of emergency with heavy presence of the Venadian military due to the Undreshistani Insurgency.

History

Undreshistan (as well as modern-day eastern Boldiria and southern Ilveria) has been populated by Armanok peoples since their migration to the area in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The Undresh, Iljesh and Orosh peoples were the primary of these groups, with a mutually intelligible language. With them, they brought islam and whatever native populations existed Undreshistan were assimilated and converted. The Armanok peoples were nomadic, and the vast steppes of south-east Venadia became their primary grazing lands. Between the 9th and 13th centuries, the disparate Armanok tribes were united into the Emirate of Undreshistan by the Undresh, and settlements along the relatively fertile Ilijok basin in central Undreshistan sprang up. During its height in the 15th century, the Emirate of Undreshistan consisted of modern-day Undreshistan, eastern Boldiria and south-east Ilveria.

The Undreshistani, like the neighboring Ilverians and Boldirians, were active in the slave trade. Raids into nearby christian lands, especially Venadia and Arlelli, was common and slavic slaves were the brunt of Undreshistani agricultural labourers. Undreshistan were involved in numerous wars against the Venadians during the 16th to 18th centuries, ending in the Emirate's annexation in 1778 following the Second Undreshistani-Venadian War.

As a province of Venadia, the native Undreshi population were initially heavily repressed and subjected to Venadification. Missionary activities by the Catholic Church were heavily supported by the state, and only converts were able to participate in political life or hold government offices. These restrictions on the native population were gradually phased out in the late 19th centuries, and Undreshi muslims were granted equal rights in 1918.

Opposition to Venadian rule has been particularly widespread and militant in Undreshistan, and it wasn't until the late 19th century that the government was confident of their authority in the more desolate territories of Undreshistan, especially the western highlands. In the modern era, Undreshistan remains a troubled region in Venadia due to the Undreshistani Insurgency by socialist and islamist terrorist groups.

During the Second Ardanian Great War Undreshistan was occupied by Revolutionary People's Republic of Arlelli who established the short-lived Undreshi Democratic Republic between 1938 to 1942, ruled by a collaborateur government under Akhmad Relajev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Undreshistan. After the Great War ended with allied victory, Undreshi communists continued resistance in the form of the Undreshi Red Army and the outlawed Communist Party.

Demography

Ethnicity	Population	Percentage (%)
Total	5,122,580	100.0%
Undreshistani	3,816,582	74.5%
Venadian	935,664	18.3%
Other Armanok	165,552	3.2%
Boldirian	57,619	1.1%
White Venadian	52,321	1.0%
Other ethnicities	94,842	1.9%

Undreshistan has a relatively high population growth, both due to natural growth and immigration. Despite its status as one of the most troubled districts of Venadia, oil wealth attracts a significant amount of people from other parts of the country, as well as migrants from abroad, to come to the volost. It is far more diverse in the 21st century than it has been in the past.

Islam remains the largest religion, primarily Sunni Islam. A minority of Undreshistani muslims are sufists, with the government estimating a total of 5-10% of Undreshistani muslims belonging to this particular branch. Undreshistan's majority ethnicity are the Undreshistani and the other native Armanok peoples, who together make up more than three quarters of the population. Ethnic Venadians and White Venadians make up almost a fifth of the population, and are particularly common in the Ilijok Basin and the northern petroleum fields. The slavic population are a mixture of migrants from the past two centuries and the descendants of the slaves captured by the Emirate of Undreshistan.

Religion	Population	Percentage (%)
Total	5,122,580	100.0%
Islam	3,755,483	73.3%
Roman Catholic	779,374	15.2%
Other Christian	178,538	3.5%
Other faiths	40,710	0.8%
No religion	368,475	7.2%

Politics

Undreshistan, as a minority-majority district, has a high degree of regional and local parties but the Liberal-Republican Party has been the largest party in the Volost since the 1920s. Like all Volosts, the district is ruled by a government-appointed Governor as well as an elected Regional Veche. The capital of Al-Undresh, the Volost's third largest city, is the seat of the Regional Veche but not the Governor whose office lies in the city of Layagrad. Undreshistan is almost unique in terms of being governed by a coalition of the Socialists and Liberals

2013 Election

Party	Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/-
Liberal-Republican	856,834	39.6%	54	2
Undreshi Socialist Party	376,940	17.4%	24	5
Socialist Party	317,322	14.7%	20	3
Islamic Alliance	298,617	13.8%	19	3
Undreshistan Popular Front	154,478	7.1%	10	5
Unity Party	103,243	4.8%	6	2
Civil Rights Party	28,395	1.3%	0
Others	29,337	1.4%	0
Total valid	2,165,166	94.6%
Invalid/blank votes	124,275	5.4%
Total (Turnout: 58.3%)	2,289,441		133
Source: Venadian Electoral Commission

Economy

Undreshistan's economy is heavily influenced by the primary sector, with the industrial-scale ranching on the vast steppes and the exploitation of northern Undreshistan's oil reserves being the powerhouses of the economy. Other important sectors are healthcare, education, electricity production and nickel mining. Inequality is high in Undreshistan, with the ethnic Venadians tending to have better access to public services and jobs in the government and petroleum sector. Unemployment is high at 15.2%, while economic growth is high at 4.3%. The GDP per capita of Undreshistan is moderate.