Zalluabed

Kingdom of Zalluabed Zalluabed
Flag
Capital	Zakaraban
Official languages	Zakarabani
Other languages	Zagha, Polaja
Demonym(s)	Zalluabedi
Government
• King	Farik al-Jamura
• President	Husani Antar
• Foreign Minister	Nashat el-Yusuf
• Defense Minister	Jirhanu Bjyala
Population
• 2020 estimate	11,588,000
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	106.04 billion
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy

The Kingdom of Zalluabed, most commonly known as Zalluabed, is a nation located on the continent of Adula, bordered by Albarine, Buckingla, Togaria, and Unified Sera. The country has a semi-arid geography, with most of the population living in the fertile east and desert mountains dominating the geography of the west. This arid geography makes the country very vulnerable to climate change. The capital and largest city, Zakaraban, is located in the east along the coast of the Emmiria Sea, and contains nearly 40% of the nation's population.

Zalluabed has a long history of human settlement and civilization, with prominence as a coastal trading post for the Toyana Ocean as parts of the Quetanan and Emmirian empires. In the modern era, it has been known for major economic strides with the discovery of major oil fields, but its become known for political and social strife. In the World War, Zalluabed provided supplies to the League Powers. It joined the CCA in the 1990s, but has been repeatedly criticized for aggressive tactics in insuring its sovereign territorial claims and pursuing a nuclear program which was the subject of international sanctions. Recent events, like the Tarijar Strait Crisis and the Hisrea War, have also drawn scrutiny. The presidency of Zayyaan al-Akhtar was considered by the international community as being an authoritarian government, but the 2023 general election installed a more liberal-leaning government headed by Husani Antar. Antar's progressive policies and intention to leave the TTPA prompted the military to oust him in a coup under Saahir Salim, and a civil war broke out as a result.

Zalluabed has a semi-presidential constitutional monarchy, with local constituencies consisting of 38 provinces and 941 communes. Zalluabed is a regional and middle power. It has one of the highest of Human Development Index of all Southern Adulan countries and one of the largest economies on the region of the continent, based largely on energy exports. Zalluabed has the 16th largest oil reserves in the world and the tenth largest in Adula, while it has the eleventh-largest reserves of natural gas. Zonatrach, the national oil company, is one of the largest companies in Adula, supplying large amounts of natural gas to Euronian nations, specifically Drambenburg and Murzi. Zalluabed is a member of the Coalition of Crown Albatross, TTPA, CTO, and many other international organizations.

History

Prehistory

Human habitation of Zalluabed dates back to 50,000 years ago. Settlements and tools dating back to the Stone Age have been unearthed in the region. Artifacts originating from the Abaid period (c. 6500–3800 BC) have been discovered in abandoned coastal settlements. Al Ka'asa, a settlement located on the eastern coast, is the most important Abaid site in the country and is believed to have accommodated a small seasonal encampment.

Antiquity

The Achaiminid Empire (550–330 BC), founded by Cryun the Great, was the first true global superpower state and it ruled from as far north as Raviannas and as far south as Semalia, from their seat of power in Hazarabad (at the time known as Cryunias). The Achaiminid Empire conquered eastern Zalluabed in 402 BC, but within 50 years, it was pushed out of the country by unrest and rebellion.

Emmirian Empire

The Emmirian Empire at its height in 980 AD

Zalluabed was described as a famous horse and camel breeding center during the Emayyad period. In the 8th century, it started benefiting from its commercially strategic position in the Emmiria Sea and went on to become a center of pearl trading. It became part of the Emmirian Empire in 820, at which point Islam spread to the region. Zalluabed was divided into caliphates, but as the Empire declined, so did the development of Zalluabed.

Modern Age

18th Century

The Al-Jamura dynasty was established with the ascension of King Jayaba al-Jamura in 1783.

19th Century

Zalluabed saw fighting in the Barretoan Wars, when Timerian and Durnstaal fleets engaged with Skithan forces off its coast.

20th Century

Zalluabedi forces in the 1959-60 Togaria War

Oil reserves were first discovered in Zalluabed in 1929. Oil exports began in 1941, and oil revenues became the country's main source of revenue, the pearl trade having gone into decline. These revenues were used to fund the expansion and modernization of Zalluabed's infrastructure. Zonatrach, the country's main oil and gas company, was founded in 1963.

King Malik al-Jamura, 1932

King Malik al-Jamura took the throne in 1932. Zalluabed's regime under King Malik al-Jamura supplied the League Powers of Drambenburg, Egilanak, and Styrae during the World War, and it was regarded as a tyrannical regime due to extrajudicial killings of political opponents and suspected international spies. King Malik often rallied the nation in nationalist attitudes against neighboring countries, specifically the secularized state of Albarine to the north and the formerly Islamic nation of Togaria to the south. Malik launched an invasion into Togaria to attempt and install a puppet government. However, Zalluabedi forces were repelled. The two-week long 1963 Ascacia War broke out in May of 1963 when King Malik tried to lay claim to off-shore oil fields, and the conflict drew international scrutiny.

King Malik died in 1966, and his son Isa al-Jamura became king. Isa led reforms, breaking up much of his father's authoritarian policies, and embracing a more liberal form of Islam. In 1980, he reformed the political process by instituting the National Assembly and the position of President of Zalluabed. Within the decade, the political power held by the King would essentially dissipate to a symbolic role. Furthermore, diplomatic reforms were made with Zalluabed drawing closer to the nations of Beleroskov, Drambenburg, and Yuan. King Isa backed the formation of the Coalition of Crown Albatross, and joined the organization with approval of the National Assembly in 1981.

Bariim al-Kaboula was elected President in 1997. On 6 March 1999, Farik al-Jamura became king when Isa died in a car crash while visiting Rhaga, Emmiria.

21st Century

In October of 2000, a Shia insurgency in Zalluabed began when dissident cleric Hussein al-Athi, head of the Hisrean Shia sect, launched an uprising against the government. The government alleged that the Hisrean rebels, known as the Hisrea People's Liberation Front (HPLF), were seeking to overthrow it and to implement Shī'ite religious law. The rebels counter that they are "defending their community against discrimination" and government aggression. The revolution was put down.

Abdelaziz Melkabaar was elected President in 2009.

Zayyaan al-Akhtar was elected President in 2017.

On November 25th, 2020, Albarine was at the center of the Tarijar Strait Crisis, which arose after Drambenburg was granted access to build military bases in Buckingla and Zalluabed. Against the move, which Albarine saw as an affront to the safety of international shipping in the waterway (which was required for Drambenburgian naval warships to traverse to Buckingla), Albarine condemned all three nations with the backing of Emmiria. Zalluabed, in response, closed their embassy and consulate in Albarine and sent a naval detachment to the outskirts of Albarine territorial waters as a show of force. Ultimately, threat of Coalition of Crown Albatross intervention and condemnation forced Zalluabed's navy to stand down. In December of 2020, the Hisrea People's Liberation Front (HPLF) seized many key towns and villages in the province of Hisrea, sparking President Zayyaan al-Akhtar's decision to send government forces into the province to combat them, beginning the Hisrea War. After the capture of Habu Daa on December 30th, the Zalluabed Army began major operations to clear the HPLF, which started resulting in major loss of civilian life.

Territory held by the HPLF (red) in July of 2021

In January 2021, Hisrea Province's First Minister Aikan Ayadmar of the Hisrea Nationalist Party (HNP) pledged to push through with a referendum on independence, regardless of whether he won election against al-Akhtar. President al-Akhtar was reelected to a second term in February of 2021, but despite his domestic popularity, international scrutiny surrounding the offensive ramped up, with Zamastanian Secretary of State Jessiah Vallotis calling it "a genocide in the making." After a Security Council resolution, Zalluabed government forces withdrew from Hisrea on April 19th, 2021. However, the HPLF rebounded and seized much of the province once again, and after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on President al-Akhtar by the HPLF, Zalluabedi forces with the backing of Beleroskov, Buckingla, and Kossmil began a new operation to push them back. Again facing international scrutiny, Drambenburgian observers were sent to mediate the conflict and ensure practical military conduct.

On July 15th, a Zalluabedi fighter jet accidentally fired on a Zamastanian naval vessel, the ZMS Monserrati, killing 21 sailors and drawing heavy scrutiny from the international community. On July 21st, Huad was captured by government forces, but the conflict began to stall. Four days later on the 25th, a string of suicide bombings committed by the HPLF struck Zakaraban, killing more than 80 people and causing damage to many international embassies. On August 8th, the government and the HPLF accepted an invitation by Timerian President Aneya Raso to a peace conference in Osea, where on August 13th they agreed to a power-sharing agreement, ending the conflict and separating Zalluabed into two distinct governed zones in the Osea Accords. Hisrea became largely autonomous as a result, and the Zalluabedi government leaned closer into reconciliation with the international community.

The presidency of Zayyaan al-Akhtar was considered by the international community as being an authoritarian government, but the 2023 general election installed a more liberal-leaning government headed by Husani Antar. Antar's progressive policies impressed much of the international community, as he became the first Zalluabedi head of state to visit Albarine, speak at the CCA General Assembly, and reopen diplomacy with Zamastan. However, Antar's intention to leave the TTPA prompted the military to oust him in a coup under General Saahir Salim, and a civil war broke out as a result.

Geography

Biodiversity

Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) are native to Zalluabed.

More than 330 species of birds were recorded in Zalluabed, 26 species of which breed in the country. Millions of migratory birds pass through the region in the winter and autumn months. One globally endangered species, Chlamydotis undulata, is a regular migrant in the autumn. The many islands and shallow seas of Zalluabed are globally important for the breeding of the Socotra cormorant; up to 100,000 pairs of these birds were recorded over the Kawar islands. Zalluabed's national bird is the bulbul while its national animal is the oryx. And the national flower of Zalluabed is the beloved Deena.

Only 18 species of mammals are found in Zalluabed, animals such as gazelles, desert rabbits and hedgehogs are common in the wild but the oryx was hunted to near-extinction. Twenty-five species of amphibians and reptiles were recorded as well as 21 species of butterflies and 307 species of flora. The marine biotopes are diverse and include extensive sea grass beds and mudflats, patchy coral reefs as well as offshore islands. Sea grass beds are important foraging grounds for some threatened species such as dugongs and the green turtle. In 2003, Zalluabed banned the capture of sea cows, marine turtles and dolphins within its territorial waters.

Demographics

Religion

The Grand Zakana Mosque in Kurdajar

Zalluabed is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country with Islam as its state religion. The percentage of adherents of various religions is a controversial topic in Zalluabed. An estimated 85–90% are identified as Muslim, 10–15% as Coptic Christians, and 1% as other Christian denominations, although without a census the numbers cannot be known. Other estimates put the Christian population as high as 15–20%. Non-denominational Muslims form roughly 12% of the population.

Zalluabed was a Christian country before the 7th century, and after Islam arrived, the country was gradually Islamised into a majority-Muslim country. It is not known when Muslims reached a majority variously estimated from c. 1000 CE to as late as the 14th century. Zalluabed emerged as a center of politics and culture in the Muslim world.

There is also a Shi'a minority, with more than 92% of Shi'as in the country living in Hisrea province.

Cities

Metropolitan areas in Zalluabed
No.	CMA City	Population
1	Zakaraban	2,915,811
2	Kurdajar	1,315,100
3	Qahul	821,000
4	Tuim	631,500
5	Huad	312,730
6	Waraq	287,155
7	Kubani	214,260
8	Afakim	178,000
9	Abaronah	153,800
10	Naftadi	102,637

Politics

Zalluabed is a constitutional monarchy headed by the King, Farik al-Jamura. King Jamura enjoys wide executive powers which include appointing the President of Zalluabed and his ministers, commanding the army, chairing the Higher Judicial Council, appointing the parliament's upper house and dissolving its elected lower house. The head of government is the President, currently vacant since the 2023 Zalluabed coup, the ouster of Husani Antar, and the assassinations of the coup masterminds Saahir Salim and Zayyaan al-Akhtar.

Zalluabed has a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the Zhura Council with 40 seats and the Council of Representatives with 40 seats. The forty members of the Zhura are appointed by the king. In the Council of Representatives, 40 members are elected by absolute majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve four-year terms. The appointed council "exercises a de facto veto" over the elected, because draft acts must be approved so they may pass into law. After approval, the king may ratify and issue the act or return it within six months to the National Assembly where it may only pass into law if approved by two thirds of both councils.

Provinces

The provinces and major cities of Zalluabed

Zalluabed consists of 9 provinces.

• Zakaraban
• Benel
• Gan
• Tuim
• Qahaza
• Kukhuti
• Taman
• Aboyal
• Hisrea

Military and Foreign Relations

King Aziz Naval Base in Zakaraban, home to the fleet of the Royal Zalluabed Navy and the Drambenburg Naval Dispatch

The kingdom has a moderate but well equipped military called the Royal Zalluabed Defense Forces (RZDF), numbering around 243,000 personnel. The RZDF consists of five branches; the Royal Zalluabed Army, the Royal Zalluabed Navy, the Royal Zalluabed Air Force, the Royal Zalluabed Marine Force, and the Roayl Zalluabed Police Force. The supreme commander of the military is King al-Jamura and the deputy supreme commander is the Crown Prince, Hamad al-Jamura. The RZDF is primarily equipped with Drambenburgian equipment.

Zalluabed is a member of the Coalition of Crown Albatross, and has established bilateral relations with 89 countries worldwide. As of 2012, Zalluabed maintains a network of 25 embassies and 3 consulates. It's closest allies are Buckingla and Drambenburg, the latter of which holds significant military presence within the country. Drambenburg holds military leases at two airports (one of which is at the capital of Zakaraban), and a naval base in the port of Zakaraban. During the Hisrea War, the foreign intervention of Drambenburg, Beleroskov, Kossmil, and Buckingla were important factors. Likewise, the military-government established after the 2023 Zalluabed coup relied heavily on TTPA coalition support in the ensuing civil war.

Human Rights

Zalluabed is often criticized for its human rights record, having very little freedom of religion and limits on freedom of the press. The CCA-Human Rights Watch has placed Zalluabed on its watch list of countries that require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the government. According to a 2010 survey, 84% of Zalluabedis polled supported the death penalty for those who leave Islam; 77% supported whippings and cutting off of hands for theft and robbery; and 82% support stoning a person who commits adultery.

Christians face discrimination at multiple levels of the government, ranging from underrepresentation in government ministries to laws that limit their ability to build or repair churches. Intolerance towards followers of non-orthodox Muslim sects, such as Sufis, Shi'a and Ahmadis, also remains a problem.

Protests are regularly put down with force, and Zalluabed actively practices capital punishment. Zalluabed's authorities do not release figures on death sentences and executions, despite repeated requests over the years by human rights organizations.

Homosexuality is illegal in Zalluabed.

Economy

Resources

The skyline of Zakaraban, Zalluabed

Economic conditions have fluctuated with the changing price of oil since 1985. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Zalluabed is home to a number of multinational firms and construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. A large share of exports consist of petroleum products made from imported crude oil, which accounted for 44% of the country's imports in 2019. Hisrea province in the west produces more than 80% of the nation's oil production, with the vital Hisdema oil pipeline running to refineries across Zalluabed and Buckingla.

Zalluabed depends heavily on food imports to feed its growing population; it relies heavily on meat imports from Buckingla and Emmiria and also imports 75% of its total fruit consumption needs.

Mining is another major industry in the country, with large gold, kaolin, salt, phosphate, and limestone deposits.

Energy

Zalluabed runs largely on natural gas and coal facilities, with those sectors consisting of more than 72% of the energy grid. A Drambenburgian-constructed nuclear power plant in Tuim provides about 12% of the nation's power supply.