Silwane

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Silwane (disambiguation).

Union of Silwane Inhlangano kaSilwane
Flag Seal
Anthem: "National Anthem of Silwane"
Location of Silwane in Hylasia
Capital	Umoya
Largest city	Dwaleni
Official languages	Sholo Fallish
Recognised regional languages	Ulwimi !qáxa Lamane
Ethnic groups (2022)	83.8% Sholo 11.1% Lamane 4.3% Ixolo 0.8% Other
Religion (2022)	68.3% Gregorianism 17.5% No religion 12.6% Folk religion 1.6% Other
Demonym(s)	Silwanean AmaSholo
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Sipho Dlamini
• Speaker	Sanele Mthembu
• Chief Justice	Vusumuzi Cele
• Prime Minister	Ayanda Madlala
Legislature	People's Assembly
History
• uMzantsi migrations	c. 400-2,000BCE
• isiLwane Federation	c. 1050-1290CE
• KwaSholo Empire	26 November 1781
• KwaSholo unification	3 August 1825
• Fallish colonization	1877
• Independence	18 October 1944
Area
• Total	387,749.2 km2 (149,710.8 sq mi)
• Water (%)	1.2
Population
• 2022 estimate	23,602,780
• Density	60.87/km2 (157.7/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$120.067 billion
• Per capita	$5,087
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$75.364 billion
• Per capita	$3,193
Gini (2022)	33.2 medium
HDI (2022)	0.687 medium
Currency	Ingwe (Ɨ, SLI)
Time zone	UTC-2 (Silwane Standard Time, SST)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+289
Internet TLD	.sl

Silwane, officially the Union of Silwane, is a sovereign state in Southern Hylasia. The country is situated between the Isibaya river to the east and the Amanzi river to the west, and it is bordered by Borvastaat to the east, X and X to the northn, and X to the west. Its capital city is Umoya while its largest city is Dwaleni.

A country of roughly 23.6 million people as per 2022 census, Silwane's largest ethnic group are the Sholo, who make up 84% of the population, followed by the Northern Lamane and other smaller minorities. Silwane has 2 official languages, with Fallish and Sholo being the most common. Silwane is a member of the United Congress, the Southern Hylasian Development Community, the Hylasian Union, and the Southern Hylasian Free Trade Area.

Beginning in the 11th century, during its late Iron Age, the uMzantsi people (who would become the ethnic Sholo) built the state of isiLwane; the state became one of the major Hylasian trade centers by the end of the 12th century and collapsed by the end of the 13th century. With the isiLwane occupying most of the eastern part of modern-day Silwane, its collapse left the area politically disorganized and subject to inter-tribal strife and conflict for the next few centuries. After about 400 years of relative isolation, the tribes began to re-integrate with the arrival of foreign Calesian and Abarian personnel. This led to the creation of the KwaSholo Empire in the 1780s, though it did rule over much of modern-day Silwane until the 1820s. By the 1870s, with spillover conflicts from Süd-Hylasia (now Borvastaat) and internal divisions weakened the KwaSholo, allowing Falland to force the country into a protectorate status, where it remained held until 1944 in the aftermath of the Great War when it gained its independence.

The country is ruled as a constiutional monarchy, with the king, Sipho Dlamini inKhamani having ruled the country since May of 2021, when his father, King Siphezi, died. The country has a long history of parliamentary democracy, with only 2 historical coup attempts, each of which failed. This rather robust democratic system is considered one of the most stable in all of Hylasia, and it is among the longest lasting sub-terene democracies, having lasted from 1945 to the present. However, the country has been racked with many economic and environmental issues, including pollution from mining and rampant inflation, though both have been managed in time.

History

Colonial

Battle of Dwaleni, 1826

Sholo policemen, 1890

Geography

• 

  Mt. Intab'ezulu in northern Silwane

• 

  A beach south of Dwaleni

• 

  Midland savannah near Umlando

• 

  The Umthunzi Wamatshe (UW) mountains

• 

  Yamazulu mountains

• 

  Isibaya river

Government and politics

Government

Silwane's system of governance is a complex one, consisting of 3 primary branches: the legislative branch, the judicial branch, and the executive branch. However, each branch is structured quite unlike many foreign equivalents, and thus creates a system wholly unique to Silwane.

The legislative branch is composed of three primary organs, the first being parliament, called the People's Assembly, colloquially known as the "isiShayamthetho" in Sholo. The second organ is the Control Chamber, colloquially known as the "Ukuphatha". The third and final organ of the legislative branch is the Tribal Assembly, which is colloquially known as the "Kraal" or "IsiBaya" (not to be confused with the Isibaya River). All three assemblies are enshrined in the 1945 constitution, and all serve unique functions within the legislative branch as a whole.

Silwane government structure graph

The People's Assembly acts as the democratically elected and directly proportional parliament of the nation, representing all regions and populations. However, it is constantly subordinate to the Control Chamber, who possess the power to audit the parliament and all constituent government bodies, and all members of the Control Chamber are appointed at the provincial level by the provincial governors. The Control Chamber also approves of the grand justices in the country's supreme court. Lastly, any legislation related to or affecting the nation's constituent tribes is subject to the Tribal assembly, who overlook, approve, and can veto (with a supermajority) any legislation that comes through their halls. The tribal assembly is composed of 39 members, 2 from each tribal government, and 5 nominated members from the king.

The judicial branch is modeled upon that of neighboring Borvastaat, and underwent extensive reforms in the 1990s to reflect this change. As such, it has courts that are involved in tribal/customary affairs, a variety of lower courts, and a variety of specialist and military courts, all of which are subservient to the supreme court. Supreme court justices are appointed by the parliament's prime minister, but must then be approved by the Control Chamber.

Lastly, the executive branch is controlled solely by the monarch and all associated advisors (who must be approved by the parliament, though they are nominated by the monarch). The monarch also gets to appoint five members of the Tribal Assembly, who then provide a limited check over the parliament and all legislation regarding tribal and customary affairs. Additionally, the monarch can veto any legislation put forth by parliament, though a veto can be overturned with a supermajority within the People's Assembly.