Gregahou

Commonwealth of Greğahou Sodruz Greğahouğanskiy
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Ot tsakasa prikhodit şvoboda (Gregahouvian) "From order comes freedom"
Anthem: Natsionalniy "The National"
Location of Gregahou (red) in the Western Hemisphere
Capital and largest city	Stolitsemlağa
Official languages	Gregahouvian English
Recognised regional languages	French (in Porte Nouvelle)
Ethnic groups (2016)	57.7% Tatar 22.9% Chechen 4.3% Turkmen 3.8% Bashkir 11.3% others
Demonym(s)	Gregahouvian
Government	Unitary presidential republic
• President	Imat Ilva (SD)
• Prime Minister	Yohan Varayev (NL)
Legislature	Zdaniye Parlamentiy
• Upper house	Sobraniy Natsional
• Lower house	Sobraniy Publiçniy
Independence  from the Soviet Union
• Declaration	May 3, 1981
• Establishment as sovereign	May 12, 1981
• Establishment as Gregahou	July 2, 1981
Area
• Total	7,798 km2 (3,011 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 estimate	3,565,772 (129th)
• Density	453.9/km2 (1,175.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	13,323 (in US$ millions)
• Per capita	$15,989
Gini (2016)	31.3 medium (31st)
HDI (2018)	0.858 very high (35th)
Currency	Kadz (₭) (KDZ)
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+522
ISO 3166 code	GO
Internet TLD	.go

Gregahou (pronounced /greɪjɑhu/), officially the Commonwealth of Gregahou (Gregahouvian: Sodruz Greğahouğanskiy) is a small island nation located in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 1,100 km due east of Buxton, North Carolina; 1,250 km due south of Nova Scotia; and 1,780 km north-east of Cuba. Though typically referred to in the singular, the nation's landmass of 7,798 square kilometers (3,010 square miles) is separated between 6 islands, including its one sovereign protectorate, Porte Nouvelle. With an estimated population of 3,565,772, Gregahou is the 129th most populous country. The capital city is Stolitsemlağa, and, as the nation's largest city, it functions as the cultural center of Gregahou. Other large major urban areas include Almata, Azğa, Onēl, as well as Molina in Porte Nouvelle.

Gregahou is a developed country, and in terms of GDP, the nation ranks only below Jamaica in the Caribbean Community. The Gregahouvian economy is regarded as a social market economy, and focuses mainly on the export of oil as well as having a stake in offshore international financial services. Despite being classified by some as a tax haven, the government does a statistically remarkable job at separating the desires of foreign investors from the nation's own notably poorer population, and as thus, Gregahou enjoys a rating of 68 on the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Russian oil giant Tatneft ordered the construction of an oil rig off the coast of the country's largest island, then uninhabited, in 1954, and colonization began in 1955. Numerous disputes between workers sent to the colony and Tatneft in addition to a lack of strong government presence in the archipelago led to a war for independence lasting between 1972 and May of 1981, when electricity was shut off to the final operational oil rig. By 1981, the colony was fully modernized, but lack of funding proved difficult for progress in early independent Gregahou, and the country emerged from its war for independence in poverty.

History

Main article: Gregahouvian War for Independence

Until 1954, the archipelago remained uninhabited as a jointly-monitored nature sanctuary by the United States, the Soviet Union and France. However, throughout the immediate postwar period in the late 1940s to early 50s, the archipelago became less important to the United States and control was split between the latter two administrators. France elected to focus their resources on the easternmost island of Porte Nouvelle while rule over the five main islands was left to the Soviet Union. Throughout the end of the 1940s and the early 1950s, the archipelago was frequently visited by researchers studying the endemic flora and fauna of the Western Atlantic ecoregion, the other landmass of Bermuda being previously colonized and introduced to foreign species on a large scale. Due to the archipelago's generally agreeable climate, invasion rate of introduced foreign species is extremely high, and measures were put in place to restrict visitors to the island. Still, in 2019, despite the introduction of many invasive species, Gregahou continues to hold one of the world's strictest criteria for entry, with random searches at airports and ferry terminals sometimes reaching to 50% of foreign passport holders and 100% of returning nationals.

Research on the petrel, now the national animal, led to the archipelago's colonization in 1954

Early history

In December of 1953, Soviet researchers studying the endemic storm petrel found a petroleum seep on what is now Ostrov Stolitsa (English: Capital Island). As the archipelago was under complete Soviet control at the time, the government ordered oil conglomerate Tatneft to begin the construction of an oil rig called the Novyy Mira off the coast of present-day Stolitsemlağa and begin drilling. In January of 1954, 250 men, mostly from the Tatarstan region of Russia, arrived on boats to begin the construction of a shipyard and airfield in what is now the central business district of the nation's capital. The shipyard has since been renovated but original pier and dock locations and some original materials still remain. With increased ease of transport to the island, in March of 1954, construction started on both the oil rig as well as housing for the increasing number of staff on the island, which, by March, had risen to approximately 400.

The first oil rig began service in October of 1954, and with the increased number of people living full-time on the island, more resources were pushed towards funding a proper settlement for the inhabitants. Construction on a block of apartments began in January 1955, and by summer of the same year, 10 fully functional apartment blocks were constructed, housing 400+ new residents and named Rezidentsiya-1. Out of the original 10 buildings of 12 stories each, 5 still stand on the coast of Stolitsemlağa's Tsentralniy Rayon. The new neighborhood retained its Romanized name of Rezidentsiya-1 after independence, not the correct Gregahouvian Rezidentsiğa-1, non-conforming to language standards.

The Novyy Mira oil rig pictured off the coast of Stolitsemlağa in 2005, two years before its demolition

Expansion and industrialization

The first Tatneft project proved to be less successful than originally thought, and within two years of operation, the company began looking around the archipelago for additional potential drill sites. In December of 1956, a second deposit was found approximately 15 miles west of the largest island. Construction on this second rig, to be named Almetyevska, began in February of 1957, and a second shipyard, airfield and settlement also began construction near what is now the nation's second largest city, Almata. By August 1957, both oil rigs were fully operational.

The Almetyevska rig found Tatneft more success than its first foray, but an expansion project was ordered on the smaller island to form an incorporated settlement, named Gorod-1, or City 1 where the present-day capital stands today. Most speculate this might have been ordered to compete with the rapidly-modernizing Porte Nouvelle, wherein the French had constructed a military base in the summer of 1956.

By 1960, population of the archipelago had risen to almost 5,000, and year-round stay was common for Tatneft employees and their families by the turn of the new decade. Most of the settlement's residents still resided in Gorod-1 and usually commuted to the second oil rig daily or weekly for shifts, and, in 1961, the first consumer vehicles and trolley buses were present in the settlement. Starting in 1963, public ferry service commenced between the two settlements, and, in June of the same year, the Almetyevsk rig's production numbers gave way to a second incorporated settlement, Gorod-2.

Growing tensions

In 1964, population growth on the islands shifted from new oil rig workers to building petrochemical plants and the production of petrochemical products. Situated east of the second settlement in the hills, most of the plants functioned as refineries, but also to produce petrochemicals, most notably polyvinyl chloride. With the opening of three new production sites, population on the islands rose to surpass 10,000. Into the late 1960s, infrastructure started to wear under the use of more than 10,000 people, and the quality of life in the settlements decreased drastically, mainly due to the settlements' poor build quality.

First recorded protests began in 1965 or 1966, but conflicting reports still leave some information unknown. In December of 1966, oil rig operator Griegor Antonyev submitted the first official proposal to Tatneft for change in operation and quality of life, but the memorandum was quickly shot down. Public protests began in the two largest cities shortly afterwards, and increased police presence was then sent to the island. In 1969, another protest group approached the governing body in search of solution. By then, the settlements functioned as legitimate cities however without stable government, and, due to the archipelago's isolation, cost of living and wages were extremely mismatched. The growing movement against Tatneft, after receiving another silent response, decided to conduct the first strike on the company in July of 1969.

Largely successful due to the closely-knit community between residences, Tatneft succumbed to the group's request, and eventually raised wages and imposed price controls on their company-run supermarkets and other businesses. However, by September of 1969, prices had again risen, and Antonyev's group organized another strike. The second time, however, Tatneft immediately let go over 60 of their employees involved with the strike. The group remained active within the organization despite the strict decision, and word on the company's future action was easily passed onto the original protesters, who became more militant in their methods. Self-proclaimed as Naşa Ludiy (English: Our People), the group began to disrupt business and work procedures for Tatneft by trespassing and breaking equipment, damaging company vehicles in cities, and on four occasions, set fire to Tatneft-owned buildings.

By the end of the 1960s, however, the Soviet Union had begun to invest more money into their territory, and the acts of violence from Naşa Ludiy did not go unnoticed. A military post was placed near Gorod-1 in October of 1969 and, due to instability on the islands and lack of governing body, secret police and plainclothes officers began to patrol the cities and guard Tatneft facilities. The presence forced tensions to calm, but the islanders became more distrusting of the government and of Tatneft, still where over 80% of residents worked.

War for independence

By 1970, 35% of resources and further movement of Tatneft workers to the archipelago had been pulled in favor of newfound oil fields in Siberia, leaving the settlements increasingly open to revolution. With the lack of push toward the future, Soviet authority also began to pull out at the tail end of 1970 and into the beginning of 1971, leaving just one military post at an ever-growing Stolitsemlağa, of almost 20,000 inhabitants at the turn of the new decade. Military police presence was almost zero, and cities had already begun to form their own local governments and police departments, many times of likeminded revolutionaries.

Protesters sit outside Soviet executive offices to avoid being injured by military police, 1972

In 1971, the Naşa Ludiy organization drafted a document to the remaining Soviet leadership present on the islands asking for the opportunity to become an autonomous oblast, at the same level as other, larger states. The transition to becoming autonomous would provide more freedom for a local Gregahouvian government to implement legislation on its own people rather than a removed leadership from Moscow. The draft was presented to leaders, but rejected less than a week after it was originally submitted. Following the rejection by the authorities, Naşa Ludiy began to organize a frequent schedule of protests and anti-government demonstrations in the capital city as well as in other smaller cities and settlements. By summer of 1971, the opposition organization was an organized, fully developed force, with chapters across most islands.

Restrictions were tightened and wages decreased following the appeal for independence. Subsequently, quality of life decreased for residents on the islands. As money became more scarce and commodities became an issue for many residents, Naşa Ludiy began planning their largest anti-government demonstration to date: a strike on Tatneft as well as the Soviet leadership starting on January 1, 1972. On the 20th of December, a message was delivered to both the regional head of Tatneft as well as the executive offices of the Soviet government in the capital stating a list of demands to be realized by the new year. At the turn of the year, when no change was found to have been implemented, over 90% of remaining Tatneft workers in 3 oil fields refused to work in addition to almost 70% of the police force responsible for enforcing anti-government protests on the islands.

The group of almost 5,000 planned to march together to the executive offices of the Soviet Union and did so on the 2nd of January, 1972. Without the majority of the police force present, Soviet executives resorted to army troops and military police to protect their compound. However, when met with the challenge of organized, experienced protesters, the military reacted with violence, killing 5 and injuring more than 100. Military violence was met with pro-independence violence, and, by the end of the week-long protest, the death toll had risen to over 50 demonstrators and over 25 Soviet military police.

Revolutionaries with stolen Kalashnikov rifles and other makeshift weapons. Photo by Vadim Khamatov, 1975

Most historians claim the assassination of Griegor Antonyev to be the turning point officially beginning Soviet and seceder hostility. After presenting a declaration for independence from Soviet rule on the 3rd of March in front of government offices, Antonyev was publicly arrested in front of more than 5,000 for treason and public indecency considering the mass amount of followers present with him at the time. He was handcuffed and carried away by 5 high-ranking military police officials when an unknown member in the crowd shot and killed two of the officers charged with handling Antonyev. The remaining three officers began to beat Antonyev and forced him unconscious into the back of an unmarked vehicle as other infantry members and military police began to fire into the crowd.

Despite the loss of the unchallenged leader of the pro-independence movement, Naşa Ludiy continued to grow and function under the leadership of Antonyev's advisor, former Tatneft operator Murat Bragin. However, Bragin's leadership was marked by a radical shift toward a violent, hostile method of achieving independence, and many criticize Bragin's tactics for treating his supporters inhumanely, putting weapons in the hands of women and children and unusually persecuting ethnic Russians toward the end of Soviet rule. Later revealed documents show Soviet diplomats stationed in Gregahou proposed ultimatums to Moscow as early as 1973 to either increase the military presence in Gregahou or pull back entirely, citing Bragin's tactics.

However, the Soviet occupation of the islands was a purely business venture, and given the close proximity to the United States, it is presumed that the Soviet Union did not pursue a more intense takedown of the insurgency because of the international tensions a fully-occupied Gregahou would cause, especially during the height of the Cold War. Bragin's Naşa Ludiy quickly became militarized with the help of defecting police and military police, and outnumbered the Soviet troops as early as 1976. Bragin's troops began to use Severskiy, a a large, notably unorganized suburb of the capital as a base of operations given that it was relatively untraveled by the military.

Naşa Ludiy ordered the killing of multiple high-ranking Soviet officials upon gaining control of the Novyy Mira oil rig in 1981

By summer of 1977, almost all oil and petrochemical production on the islands had come to a halt due to the ongoing and increasing violence. Naşa Ludiy began to attack pipelines and supply convoys to the oil rigs, which, by this time had been filled with ethnically Russian replacement staff. Additionally, in order to create some steady flow of income, in September 1977, Bragin ordered a checkpoint between Almata and the petrochemical plant sites in the foothills, taking money, food, barrels of oil, or finished plastics products to sell domestically or abroad in the Caribbean. By 1978, all production on the archipelago was shut down due to losses caused by the pillage of goods by Naşa Ludiy, and employees were told to stay on the oil rigs or in one of two military bases.

In response, Naşa Ludiy made unsuccessful pushes to breach security of the Soviet military bases in 1978 and 1979, and insurgency was relatively calm in the two years following the major offensive from a rapidly organizing group. However, the relative two year hiatus in conflict resulted in a larger, more weaponized and organized group of insurgents with a depth in leadership. In 1980, Bragin's forces successfully gained control of both the Novyy Mira military base as well as the Almetyevska, and remaining Soviet forces left for the oil rigs or back to Europe, almost halving Russian military capability. For the first time in 1980, insurgents controlled the entirety of the original Gregahouvian land claims.

After three unsuccessful attempts, the insurgency was able to secure control of the Novyy Mira oil rig in April of 1981. Bragin's Naşa Ludiy, capitalizing on the lack of supplies available on the oil rig, were able to take down two Soviet aircraft presumably delivering rations and medical kits to the oil rig in the spring of 1981 using only small arms found in the Soviet armories. After securing the rig, Bragin ordered remaining Soviet officials to return to Severskiy for a hearing, where Bragin himself would later murder more than 10 diplomats responsible for leadership in the Soviet-occupied archipelago. Independence was declared on the 3rd of May, 1981, and recognition from the United Nations came less than ten days later on the 12th of May.

Postwar growth

Immediate postwar growth was not major, and the new leadership relied mostly on French aid and support during the first four years of the nation's existence, often referred to as Cherekhletnağa zima, or the "Winter of Four Years" due to the hardships the new country faced. Murat Bragin proved to be the face the country's people needed, but not necessarily a successful politician on all fronts. The new government was able to enlist the help of defected Soviet diplomats and government figures as well as French foreign aid in the creation of a working constitution. Many of Bragin's anti-Soviet policies still remain in place today, as a central part of the country's foundation. Bragin's government dictated that the new president should remain in power for six years in order to create a fair leadership foundation for the nation's future, and, while lacking in sympathy and charisma, Bragin's administration marked one of the most important and formative periods in Gregahouvian history.

Former president Murat Bragin appears in front of the Parliamentary complex in Stolitsemlağa during a military parade, 2005

By 1985, the newly independent Gregahou had mostly transitioned to statehood. By summertime of the same year, over 150 United Nations member states had recognized Gregahou as a sovereign nation, and Bragin's government system had proven to be functional and progress-enabling, as quality of life increased dramatically towards the end of the 1980s and into the nineties. Foreign relations between Gregahou and France strengthened under the administration of President Josef Ardan, elected in 1994, and the country's third president began to push additionally for the acceptance of Gregahou into the Caribbean Community. Gregahou was admitted into the organizaion along with Suriname on the 4th of July, 1995. Additionally, as a member of the Caribbean Community, Gregahou began formal relations with Bermuda, its closest neighbor, and Bermuda-based spirits company Bacardi, the world's largest privately-held, family-owned liquor conglomerate, began construction on a distillery in Gregahou in 1997, operational by 1999. Additionally, Bermuda-based tanker shipping company Frontline Ltd. began construction on a shipping center in northern port city Cialtina in 1996, fueling the new economy with large, foreign investment. BahamasAir, Western Air, and Abaco Air, three of the Caribbean's largest passenger airlines, began service to Gregahou in 1995 with the country's acceptance into the Caribbean Community, and by the turn of the century, with help from France, the United States, and the Caribbean Community member states, the country was rated as "developed" by the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook Database. Domestic growth also flourished in the late 1990s, partially due to the liberating economic policies of Josef Ardan, but also due to a jumpstart in domestic jobs given the stability of the government, allowing for families to settle and the next generation of citizens to join the workforce.

Gregahou received its only territorial gain to date with the French handoff of protectorate Porte Nouvelle to the commonwealth in 2002. With the exception of a military base remaining under France's control as well as an agreement to construct another military base now situated 10 miles west of Cialtina city, Porte Nouvelle has been under Gregahouvian law since the agreement was ratified. French became an officially recognized regional language in Porte Nouvelle, and it is estimated now that 20 to 30 percent of the ethnically Gregahouvian population as stipulated by the census understands French at at least an elementary degree. Pyotr Muradov, fourth President of Gregahou, is most noted for his contributions to the introduction of Porte Nouvellaise people into Gregahouvian society.

Geography

The archipelago is a series of low forming volcanoes in the Atlantic Ocean, on the western edge of the Sargasso Sea. Ostrov Novağa-Zemliğa is the largest island of the archipelago, and notably the most rugged in terrain, containing the nation's highest peak at Velağa-Gora (English: White Mountain). Other than on the largest island, the terrain is relatively low-lying and flat, with the second highest peak at just 191m (626ft). The most populous island is Ostrov Novağa-Zemliğa, which, with over 1.5 million inhabitants, represents over one-third of the country's total population. Together with Bermuda, the limestone islands make up the Western Atlantic ecoregion, with the Gregahouvian archipelago being the most populated part of the region.

Climate

Gregahou has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa), and is warmed by the Gulf Stream and relatively low latitude. The archipelago usually experiences cooler temperatures in the winter months, and temperatures in January generally average 17°C (63°F). However, there has never been a snowfall or freeze on record in Gregahou, even at its highest peak. In the summer months, temperatures rise considerably, but daily highs usually do not exceed 29°C (85°F). In August, at the peak of summer, ocean water temperatures at the beaches in the country's capital average 28°C (82°F), and are usually slightly cooler in the country's northernmost coast.

Hurricane Fabian in 2003 was the last major hurricane to hit the archipelago directly

The archipelago is in the hurricane belt, and is often in the direct path of hurricanes as they begin to reach the westerlies, but direct landfall is rare due to the common nature of hurricanes to curve northward and weaken before direct landfall on North America. Additionally, the archipelago's small size means that direct hits are very uncommon.

As the archipelago has no freshwater rivers or lakes, the only source of fresh water is rainfall, which is collected for consumption using roof gutters and catches and is stored in tanks usually either in the house's foundation or on the roof. Every residence is required by national law to have at least one tank piping rainwater down from the roof of the building. Rainfall is generally highest in fall, with monthly averages peaking in October.

A common sight on rooftops in Gregahou are rain barrels

Flora and fauna

Until the 1950s, the archipelago was uninhabited and mostly overrun with forests. Because of its isolation in the Atlantic Ocean, Gregahou is home to an interesting array of native flora, including the Bermuda cedar, which is endemic to the ecoregion, as well as fourteen other species of plants. Due to its semi-tropical climate, new flora were easily introduced by the islands' first settlers, and currently, much of the country's fruit supply is grown nationally. Palm trees, while not originally native to the islands, also now grow very commonly and are often used decoratively.

Endemic fauna is limited to a species of petrel, the storm petrel, Gregahou's national bird, but other indigenous animals include 3 species of bats: Lasionycteris noctivagans, Lasiurus borealis, and Perimyotis subflavus, all of which are also found in Bermuda as well as throughout the eastern United States. The storm petrel reached the IUCN Red List as an endangered species in 2003, and conservation efforts have raised populations, changing its classification again to vulnerable in 2014, only 11 years after conservation began. With the introduction of common domesticated animals such as cats and dogs onto the island, endemic bat populations have decreased but not enough to attract the attention of the IUCN. Common farm animals such as cows, chickens, and pigs do exist on the archipelago albeit in small quantities due to the nation's lack of arable land.

Climate data for Stolitsemlağa – capital of Greğahou (National Airport) 2000–2015, extremes 1985–2015
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	25.4 (77.7)	25.7 (78.2)	25.9 (78.6)	27.2 (81.0)	27.8 (82.0)	30.9 (87.6)	31.6 (88.8)	33.4 (92.1)	31.6 (88.9)	29.7 (85.4)	28.3 (83.0)	26.8 (80.3)	33.4 (92.1)
Average high °C (°F)	20.2 (68.3)	19.8 (67.7)	20.2 (68.4)	21.9 (71.5)	23.5 (74.3)	26.7 (80.1)	29.4 (84.9)	30.1 (86.2)	29.3 (84.7)	26.7 (80.1)	24.7 (76.4)	21.8 (71.2)	24.3 (75.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	16.8 (62.2)	16.3 (61.4)	17.2 (63.0)	18.7 (65.6)	21.4 (70.5)	23.3 (73.9)	25.0 (77.0)	26.5 (79.7)	26.1 (78.9)	23.4 (74.2)	20.5 (68.9)	18.0 (64.4)	22.3 (72.2)
Average low °C (°F)	14.7 (58.4)	14.3 (57.7)	15.4 (59.8)	16.3 (61.3)	19.2 (66.5)	21.7 (71.0)	24.3 (75.8)	24.6 (76.2)	24.5 (76.1)	21.8 (71.2)	18.7 (65.7)	16.1 (61.0)	19.4 (66.9)
Record low °C (°F)	6.0 (42.8)	5.5 (41.9)	7.2 (45.0)	8.4 (47.1)	11.0 (51.8)	14.1 (57.4)	16.1 (61.0)	19.7 (67.5)	19.4 (67.0)	13.9 (57.0)	11.8 (53.3)	8.6 (47.4)	6.3 (43.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	139 (5.47)	124 (4.87)	120 (4.72)	106 (4.17)	89 (3.52)	120 (4.71)	132 (5.21)	162 (6.38)	129 (5.09)	160 (6.31)	99 (3.88)	110 (4.33)	1,490 (58.66)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch)	18	16	16	12	10	11	13	15	14	15	14	15	169
Average relative humidity (%)	73	73	73	74	79	81	80	79	77	74	72	72	76
Mean monthly sunshine hours	142.9	144.5	185.7	228.1	248.1	257.2	281.0	274.1	220.1	197.5	170.3	142.5	2,492

Demographics

Gregahou has a population of 3,565,772 according to the 2018 national census, growing by almost 1 million since the turn of the century. Gregahou is the 4th most populous country in the Caribbean Community and the most populous inhabited area in the Sargasso Sea as well as in the grouping of Atlantic islands. The country has a population density of 454 inhabitants per square kilometer (1,175.6 per square mile). Over 80% of the country's residents live in urban areas, with Stolitsemlağa, Almata, and Azğa being the most populated, and all major urbanized areas with the exception of Onel as well Molina in the Porte Nouvelle protectorate are oceanfront settlements. Interior areas on the 6 islands are sparsely inhabited.

A typical Gregahouvian family may consist of multiple ethnic groups given the settlement history of the nation

The country has a diverse population; 55.7% of the population is registered as Tatar, and 22.9% Chechen, but almost all of the remaining people are equally proportioned to other groups, including Bashkir, Turkmen, Gagauz, Chuvash, Avar, Ossetian and others. First settlers were presumed to have been almost all Tatar, but family records show that Bashkir, Chuvash, Turkmen, and Chechen people must have been present in Gregahou as early as 1968. The Gregahouvian census reports people from ethnic groups with a significant number present at the time of the first census as "ethnically Gregahouvian" for documentation purposes. As per the 2018 census, 93.2% of residents were classified as ethnically Gregahouvian, leaving the remaining 6.8% to the immigrant population. Immigration to Gregahou is not common, in a large part due to the country's strict immigration laws. However, due to the large amount of ethnic groups present as well as the liberal usage of English on road signs and government documents, English-speaking immigrants and visitors generally do not meet much trouble upon entry. Other than the 6.8% of immigrants in the 2018 population, the nation is by-choice less worldly than most of its Caribbean counterparts.

Language

Gregahouvian is the only national language, but both Gregahouvian and English are designated as official languages by the government, and government documents and legislature is written in both Gregahouvian and English. Additionally, French is recognized as a regional official language in the Porte Nouvelle protectorate, and legislature, government documents, and information on nationally-owned property is written there in French and Gregaouvian, as required by law. Gregahouvian is the sole national language, but Gregahou's 9 major ethnic groups speak over 10 languages at home, found in a 2012 study from the nation's National University. Despite the wide distribution of ethnic groups, and subsequently the wide distribution of languages, the Gregahouvian language is homogenous throughout the different groups of people. Mixing aspects of Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, and Turkmen, but using Russian and Turkmen grammatical structure and a Latin-based script, the nation's official language is often looked at as a compound language and thus a dialect of sorts within multiple languages, but as a language which functions primarily as its own.

Notably, most older Gregahouvians also are fluent in the Russian language, but the majority do not use it at home or in public. In the 2018 census, 85% of the reported population noted that Gregahouvian was primarily used at home, while some 9% reported that another language was used. Only 6% reported that Russian was used primarily in the household, and a 2012 university study on Russian-speaking students found that Russian was only commonly used between parents and children in the home, not between friends or in public.

Education

Gregahouvian education laws and regulations are among the most unified and standardized in the world. Formal education does not start until roughly six years old, but the government permits the use of informal, private kindergarten-type education at any age up until required education begins. At six years old, eight years of compulsory primary education begins. The government did not permit the operation of private education services or private tutoring services until 1994, but strict laws now prohibit the use of naming private education or marketing it in many manners.

Third of May Library at the National University is the country's largest

Secondary education spans three or four additional years and traditionally splits between two distinct pathways after students' second year of education, a workforce-oriented system known as the Tekhniçeskiy (English: Technical Route) and a tertiary education preparedness-oriented system known as the Pokhovitelniy (English: Preparatory Route). Students make their own informed decisions before the start of their third year of secondary education on which route to study under, and can switch tracks up until the beginning of their fourth year. Both technical and preparatory students graduate with the same level degree, having taken the same general academic classes and potential employers have no way to figure out which system job applicants have graduated under. The Two-Path System, as named by third president Josef Ardan, has been in effect since its implementation in 1995 and is the most successful Gregahouvian education policy to date, increasing the number of secondary-education graduates by almost 70 percent and additionally increasing the number of university graduates by 45 percent.

Established universities in Gregahou include the government-run Universitet Natsional (English: National University) (1984), privately-owned Universitet Stolitsemlağanskiy (English: University of Stolitsemlağa) (1990), and the government-run military university Şkola Vyşnağa Voğeniy (English: Army Tertiary School) (1982). There is no payment required to attend government-run universities, but many offer paid dormitory and cafeteria plans.

Population distribution

Gregahou is a highly urbanized country, with a large number of towns and cities spread across the nation's six islands. The largest city is the nation's capital, Stolitsemlağa, with a population of 1,598,937 within the urban area, and is the only city to surpass a population of one million. Other major urban areas include Almata and Molina, with respective populations of around 950,000, and Cialtina, with a population of just over 300,000 residents. Population outside of major cities is sparse due to the lack of infrastructure outside major urban areas as well as the lack of large plots of arable land. In 2018, more than 60% of the country's population reported living in high-rise apartment blocks, while just 7% reported living in standalone houses.

Politics

President Imat Ilva is the head of state and the head of the upper house

Gregahou is a unitary state under a presidential republic. Imat Ilva is the incumbent president and Yohan Varayev is the current prime minister. Gregahou has never seen a change in government fundamentals and has been regarded as a democratic republic since its founding as current in 1981. The current supreme law is its constitution, Order of the Commonwealth, which has governed the nation since its founding as well. The constitution contains the fundamental law of the nation and can be amended through a parliamentary procedure passing with a qualified majority of two-thirds support in both lower and upper houses of legislature.

Government

Gregahou has a presidential government with a bicameral legislature. The Parliament of Gregahou meets in the Parliamentary Complex in the center of Stolitsemlağa, the nation's capital. It has two houses: the National Assembly and the Public Assembly. To become law, a prospective bill must pass the Public Assembly first before passing the National Assembly and additionally receiving support from the president. The president has the power to veto the National Assembly as its leader, however the prime minister, even as head of the Public Assembly, cannot veto bills.

The National Assembly, Public Assembly and the National Council meet in the Parliamentary Complex in Stolitsemlağa

The position of president, Gregahou's head of state and the National Assembly, is elected by popular vote every six years. Once elected, the president serves as the head of state and oversees all potential additions to the nation's constitution. Secondly, the president is responsible for selecting new candidates for the National Council. The president is able to retain councillors from the previous administration, but if new councillors are desired, the Public Assembly must vote in addition to required support from the prime minister. Finally, the president is responsible as Gregahou's premier diplomat, and represents Gregahou in intergovernmental meetings and assemblies. The president has the power to ratify treaties and pacts with foreign nations, and is generally regarded as the face of the nation on an international scale.

The Gregahouvian prime minister, head of the Public Assembly, is to act as the head of opposition parties, and is chosen based on voting records every three years. The president has no choice over the selection of prime minister, and the position is renewed once per presidential term, giving the second and third running opposition parties a three-year window to work with the incumbent president's party. For the first three years of any given presidency, the position is awarded to the second-most popular presidential candidate, and during the fourth through sixth years of the presidency, the third-most popular candidate is awarded the position.

Since the country's founding in 1981, presidential elections have been conducted via the first-past-the-post method, and elections to the National Assembly and Public Assembly are conducted using proportional representation. The last presidential election was held in 2018 and the next election will take place in January of 2024.

Administrative divisions

Since the nation's founding in 1981, Gregahou is composed of five subdivisions, separated by island, and one autonomous district. The administrative divisions are somewhat autonomous, but generally do not have much control on a federal level. Membership in the National Assembly and Public Assembly are split evenly between the five islands as well as a sixth in the state's sole protectorate of Porte Nouvelle. Local politics are quite uncommon except for mayoral candidacies as the divisions are quite small. Additonally, Gregahou currently administers a sole overseas protectorate, Porte Nouvelle. Originally French-controlled after World War II and after the United States backout on control of the archipelago, the land was ceded to the Gregahouvian government in 1985 for joint control and fully ceded in 2001 except for a single French military base, FAFG Camp Porte-Nouvelle-sur-Mer. Even though it is completely governed by Gregahou and Nouvellaise people are immediately granted birthright citizenship, Porte Nouvelle is not counted in the Gregahouvian census nor is it considered a subdivision.

Novağa-Zemliğa

Voşkhoda

Stolitsa

Sumerskiy

Azğanskiy

Regions Capital Population (2015) Ostrov Azğanskiy Azğa 210,404 Ostrov Novağa-Zemliğa Almata 1,312,189 SR Stolitsemlaga Stolitsemlağa 1,598,937 Ostrov Stolitsa Severskiy 169,726 Ostrov Sumerskiy Beltsk 152,870 Ostrov Voşkhoda Ğanotskiy 121,643

Military

Main article: Gregahouvian Armed Forces

The armed forces of Gregahou consists of three distinct service branches: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. In 2005, a reported 1.4 percent of the nation's GDP was spent on the military. The armed forces, unlike in other states, hold loyalty to the constitution rather than the incumbent leaders, but are still led in command by the Department of Security. The Gregahouvian force is currently made up of approximately 75,000 active duty troops, and 50,000 additional trained paramilitary should mobilization be necessary.

Gregahouvian First Light Division "Redboots" on patrol in Porte Nouvelle after a reported incident of terrorism

In Gregahou, military service is not obliged at any certain age, but all legal adults 18 and older automatically register for conscription should the country go to war and a random 50% within the group are chosen for paramilitary service for a period of two years. Accounted in those 50,000 are the 18-24 year-old selected required service members as well as an additional group of voluntary paramilitary outside of random selection. Cutoff age for military participation is 35, and Gregahouvians can enlist for training as early at 16 but legally will not see service until the age of 18. As a small nation, Gregahou does not hold any overseas military property but does conduct a good portion of its training in its protectorate of Porte Nouvelle and regularly holds joint military exercises with the French Armed Forces at both Gregahouvian compounds as well as the French outpost in Porte Nouvelle.

In addition to the Army, Gregahou's largest force, the Navy makes up the nation's second largest force at almost 30 percent of active service members. As an island nation, emphasis lands on the country's naval capability, and many active service members in the Army are also trained in naval positions. As such, Gregahou boasts a wider array of ships than matches its population, and the Navy is set to begin an order of one aircraft carrier from the British VSEL in 2021.

Gregahou is one of the world's only nations to continuously maintain a foreign legion. Immigrants waiting for citizenship or permanent residence are able to fight on behalf of the country in four-year service periods, and are granted permanent residence upon termination of the period. The practice of maintaining a foreign legion can most likely be traced to the French fighting force of the same name and purpose, and, in addition to this small regiment, the nation's military often uses French conventions and organizational tactics, most likely due to the history of military cooperation between the newer nation in Gregahou and the world's sixth-largest armed force.

Currently, Gregahou is not at war with any nation and maintains a peaceful, communicative record with most other sovereignties. However, most, if not all of its current military presence is centered around the protectorate of Porte Nouvelle, where insurgencies in the territory's less developed eastern portion have resulted in functional new leadership as early as 1998. The movement for independence then resulted in further actions of insurgency in French and later Gregahouvian-controlled Porte Nouvelle, and the territory now sees regular attacks of violence against law enforcement and demonstrations in public areas. Military police are currently deployed at all times around the territory and active service members are on patrol along the known border zones and disputed areas as well as in response to possible threats in the controlled areas.

Law and justice

Gregahou uses a civil law system, following the country's constitution as well as a book of written statutes governing situations not written into the first document. Most of the nation's legal code can be traced back to both French and Soviet legal codes, as the latter were used at the time of independence while the former were introduced and later desired more in a wave of post-independence anti-Sovietism. As an authority-based society, derived in part from the peoples' Soviet upbringing and history but also in the shared working class background among first settlers, rule of law is a well-established principle, and the nation has no official religion, stipulated going back to the 1981 working constitution "so as not to corrupt rule of law," and religious motivations for legislature and lobbying for legislature are strictly forbidden.

The highest court in the nation's hierarchy is the Supreme Court, which generally is not put into action except in specific, particularly large violations of the constitution by political figures or corporations. In order for a case to reach the Supreme Court in Gregahou, it must first go through the National Court of Appeals, which can pass the case onto the Supreme Court if it is deemed major. The Supreme Court holds appellate jurisdiction over the Court of Appeals. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court in Gregahou to test the constitutionality of proposed legislation if argued against in the upper or lower houses due to a claim of unconstitutionality. The Supreme Court is host to ten members at a time, on term limits of three years with re-electability after a one-term gap and are appointed by the prime minister at the start of their term. As such, the Supreme Court nominees are appointed by a prime minister of a different political alignment each three-year term.

Economy

With a nominal GDP of US $13 billion, Gregahou has the second-largest GDP in the Caribbean Community, second only to Jamaica. The Gregahouvian economy is one of the larger economies in the Caribbean Community, largely due to the existence of oil as well as the settlement's industrial history and original funding by a world superpower in the Soviet Union. Gregahou is classified as a developed country, and, with a GDP per capita of US $15,323, citizens benefit from a relatively average standard of living combined when compared to its neighbors such as Bermuda and Jamaica.

The growing skyline of the nation's capital, Stolitsemlağa, seen in 2017

In 2015, the public sector was estimated to account for 36.7% of the workforce, and government activity contributes almost 30% to the economy. Petrochemicals, money management, and international financial services are the three largest sectors of the economy, and secondary and tertiary sectors account for almost 90% of the country's total economy. Additionally, between financial services and money management as well as others, the service sector makes up almost two-thirds of the nation's economy. Primary sector and industrial activities occur mainly in the form of petroleum processing and extraction and agriculture is conducted on a very limited scale, making up less than 1% of the nation's GDP. Due to the lack of arable land, Gregahou is extremely reliant on imports, mainly from France and its trading partners, who also continue to export goods to Porte Nouvelle. Despite the economy reacing a postindustrial level of development since the mid 1990s, Gregahou remains a largely industrial, working society.

Until the early 1990s, Gregahou followed a strict, conservative economic plan which the government soon realized was not able to foster growth with the protective measures and restrictions on foreign intervention and investment in place originally. Throughout the 1990s, Gregahouvian politicians sought to implement reforms to the country's economic agenda which aimed to encourage and promote activity in the private sector as well as to increase the responsibility of market forces in the allocation of resources. In 1994, newly-elected president Josef Ardan introduced a six-year program to stabilize the economy following the progress other Caribbean nations such as Barbados, the Bahamas, and Jamaica had made. This involved liberalizing certain aspects yet tightening restrictions on others, such as by fixing the exchange rate due to a previous devaluing of the currency due to a sharp decrease in oil prices in 1993.

A plastics factory in Almata specializing in product packaging

Most notably accomplished after the 1993 election was the removal of harsh restrictions on foreign direct investment, which, in combination with the other reforms made saw the largest decrease in government size in the nation's short history. With slight increases on foreign investment restrictions to come in the following elections, many of the country's major infrastructure changes, especially to major cities such as Stolitsemlağa and Almata came through French and Russian foreign direct investment in the mid to late 1990s until the turn of the century. Recent economic agenda movements have also sparked an increase in foreign investors, including Chinese aid in building a nationalized under-ocean railway tunnel, the Transokhanskiy.

Wealth is not highly concentrated in Gregahou largely due to a history of aggressive taxation policy against the top 10% of income earners. In 2017, the United Nations gave the country a Human Development Index rating of 0.858, an increase from the 2010 measurement and 35th out of a measurement of 189 nations. Additionally, the country was rated 37th in the United Nations' own inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI), strikingly near the original rating even with educational barriers, life expectancy, and gender, race and sexual orientation inequalities factored in.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Main articles: National Transportation (Gregahou), Capital Airport (Gregahou), National Airport (Gregahou)

Gregahou operates a total of three commercial airports altogether, including one in the protectorate Porte Nouvelle, and a network of highways and other intercity roadways, but personal transportation on the archipelago is dominated by rail transportation, operated by the state-owned National Transportation, which operates on a network of over 250 kilometers (155 miles) of track between the six islands. The most trafficked airport is Capital Airport, serving Stolitsemlağa and Ostrov Stolitsa, which opened in 2016 after a joint business venture from French construction firm Eiffage on a partially reconstructed landmass located on the western outskirts of the capital city. The oldest airport on the archipelago is National Airport, which, constructed north of Almata in 1966 as a military base during the Soviet-occupied period, served the country in its entirety until the opening of the second airport. Converted into a commercially-suited passenger airport in 1983 and refurbished in the mid nineties due to increased demand for travel, National Airport remains the country's hub for long-haul flights due to the length of its runway given its history as a military airfield.

Capital Airport, situated west of the nation's capital, is the most modern international airport in Gregahou

Porte Nouvelle is served by one major airport, the Georges Fornay International Airport, which operates flights to the Gregahouvian mainland, the United States, Canada, The Bahamas, and France. Rail transportation in Porte Nouvelle is notably less developed than in the mainland, however an underground heavy rail system connecting the island's incorporations is under construction, to be completed by German firm Siemens Mobility.

Rail transport is the primary method of mobility for the majority of Gregahouvians, and the extensive state-run National Transportation network main lines reach all major cities with smaller lines running local services through the islands' interiors. Founded in 1985 using mainly leftover Soviet freight transport rails, the government venture is the only major intercity railway operator, but the Stolitsemlağa Metro and Almata light rail systems as well as the planned Porte Nouvelle underground heavy rail system are all owned privately. The government-run network has expanded greatly since its foundation, originally operating two separate lines between Almata and Cialtina on the largest island and Stolitsemlağa and Progress on the capital island. The National Transportation network as of 2019 now operates four separate lines with an undersea tunnel connecting the company's two north-south lines and ferry services currently connecting the two north-south services as well as the two east-west services active. Additionally to its intercity heavy rail lines, the government-owned railway network also operates a series of regional surburban commuter rail lines serving the capital Stolitsemlağa as well as another distinct service in Almata.

The Gregahouvian government also maintains a network of federal highways and expressways connecting cities within each island. The federal highway network was the first method of transportation between cities, beginning with the paving in asphalt of Stolitsemlağa-Izmailovsk and Almata-Progress oil shipping routes in 1969 and their conversion into proper commuter highways in 1976 by the Soviet overseas government. By the time the nation achieved independence, the government had already paved over more than 10 additional transport routes on 4 islands, and today the federal network spans 16 routes on 4 islands as well as the protectorate of Porte Nouvelle. Ostrov Sumerskiy, the smallest island in the archipelago, is the only island not to feature a route on the federal highway network.

The Progress-Izmailovsk Ferry, pictured here in 1986, is the busiest ferry in Gregahou annually

Air travel, while possible between islands, is expensive and not favored by the majority of residents, who generally use the extensive, government-run network of ferry boat routes, which connect all five of the Gregahouvian islands with the exception of Porte Nouvelle. A Solevatsk-Porte Nouvelle-sur-Mer ferry route is planned, with a higher speed vessel ordered and under construction by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku, needed due to the longer route of almost 120 minutes of travel. Ferry boats have been the primary method of travel between islands since the country's independence, and, during the free nation's first years, leftover Tatneft freight vessels and Soviet patrol boats were used to carry passengers and cargo. The makeshift ferry service was phased out in 1984 for bi-level, vehicle-carrying boats, which have been in service since. In 1994, the Progress-Izmailovsk route, statistically busiest due to train lines connecting Stolitsemlağa to Almata arriving at either end, was updated to include a train-carrying capable vessel, connecting the two previous train routes. While notably slower than the previous setup, the train-carrying ferry became the predecessor to the Transokhanskiy under-ocean tunnel, one of the most notable Gregahouvian technological feats. The planned ferry route between Solevatsk and Porte Nouvelle-sur-Mer is expected to be in service by summer 2020, with the Finnish vessel under construction as well as a deep-water passenger port in Solevatsk. The Porte Nouvelle route would continue onto Stolitsemlağa after docking in Gregahou first at Solevatsk, and is purported to become the country's busiest ferry route with the opening of the Transokhanskiy tunnel.

Culture

Gregahou is home to many cultures and a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. Mainstream Gregahouvian culture is a mix of Western, Slavic and Turkic cultures, with more recent immigration from the Caribbean and Central America adding to a cultural mix generally described as a homogenizing melting pot, but also contains some heterogeneous aspects where immigrants retain distinctive cultural characteristics. Many aspects of the predecessors to modern Gregahouvian culture have been altered as a result of the change in climate upon arrival to the islands, which feature distinctive climate differences to that of many settlers' homes, resulting in a forced assimilation to warmer temperatures.

Plov is a common Gregahouvian dish generally eaten in large groups and is normally cooked in one large pot called a kazan

Cuisine

Gregahouvian cuisine is closely related to the multiculturality of modern urban Russian cuisine and draws mainly from Caucasian and Ural dishes, which, in turn, draw from Russian and central Asian cuisines. Largely due to the available agricultural resources and import availabilities present during the period of colonization, Gregahouvian cuisine often includes the substitution of traditional ingredients from the cuisine's predecessors for more readily available ingredients. Wheat availability due to the proximity of the United States gave rise to a bulgur pilaf instead of the traditional kind made with rice. Chicken and lamb are often used in Gregahouvian cuisines rather than beef due to the disparity in land needed to raise animals considering the lack of arable land on the archipelago. Samza, açma and burğak are popular street foods, and the working history of the country explains the importance of quick, handheld meals like the aforementioned pastries and şaşlik, a grilled meat skewer popular at group events and functions.

Another factor influencing the selection of dishes in Gregahouvian cuisine is a weather change for immigrants during the colonial period. Moderate temperatures and the lack of a cold winter reduced the need for soups and warm beverages, but the more agreeable climate combined with a lack of electricity in the first few years saw dairy products with the exception of cheese largely not transfer over from Europe to the archipelago. Originally, Gregahouvian cheese was made either by pickling curds in an icy acidic brine to make the soft, mild selgen, used in açma or by fermenting curds in a warm oven to make kaşk, which is then melted for use in samza as well as the production of a traditional butter called sarmay.

Sports

Main article: Gregahou national football team