Shalum

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The Empire of Shalum
Flag
Motto: United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Anthem: "Advance the Flag and Bison" Lyrics
Capital and largest city	Aragon
Official languages	English, German, and Dutch
Ethnic groups	83% Shalumite 7% Maldorian 4.7% Acrean 5.3% Other
Demonym(s)	Shalumite
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• Imperator	Tyler Holland
• Prime Minister	Ethan Solaris
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Imperial Council
• Lower house	National Council
Formation
• Unification of Shalum	1548
• Establishment of Holland Dynasty	1549
• Imperial Period	1550-1944
• Reformation of New Empire	1945
Area
• Total	1,292,620 km2 (499,080 sq mi)
• Water (%)	5.13%
Population
• 2015 estimate	110, 859, 259
• 2020 census	113, 978, 432
GDP (PPP)	2014 estimate
• Total	$3,985,145,456,940
• Per capita	$37,845
Currency	Dollar (SD)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+705
Internet TLD	.shm

Shalum, officially the Empire of Shalum, is a empire is a sovereign state located in northern Tyran. It is made up of eight constituent states, and covers an area of 1,292,620 square kilometers (499,083 sq mi) with a largely temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Aragon, with a population of just over eighteen-million people. In total, the Empire of Shalum has a population of 110,859,259 people as of the last national census.

The Empire of Shalum is a unitary state governed by the: Imperator of Shalum, Prime minister, and Imperial Council made up of either members of the nobility, or individuals who have been hand-selected by the executive. The city of Aragon has acted as the seat of Shalumite government since the establishment of the Holland dynasty in the year 1549.

History

Main article: History of Shalum

Government

Main article: Government of Shalum

Shalum is an Executive Imperial Monarchy, with a hereditary monarch and a bicameral parliament, as well as a Supreme Court. The executive branch consists of Imperator Tyler Holland, as well as members of his direct family who are traditionally given some say in how the government operates. Like many hierarchical structures in Shalum, the rights of succession are very directly laid-out. In the event that the Imperator passes away, Shalumite male-preferential primogeniture law dictates that it is the right of his firstborn son to rise to the position of executive. Should he be unavailable, or decline the position, it the right of the next-born son to take the position. Should no living male heirs be available, the eldest female child of the executive may rise to power as Imperatrix. Should none of the direct decedent of the Imperator be available, the position of power is transferred to cadet branches and then the Dukes of Shalum until a successor has been decided.

The legislative branch is overseen by Prime Minister Ethan Solaris, who was nominated and appointed by the Imperial Monarch, and then confirmed by the Imperial Council. Thee Upper House of the legislative branch is made up of the Imperial Council with 400 members, who are either lower ranking nobles (Dukes, Counts, Barons, Junkers, or Knights) or have been hand-selected by the executive to serve the Empire. The Lower House is known as the National Council, and has 300 seats of which 220 are directly elected from the Duchies of Shalum by popular vote, while the other 80 are personally appointed by Dukes and Duchesses of Shalum to also serve six-year terms.

The judicial branch of the Shalumite government is represented by the Supreme Court. It is made up of: twelve permanent judges. a Chief Justice, courts of appeals, ducal courts, district courts, and city courts. The Empire governs its citizens through the means of a civil law system, which also incorporates elements from Germanic law codes as well. Laws can be both created and amended in the Imperial Council, while the actual regulation of the legal system falls into the hands of the Ministry of Justice. Both the executive and legislative branch of the Imperial government are subject to judical review if the Supreme Court sees it fit, however, it is rare for such actions to be taken.

While one must be selected by the Head of Government to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, they must also be confirmed by the legislative branch, and approved by the executive before they can assume office. Appellate, Ducal Court, district, and city court judges are normally elected by the Duke of their respective duchies. The Shalumite judicial system is known for being very direct in its mission to interpret and enforce the laws of the Empire, and is known for its high degrees of: transparency, integrity, and accountability. It is unusual for the death penalty to be issued to criminals in Shalum, except in the cases of multiple murders, multiple rapes, or treason.

Imperial Ministries

Main article: Imperial ministries in Shalum

Armed Forces

Main article: Shalumite Armed Forces

The armed forces of the Empire of Shalum, officially known as the Shalumite Armed Forces, consists of three professional branches: the Imperial Shalumite Army, Imperial Shalumite Air Force, and the Imperial Shalumite Navy. It is supported by two civillian branches, the Imperial Army Korp of Engineering and the Imperial Defense Force. These forces fall under the command of the Ministry of Defense, which is headed by the Minister of Defense. The Commander-in-chief is the Shalumite monarch, Tyler Holland, to whom all uniformed service members swear allegiance to. The Armed Forces are charged with protecting the Empire's security and economic interests from all threats foreign and domestic.

Historically, when diplomatic talks have broken down to the point that conflict is inevitable, the Imperial Armed Forces have played a key role in assuring the Empire's sovereignty from foreign powers. Numerous times, its forces have been called in to counter aggressive actions taken by its neighbors, especially Ossoria and Æsthurlavaj whom the Empire is known to regularly come into conflict with. Following the heavy losses in terms of both manpower and equipment that it took during the course of Eracura's Great War, much of the service branches saw sweeping reformation measures in terms of doctrine and chain of command. A second-round followed much later in 1991 under the administration of Imperator Carl Holland, who was interested in expanding the military's offensive capabilities and armament.

Given its massive need for equipment, Shalum has a thriving defense industry which is primary based out of the Duchy of Hallefeld. Many manufactureres were originally asked to locate to that region, particulary around the capital city of Dresden, due to geographic insulation from external threats. The largest domestic producer of Imperial military equipment, Kaiserliche Defense Systems, maintain its national headquarters there. Due to a sereis of laws passed by Imperial Parliament in 2002, at least 51% of stock must remain in the hands of noble families or the Exchequer. The largest foreign supplier of Shalumite equipment is Wolf Armaments, which is based out of the allied Empire of Common Territories. An example of their cooperation was the joint development of the Honigdachs (IFV) which was brought into service in mid-2005. As of the year 2019, the Empire spends approximately 2.2% of its GDP on the military and research and development for it.

Constituent Duchies

Shalum's administrative regions

Number	Duchy	Capital	Duke/Duchess	Population (2015 census)
1	Haford	Aragon	Tyler Holland
2	Hallefeld	Dresden	Jack Harper
3	Heneheim	Frankfurt	Joshua Blackburn
4	Crestone	Niece	Nicholas Weidmann
5	Kravola	Olympus	Matthias Mannheimer
6	Iron Island	Kaiserwerth	Victor von Grath
7	Grudeheim	Fontera	Magnus Rickenbacker
8	Venetia	Verona	Cassandra Västerlund-Navarro
9	Versillia	Torun
10	Morvaria	Sachsenbeck
11	Seelow-Friesland	Karlsruhe	Marius Lockhart
12	Breslau	Kester
13	Maldoria	Concordia	Dranis Donsowar

Economy

Main article: Economy of Shalum