Dezevau

Republic of Dezevau Dezevauboga
Flag
Location of Dezevau on Kylaris in dark green
Capital	Bazadavo
Largest	Bagabiada
Official languages	Ziba
Recognised regional languages	Dezevauni Sign, Estmerish, Gaullican, Kexri, Kunak, Pelangi, Ziba
Ethnic groups (2020)	79.9% Dezevauni 5.6% Pelangi 4.5% Multiethnic (various) 3.5% Gurani 2.7% Kunak 1.5% Ndjarendie 2.3% other
Religion (2020)	38.8% Irreligion 32.2% Badi 15.1% Solarian Catholic Church 4.2% Irfan 2.7% Orthodox Church of the South 2.0% Amendism (various) 1.4% Coconutism 1.2% Episemialist Church 1.3% other
Demonym(s)	Dezevauni
Government	Council republic
Legislature	Congress of Twenties
Formation
• Saint Bermude's Company holdings consolidated into the State of Désébau	1889
• End of Gaullican control, formation of Republic of Dezevau	1935
Area
• Total	2,000,000 km2 (770,000 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 estimate	191 million
• 2020 census	190,902,213
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	€3.990 trillion
• Per capita	€20,899
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	€2.328 trillion
• Per capita	€12,194
Gini (2020)	20.4 low
HDI (2020)	0.850 very high
Currency	Gaongemi (GAO)
Time zone	DST
Date format	CE yyyy-mm-dd
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.de

Dezevau (Ziba: [dəzəb̪aɯ]), officially the Republic of Dezevau (Ziba: dezevauboga [dəzəb̪aɯbɑga]), is a country on the east coast of the continent of Coius, with a population of around 190 million (making it the fifth most populous country in the world) and an area of 1,834,685 square kilometres. It has the Brown Sea to its south and the Berhujan Sea to its east, both part of the Vehemens Ocean, with land borders with Lavana, Bereket, Zorasan and Mabifia going clockwise from the south. Its capital is Bazadavo, while the largest city is Bagabiada. It is divided into eighteen states.

Dezevau was one of the world's cradles of civilisation, with agriculture being independently developed in its river valleys, and city-states and petty kingdoms forming around the beginning of the Common Era. The Badi religion, its followers still the largest religious group in Dezevau today, formed around this time and spread throughout the region. For much of antiquity and the medieval era, Dezevau was influential as the most urban, populous and mercantile group of polities in its region. The city-state was the dominant mode of organisation until the early modern era, which saw the establishment of the Aguda Empire largely by conquest, ruling over most of Southeast Coius. Estmere was the first Euclean power to have a presence in Dezevau, but a variety of colonial powers usurped the Aguda state functions while retaining its facade throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Gaullica controlled the region by the early 19th century through Saint Bermude's Company; the Aguda Empire was officially disestablished in 1866, while the company was nationalised in 1889, with governance of puppet regimes then overseen by the Bureau for Southeast Coius, whose rule was unpopular, extractive and centralised, especially in the National Functionalist period. Despite Entente successes in Coius in the Great War, they lost the war overall, and the Kirenian-associated Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International set up a council democratic regime after securing the withdrawal of the Estmerish Community of Nations mandate. Dezevau was part of the wave of socialism in Coius associated with the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies, hosting its inaugural conference, industrialising throughout the mid to late 20th century. However, shortly after the Dezevauni-Zorasani War (as well as other AESE-related conflicts), socialism across Coius collapsed, and the Cultural Revolution broke out in Dezevau in 1980, inducing wide-ranging progressive cultural and political changes. The Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International was notably disestablished, ushering contemporary largely non-partisan politics.

The country is a council democratic republic. The country is considered to be middle income, with a nominal GDP per capita of about €11 thousand and a total nominal GDP of about €2.3 trillion. It is located on the periphery of Bahia, being to the region's core's south, but is more commonly considered part of Southeast Coius. It is a member of intergovernmental organisations such as the Community of Nations, Association for International Socialism and Brown Sea Community. Dezevau is generally considered a middle power or an emerging power. It is contested whether they are properly considered an ethnic group, but if they are, the Dezevaunis, who comprise around 85% of the country's population, are the dominant ethnic group. The national language, Standard Ziba, is associated with said group. However, significant minorities exist, notably around 6% of the population who are Pelangi.

Dezevau is one of the more developed countries in its region, as well as among the more populous, though it has one of the lowest fertility rates in its region also. Its historical cultural, religious and commercial influence are notable, which have aided its commercial, cultural and political links in the region of Southeast Coius. It is among the world leaders in some areas of science, including geochemistry, soil science and scientific philosophy.

Etymology

Dezevau is a Ziba word made up of the root vau, meaning land or country, and deze, a prefix meaning twenty. However, in Ziba, twenty is used not only as a precise numeral, but also to stand in for when the number of something is many but not necessarily specifically enumerable. Dezevau might be therefore translated a something along the lines of "land of many", referring to the many related city-states of the geographical region in the medieval era when the term originated. In the modern day, the Congress of Twenties is the usual Estmerish translation for the federal legislature of the country, with members being elected from states whose boundaries and identities are largely descended from those medieval city-states.

History

Main article: History of Dezevau

Prehistory

Agriculture was independently developed in central Dezevau around eight millennia ago with the cultivation of taro and bananas in and around Bigiamhe Swamp. Pottery emerged relatively late, around three millennia ago, and ironworking shortly thereafter, ample evidence coming from the Buazajini cluster of archaeological sites in Vadidodhe, where bog iron was processed.

The first cities emerged on the riverbanks, it is suspected many being continuously inhabited from the first millennium BCE to the present day, but this being difficult to confirm owing to geological and climactic conditions. By the turn of the era, city-states and petty kingdoms were emerging across modern Dezevau, in particular in the Buiganhingi, Bugunho and Doboadane basins, with the Proto-Dezevauni region essentially a wide belt from the Bay of Lights to Binhame Inlet.

Antiquity

Agricultural expansion took place, with ethnic Dezevaunis bringing distinctive agriculture up to the limits of the river basins and rainforest bioregion, and encountering the !mab and !cavunia. The Ziba writing system originated around this time, strongly influenced by the system of ancient Djedet. Trade and colonisation burgeoned, with culture and agriculture spreading to Terangau and networks across the region seeing goods from as far as Shangea make their way into the archaeological record. Some of the city-states and petty kingdoms fought wars against each other, generally with little success. However, the first battle in recorded Dezevauni history is the First Battle of Bugunho Lake, dating from this period.

Medieval

The city-state became the dominant method of organisation in Dezevau, even with the emergence of hourege in Bahia and empires to the south, this development in large part attributable to the natural geographic characteristics which made defence easy and extensive control difficult, though attempts at large-scale conquests did occur. The region's involvement with the trade between Bahia and southeast Coius brought wealth and ideas in. Some cities were invaded in this period, but typically the invaders integrated into the ruling elite. Badi became more formalised at this time, having its roots in traditional Dezevauni religious custom. Contact had been made with Euclean explorers around the time of founding of the Aguda Empire.

Colonial

An Estmerish presence on Crescent Island was followed by the establishment of a Gaullican one in the same region with Euclean traders increasingly engaging in Dezevauni markets. The Binhame Coast became the centre of Euclean presence in Dezevau. The Aguda Empire benefitted from this, cooperating with Euclean powers and purchasing weapons and training, establishing the first land empire to hold most of the region. However, later on it fought against Saint Bermude's Company and lost; Gaullica became the dominant power in the region, outcompeting Estmere and the remaining disunited city-states. Estmere retained Mount Palmerston as a military and resupply outpost, while Crescent Island along with part of the mainland were part of Gaullica proper, as Saint-Bermude.

Bureau rule

In 1889 the Bureau for Southeast Coius was given effectively complete control over governance in Dezevau, nationalising corporate interests under a centralised body designed to maximise Gaullican economic extraction from their colony. The area at this time was defined by being the Buiganhingi, Bugunho, Gigiduange and Doboadane basins, the borders in the north being the Bahian uplands and Gurani ranges, in the south the Baqt. Known as Désébau in Gaullican, the State of Dezevau was technically independent but a Gaullican puppet in practice. Bureau rule brought considerable upheaval, as well as industrialisation to Dezevau, and saw the breakdown of traditional cooperation between the Dezevauni managerial class and Gaullican colonisers; the Social Liberation Party of Dezevau, later to become the Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International (commonly referred to as the Socialists), was founded in 1901. Bureau rule lasted until the Great War.

Great War

Martial law accompanied the war effort. Dezevauni troops performed well for the Entente, fighting alongside many Bahians, and conscription was introduced, albeit at a smaller scale than was common in Euclea. Mount Palmerston was occupied by Gaullican-led forces early in the war. However, the Entente lost the war overall, and Estmere received the Gaullican surrender in Mount Palmerston and Saint-Bermude while Socialist forces received it within the borders of the State. The peace treaty saw Crescent Island become Estmerish because of their historical claims on it, but mainland Saint-Bermude was joined to the new Republic of Dezevau, which had come into being by 1935.

Postwar

States sent delegates to the Congress of Twenties, generally along the lines of council organisation favoured by the Socialists. The newly convened Congress of Twenties was mostly non-partisan, but substantially sympathetic to the Socialists. National symbols were established along with the basic instruments of state. One of the earliest actions taken was the reestablishment of traditional cooperative land ownership, as opposed to the more stratified, freehold, cash crop-centric system preferred under the Bureau.

At first, most politicians tended to be non-partisan, and relatively moderate policies were put in place, including liberalisation which spurred growth early on. The development of novel socialist approaches to policy problems became stronger later on, aided by an approving populace and institutional momentum, in particular consultation with the international socialist movement. The government, despite its ideological commitment to council communism, often tended to be centralist in its style of governance, resulting in human rights issues at times, but fairly rapid growth, particularly in industry. In 1949, Dezevau hosted the inaugural conference of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies in Biunhamao, and in 1966, the Games of the Red Star in Mhiduzai.

Cultural Revolution

With globalisation, industrialisation and internationalisation, the traditionally communitarian social order, in particular the Badi religion, underwent great upheaval. The Socialists sought to catch the public mood, and called a Cultural Revolution. During this time, Dezevau's demography saw it shifting from high to moderate fertility, resulting in a relative glut of teenagers and young adults for a time, which likely boosted the popularity of renovative ideologies. In some areas and sectors, the economy was liberalised, while in others it became more socialised; overall, however, the effect was decentralising. New, local groups sprung up, generally with internationalist ideals, in some areas supplanting the older political order. Mass rallies and self-conscious changes to ways of life occurred, such as older, more formal greetings falling out of usage. In some areas, at times, violence occurred, with people, objects or places seen to represent reaction beaten, removed or destroyed. Despite the rise of alternative power structures, however, the regime did not fall, but rather kept in step with the revolutionaries throughout, until the period ended. Generally, political structures were able to adapt to the revolution, and it in many ways set up the political reality of contemporary Dezevau, with high levels of direct-democratic engagement, localised and socialistic economic policies being the political centre, and a broadly fairly plural society with consideration for both economic and social equality (e.g. women, LGBTQ+, ethnic). However, most of the more radical changes proposed or partly achieved in this period were rolled back.

Contemporary

The Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International splintered at the end of the Cultural Revolution, and a return to a more non-partisan style of governance occurred as power fell to the decentralised post-Cultural Revolution bodies. While economic growth stalled during parts of the revolution, a spike occurred at the end, and it has been steady year-on-year since that time. Dezevau is now considered newly industrialised, and a multiparty democracy.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Dezevau

Dezevau is near 2 million square kilometres of land, with a population of over 190 million, making it moderately sized, and among the more densely populated countries in the world. Anticlockwise from the north, it borders by land Mabifia, Zorasan, Cavunia and xxx, while to the east is the Berhujan Sea and to the south the Brown Sea; Terangau separates the two. Dezevau is typically considered part of Southeast Coius, and to the south of Bahia; however, biologically and geophysically, it is arguably closer to Bahia.

Geology

The Field of Cathedrals karst formation in the Buiganhingi Craton

Dezevau is geologically complex, being covered in failed rifts, intraplate faults, escarpments and igneous intrusions. The western part of the country rises to meet Lake Bakhtegan and the Baqt, joining a spur of the South Coian Montane Complex; large areas of pseudokarst dominate this area, which are part of the Buiganhingi Craton, similar in extent to the catchment area of the eponymous river system. The Greater Bedangi Range in the southeast of the country are formed from the youngest of a series of terranes to make contact with the Coian continent; the centre-east of the Dezevauni landmass are primarily older, much more eroded terrane. To the north, the Mabifia topography is not related these terrane complexes, and is generally of a higher elevation and older age. Mining is fairly rich as a result of the geological complexity, with a wide variety of minerals across the centre and western areas, ranging from clay to quartz to tin to gold.

Climate

Dezevau is primarily covered in the tropical rainforest biome, owing to its location on the equator with considerable exposure to rain-bearing tropical easterlies; it has consistently high temperatures and rainfall all year round. The southeast and centre-west are the wettest parts of the country, owing to the elevation of the Greater Bedangi Range and the elevated plains before Lake Bakhtegan. However, to the northwest the Gudhani Range blocks rainfall, the northwest extremity of the country being subtropical or even arid, while the southwestern extremity experiences a similar effect, albeit less pronounced, with the Baqt. Furthermore, microclimates occur throughout the country in areas of rain shadow, owing to local landforms.

Hydrology

Hydrology is very important to Dezevau, as a traditionally highly riverine society. Large rivers flow across the bulk of the Dezevauni landmass, with the Buiganhingi River draining the Baqt and Lake Bakhtegan into the Bay of Lights in the west, the Bugunho River System to the southeast draining similarly, and then the Gigiduange to the east and the Doboadane to the northeast draining into the Berhujan Sea to the east. There is a great deal of artificial canals and redirections of the rivers, which are often very large owing to the high rainfall in the region; this has changed the natural hydrology, often for transportation or agricultural purposes.

Biodiversity

Weaver ant nest on a mango tree

Dezevau has a very high level of biodiversity owing to its tropical rainforest, which as a rule is a terrestrial biome with high biodiversity. However, being connected by land to other countries' tropical rainforests, many species in Dezevau are not endemic to it. The country does however have an unusually high number of domesticated species which are native to it, with many cultivars being found only under Dezevauni cultivation. Biodiversity is threatened by habitat loss, which is occurring both as a result of expanding built-up areas (primarily resulting from urbanisation), and the intensification of agriculture, in particularly modern industrial versions which may use fertilisers, non-native crops and monocultures.

A native genus of ant, Oecophylla, commonly known as the weaver ant for its behaviour of building nests woven of silk and leaves, is the national animal. It is notable as part of the native agricultural systems, as a natural form of pest control; this practice has spread beyond Dezevaun since historical times.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Dezevau

Dezevau's political framework is that of a council republic. The eighteen states have equal status as federal entities, the electorates of each electing members to the unicameral federal legislature, the Congress of Twenties, in proportion to their population. Individual states also have their own constitutions and elected legislatures, which are constrained only by the federal constitution and capacities stemming from it. While electoral systems vary from state to state, they characteristically considered to be free and fair, with universal suffrage; the Congress of Twenties uses party-list proportional representation with a single transferrable vote. Party politics in Dezevau tends to be a multiparty affair, with governments almost always being coalitions.

The legislatures tend to be limited in power, and in a sense serve to guide public debate rather than to conclude it with legislation. Much decisionmaking occurs through direct democracy, often at both the state and federal levels, but also frequently exercised through local councils which may exist for sub-state divisions, or which may be convened of stakeholders for particular subject matters. These are not prescribed by the federal constitution, but often are by state constitutions, or often even exist outside of constitutions. Constitutions are distinguished by the fact that they cannot be modified except by plebiscite, and at the federal level, with a majority of states, not only voters.

The federal division of powers, as given in the constitution, assigns the administration of some matters to the states; these include intrastate transportation, lower education, utilities, housing, culture, most of the secondary and tertiary economic sectors, and their own political systems. In turn, the federal government has powers including those relating to the military, interstate transportation, most of the primary and quaternary economic sectors, higher education, borders and the federal political system.

Additionally, the constitution mandates that certain goods and services must be provided in certain ways; these provisions essentially mean that it is impossible to legally have a non-socialist economy in Dezevau while they stand. They refer to matters such as transportation, education, healthcare, housing, emergency services, water and electricity. The section relating to food has been altered from time to time. In practice, governments tend not to have platforms which violate these laws in the first place, as it is difficult to amend the constitution.

The current Congress of Twenties' largest groupings are the Club of Metal (who generally favour social reform and state and syndicalist control), the Club of Meat (whose main concerns are regionalism and preservation of culture), the Club of Wood (who are environmentalist and postmodernist) and the Anarchists. These clubs are more like party caucuses than having partisan dynamics, and some people are part of several and many of none.

Law

The legal system of Dezevau uses a mixed common and civil law system, largely inherited from Gaullica but influenced by Estmere, Kirenia, and indigenous law, which was historically often taken as merely customary to the other systems despite its unique characteristics. International evaluations of the rule of law tend to place Dezevau as above average. Dezevau is unusual for what has been termed constitutional socialism, insofar as the judiciary enforces the tenets of the economic system on a multiparty democratic system when it occasionally attempts to stray towards capitalism.

Military

Dezevau's military is divided into an army, a navy, an air force and a special force. Historically, it has been loyal to the civilian government, and avoided becoming involved in politics. The army is the largest by personnel, with around fifty divisions. The air force is meanwhile smaller, but tends to have modern equipment. The navy is fairly small, with limited bluewater ability; much of their capacity is in fact brownwater, owing to Dezevau's riverine characteristics. The special force conducts special operations and such, and is small in sized and limited to very specific applications.

Foreign relations

Dezevau's status as a socialist state in some sense defines its foreign relations. It has close relations with other states which are led by members of the IntCon, but is also generally friendly with its neighbours such as Zorasan, and otherwise in the Southeast Coian and Bahian regions. At time there has been discord with Terangau, a capitalist country, stemming from historical boundaries and continuing over the status of certain islands and the Pelangi people, who are closest ethnically to Terangauni and speak a language similar to the Pali language. Generally, Dezevau maintains reasonable bilateral links with the postcolonial nations of Coius, but additionally has broadly normalised relations, including with capitalist Euclean countries such as those in the Euclean Community.

Administrative divisions

Dezevau has eighteen states, including the capital state; each is given this status in the federal constitution, which requires a popular vote in most states as well as overall votes to be modified. Smaller subdivisions, or districts, are typically the smallest and directly beneath the state level. They often have participatory councils and guaranteed status under state constitutions. States tend to be several million large, with one or a few languages which have equal status within it (depending on users in that state), with hundreds of districts.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Dezevau

Dezevau is a newly industrialised country of middle income. Its economy is run along council socialist lines, with many economic decisions made by councils or a multitude of democratically elected representatives whose concern is often not profit. These characteristics have produced relatively slow but steady growth, with high levels of economic stability, and low levels of wealth inequality. Its exposure to and response to international market events tends to be slower than average. The main currency is the Gaongemi, but it is not a true currency, with limitations to its fungibility, use as a medium of exchange and function as a store of value. Market mechanisms are more present in the field of consumer goods than in others which tend to be state-run, such as electricity or arms. Foreign trade tends to be mostly with internationally socialist countries and neighbours; Dezevau has a positive trade balance, but is moving away from extractive export. Dezevau's foreign debt is relatively large. Though there are efforts to ensure equitably distributed economic development across the country, the Gavujuju urban region has emerged, for a variety of reasons including its large population, as an economic powerhouse.

Agriculture

Agriculture has traditionally had a unique role in Dezevauni society, with farmers existing outside of the more rigid divisions between the cities. This was the case within the context of geguonhi, a traditional system of agriculture and land ownership based essentially on the operation of commune-like villages as cooperatives, often direct democracy prevailing within but the village as a whole operating on a kind of feudalistic market basis with regards to other villages and the cities. The uniqueness of agriculture in the Dezevauni context is still prevalent in the socialist economy, where the political consensus on agriculture is referred to as modified geguonhi, though it is increasingly disrupted by urbanisation and mechanisation. The complexity of the system has made it difficult to classify as subsistence or non-subsistence from a formal economic point of view. Agriculture is a large portion of the country's economic activity.

Most agriculture in Dezevau is intensive, with high capital and labour inputs producing a wide variety of products, mostly food. It is not reliant on industrial fertilisers, but still makes use of it to some extent, as well as char. While mechanisation has accelerated in recent times with the development of robotics and computing, Dezevauni agriculture has been much slower to mechanise than those in other countries, and also characteristically avoids large-scale monoculture. In recent times, increased concern from environmentalist, postmodernist and tourist perspectives has made these characteristics more desirable; the system tends to be more resilient. However, there are still significant inefficiencies in non-monocultural systems, and there is inflexibility in responding to changes in economic conditions owing to the long-term nature of the characteristic crops, soils and the traditional lifestyles held by farmers. Notable products include poultry, pigs, fish, shellfish, palm oil, rice, sugar cane, breadfruit, bananas, sweet potato, custard apple, calabash, coffee, kola, shea, velvet bean and various spices.

Mining

Dezevau has a long history of mineral extraction, much of which is conventional, but also much of which is alluvial, owing to the many and large rivers. Gold, silver, iron ore, bauxite, copper ores, limestone, sand, rare earth minerals, decorative stone and semi-precious stones are among those products mined in significant quantities. Alluvial gold was historically significant, and crude oil later on, though production has declined again. Dezevau's geological complexity, composed of uplift from multiple terranes and older volcanic cratons further inland, grants it a wide variety of mineral resources. Environmental issues have been caused by mining, with activities being pared back or made to conform to strict environmental regulations in the modern day; erosion, habitat loss and water pollution are particular issues. However, on the whole, the mining sector is important to the Dezevauni economy, in particular increasing its self-sufficiency. Mineral stocks are contributed to by an expansive recycling system.

Energy

Dezevau was a major producer of crude oil in the 20th century, but no longer produces enough for domestic consumption by most estimates. Dezevau is among world leaders in renewable energy, owing to concern about climate change, pollution and energy sovereignty. Despite Dezevau's many large rivers, hydroelectric power is largely small scale, owing to the concentration of urban and agricultural environments around the relatively flat rivers; the Zigangevigame Dam is however significant. Onshore wind power and solar power play moderately sized but notable roles, as does geothermal to an even lesser extent. Dezevau's most significant sources of power today are offshore, with the development of tidal or wave power particularly in the southeast of the country, as well as offshore combined solar-wind platforms all around the rest of the shoreline. Biomass is another notable renewable source of energy, but its share of usage is in decline as it tends to rely on extensive agriculture and is still often polluting.

The Atomic Foundation for Emerging Socialism, a project of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies, considerably helped Dezevau develop nuclear power, but its usage is in decline. Fossil fuels continue to comprise a large portion of energy generation but are in decline; oil and brown coal are the most commonly used.

Manufacturing

Dezevau undertook a large scale industrialisation programme in the 50s and 60s, which, despite the country's more distributed system of agriculture, produced food shortages at times as exports were maximised in order to build up domestic industrial capacity. This effort slowed during the Cultural Revolution, but its long term and steady growth mean that Dezevau is considered a newly industrialised country today. Both heavy and light industry are significant, with the latter generally being handled by more private management and the former more public. Dezevauni industry is less productive by some metrics than those of other countries; this is sometimes attributed to working conditions or economic planning. Domestic consumption accounts for most of the secondary sector, but exports are significant to less developed countries in the region. Major industries include food processing, vehicles, refinery, textiles, forestry products, electronics and chemicals.

Tourism

Tourism to Dezevau is primarily from international socialist countries and neighbours; the industry is a valuable source of foreign currency reserves. Tourism is for a variety of reasons: cultural, natural, heritage, medical and educational. There are particular arrangements with Chervolesia to promote it. Tourism was historically concentrated in the Binhame Coast region, which because of its Euclean history, language, economic integration and development, in addition to beaches and seaport access was well-suited. However, increasingly natural tourism is moving inland, and cultural tourism to Gavujuju. Tourist industries are largely locally managed.

Science and technology

A great deal of funding is allocated to Dezevauni scientific endeavours, which are a national priority. Scientific development is largely carried out as a public affair, with the state holding patents in its own name internationally. Cooperation is particularly significant with socialists internationally, such as through the International Institute for Social Healthcare, and through the xxxx space programme. Research is conducted both through research institutes and universities which operate on lines similar to those in other countries.

Worldwide, Dezevauni science is known for its geoscience, the humanities, and some more specific fields such as development studies, economic history, ancient history, sociobiology, literature and applied astronomy. Research is both academic and industrial in nature across the board.

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1890	39,200,000	—
1900	44,300,000	+13.0%
1910	48,300,000	+9.0%
1920	51,200,000	+6.0%
1930	57,200,000	+11.7%
1940	63,200,000	+10.5%
1950	76,100,000	+20.4%
1960	90,800,000	+19.3%
1970	108,200,000	+19.2%
1980	123,400,000	+14.0%
1990	147,000,000	+19.1%
2000	162,800,000	+10.7%
2010	178,200,000	+9.5%
2020	190,902,213	+7.1%

Main article: Demographics of Dezevau

Dezevau is on average a relatively young country, and it has a population of about 190 million, most of whom are ethnically Dezevauni and speak Ziba natively. It is generally considered to be undergoing the effects of a demographic dividend. Much of the demographic information about Dezevau comes from its quintennial census, which has a high level of public trust according to a wide variety of sources. The growth rate averages around 1%, primarily from the effects of natural change, with a fairly low rate of emigration that outpaces an even lower rate of immigration.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity in the Dezevauni 2020 Census

  Dezevauni (79.9%)

  Pelangi (5.6%)

  Multiethnic (various) (4.5%)

  Gurani (3.5%)

  Kunak (2.7%)

  Ndjarendie (1.5%)

  Other (2.3%)

People in Dezevau are asked to self-identify their ethnicity in censuses. An increasing number of people, however, choose not to. The number of people identifying as multiethnic has increased steadily in recent years, which studies suggest are not as much because of a real increase in multiethnicity as much as mainly previously Dezevauni identifying people reconsidering family history; the census in Dezevau uses a fairly broad definition of multiethnic. The proportion of multiethnic people is however increasing in absolute terms. Overall, though, the dominant group is by far Dezevaunis. The largest and most significant ethnic minority is Pelangi.

Language

Percentage of speakers of regional spoken languages in Dezevau
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Ziba Gaullican Estmerish Pali-Pelangi Kexri Kunak Ndjarendie Other
Data is from the 2020 census. Darker shade indicates native language, lighter non-native.

The national language of Dezevau is Ziba, which is historically spoken by the Dezevauni people. Some Ziba dialects have been considered to be separate languages by some, on both political and linguistic grounds, but the result of standardised education and interconnection across the country has been to bring the varieties closer together, such that there are very few dialects which are not fairly easily intelligible with each other. Ziba is spoken as a first language by most ethnic Dezevauni, and as a first language by many citizens of Dezevau who are not ethnically Dezevauni; it is spoken as a second language by almost all the rest.

The second most spoken language is Gaullican, in part a legacy of Gaullican colonisation, but also because of the language's globalised usage. It is widely taught in schools as the most useful language to have both in the world and in the region, while it is an official language of the Binhame Coast state, along with Ziba and Estmerish; it is the most used language there, with almost all who are not first language speakers (a substantial proportion in itself) being second language speakers.

Estmerish follows a similar pattern to Gaullican, in that it was introduced by Estmerish colonialism and continues to be learnt today, only on a much lesser scale. It is widely had as both a first and second language in Binhame Coast, where it is also an official language.

Pelangi, Kexri, Kunak and Ndjarendie are all spoken primarily by ethnic minorities, namely the Pelangi, Gurani, Kunak and Ndjarendie. These languages are not learnt as much as Estmerish or Gaullican, but they are still learnt, both for communicating with these communities but also because of their use in neighbouring countries; Pelangi is mutually intelligible with Pali which is the main language of Terangau, Kexri is used in Zorasan, Kunak is the main language of Cavunia, and Ndjarendie a major language in Mabifia. They are all recognised as state-level languages.

Additionally, Dezevauni Sign Language is a regional language of Bazadavo state. However, because of its different mode, data for it is collected and assembled separately.

The mean Dezevauni person speaks 2.2 languages, and the median two.

Religion

Religion in the Dezevauni 2020 Census

  Irreligion (38.8%)

  Badi (32.2%)

  Solarian Catholic Church (15.1%)

  Irfan (4.2%)

  Orthodox Church of the South (2.7%)

  Amendism (various) (2.0%)

  Coconutism (1.4%)

  Episemialist Church (1.2%)

  Other (1.4%)

According to the 2020 census, irreligious people (agnostics and atheists) form a plurality among groups by religion. The largest religion by followers is Badi, which is traditional and native to Dezevau. By far the next largest group are Solarian Catholics, largely as a result of Gaullican era conversion efforts and efforts after the establishment of the socialist regime. Other much smaller minorities include followers of Irfan (mostly in Bougediame and among the Ndjarendie, Amendism (concentrated in Binhame Coast largely owing to Estmerish colonisation), Coconutism (especially Pelangi), Episemialism (concentrated in Gaunhijia and Noavanau, largely owing to colonial era Amathian missionaries) and the Orthodox Church of the South. Dezevauni Episemialists are generally under the Patriarchate of Noavanau. In total, 21.4% of Dezevaunis nominate a Sotirian sect as their religion, with nearly three quarters of these nominating Solarian Catholicism.

Many Badist sects originate in and are primarily practised in Dezevau. These include the Cult of the Sun and Pure Water Badi.

Urbanisation

Largest cities in Dezevau Dezevauni 2020 Census
	Rank		State	Pop.	Rank		State	Pop.
Bagabiada Naimhejia	1	Bagabiada	Bagabiada (state)	6,845,014	11	Viododhe	Viododhe (state)	2,196,529	Bazadavo Bazadavo Vadidodhe
	2	Naimhejia	Naimhejia (state)	6,014,493	12	Noagiabe	Noagiabe (state)	2,046,773
	3	Bazadavo	Bazadavo (state)	3,905,633	13	Gagaga	Gagaga (state)	1,830,143
	4	Vadidodhe	Vadidodhe (state)	3,042,228	14	Mhuogezu	Mhuogezu (state)	1,745,398
	5	Biunhamao	Biunhamao (state)	2,995,773	15	Bougediame	Bougediame (state)	1,732,501
	6	Mhiduzai	Mhiduzai (state)	2,899,378	16	Gobobudi	Gobobudi (state)	1,658,758
	7	Dhijivodhi	Dhijivodhi (state)	2,784,515	17	Jodojia	Gaunhijia (state)	1,406,712
	8	Mangime	Mangime (state)	2,398,465	18	Zigangevigame	Noavanau (state)	1,304,738
	9	Gongavangadao	Gongavangadao (state)	2,306,222	19	Gavunhuagojuno	Naimhejia (state)	1,243,501
	10	Noavanau	Noavanau (state)	2,298,434	20	Gonauvinau	Gongavangadao (state)	1,115,566

Dezevau is characterised by a relatively unique pattern of urbanisation, which tends to be high in terms of economic integration but relatively low in terms of economic sectors and physical presences; this is in great part because of Dezevau's system of agriculture, which tends to have denser food production but more labour required, as well as because of historically very strong ties and unique political relationships between cities and their hinterland. Dezevau's city-state history is important in its demographic morphology, but is being challenged by the rise of megalopolises, most notably Gavujuju, or the Bay of Lights megalopolis, which contains up to a third of the country's population and a greater share of its economic activity.

Education

Primary and secondary education are compulsory in Dezevau up until the 10th year, while tertiary education is free for those who are able to test into it (though sometimes this requirement may be differed, say, in underpopulated courses). Dezevau has a literacy rate of about 99% and has fairly highly education for a country of its economic development. About 14.9% of the adult population has a tertiary qualification; it is a long-term goal of the Dezevauni government to make tertiary education free and accessible for anyone who wishes to attend. To this end, tertiary education has a broader scope under the Dezevauni system than under many others. Of the cohort at the age of graduation from secondary schooling, upwards of one third will enter tertiary education.

Health

Dezevauni people born today can expect to live until 81.4, with the gap between men and women being smaller than in other countries, but still in favour of women. Healthcare is universally free of charge in Dezevau, with administration mostly at the state level. Infectious diseases have successfully been minimised as a threat to public health with international cooperation, in particular socialist countries and those of Bahia, despite the typical challenges that come with tropical climate.

Migration

There are low to moderate emigratory flows from Dezevau, and quite low immigration rates, though they are rising. On the whole, Dezevau has a net loss from migration; most leavers head to capitalist countries, often for economic reasons, while those who immigrate often do so for personal or social reasons. Dezevau has generally more lenient immigration policy than most countries, and it is easiest to move to and from the country to and from other socialist countries, as there tends to be an abiding ideal of internationalism and less need for regulation of the movement of goods and labour. A substantial humanitarian intake varies from year to year depending on the world's humanitarian situation.

There is a significant Dezevauni diaspora in many places around the world, including Terangau, Gaullica and Halland. Much of this is owing to the historical phenomenon of the gowsas, migrant workers who were significant in many countries after the abolition of slave labour, their movement having been facilitated by colonial powers for economic reasons. Gowsa migration was primarily to the Asterias. One notable diasporic population not originating from the gowsas is that of the Dezevauni people in Amathia, who were invited as guest workers by the Amathian Equalist Republic.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Dezevau

Art

Traditional Dezevauni art has an expansive pedigree, with widely varying media, owing in part to the rapid decomposition that occurs in the Dezevauni climate. The goaboabanga which are widely used as emblems for organisations and places are one example of the stoneworking tradition, which incorporates many types of materials, primarily non-organic, to produce generally geometrically based pieces. They originated, it is believed, as necklaces and symbols hung up in the woods.

The very different tradition of wood-painting tended to have transient or constantly touched-up pieces, and is as such considered by some to be the most "alive" of arts; rather than preserving pieces permanently, many galleries and owners continue the practice of continual, gradual and minute repair and modification.

Music

A wide variety of traditional Dezevauni instruments are complemented by the introduction of Eastern and other instruments from around the world; Dezevauni music is known for fusionism, as well as one of the strongest choral cultures in recent times.

Cuisine

Dezevauni cuisine does not make much use of meat, but rather makes notable use of fruit and spices. Grains tend to be less of a staple than in more temperate countries, while spices tend to be used less than in other tropical countries; Dezevauni cuisine is very much influenced by the traditional polycultural system of cultivation. Perhaps the most common method of cooking is stirfrying, with boiling, frying, steaming and baking also being popular. Fish are the most consumed meat. A persevering cultural institution is the ganome, a kind of coffeehouse-cum-restaurant, with a ubiquity similar to that of the pub in Eastern countries; it arguably represents the oldest coffee culture in the world.

Literature

Influenced by the text-keeping traditions of Badi, Dezevauni literature was historically advanced, and contributed to the development of the modern novel. The mystic texts and their sense of perspective and uncertainty are thought to have contributed in a generally unrecognised way to the development of postmodernist literature in Euclea.

Sports

The most popular sport in Dezevau is soccer. Casse, a native sport that involves teams engaging in turn-based beanbag throwing, is also popular. The country customarily attends both winter and summer Invictus Games.

Philosophy

Traditional Dezevau philosophy was divided into a number of schools. Much of it influenced and was influenced by Badi.

Architecture

A Badi temple to metal

A modernist planned town in northern Noavanau

Dezevauni traditional architecture is mostly characterised by temporary wooden structures and more permanent ones worked in drystone. One significant architectural design native to Dezevau is the living root bridge.

Modern Dezevauni architecture has gone through many changes, often influenced by the political situation; these include a Gaullican colonial style influenced by rapid extractive economic development, an international modernist style at independence, and much postmodern indigenous development thereafter.

Badi religious architecture is notable in Dezevau.

See also

• Outline of Dezevau