Vardana

Not to be confused with Varadna.

Republic of Vardana Վարդենիս հանրապետություն Ayrumi: Vardenis Respublikası Lerazgan: Ρεσπubλικ Βαρδενισ Mysian: Λαϊκή Βάρδανα
Flag Coat of Arms
Anthem: Պետական հիմնը Petakan himny State Anthem
Cockade:
Location of Vardana (green) – in Ochran (grey)
Political Map of Vardana
Capital and largest city	Hrazdan
Official language	Vardanan
Regional languages	Ayrumi Lerazgan Mysian
Ethnic groups (2018)	76% Vardanan 9% Ayrumi 9% Mysian 3% Lerazgan 3% other
Religion	Recognized religions: Christianity (Vardanan Apostolic, Eastern Orthodox, Fabrian Catholic), Azdarin, Judaism, Mazdayasna, Sadhana
Demonym(s)	Vardanan
Government	Federal directorial republic
• Directory	Anastas Barkhudar (First Secretary) Isaac Vorsapetn Sara Lekandrean Tamar Zakarian Lucine Argutian Nebez Gewirk David Avanian David Kiurikian Tigran Saroyan
• President of the National Convention	Gamsar Pokayuni
Legislature	National Convention
Formation
• Urartan dynasty	7th century BCE
• Kardish rule	5th century BCE
• Aramenid dynasty	5th century CE
• Bayazrd Vardana	9th century CE
• Artavazdid dynasty	15th century
• Hazarasp dynasty	1832
• Republic declared	4 October 1924
• Current constitution	11 July 1985
Area
•	357,680 km2 (138,100 sq mi)
• Water (%)	7.1%
Population
• 2020 estimate	51,202,572
• 2015 census	46,650,421
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$744.485 billion
• Per capita	$14,540
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$270.964 billion
• Per capita	$5,292
Gini	35.4 medium
HDI	0.740 high
Currency	Dram (Ð) (VAD)
Time zone	UTC+4:30 (VAT)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+99
ISO 3166 code	VA
Internet TLD	.va

Vardana (Vardanan: Վարդենիս; tanslit.Vardenis), officially the Republic of Vardana (Vardanan: Վարդենիս հանրապետություն; Vardenis Hanrapetut’yun), is a sovereign state on the Panotian peninsula. It is boarded to the east by TBD, and to the west by the Perateia, while having a maritime border to the south along the Ozeros Sea, and Periclean Sea to the northwest. With just over 51 million inhabitants, it is the Xth largest nation in the world, and Xth largest on Ochran.

Vardana was first used to describe an ancient kingdom on Panotia around 1000 BC, centered on what is now the city of Metsamor. It was eventually incorporated into a series of successive empires, including the Kardish Empire, Latin Empire, Bayarid Empire, and intermittently the Caliphate. The Kingdom of Greater Vardana was first established in 1000 AD after the departure of the Bayarids, lead by the Artavazd dynasty. A minor rump kingdom known as Lesser Vardana was eventually established on Korchayk by the Artavazd dynasty. The modern Kingdom of Vardana was established in the early 16th century from remnants of Lesser Vardana and lasted through a personal union with Lihnidos from the 17th to 19th centuries. The end of the personal union resulted in the break up of Vardana into numerous minor realms, most of which were eventually unified by the Hazarasp dynasty.

By 1920, growing popular unrest was leading to constitutional reforms with the once absolute monarchy, but quickly turned into a violent revolution between royalists and an alliance of left and right-wing republican groups, ultimately culminating in the establishment of the First Republic in 1924. By 1948 popular sentiment turned against the republic resulting a series of coups that ultimately led to the authoritarian dictatorship of Samuel Najaryan. The dictatorship advanced the technocratic nature of the state. The conflict ended in 1982 with military leadership agreeing to democratize Vardana after its victory.

Today, Vardana is the Xth largest economy in the world. Though the economy has grown in recent years, it still suffers from high unemployment rate and poverty, and with high income inequality. According to international reports, human rights in Vardana are considered poor. The regime is considered a flawed democracy or hybrid regime due to increasingly suspect elections and contravening of the constitution. Vardana is a member of the Forum of Nations.

Etymology

Vardana is derived from the Vardanan phrase Վարդենիս (vardenis), literally translating to "rosy lands".

Geography

Vardana is located on the subcontinent of Panotia. The territory controlled by Vardana is 357,680 km². It is bordered to the south by the Ozeros Sea, which is its longest maritime border; it also borders the Periclean Sea in the north. The country consists of low coastal plains leading into high plateaus inland.

Climate

Vardana features a diverse climate, ranging from temperate Periclean climate along the Perilcean and northern Ozeros coasts. Further south along the Ozeros in the region of Ayrum, the climate is temperate oceanic – this coastal area receives the highest annual rainfall in Vardana. These coastal areas often are transitional between Periclean and oceanic climates. Inland, the climate is continental and leads to more varied seasons and at times snowfall in higher elevations.

Regions, provinces and cities

Officially Vardana is divided into 10 provinces, of which it exercises de jure and de facto control over 8 provinces. Each province is governed by a governor, or executive council, elected by popular vote by its residents. These 8 provinces are further subdivided into counties, or in some cases independent cities. Counties are then divided into districts and again into cities, towns, villages or other forms of municipalities.

Vardana has experienced rapid urbanization since the 1950s, with nearly 65% of all citizens living in urban areas. The Forum of Nations projects that nearly 75% of the population will be urban by 2030. The largest settlements are Hrazdan, Sophene, and Tigranocerta . Overall, there are 7 cities with populations over 1 million, and a total of X with a population over 450,000.

Hrazdan is the capital of Vardana, and has a population of over 7.8 million. Since 1950, it has been the economical, cultural and focus of the country's transportation and communication networks.

The second largest city in Vardana is Sophene, with a population of around 4.1 million, and also serves as the capital of the Commonwealth of Mysia.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Vardana

According to the constitution, Vardana is a federal directorial republic, wherein the directory is the collective head of state and head of government. The constitution sets out the governing principles and established Vardana as a federal democratic state. The nation consists of 8 federated provinces with varying degrees of autonomy and protections for minority groups and regional languages. This system, adopted in 1985, is structured as a multi-party democracy with an elected head of state and government, unicameral legislature, and appointed judiciary.

Members of Directory are directly elected by popular vote every four years with elections staggered, serving as the head of state, and government. The Directory is the collective executive of the nation and directs the federal administration. Directorial elections are staggered, allowing for membership to change annually. While there is no constitutional provision, the Directory is led by the First Secretary of State. Legislative power is vested in the unicameral National Convention, whose members are elected to two year terms. The judiciary is nominally independent from both the executive and legislative branches of government, though the Directory is given expansive powers in appointing or dismissing judges. The High Constitutional Court is the highest court in the country, and is charged with determinations of constitutionality of laws and decrees, while also hearing cases on appeal from lower courts, stripping political parties of funding or outright banning them.

Law and criminal justice

The Constitution of Vardana was adopted on 29 August 1984 by popular referendum with 55.4% approval, and took effect on 11 July 1985. The constitution sets out the fundamentals of the government, rule of law, an ideological neutrality of the state, political pluralism, competitive elections and a separation of powers, guaranteeing fundamental human rights to all citizens regardless of religion.

The Directory appoints all members of the civil judiciary, and chief public prosecutor. There are civil, criminal, and sanctioned religious courts for recognized religions where jurists are appointed among local clerics or priests upon the approval of the Directory. Religious courts have no appeal system, but instead may be removed to civil or criminal courts. Special courts are convened for crimes of treason, and attempts to subvert the Republic.

Foreign Relations

Vardana presently maintains relations with all nations of the world, however relations with neighboring Latium and Aretias are widely considered negative. Since 1832, all successive Vardanan governments have claimed sovereignty over neighboring Aretias and Perateia, complicating relations with both Aretias and Latium. Vardana is chiefly allied with Fahran, and maintains strong relations with Ostrozava and Tsurushima.

Vardana is a member of numerous international organizations, chiefly the Forum of Nations, Organization of the Ozeros, Group for Ozeros Economic Cooperation.

Military

Main articles: Armed Forces of Vardana, People's Army of Vardana, and Republican Guard of Vardana

The Directory of Vardana is collectively responsible for managing the military of Vardana, serving as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. However, the First Secretary is considered the functional commander-in-chief. Day-to-day management is undertaken by the Ministry of Defense and the Republican Guard. Vardana has over 400,000 active members in the armed forces throughout its three branches and independent military agencies.

Vardanan armed forces can be broken down into two groups, the People's Army of Vardana and the Republican Guard. The People's Army consists of three branches: Army, Navy, Air Force. All agencies within the People's Army and the Republican Guard operate their own intelligence apparatus, though the Department for the Protection of the Republic is the nation's premier domestic and foreign intelligence agency.

The country has developed its own minor arms industry, but has primarily relied upon foreign suppliers since the collapse of the communist regime in 1986.

Demographics

Ethnic Groups

Ethnic groups within Vardana mirror the make up of languages spoken within the country. As with language, Vardanans make up the largest ethnic group in the country; however as with language, there is a political motive suspected to be behind census numbers. The most recent government census reported that 92% of inhabitants were Vardanan. Opponents suggest that this statistic is caused by confusing census questions and documents that lead to a desired outcome. Estimates from NGOs place ethnic Vardanan are anywhere from 65-77% of the population.

Ethnic Ayrumi and Mysian groups make up the second largest ethnic group, with NGOs placing around 9% of the population each. Due to its coastal location, a significant Mysian population remains along Vardana's coastal regions. The Mysian population was once much larger, though saw widespread emigration following the 1924 revolution.

Languages

Vardanan is the sole official language of Vardana, and is spoken by an overwhelming majority of the population. Several other dialects are spoken throughout the country, with Kardish holding the status of a recognized language for historical purposes. The most recent census shows that nearly 98% of all inhabitants speak Vardanan, though this remains a topic of debate as many point out that such a statistic is politically motivated.

The largest minority language is Ayrumi, which is the native language of an ethnic group of the same name.

Other notable minority languages include Mysian, Kardish, and Teispid. Mysian is widely spoken in northern coastal regions along the Periclean in Sophene.

Religion

Religion in Vardana (State Census 2015)

Religion
	Number	%
Christianity	29,143,561	56.9
–Vardanan Apostolic	27,122,610	52.9
–Eastern churches	2,252,913	4.4
–Fabrian Catholic	102,405	0.2
–Other Christian churches	665,633	1.3
Azdarin	7,270,765	10.2
Zoroastrian	768,038	1.5
Judaism	460,823	0.9
Sadhana	256,012	0.8
N'nhivara	102,405	0.2
Spiritual but unaffiliated with any religion	9,213,363	17.9
Atheism	1,888,295	3.6
Not stated	1,792,090	4.1
Total population	51,202,572

Vardana is a secular state with no state religion and freedom of religion guaranteed under the Constitution of Vardana. Historically, Vardana had widespread religious diversity, though the Vardanan Apostolic Church was the dominant faith and state church. Now only holds a plurality following according to the 2015 census, with X% of the population adherents of Apostolic. Irreligion or spiritual but not religious and atheism are the next largest groups. A study by the Prince of Youth Institute determined that the communist era's repression of religion was widespread and that anti-religous law instituted before 1972 is the chief cause for these numbers. It is estimated that before 1972, as few as 21% of Vardanans remained Apostolic. Historically the Apostolic Patriarch of Aparan served as the leader of the Apostolic Vardanan Church. However, with the establishment of the Diocese of the East and the Vardanan loss of Leonopolis, the royal government established the Patriarch of All Vardana and Bayazet in 1830. The post Patriarch of All Vardana fell vacant in 1932 but was re-established in 1955, though has since faced heavy government intervention.

A number of other religious groups reside in Vardana, with minority Christian groups making up 5% of the population. The Orthodox Church is the next largest Christian group within the country, followed by Fabrian Catholicism, and other minor Christian faiths. Adherents of Eastern Orthodoxy in Vardana are led by the autocephalous Patriarch of Kajnadzor. Azdarin and Judaism also have a significant presence in Vardana, the former among the Ayrumi minority. Before the 1920 revolution, followers of the Jewish faith consisted of almost 8% of the population, but the revolution and Yisraeli return laws have seen that number drop to barely 1% of the country's modern population. Other faiths make up at least 4% of the population include: Zoroastrianism, Sadhana, and N'nhivara.