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Ecclesiastical Theodemocracy of Pharexia Kirkjulegt Lýðræði af Fharheckx (Pharexian) | |
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 Flag
 Coat of Arms
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| Motto: "Að búa saman í einingu" "Dzīvot kopā vienotībā" "Me kirjoitamme omat kohtalimme" "To dwell together in unity" | |
| Anthem: "Press Forward, Saints" | |
| Capital | Brichard |
| Official languages | English, Pharexian |
| Ethnic groups (2017) | 84% Cörpathia 8% Dvorxicks 8% Pencikata |
| Demonym(s) | Pharexian |
| Government | Theodemocracy |
| Aemilia Signý Argyris | |
| Legislature | Síðari |
| Population | |
• 2017 estimate | 9,072,293 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2017 estimate |
• Total | $254.5 billion |
• Per capita | $23,601 |
| Gini (2017) | 46.70 high |
| HDI (2017) |  0.899very high |
| Currency | Pharexian Mormana |
| Driving side | right |
| ISO 3166 code | PHX |
| Internet TLD | .phx |
The Ecclesiastical Theodemocracy of Pharexia, commonly known as the Democratic States of Pharexia, or simply Pharexia, is a sovereign island country in the northern OCEAN on the planet PLANET. The country geographically consists of eight major landmasses and around 100 smaller islands. Pharexia has been described both as a democratic theocracy and a religious democracy. Pharexia consists of 10 wards, each with significantly influential devolved administrations. As of 2019, Pharexia is home to approximately 9.4 million citizens. The capital city of Brichard, located on the eastern coast, is also the most populated city in the country. The climate of Pharexia is generally subartic, with permafrost common in the northern regions. The southern border region is classified as tundra, and temperatures rarely reach above 0 degrees Celsius.
Pharexia is an extremely devout country, with a majority of citizens adhering to the official state religion, the Trúathi Church of Pharexia. Although it is not required to be a member, those who attend the temple on a regular basis receive tax breaks. The church's teachings has a significant influence on daily life, governmental legislation, and social policy. According to a recent poll, 90% of citizens say religion is "very important to them".
Pharexia is currently a mixed government, adhering to both theocratic and democratic principles. The populous is responsible for electing the unicameral legislature of Pharexia. Whomever leads the party with the most representation in the chamber is selected as Prime Minister. Their administration represents the executive branch of the federal government. The leaders of the Trúathi Church provide advice and consent to the legislature regarding most legislation and have significant influence.
Etymology
The term "Pharex" is believed to be derived from "Fahreckx", the name of an ancient and believed-to-be extinct flower present in the various mountain ranges of the region. According to the records of the Cörpathian Society, the first known inhabitance of Pharexia, these flowers were used to heal various ailments and illnesses, such as the Annoria Virus, which killed an estimated 310 society members.
History
Pre-History
Medieval History
The Great Migration
Ayoubian Empire
The War of Redemption
Pharexian Renaissance
Kingdom of the Quorum of the State
Ayoubian War
Modern History
Geography
A geologically young land, Pharexia is located on the Rutter hotspot. This location means that the archipelago is highly geologically active with many volcanoes, notably Grimkellsson, Gizursson, Kristensson, and Asgilsson. The catastrophic volcanic eruption of Asgilsson in 1183–1184 caused a famine that killed nearly half of the peninsula's population, and additionally affecting the climate for several years after.
Pharexia has many geysers highly concentrated near the capital which are used as a geothermal power source. By harnessing the many rivers and waterfalls for hydroelectricity, most residents have access to inexpensive hot water, heating, and electricity. The archipelago is composed primarily of basalt, a low-silica lava. Pharexia has thousands of volcanoes while only about 12 remain active systems.
Akurayri, one of the youngest islands in Pharexia, is part of the Southern Ring. Named after Prime Minister Kracukla Akurayri, it rose above the ocean in a series of volcanic eruptions between 8 November 1895 and 5 June 1896. Now, only scientists researching the growth of new life are allowed to visit the island.
Climate
The climate is arctic to subarctic, with cool, dry summers and cold, wet winters. The mainland terrain is mostly a flat, but icecap covers approximately half of the country. The majority of the eastern coast is mountainous, barren, and rocky. The lowest elevation is sea level and the highest elevation is the summit of WIP at 3,694 meters (12,119 ft). The Southern Ring, home to over three dozen islands, was discovered by WIP in 1822. They are rich in iron ore, coal, gold, platinum, and uranium.
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Nature
Around three-quarters of the mainland is barren of vegetation; plant life consists mainly of grassland, which is regularly grazed by livestock. The most common tree native to Pharexia is the northern Hazel (Corylus), which forms forests over much of northern Pharexia, along with aspens (Populus tremula), rowans (Sorbus aucuparia), common junipers (Juniperus communis), and other smaller trees, mainly willows.
When the island was first settled, it was extensively forested, with 30% of the land covered in trees. In the late 12th century, Ari the Wise described it in the Íslendingabók as "forested from mountain to sea shore".[80] Permanent human settlement greatly disturbed the isolated ecosystem of thin, volcanic soils and limited species diversity. The forests were heavily exploited over the centuries for firewood and timber.[81] Deforestation, climatic deterioration during the Little Ice Age, and overgrazing by sheep imported by settlers caused a loss of critical topsoil due to erosion. Today, many farms have been abandoned. Three-quarters of Iceland's 100,000 square kilometres is affected by soil erosion, 18,000 km2 (6,900 sq mi) serious enough to make the land useless.[80] Only a few small birch stands now exist in isolated reserves. The planting of new forests has increased the number of trees, but the result does not compare to the original forests. Some of the planted forests include introduced species.[81] The tallest tree in Iceland is a sitka spruce planted in 1949 in Kirkjubæjarklaustur; it was measured at 25.2 m (83 ft) in 2013.[82]
Government
The Government of Pharexia is a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President (Pharexian: Huachtarán) is the head of state and the Prime Minister (Pharexian: Premíeris) is the head of government. The country's government is based on the 1900 constitution, Canon of Prosperity and Fidelity, which defines how the government's branches work and how they interact with one another, and protects the civil rights of the population. Amendments to the constitution require a 60% majority in the legislature or the approval of 7 out of 10 states, accompanied by a public referendum. The constitution has only been amended twice, once to ban divorce and another to extend free speech to cover online material.
Executive power is exercised through the president who appoints by the prime minister and the cabinet. However, the president must have the support of a majority in the Síðari to confirm his or her selection of a government. In order to remove a prime minister or the whole cabinet from power, the president can dismiss them, or the parliament can remove them by a vote of no confidence. Its members are typically chosen from the majority party or coalition.
Legislative power is vested in the unicameral legislative chamber of parliament, the Síðari. It consists of 500 members elected by proportional representation from ten constituencies. The most recent election resulted in an ideologically conservative governmental coalition. Currently seven parties are represented. Parliamentary elections occur at least every eight years.
The president, as the head of state, is the commander of the Pharexian Armed Forces, has the power to veto legislation passed by the legislature (which may be overridden by a majority of three fifths), and can dissolve the parliament under certain conditions. Presidential elections occur every eight years. They are conducted via instant run-off.
Because the two leaders are elected independently of one another, Pharexia has sometimes experienced periods in which the president and the prime minister are from differing political parties. This is called "bifurcation". Bifurcation can create an effective system of checks and balances or a period of bitter and tense stonewalling, depending on the attitudes of the two leaders, the ideologies of themselves or their parties, or the demands of their constituencies.
The judicial branch plays a minor role in politics, apart from the Constitutional Tribunal, which can annul laws that violate the freedoms guaranteed in the constitution.
Political Parties
Wards
Pharexia is divided into 10 wards. De facto Pharexian wards date back to the founding of the Pharexian Trúathi Church in 1765, which were used primarily as ecclesiastical administrative units for the distribution of church resources and personnel. While these wards were originally entirely divorced from the government, in 1930, they began to additionally serve as local government subunits. Since then, they have gained in importance and prominence. Each ward has its own unicameral legislature, and currently has devolved powers relating to taxes, healthcare, and transportation. However, legislation creating devolved parliaments can be repealed or amended by the Síðari at any time.
Every ten years, the Church and the federal legislature redraw the ward lines to reflect the change in population and demographics.
| Ward | ID | Population | Governor/Party | Ward ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apror |
AP | 63,037 | Remi Dupont (AUfC) | 5 |
| Brichard Proper |
BP | 164,283 | Jules Fongemie (Sci) | 8 |
| Clayp Thines |
CT | 140,283 | Valgeir Eðvaldsson (Sci) | 7 |
| Dalvuk |
DV | 301,293 | Sigurgeir Ákason (NF) | 3 |
| Egrait |
EG | 157,293 | Clarimunda Brisette (AUfC) | 9 |
| Holmavíke |
HM | 132,393 | Oddur Þórlaugarson (Éco) | 10 |
| New Waldensia |
NW | 182,283 | Kolbrún Ásgeirsdóttir (Sci) | 4 |
| Ruscya |
RU | 79,281 | Páley Valberg (AUfC) | 5 |
| Uxbridbury |
UX | 72,193 | Sólbjört Magnúsdóttir (Trú) | 1 |
| Victorium |
VI | 203,283 | Bernharð Arason (AUfC) | 2 |
Economy
Demographics
Language
Religion
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Religion in Pharexia is remarkable in its high adherence level compared to other developed countries. For much of Pharexia's history, the Trúathi religion has dominated the public and private sphere of daily life, with nearly three-fourths of Pharexia identifying with the religion in the 2019 census. The Trúathi Church of Pharexia (TCP) is governed by the Trúathi Congregation in Pharexia, which acts as a representative democracy, with each federal ward electing an amount of members proportional to the amount of members in that diocese to the religious body's regulatory organization. The Pharexian denomination of Trúathi differs significantly from mainline Trúathian beliefs regarding homosexuality. While most denominations teach that there is nothing morally controversial with homosexuality and that same-sex relations are normal, the TCP has come out in strong opposition to the practice. The Church's 2001 proclamation is accredited as the catalyst for the abolition of same-sex marriage in Pharexia.
The distribution of Trúathians is spread relatively equally throughout the country. With the exception of Uxbridbury and Brichard Proper, the average percentage of Trúathians in each ward stands at approximately 70-80%. Uxbridbury Ward is the headquarters of the church and approximately 95% of residents are members. The capitol of Pharexia - the Brichard Proper Ward - has the lowest membership ratio with only 20% adherence.
Among people who identify as Trúathi themselves, 83% of them attend weekly religious services, a figure much higher than other Trúathi's spread across WIP.
Lagging far behind the Trúathi Church, Alydianism is the second most practiced religion in Pharexia, with approximately 10.8% of the population identifying as a member. Most of those who consider themselves apart of the church are descendants of Asuran families. Tradition is very important to Pharexian Alydians, especially daily prayer. They are distributed equally throughout Pharexia. Luhenye Aptar, a new-age religion that was founded by former Brichard Proper governor Briito Aptar in 1945, is practiced almost exclusively in the capital district. The Church was formally organized during the mayor's tenure and he was strongly criticized as using his position to publicly sponsor a religion. Nevertheless, nearly half of Brichard citizens identified with the religion as of 2014.
Religion also plays a significant role in the debate over abortion and physician-assisted suicide in Phareixa. The official Truathist stance is, "Life, the experiences we gain from being a part of the world and of humanity, are necessary and essential to spiritual fulfillment. One cannot be expected to appreciate the gift of Paradise without understanding why Paradise is a gift." This position is generally referred to as the "Virtue of Life" and as a result, has made opposition to suicide and abortion major issues within most Truathist political platforms.
While Trúathi is officially the state, the Canon of Prosperity and Fidelity guarantees religious freedom and upholds equality, no matter whether someone is Trúathi, Alydian or secular according to the Preamble. In the last census, only 2.1% of the population identified as having no religion, a proportion that has held steady with only modest gains recently. This is in stark contrast to the increasing secularity of WIP. A released in 2016 indicated that 89% of Pharexians would refuse to vote for an atheist as president, up from 78% in 1987 and 1999. Research shows that candidates that are perceived to be religious are considered more trustworthy.
Ethnicity
Culture