Cristina
Kingdom of Cristina Regno di Cristina | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: "Respekto oni ne povas aceti" | |
| Anthem: Salva, Salva, Cristina "Save, Save Cristina" | |
| Status | Independent State |
| Capital and largest city | Cristina |
| Official languages | Cristinese Esperanto |
| Religion | Cristinese Orthodox |
| Demonym(s) | Cristinese |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Queen | Nova Maxima Korvini |
| Adriana Galini Monadic | |
| Carlo Delani Zucara | |
| Adriano Saubi | |
| Legislature | National Council |
| Establishment | |
• Independence | 2001 |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,221 km2 (471 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2018 census | 7,453,682 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $305.300 billion |
• Per capita | $47,306 |
| Gini (2018) | 27.8 low |
| HDI (2018) | .958 very high |
| Currency | Digital Linda (DLD) |
| Time zone | UTC +8 |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +21 |
| Internet TLD | .cr |
The Free Port of Cristina (Cristinese pronunciation: Porto Libera di Cristina), officially the Kingdom of Cristina (Cristinese: Regno di Cristina), is a sovereign city-state, country, and microstate located in Europa on Eurth. It is also commonly known as "The Yellow City". The Republic of Mantella now borders the country on three sides while the other side borders the Byzantine Sea. With a population of 7,453,682 living in an area of 1,221 km2 (486.5 sq mi), it is one of the most densely populated nations in Europa. Since independence, extensive land reclamation has increased its total size by 15%. The highest point in the country is at the access to the Palazzo Korvini residential building on the Rocca di Santo Cristo in the Santo Cristo Ward from the Sea Lane at 164.4 metres (539 feet) above sea level. The lowest point in the country is the Byzantine Sea. The Kingdom’s most populous district is The Central.
Cristina is a free economic territory (free economic zone). Companies are taxed very lightly to encourage economic activity. The taxation rules are determined by the Cristinese Trade Organization (CTO) and any goods introduced are generally regarded, insofar as import duties and taxes are concerned, as being outside the customs territory. The Free Port of Cristina is a modern city-state governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, with Queen Nova Maxima from House Korvini as head of state. Although Queen Nova Maxima is a constitutional monarch, she wields immense political power. The House of Korvini has ruled Cristina, with tree interruptions, for 818 years (223 years as Kings and Queens). The two official language are Cristinese and Esperanto, but Mantellan, Emakeran, and Lysian are widely spoken and understood.
Cristina is a disputed territory and only partially recognized state in Central Europa that only sixteen years ago declared independence from Mantella, which annexed the city-state eight decades ago, after a bloody and destructive ten years armed conflict in which Cristina finally emerged victoriously. The declaration of independence sparked varied responses from the international community, some welcoming it, while others condemn the unilateral move. Mantella has, at first, recalled its ambassadors from states which have recognized Cristina, in protest. Periodic armed conflicts between the two countries still occur along their shared border and into Mantellan territory.
Cristina became a full World Assembly voting member in 2017.
The Free Port of Cristina maintains high literacy, life expectancy, and education levels and is one of the most frequently visited countries in the region, projected to have the third highest tourism growth rate in the world between 2015 and 2020. It is known for its natural environment and cultural heritage inherited from many historical civilizations, its cuisine, its advanced technology, its eclectic and unique music, architecture and its festivals, some of which are the largest and most prominent of their kind in Central Europa.
Geography
Also known as Free Port of Cristina or less commonly as the "Yellow City", the Kingdom of Cristina is a sovereign port city-state, with 10 Wards, located in Europa. It is bordered by the Mantella’s Sea Districts on western, northern, and eastern side with the south side bordering the Byzantine Sea. Its center is about 200 km southwest of Modena, Capital city of the Republica of Mantella. The Kingdom of Cristina has population of 7,453,682 living in an area of 1,221 km2 (486.5 sq mi), making it one of the smallest and most densely populated country in Eurth. The Kingdom of Cristina claims territorial waters to a distance of 6 nautical miles (11.2 km). Half of the kingdom’s land area is built-up, while the other half is forest and agricultural land.
The highest point in the country is at the access to the Korvini Palazzo residential building on the Rocca di Santo Cristo in the Santo Cristo Ward from the Sea Lane at 164.4 metres (539 feet) above sea level. The lowest point in the country is the Byzantine Sea. The Fiume della Principessa is the longest flowing body of water, around 28 km (24 miles) in length, and Lake Ave is the largest lake, approximately 5 ha (12.4 acres) in size. Cristina's most populated Ward is the Central Ward. After recent land reclamation the total area grew 15%; consequently, new plans have been approved to extend the Ward of Santo Cristo. There are two ports in Cristina: Aline and Port Saint Izabella. Cristina’s only natural resource is fishing; There is a neighboring Mantellan port called Godalia that is near Cristina.
Climate
Cristina has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa), which is influenced by the oceanic climate and the humid subtropical climate. As a result, it has warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Cool and rainy interludes can interrupt the dry summer season, the average length of which is also shorter. Summer afternoons are infrequently hot (indeed, temperatures greater than 30 °C or 86 °F are rare) as the atmosphere is temperate because of constant sea breezes. On the other hand, the nights are very mild, due to the fairly high temperature of the sea in summer. Generally, temperatures do not drop below 20 °C (68 °F) in this season. In the winter, frosts and snowfalls are extremely rare and generally occur once or twice every ten years. The annual average precipitation is 758.9 mm.
Administrative Subdivisions
The Free Port of Cristina is the smallest country by area in Europa; It is also the smallest monarchy, and is one of the most densely populated country in the world. The state consists of only one municipality (commune). There is no geographical distinction between the State and the City of Cristina, although responsibilities of the government (state-level) and of the municipality (city-level) are different. According to the former constitution, the kingdom was subdivided into three municipalities:
- Santo Cristo (Saint Christ), the old city, where is located the Port of Aline and the ruins of the Castle of Aline;
- Centrale (Central), the principal residential and resort area with the Cristina Opera House in the east and northeast;
- Sabatini, the southeastern section including the Port St. Izabella.
The municipalities were merged into one after the independence, after accusations that the government of Mantella was acting according to the motto "divide and conquer," and they were accorded the status of Wards or Quartiers thereafter. Additional wards were created and settled by new land reclamation and subdivisions of existing ones. Queen Nova Maxima announced in her New Year Speech of 2017 a new development called Ancoraggia that will become the eleventh ward.
History
Medieval
According to an old legend, Alexandre the Deacon passed through the Cristina area and turned away the cult of previous gods. As a result, a monastery were constructed there in 1153, the Monastery of Santo Cristo (Saint Christ). Soon a small village grew around the building and in few year it became a town late named Urbi Santo Cristo (City of Saint Christ) in 1170. Saint Christ ended up in the hands of the Eternal Empire of Hémus in 1172, which gave it to the Mantellans.
An ousted branch of the Giannini family from Mantella, the Korvini, contest for Saint Christ for a decade, finally gained control of it in 1182. Though the First Kingdom of Mantella would last for more than 450 years, they allowed the Korvini family to keep the city of Saint Christ, and, likewise, the other nations in the region left it alone for hundreds of years.
Revolution
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The Kingdom of Skrovja did not annex it until the Skrovjan Revolution in 1650, but after the death of the Skrovjan King Goran I in the aftermath of the bloody Revolution the Korvini retook the possession of Saint Christ, which they then ruled as a condominium with the Kingdom of Mantella. This is the origin of the today’s kingdom (1714).
In 1753 Mantella was annexed by Emakera and the Kingdom of Saint Christ came under Skrovjan influence again but Skrovjan king Petrus allowed it to remain independent after a truce in the Battle of Sabatini (1780).
Under the reign of Queen Cristina Maxima Korvini (from 1778 to 1797) and through the subsequent years, the Kingdom of Saint Christ became a stable, flourishing city-state. During this time, she improved the infrastructure and military of Saint Christ. Queen Cristina Maxima also reformed the taxation process. Her reign is known as Pax Cristina because during her reign diplomacy flourished. The Kingdom's economy was dominated by wealthy industrialists and bankers.
In 1847, the Korvini family renamed the free city Kingdom of Cristina (Regno di Cristina) after the great Queen Cristina.
20th Century
Cristina was over-run by foreign powers during the War of Mantella (1935-1937) and for about sixth five years it was administered by Mantella, before finally self-declare it's independence nineteen years ago under the lead of the then Princess Nova Korvini.
Since then Cristina has been independent and has taken some steps towards integration with the rest of the kworld.
Politics
Cristina has again been governed under a constitutional monarchy since it's independence, with the King or Queen of Cristina as head of state. The executive branch consists of a Minister of State as the head of government, who presides over a ten-member Council of Government. The Minister of State can be Cristinese or Mantellan. However, Queen Nova Maxima Korvini appointed, on 3 March of 2017, the Mantellan Adriana Galini Monadic as Minister of State.
Legislative branch
Under the currently constitution, the Queen shares her veto power with the unicameral National Council. The 36 members of the National Council are elected for four-year terms; 24 are chosen through a majority electoral system and 12 by proportional representation. All legislation requires the approval of the National Council, which is currently dominated by the conservative Rally for Cristina party which holds twenty four seats. The classic liberal Union for Cristina holds eleven seats while the centre-left New People's Party holds one seat. The kingdom's city affairs are directed by the Communal Council, which consists of twenty elected members and is presided over by a mayor. Like the National Council, councillors are elected for four-year terms, and are strictly non-partisan, however, oppositions inside the council frequently form.
Political Parties
There are six political parties officially recognised and registered by the Tribunale Elettorale Nazionale (TEN), the organism which oversees elections and electoral results at all levels of Cristinese government since September 2002.
Those Parties, however, receive no subsidies from the Government to pursue their political activities. TEN may also recognize independent candidates to participate to the political life of the Kingdom.
| Party | Position | Ideology | Leader(s) | National Council seats | Coalition | |
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| Raduno per Cristina (Rally for Cristina) |
Right-wing | Conservatism, economic liberalism, fiscal conservatism, monarchism. | Mr Fabiano Campelli | 24 / 36
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| Unione per Cristina (Union for Cristina) |
Centre-right | Social liberalism, economic liberalism, classical liberalism, monarchism. | Mr Toni Minardi | 11 / 36
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| Nuovo Partito Popolare (New People's Party) |
Centre-left | Social democracy, democratic socialism, labourism, Cristinese nationalism. | Mrs Giordana Rosario | 1 / 36
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| Visione Libertaria (Libertarian Viewpoint) |
Centre | Libertarianism, cultural liberalism, economic liberalism, fiscal conservatism, laissez-faire, decentralisation, non-interventionism. | Mr Luca Moragnis | 0 / 36
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| Socialismo e Libertà (Socialism and Liberty) |
Left-wing | Democratic socialism, eco-socialism, cultural liberalism, left-wing populism, socialism of the 21st century. | Mr/s Catarina Ricci | 0 / 36
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| Repubblicano (Republican) |
Centre | Modern republicanism, centrism, Cristinese nationalism. | Mr Paolo Danesi | 0 / 36
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Judicial branch
The legal system of Cristina is a form of common law. Trial by jury was abolished by the Queen so that judicial decisions would rest entirely in the hands of appointed judges.There is Capital punishment in Cristina for murder, as well as for certain aggravated drug-trafficking and firearms offences.
Law enforcement is the responsibility of the Royal Civil Security Force (Forza Reale di Sicurezza Civile - FRESIC), which encompasses the civil police force of Cristina and is subordinate to the Department of Safety of the Ministry of Justice. FRESIC fields about 5.000 uniformed officers. National security and counterintelligence are the responsibility of the Royal Security and Information Agency (Agenzia Reale di Sicurezza e Intelligenzia - ARSI).
Military
The Cristinese military is arguably one of the most technologically advanced in Europa. It comprises the Royal Cristina Army, Royal Cristina Navy, and the Royal Cristina Air Force. It is seen as the guarantor of the country's independence. This principle translates into the culture, involving all citizens in the country's defence. The country dedicates about 30% of the government spending to the military.
The Royal Defense Forces (RDF) is being developed to respond to a wide range of issues, in both conventional and unconventional warfare. The Defense Science and Technology Agency is responsible for procuring resources for the military. The geographic restrictions of the Free Port of Cristina mean that the RDF must plan to fully repulse an attack, as they can not fall back and re-group. The small size of the population has also affected the way the RDF has been designed, with a moderate active force but a large number of reserves. It has an active strength of around 70,800 personnel and is capable of mobilising over a million reservists.
Doctrine
Deterrence and diplomacy have been the fundamental tenets of Cristina's military defence policy. Through the years, the military has developed extensive links with armed forces from other countries. In recent years, there has also been an increased emphasis on international peace-keeping and relief operations, notably the peace-keeping operations.
Cristina has conscription for all able-bodied males at age 18, except those with a criminal record. Those who have yet to complete pre-university education or are awarded the Public Service Commission scholarship can opt to defer their draft. Though not required to perform military service, the number of women in the RDF has been increasing: since the kingdom's independence they have been allowed to fill military vocations formerly reserved for men. Before induction into a specific branch of the armed forces, recruits undergo at least 9 weeks of basic military training.
Training involving activities such as live firing and amphibious warfare is often carried outside the urban area and are typically barred to civilian access. This also avoids risk to the city. However, large-scale drills are considered too dangerous to be performed in the area, and have been performed in the Cristinese Protectorate in Mantella. Training is also held in about a dozen other countries. In general, military exercises are held with foreign forces once or twice per week.
Operations
Due to airspace and land constraints, the Royal Cristina Air Force (RCAF) maintains a number of overseas bases and in Mantella. The RCAF's 11 Squadron is based in RCAF Base Brosinek, Western Mantella. The RCAF also has a few overseas detachments in other Europan countries.
The RDF has sent forces to assist in operations outside the country. In the region, it has helped stabilise western Mantella and also helped in relief efforts during Hurricane Katia and Typhoon Maxil.
Equipment
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The RDF utilises technology as "force multipliers", especially in the area of integration, which will enable its various units to fight in an integrated manner. The Army, Air Force and Navy are linked via advanced data-links and networks to enable coordinated attacks and support for various units and forces. Technology is an important element in the RDF's transformation into a 3rd Generation Fighting Force.
The RDF acknowledges that technology is crucial for overcoming the limitations of Cristina's small population. Having consistently had one of the largest defence budgets in the region, the Free Port of Cristina has focused on maintaining its spending on sophisticated and superior weaponry. Research and experimentation to develop a technological edge began fifteen years ago, even though the RDF then had only rudimentary capabilities. The effort started off with a three-man team. At present, the RDF is one of the largest employers of engineers and scientists in Cristina and continues to devote considerable resources to defence research and development (R&D) and experimentation – 5% and 1% of the defence budget, respectively. Cristina's education system has also produced national servicemen who can be trained to operate RDF's sophisticated platforms and systems.
The country also has an advanced and well established military manufacturing industry that is responsible for the design and development of hight-tech military hardware such as:
- C1 Aries MBT: Modern main battle tank.
- Sago IFV: 8x8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (an advanced upgrade of the Mantellan VCC)
- Matadore: Unguided short range Anti-rmour weapon
- Ursa: Light weight howitzer
- CAS AR-2: Multirole combat and assault Rifle
- Estelar-Class stealth frigates: Warships designed with stealthy characteristics, equipped with advanced combat systems and with longer endurance.
- F-13 Vulturi: A single-seat, single-jet engine, 4.5th generation multirole fighter designed for the Air Force and Navy. The aircraft is equipped with a wide range of weapons and is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike missions. It has a tail-less cropped delta-canard configuration, which provides for high maneuverability. The Vulturi has been developed as a joint Cristina-Lysian Republic.
Organisation
The Royal Defense Forces consists of the:
- Army (Regio Esercito): Three Combined Arms Divisions: 3 Div, 6 Div & 9 Div, two Army Operational Reserve Divisions, 21st and 25th, and one city defence command;
- Air Force (Regia Aeronautica Militare): Seventeen squadrons and four air bases;
- Navy (Regia Marina): Eight squadrons and two naval bases.
Command structure
The RDF is headed by the Chief of Defence Force (CDF), a three-star General (i.e. Lieutenant General) by establishment and the sole and only (active) RDF General that can be promoted or hold three-star rank; he is assisted by the three chiefs of the respective services (Army, Airforce, Navy), who are two-star generals/admirals by establishment (or Major-General/ Rear-Admiral). The RDF has a Sergeant Major who currently holds the rank of CWO. The CDF is supported by various staff from branches such as the Joint Operations and Planning Directorate, the Joint Manpower Department, the Joint Logistic Department, the Military Intelligence Organisation and the Foreign Military Liaison Branch.
Supporting the combat role of the RDF, are other governmental organisations of the Ministry of Defence, such as the Defence Policy Group, the Defence Management Group, the Defence Industry and System Office and the Defence Research and Technology Office. Within these groups are the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), the Central Manpower Base (CMPB), and the Military Security Department (MSD). Domestic technology companies also play a role in building up Cristinese military capabilities, particularly the government-linked Siena Fleet Systems (SFS), Cristina Arms Solutions (CAS), and Draco and Domini Co. (DnD), both which designed and built some of the RDF's more advanced weaponry and equipment based on specific local requirements which may be expensive for foreign companies to adapt and produce.
The Special Operations Task Force, composed of the selected members of the Special Operations Force, CDF Commando Formation, Naval Diving Unit and other forces integrated under one command, is formed to combat common terrorist threats.
Economy
Cristina has a highly developed market economy, based historically on extended entrepôt trade. Cristinese economy is known as one of the freest, most innovative, most competitive, most dynamic and most business-friendly. Worldwide Index of Economic Freedom ranks the Free Port of Cristina in top five freest economy in the world and one of the easiest place to do business for the past decade.
Cristinese economy is diversified, with its top contributors – financial services, manufacturing, shipping. Its main exports are arms, integrated circuits and computers which constituted 30% of the country's GDP in 2017, and includes significant electronics, arms manufactoring, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences sectors. In 2016, Cristina produced about 10% of the world's foundry wafer (such as crystalline silicon) output.
Cristina has maintained sound economic and trade relations with more than 100 countries; The World Bank classifies Cristina as a high income economy and the GDP per capita of the region is US$$76,003. After the country independence, there has been a rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors due to the Queen Nova's programs on easing of travel restrictions. Together with the liberalization of Cristina's gaming industry two years ago, that induces significant investment inflows, the average growth rate of the economy in the last three years was approximately 3.7% annually.
The Kingdom of Cristina is an offshore financial centre, a tax haven, and a free port with no foreign exchange control regimes. The Monetary Authority of Cristina regulates offshore finance, while the Cristinese Trade and Investment Promotion Institute provides services for investment in Cristina. In the last year, Moody's Investors Service upgraded Cristina's foreign and local currency government issuer ratings to 'Aa3' from 'A1', citing its government's solid finances as a large net creditor. The rating agency also upgraded Cristina's foreign currency bank deposit ceiling to 'Aa3' from 'A1'.
As prescribed by the Cristinese Basic Law, the government follows the principle of keeping expenditure within the limits of revenues in drawing up its budget, and strives to achieve a fiscal balance, avoid deficits and keep the budget commensurate with the growth rate of its gross domestic product.
Currency
The official currency of Cristina is the digital Linda (ISO code: DL), and the central bank is Royal Bank of Cristina. The Cristina Stock Exchange (CEX) is the only stock exchange in the country, with market capitalization of roughly $550 billion (as of last year) and CEX10 as the main index representing the 10 most liquid stocks.
Unemployment
Employment per sector
Cristina has one of the lowest unemployment rates among developed countries. Active labor force at the end of the last year stood at 4.55 million, of whom 59.6% are employed in services sector, 23.9% are employed in the industry and 16.5% are employed in agriculture. The average monthly net salary in june 2015 was DL925.10 (US$2,915.50).
Companies
Since it's independence, Cristina has attracted over $980 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI). Blue-chip corporations making investments in Cristina include many of greatest world corporations that have made large investments.
Cristina's largest companies are in the telecoms, arms, banking, transportation and manufacturing sectors, many of which started as state-run enterprises, and has since been listed on the Cristina Exchange, including Cristina Telecommunications (CrisTel), Cristina Technologies Engineering, Korvini Corporation, Cristinese Inovative Solutions (CIS), Development Bank of Cristina (CBS). The United Overseas Bank (UOB) also has headquarters in Cristina.
The nation's best known global brands include Cristina Airlines, Sienna Fleet System (SFS), Korvini Corporation, Cristina Arms Solutions (CAS) and Port of St. Izabella Co, all of them are amongst the most-awarded in their respective industry sectors.
The country has free trade agreements with many countries in the region, and a preferential trade regime with the Lysian Republic, Limonaia, Magnaeus, Prymont, the Sunset Sea Islands and Adaptus.
Information and communications
The Ministry of Communications and Information oversees the development of Infocomms, Media and the Arts. Information and communications technologies are main pillars of Cristina's economic success. However, Cristina's mass communications networks, including television and phone networks, have been mostly operated by the private sector. When Cristina first came online, the population could use Teleview to communicate with each other, but no one outside of their sovereign city-state.
Today, the Free Port of Cristina is one of the most "Tech-Ready Nations" in terms of market, political and regulatory infrastructure for connectivity.
Information Technology Laboratory of the Royal University of Cristina. Cristina also has one of the world's highest smartphone penetration rates (90%). Overall mobile phone penetration rate is at 150 mobile phone subscribers per 100 people.
Internet in Cristina is provided by state owned CrisTel and partially state owned StartUp and Max-One Limited plus some other business internet service providers (ISPs) that offer residential service plans of speeds up to 2 Gbit/s as of spring 2015.
Zenith (320 participants) and also it's smaller brother Cristina Internet Exchange (70 participants) are Internet exchange points where Internet service providers and Content delivery networks exchange Internet traffic between their networks (autonomous systems) in various locations in Cristina.
Transport
As Cristina is a small country with a high population density, the number of private cars on the road is restricted so as to curb pollution and congestion. Car buyers must pay for duties one-and-a-half times the vehicle's market value, and bid for a Cristinese Certificate of Entitlement (CCE), which allows the car to run on the road for a decade. Car prices are generally significantly higher in Cristina than in many other countries in the region Vehicles on the road and people walking on the streets keep to the right.
Cristinese residents also travel by bicycles, bus, taxis, and train (MRT or LRT). Two companies run the train transport system—CBS Transit and CMRT Corporation. Four companies, Ahead, Rapido-Transit, CBS Transit, and CMRT Corporation run the public buses under a 'Bus Contracting Model' where operators bid for routes. There are five taxi companies, who together put out over 26,000 taxis on the road. Taxis are a popular form of public transport as the fares are relatively cheap compared to many other developed countries.
Cristina has a road system covering 3,120 kilometers, which includes 161 kilometers (100 mi) of expressways. The Cristinese Area Licensing Scheme, implemented in 2005, became one of the Europa's first congestion pricing scheme and included other complementary measures such as stringent car ownership quotas and improvements in mass transit. Upgraded in 2010, the system introduced electronic toll collection, electronic detection, and video surveillance technology.
Cristina is growing to become a major international transport hub in Europa, serving some of the busiest sea and air trade routes. Cristina Airport is an aviation center for the region and a stopover on many routes. There are two airports in the country, and Cristina Airport hosts a network of over 100 airlines connecting Cristina to some 150 cities in about 70 countries and territories worldwide. It has been rated one of the best international airports by international travel magazines. The national airline is Cristina Airlines.
The Ports of Aline and St. Izabella, managed by port operators CrisPort and Port St. Izabella Co. St. Izabella was one of the Europa’s busiest port in 2017 in terms of shipping tonnage handled, at 1.05 billion gross tons, and in terms of containerised traffic, at 20.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Both ports are also on the busiest in Europa in terms of cargo tonnage with 405 million tons handled. In addition, St Izabella is one of the world's busiest for transshipment traffic and the world's biggest ship refueling center.
Science and Technology
Cristina is one of the leading nation in scientific research, particularly in fields related to the natural sciences and information technology in the world. The country ranks as one of the most innovative countries in the Kurzweil Singularity Index.
Scientific and technological development in Cristina at first did not occur largely because of more pressing matters such as the Mantellan occupation of the city and the subsequent War of Independence. It was not until the 2005, under the Queen Nova Maxima Korvini and the establishment of the Free Port Act that Cristina's economy rapidly grew from industrialisation. Ever since the industrialization of the Cristinese economy, the country has placed its focus on technology-based corporations, such as Siena, which has been supported by infrastructure developments by the government. Cristinese corporation CrisTel was ranked amongst the largest mobile phone companies in the world in the first quarter of 2017. An estimated 90% of Cristineses own a mobile phone. Aside from placing/receiving calls and text messaging, mobile phones in the country are widely used for watching Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or viewing websites. Over one million DMB phones have been sold and the three major wireless communications providers CrisTel, Start-Up, and Max-One provide coverage in all major areas. Cristina has one of the fastest Internet download speeds in the world, with an average download speed of 25.3 Mbit/s.
Cristina is a world leader in graduates in science and engineering. Since 2014, the country ranks among the most innovative countries in the Kurzweil Singularity Index for 6 consecutive years. Cristinese scientists and engineers have contributed to the advancement of agricultural sciences, electronics, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals, semiconductors, life sciences and various fields of engineering.
Additionally, Cristina today is known as a Launchpad of a mature mobile market, where developers can reap benefits of a market where very few technology constraints exist. There is a growing trend of inventions of new types of media or apps, utilizing the 4G and 5G internet infrastructure in Cristina. The country has today the infrastructures to meet a density of population and culture that has the capability to create strong local particularity.
Water Supply and Sanitation
Access to water is universal, affordable, efficient and of high quality. Innovative integrated water management approaches such as the reuse of reclaimed water, the establishment of protected areas in urban rainwater catchments and the use of estuaries as freshwater reservoirs have been introduced along with seawater desalination to reduce the country's dependence on water imported from neighboring nations.
Cristina's approach does not rely only on physical infrastructure, but it also emphasizes proper legislation and enforcement, water pricing, public education as well as research and development.
Demographics
Religion
The Kingdom of Cristina is a predominantly Christian Orthodox state—over 89% of the population profess the Cristinese Orthodox faith, but it is not the established religion. Approximately half of those who profess to be Orthodox practice the faith. There is a provision under the income tax rules that the taxpayers have the right to request for allocation of 0.3% of their income tax to the Cristinese Orthodox Church or to "other" charities. There has been a Violetist presence in Cristina for at least 600 years. There are many documents throughout the centuries describing Violetist dealings and verifying the presence of a Violetist community in Cristina. Violetists were permitted official protection by the government.
Education
Education for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels is largely supported by the state. All institutions, private and public, must be registered with the Ministry of Education. Cristinese is the language of instruction in all public schools, and all subjects are taught and examined in Cristinese.
Education takes place in three stages: primary, secondary, and pre-university education. Only the primary level is compulsory. Students begin with six years of primary school, which is made up of a four-year foundation course and a two-year orientation stage. The curriculum is focused on the development of Cristinese, the mother tongue, mathematics, and science. Secondary school lasts from four to five years and is divided between Special, Express, Normal (Academic), and Normal (Technical) streams in each school, depending on a student's ability level. The basic coursework breakdown is the same as in the primary level, although classes are much more specialized. Pre-university education takes place over two to three years at senior schools, mostly called Junior Colleges.
Post-secondary education institutions include 4 polytechnics, institutes of technical education (ITEs), 3 public universities of which the Royal University of Cristina and Korvini Technological University are among the top 20 universities in Europa.
Cristina is an education hub, with more than 80,000 international students in 2017. 5,000 students from Mantella cross the borders daily to attend schools in the Free Port. In 2017, 20% of all students in Cristinese universities were international students – the maximum cap allowed.
Welfare
Welfare programs are almost completely provided by the private sector. Cristineses tend to criticize the welfare state because welfare programs do not work to reduce poverty, improve education, or improve health or retirement. It is the general though that welfare programs also increase out-of-wedlock births and decrease the incentive to work. Moreover, they believe welfare programs reduce freedom by reducing the opportunity of individuals to manage their own lives.
Culture
Sports
In Cristina football is the most popular sport. Basketball and volleyball are also popular. The three sports have their own federations, the Cristinese Football Federation (Federazione Cristina Calcistica - FCC), the Cristinese Basketball Association (Associazione Cristina Pallacanestro - ACPAC) and the Cristinese Volleyball League (Lega Cristina Pallavolo- LCPAV).
Despite being the most popular sport, the Cristinese national football team, nicknamed the "Squadra d'Oro", was having little success (being made up of part-timers drawn from some local sportive clubs) until 2018 when it has qualified for the UENA Orioni 2018 World Cup. In their first appearance in a major tournament they were knocked out in the Quarter-finals.
Cuisine
Cristinese cuisine is a mixture of the Central Europan cuisine (especially Lysian and Magnaeus) and the Mantellan cuisine. Historically, Cristinese cuisine was divided into town, farmhouse, castle and monastic cuisines. Ethnologically, the most characteristic Cristinese dishes were one-pot dishes, such as rice, Cristinese stew, minestrone, and poltiglia buckwheat spoonbread. The nut roll (potica) has become a symbol of Cristina, especially among the cristinese population in Mantella and Emakera. Soups were added to the traditional one-pot meals and various kinds of porridge and stew only in relatively recent history.
Music
The country has a long and rich musical tradition, closely linked to that of Mantella and Lysia, but which is also highly independent in itself. In the 17th century, composers including the Cristinese Roberto Valdoti wrote some of the finest pieces of the era. The Free Port of Cristina has an opera house (the Regina Opera Hall), a symphony orchestra and a classical ballet company, the Corporis Company.
Visual Arts
The City has a national museum of contemporary visual art at the New National Museum of Cristina. The country also has numerous works of public art, statues, and memorials.
Museums
The Apotheosi Museum, the New National Museum of Cristina and the worldwide family Royal Oceanographic Museum are the most visited of the 30 museums in Cristina.
Events, Festivals, and Shows
The Kingdom of Cristina hosts major international events such as the International Circus Festival of Aline, Cristinese International Auto Show and the Free Port Television Festival.
Architecture
Cristina exhibits a wide range of architecture, but the principality's signature style, particularly in Santi Cristo, is that of the Belle Epoque. It finds its most florid expression in the Regina Opera Hall created by Prince Valdo one century ago. Decorative elements including turrets, balconies, pinnacles, multi-colored ceramics and caryatids and borrowed and blended to create a picturesque fantasy of pleasure and luxury, and an alluring expression of how Cristina sought and still seeks, to portray itself. This capriccio of Mantellan, Lysian, and Magnean elements was incorporated into hacienda villas and apartments. Following major development in the period under Mantellan dominance, High Chancellor Tito Vero of Mantella banned high rise development in the city. However, after the independence of Cristina, Queen Nova Maxima, overturned this Sovereign Order. In recent years the accelerating demolition of Cristina's architectural heritage, including its single-family villas, has created dismay. The kingdom currently has no heritage protection legislation.
References
- ↑ The Kingdom of Cristina (11 August 2017)
