Dayganistan

Republic of Dayganistan Jomhūrī-ye Dayġānestān (Farsi) Da Dayġānestān Jumhoryat (Pashto)
Flag
Capital	Khanabad
Official languages	Farsi, Pashto
Demonym(s)	Daygani
Government	Presidential Republic
• President	Aryana Zahir
Population
• 2018 estimate	80 million
GDP (nominal)	2016 estimate
• Total	1.5 triliion
• Per capita	19,000
HDI	0.745 high
Currency	Daygani (DG)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right

The Republic of Dayganistan is a nation located on the continent of Catai, where it borders Uwhistan to the east. The region now know as Dayganistan has been inhabited since antiquity, with nomadic groups living in the deserts, while more permanent settlements were founded along the coast and in the mountainous highlands. It is still unknown which of these ancient groups are the ancestors of the modern Daygani people, but they are believed to have come from a mountainous region.

The modern Daygani state was established in the 18th century with the establishment of the Hamidi Dynasty by Mohamed Shah Hamidi, who consolidated control to the modern borders of Dayganistan from his court at Khanabad. The Hamidi Dynasty was overthrown in the 1920s as rule became more oppressive in the hopes of modernizing the country. Dayganistan transitioned to a democracy as a result. Today, however, Dayganistan has been widely accepted as moving back towards authoritarian rule.

History

Irsadist Rule

In 1975 the Authenticity Party rose to party. Authenticity had always campaigned on a platform of Irsadic traditionalism, but had recently integrated fiscal conservatism into their platform as well. This lead to electoral success as many Dayganis believed the government could continue to provide the same level of social services with a lower income tax rate. While the promise of lowering taxes was kept, the Authenticity Party slowly started to transition the country towards religious rule. The law code was replaced with one based on Irsadic Law, Irsad was made the official state religion, and the country was renamed to the Irsadic Republic of Dayganistan. Women were also required to cover their heads in public, which lead to many protests and thousands of arrests.

Irsadist rule, however, would be short lived. Protests against the new government would break out nationwide in late 1979. The Authenticity Party used their parliamentary majority and control of the presidency to enact a state of emergency in the face of protests and effectively suspend elections. The military was ordered to enforce the state of emergency. This would, however, ultimately prove to be Authenticity's downfall. Many officers began to secretly communicate with each other in order to plan a coup attempt. With troops already in place, the coup was launched on May 17th, 1980, deposing the Authenticity Party and putting an end to Irsadist rule. A state of emergency, however, remained in place until 1985 when the next election would be held.

Recent History

Following the 1985 election, the Republican People's Party came to power.

Geography and Climate

Dayganistan is a geographically diverse country. The majority of the nation ranges from semi-arid to desert, although dense green areas can be found around rivers in the desert regions, as well as at higher elevations in the mountains. The nation is also heavily mountainous, especially in the east, north, and center of the country. Many of these mountains are arid at lower altitudes, but dense alpine forests can be found at higher elevations. With the exception of the coastal region, the nation is generally at a higher altitude than other nearby nations. This generally leads to cooler temperatures, especially in the mountainous regions. It is not uncommon to see snow during the winter throughout most of Dayganistan, save for the coastal region near Bandar-e-Shah, which experiences a Mediterranean climate. However, temperatures can rise drastically in the summer, with temperatures approaching or even surpassing 40 degrees Celsius being the norm throughout the country.

Demographics

Dayganistan has a total population of 80 million (2018 estimate). The population overwhelemingly adheres to the religion of Irsad.

The largest city in Dayganistan is the capital, Khanabad, with a population of approximately 8 million people, or nearly 10 million if the entire metropolitan area is taken into account. The next largest city is Bandar-e-Shah, Dayganistan's only port and a popular tourist destination, with a population of approximately 4 million.

Ethnic Groups

Dayganistan is a multi-ethnic society. The largest ethnic group are the Pashtuns. Traditionally, the Pashtuns were referred to as "Dayganis." However, in recent years, Daygani has come to refer to all people in Dayganistan, regardless of ethnicity.

The next largest ethnic group after the Pashtuns are the Tajiks. These two ethnic groups are very closely related, and despite the occasional dispute, tend to cooperate and generally freely interact with each other.

The final of the major ethnic groups are the Hazara. These are descendants of steppe nomads who settled in present-day Dayganistan, mixing with local populations and converting to Irsad. The Hazara have traditionally be discriminated against and at varying times have been treated as second-class citizens. Although today the Hazara are considered equal to the Pashtuns and Tajiks, discrimination often continues.

Along with these three major ethnic groups, other smaller ethnic groups also exist in Dayganistan. These are either smaller ethnic groups that are native to the region, or small immigrant populations. These other ethnic groups constitute approximately 5-10% of the population, depending on various estimates.

Languages

The official languages of Dayganistan are Farsi and Pashto. Pashto is the native language of the majority, but only by a small margin. Those who do speak Pashto are usually bilingual in Farsi as well. Farsi is the language used in education, most media, the government, and for communication between ethnic groups.

Government

Dayganistan is a presidential republic in which all executive power rests with the president. Currently, the presidency is held by Aryana Zahir of the Republican People's Party. Elections are held every 5 years, however, none which have been regarded as free and fair have been held recently with the Republican People's Party winning all elections since 1985.

Dayganistan's legislature consists of a single house, elected though a mixed member proportional system. The parliament has the ability to enact new legislation, but any legislation passed by parliament may be vetoed by the President at will. Conversely, the President is able to pass new legislation independently with the parliament having no mechanism to veto presidential legislation.

Armed Forces

The Daygani Armed Forces are divided into three branches: The Daygani National Army, Daygani National Air Force, and Daygani National Navy. The Armed Forces are a small, well equipped, professional force, consisting of approximately 750,000 active duty personnel. The Army and Air Force are by far the largest and most well funded branches, although the navy has been catching up in recent years with several new warship projects.

Military service is voluntary and is open to both men and women. Women have previously been barred from serving in roles in which the primary purpose is combat, but as of late 2016, all roles except for infantry, armor, and most special forces units have been opened to women

Economy

Dayganistan has a strong, diversified market economy, which exists alongside several state owned industries. Dayganistan's major industries are natural resources, manufacturing, and agriculture. Many multinational corporations have opened resource extraction and manufacturing operations in Dayganistan. Econmic growth remains a strong priority for the government.

Culture

Dayganistan has a rich cultural heritage, stretching back thousands of years, and has been influenced by the many ethnicities that reside in the country. Culture in Dayganistan is heavily based upon the code of Pashtunwali. However, as a result of the modernization push of the government since the late 1940s, the more religious and otherwise outdated aspects of this code have become de-emphasized in mainstream culture.

The Daygani government actively promotes Daygani culture, both at home and abroad. This is part of an effort to preserve Dayganistan's unique culture in the face on increasing globalization, as many in the government, as well as the general population, fear that excessive Sinju influence through globalization will one day destroy Dayganistan's culture. However, this has become less of a concern in recent years as Dayganistan has been able to export its culture throughout the world. Daygani restaurants, often run by members of the Daygani diaspora, can be found throughout the world. Daygani literature has been translated into many languages. Daygani popular culture also has a great reach, as Daygani pop, hip-hop and rock music have become popular among young people throughout the world. Daygani movies and television shows have also gained international popularity, and Daygani fashion, especially for women, has had an affect on women's fashion trends throughout the world.

Food

Daygani cuisine is diverse, reflecting the ethnic diversity of the country. It makes extensive use of various grains, such as wheat, rice, maize, and barely, local fruits and vegetables, and various meats, especially lamb and chicken, and, to a lesser extent, beef. A variety of dairy products are also part of Daygani cuisine. Pork is not a part of Daygani cuisine, and seafood is generally only consumed in the region near Bandar-e-Shah.

Palaw is considered the national dish of Dayganistan. This is not one single dish, but a variety of different flavours and regional styles. It is a rice based dish, where rice is boiled before being baked with meat and stock, herbs, qorma (a type of stew), or a combination. It is often topped with vegetables, fruit, nuts, or a combination of all three. Many restaurants in Dayganistan will have a specific variety of Palaw which is considered to be their specialty, and this will extend to Daygani restaurants in foreign countries.

Kebab is another popular Daygani dish, which has gained widespread global popularity. In Dayganistan, kebab can be found in establishments ranging from high end restaurants, to fast food restaurants and street food vendors, where kebab has become extremely popular. Lamb is the most common meat used, although beef is used in certain varieties of kebab. It is served with naan, and occasionally rice.

One of the most popular drinks in doogh, a beverage produced by mixing yogurt, water, and mint. There are both carbonated and uncarbonated varieties. Popular alcoholic beverages include locally made beers and wines, although by far the most popular alcoholic beverage is aragh sagi, a strong distilled alcohol produced from raisins.

Music

Dayganistan has a rich musical history. Many traditional forms of music are closely related to traditional poetry. As well, acapella forms of music, such as nasheed and na'at are considered traditional forms of music in Dayganistan (although they are more often performed in Arabic than Pashto or Farsi) and remain popular with devout Muslims.

Modern popular music takes influence from both traditional styles of music and foreign influences. Many pop artists in Dayganistan have recorded versions of traditional songs. Pop, rock, and hip-hop are the most popular forms of music in Dayganistan. Several Daygani artists within these genres have reached international popularity

Clothing

The shalwar kameez is considered the national dress of Dayganistan. It is a unisex outfit consisting of, it its traditional form a long shirt and loose fitting pants. Today, the shalwar kameez has become unpopular as menswear outside of special occasions, but variants, often replacing the loose fitting pants with leggings and with longer shirts more closely resembling dresses, remain popular among women as everyday wear.

The most popular form of headwear in Dayganistan is the pakol. This is a wool hat, generally only worn by men, and resembles a pancake when worn. It can be worn in both summer and winter, but is especially popular in the winter. It is also used as military headwear, with every Daygani soldier being issued with a summer and winter pakol. Turbans are also popular male headwear in Dayganistan, although mostly among older generations. Although not mandated to do so, women tend to wear a variety of headscarves, ranging from loose fitting scarves simply draped over their heads, to proper Islamic hijabs.