Syara

The Commonality of Syara Сијара
Flag
Motto: All-Mother Guide us.
Anthem: To Our Homeland
Capital and largest city	Zovahr
Official languages	Syara
Demonym(s)	Syara
Government	Parliamentary Federal Republic
• Executive	Anita Beleska
Area
•	1,030,029 km2 (397,696 sq mi)
Population
• 2015 estimate	163,520,400
• 2013 census	161,578,224
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$6.81 trillion (4th)
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$6.13 trillion (5th)
Gini (2020)	33.65 medium
HDI (2020)	0.889 very high
Currency	Drachma

Syara (Syaran: Сијара), known officially as the Commonality of Syara (Syaran: Заедништво на Сиара), is a country located in northwest Siduri. It borders Ruvelka to the east, the Sundering and Sanguine Seas to the north, and the Nuandan Ocean to the west and south. Syara is located at the north-west corner of the continent of Siduri, forming the southern half of the "mouth" of the Sundering Sea, which splits Siduri from Eracura in the north. Syara itself covers 2,100,000 million square kilometers, and the Syaran coastline extends for nearly 11,000 kilometers, the third longest in Siduri. Syara occupies half of the island of Chryse, which is splits with Bosrei.

Ancient Syara was the birthplace of many cultural and social aspects including democracy, and made major contributions to science, philosophy, mathematics, and the arts. The rise of the Makedonian Empire in Makedon led to the subjugation of much of Siduri from the 3rd Century BCE to the 10th Century CE. The Burning Plague in the 9th Century devastated Syara's populace and contributed heavily to the Fall of the Makedonian Empire, resulting in the conquest of Syara by the Arkoennites in 1305. Cultural exchange with the Kingdom of Dragovita led to the Slavization of Syaran culture and language, and the rise of Zobethos established the Titan Gaia as Syara's principal deity. The formation of the Rioni Union in 1579 marked the transition away from Arkeonnite rule, made official in 1711 before the splintering of the Union resulted in the Syaran Successor States, which unified in 1875 into the Republic of Syara. Conflicts with Ruvelka and the Cacertian Empire in the Divide War resulted in the rise of President Sasko Anastasov, who promoted Syaran ultranationalism and eventually led to the Siduri War in 1934, which ended four years later in a Syaran defeat. The resultant Broken Years spurned significant social change in Syara, noticeably a shift away from the autocratic and conservative Monarchist tendencies of Makedon and Galania to the Zobethos-fundamentalism of Scitaria and Hayreniky, which resulted in the Refusal War from 1983-1987, which dissolved the Republic and established the Commonality. Conflict with Ruvelka in the Imerti Conflict and Zemplen War dominated the early 21st Century for Syara, but 2020 the Commonality remains a major international player and economic power.

Syara is a federal parliamentary republic and developed country with an advanced high-income economy, a high quality of life, and a high standard of living. It's economy is the largest in continental Siduri, and is a major international investor. Syara is member of the Organization of Tyrannic States, and observer state to the Commonwealth of Sovereign Nations, and boasts strong ties with Æþurheim, Tennai, and Cacerta. The capital and largest city is Zovahr.

Etymology

The exact origins of the name "Syara" are not fully known, but modern historians believe the term originates from the Archaic Galanian "Sebera", meaning "our land" or "our home". In modern Syaran the country is called Sijara (Сијара) casually, or Siara (Сиара) formally, when in conjunction with the term "Commonality of". When Syara came to be commonly used by the majority of the population to describe their home is unknown, but by the 1875 the name was officially recognized as the name of the nation in the Conference of Pella, although it had been in use for centuries by then.

History

Syara is considered a Cradle of civilization owing to its early rise as a major cultural and scientific center, with major contributions to philosophy and the arts. The first inhabitants of Syara, the Segelen, are of unknown origin but inhabited the region from as early as 9,000 BCE. Modern Syaran culture and language is primarily descended from the Erani-Eracurans, who arrived in Syara around 3,000 BCE with the Khotoi culture. Following the Bronze Age Collapse in western Siduri, the remaining Aleitians, Gaetlii, and Dovossians gradually expanded across Syara. The Aleitians would later give rise to the Kydonian League, which became the birthplace of democracy in Tyran. Conflict with barbarian tribes like the Bastarnae paved the way for the rise of the Makedonian Empire in the 3rd Century BCE, which proceeded to conquer all of Syara under the leadership of Orestes II. Orestes proceeded to expand Makedonian control into Mansuriyyah, Ruvelka, and Arkoenn before ending his campaign.

Over the course of the next several centuries the Makedonians steadily expanded their realm through colonial and mercantile means, expanding into Eracura along the Bosrei Peninsula and southward along the Siduri coast following the decline of the Hannashka Empire. Beginning in the 4th Century CE the Makedonians began expanding westward into central and eastern Siduri, leading to conflict with the Acrean Empire over north-east Siduri and the eventual conquest of Quenmin, the latter of which led to the Sabrian Wars with the Sabrian Empire. The rise of the Zobethos faith in late antuquity saw the transition of Syaran religious beliefs from Hellenic polytheism to worship of the Titan Gaia as a sacrosanct "All-Mother", which became Syara's de facto religion. At its peak the Empire stretched from Scitaria to Knichus, but just after its zenith the outbreak of the Burning Plague crippled Makedon, paving the way for military defeats against the Rideva Empire and Quenminese rebellions. The rise of the Arkoennite Empire and the Rawwadid Sultanate triggered the Fall of the Makedonian Empire, eventually ending in Makedon's subjugation by the Arkoennites and the establishment of the Makedonian Khanate in 1305.

The end of Makedonian supremacy began a major shift in Syaran culture away from the Hellenic customs of Makedon due in large part to close cooperation and communication with the Kingdom of Dragovita. The increasing Slavization of Syara effectively marks the transition of Syaran culture from antiquity to modern, which was further driven by the formation of the Rioni Union in 1579. The Union, formed by aligning the Baligov Dynasty of Galania with the Prohászka Dynasty of the Princiaplity of Debrecen, united Syara and Ruvelka under a single banner and resulted in massive economic growth for both nations. The decline of the Arkoennites in the 17th Century led to the Union's brief war of independence in 1711, however underlying territorial and political disuputes led to the collapse of the Union and the formation of the Syaran Successor States. Industrialization in the 18th and 19th Centuries, spearheaded by the resurgent Kingdom of Makedon, saw the revitlization of Syaran-Hellenic nationalism, further cultivated by conflict with the Ruvelkan Socialist Republic in the Ruvelkan-Makedonian War, which ended in a decisive Makedonian victory. The continued threat of communist Ruvelka resulted in the Unificaiton of Syara in 1875, officially established the Republic of Syara and uniting the Syaran nation under sovereign rule for the first time since 1305.

The united Syaran Republic rapidly industrialized and grew owing to its strategic location, and by the 20th Century had become a major political power in Siduri. Continued conflicts with Ruvelka in the Syaran-Ruvelkan War dampened Syaran growth and contributed to the Cacertian Empire's instigation of the Divide War. The Republic's unexpected victory over the premier superpower of the era resulted in a massive outpouring of Syaran nationalism, culminating in the election of Sasko Anastasov in 1924. Anastasov's presidency and embracing of Syaran nationalism would be the primary drive behind the outbreak of the Siduri War in 1934, which would end in Syaran defeat four years later in 1938 with the signing of the Treaty of Debrecen. The resulting economic and political hardship, known collectively as the Broken Years, remained in place until the mid-1950s, after which the Republic began to re-assert itself as a major political player in Siduri. Concerns over Syaran ambition led to the outbreak of the Granika Border War with Ruvelka, twice escalating into conventional conflict during the Seven Day War and the Hayren War, the latter which exasperated the growing tensions between the autocratic Royalists and the nationalist, Zobethos-fundamenalist Wardens. The death of President Krunislav Mircevski in 1983 triggered the resulting Refusal Crisis and in turn the Refusal War, which the Wardens won and resulted in the formation of the modern-Commonality.

Despite the death of over 2 million Syarans, the Commonality recovered from the civil war and once more began a major economic expansion, becoming the largest economy on the continent of Siduri in the early 2000s. Persistent territorial issues with Ruvelka led to the brief Imerti Conflict in 2005 and the much more destructive Zemplen War between 2008-2010, which ended in Syaran defeat and the signing of the Treaty of Aragon. Modern Syara remains a major economic and political power in Siduri, and more recent peace overtures between Syara and Ruvelka such as the Syaran-Ruvelkan Commercial Trade Agreement have provided a foundation for more peaceful relations.

Geography and Climate

Syara is located in north-western Siduri, forming a "corner" of the continent. Mainland Syara is roughly 250 kilometers from Eracura, forming the western "mouth" of the Sundering Sea. The Syarans have called the Sundering Sea the "Divide" since antiquity. Syara borders only one another nation on the continent, Ruvelka, with whom Syara has long running territorial disputes. Syara's border with Ruvelka is approximately 1,953 kilometers long. Syara itself has a total land area of roughly 2,100,000 million square kilometers. It has the third largest coastline in Siduri, behind Nalaya and Gylias. Syara's tallest mountain is Mount Xena located in Makedon, while it's longest river is the Rioni, which originates in the Ruvelkan Kurilla Mountains and runs south-west through Zemplen into Galania before depositing into the Thanor Bay.

Syaran topography varies by Realm. Makedon is dominated by the Makedonian Highlands which contain Mount Xena and form the origin of many of Syara's northern rivers. The Highlands have historically formed the boundary between Makedon and Galania. The Highlands sprawl westward into the Lycian Mountains that form the "spine" of Scitaria and lead into the Mysian Peninsula. The Makedonian Highlands stretch north until they level out and form the Desopya Coastal Plain along Makedon's northern coast with the Sundering Sea.

The Makedonian Highlands fade quickly south, forming what has been termed the "Great Valley" of Galania, which are domianted by seasonally flooded plains fed by multiple rivers, the largest of which is the Rioni. Galania is the flattest territory in Syara, which extends west into Scitaria and contains Syara's largest interior body of water, Lake Amant. The gentle rolling hills and plains of Galania form Syara's breadbasket, and the core of Syara's extensive agricultural industry.

The Great Valley extends south until it ends in Hayreniky, where the Southern Highlands begin. Known simply as the Hayreniky Highlands, or the Clan Mountains, Hayreniky is the extension of the Matra Mountains that define the border between Ruvelka and Mansuriyyah. The coast of Hareniky is dominated by marshes and lagoons.

Politics

Government

Syara is a Parliamentary Federal Constitutional Republic. The Syaran Commonality's political leadership is divided into three separate branches; the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. The Government of Syara refers to the Executive Branch, which is led by the Executive of Syara. Syara's Executive is picked by the ruling party in the High Council of Syara, the Parliament which serves as Syara's legislative body. Although the Executive is selected (though not technically required to be) from the High Council, the Executive relinquishes their role in the High Council and may not vote on High Council, although the Executive retains the right to propose legislation. The Executive is responsible for forming domestic and foreign policy for Syara, enforcing the laws of the High Councils and rulings of the National Tribunal, and overseeing the daily operations of civil affairs.

The High Council is a bicameral legislature consisting of the National Assembly and the Federal Council. The National Assembly is the lower house composed of 300 members who's distribution is based on population statistics as provided by the Syaran National Census. The National Assembly primarily handles domestic affairs, including setting the federal budget, passing domestic legislation, creating impeachment proceedings, and issuing votes of confidence. The Federal Council is composed of 100 representatives, 25 from each of Syara's four Realms. The Federal Council has the exclusive powers to declare war, sign treaties, and approve of cabinet and judicial appointments. The High Council is responsible for appointing of an Executive to lead the Government after elections, which occurr every four years.

The National Circuit serves as the judicial branch of government and is headed by the National Tribunal, which is the supreme arbiter of law in the Commonality. The National Tribunal consists of 15 Senior Justices who are appointed by the Executive to 12 year terms. The National Tribunal is the supreme appelliate court in Syara and has the power of judicial review over the Commonality Constitution. The National Tribunal also has the sole power to resolve disputes between the Realms.

Economy

The Syaran economy is a highly developed social market and market-oriented economy. It is the fifth-largest national economy in Tyran by nominal GDP, the fourth largest by purchasing power parity, and sixth highest GDP per capita.

Syara is a export based economy dominated by the service sector, but with sizeable industrial and agricultural sectors. It is the fourth largest goods exporter and sixth largest goods importer. Much of Syara's wealth and trade is based on its strategic location at the western 'mouth' of the Sundering Sea. Syara's economy is diversified, with a historically strong agricultural base that has long been the staple of Syaran wealth and exports; today Syara is one of the largest food producers in Tyran, producing over 143 million tons of wheat, barley, and rye in 2019. Syara's industrial base produces chemicals, machinery, automobiles, metals, and electronics and comprises almost a quarter of the economy. The service sector of Syara is heavily involved in retail, transportation, information technology, health and pharmaceuticals, financial services, and tourism. Tourism has become a major facet of Syara's economy, with more than 11 million unique visitors annually to Syara's various ruins from the Makedonian Empire.

Syara began industrializing rapidly in the aftermath of the fall of the Arkoennite Empire, and grew even faster following the Unification of Syara in 1875. The Republic of Syara rapidly become one of the major economic powers of Siduri following the Divide War, but suffered from economic downturn after the Siduri War in what became known as the Broken Years. The outbreak of the Refusal War further damaged Syara's economy, but the establishment of the Commonality and and the tenure Saša Mlinarić saw Syara undergo an economic miracle during the 1990s that saw Syara become the largest economy in Siduri. Syara continued to enjoy steady economic progress until deteriorating relations with Ruvelka led to the brief Imerti Conflict and much more destructive Zemplen War, which threw Syara's economy into disarray. After his appointment in 2010 Executive Melkon Isagholian began a series of "shock programs" to resolve Syara's financial situation. While these helped keep Syara's economy afloat, the resulting inflation undermined the Drachma while Isagholian tried to repay Syara's war debts. In 2012 Executive Kire Steriovski began employing major subsidies into Syara's service sector while battling inflation and instituting financial reforms, and despite a recession in early 2016 Syara experienced a mid-decade boom under Radovan Kostović. After assuming office in August 2020, Executive Anita Beleska announced her economic plan to further expand and refine Syara's service sector, while limiting Syara's deficits.