Spirit of Hope
A Nation Created in a Spirit of Hope | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Hope is the Spirit of Freedom | |
| Capital | Haless |
| Official languages | English |
| Demonym(s) | Hopians |
| Government | Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic and Monarchy |
| House of Lords | |
| House of Citizens | |
| Establishment | |
• Signing the Treaty Creating A Nation in a Spirit of Hope | 1653 |
| Population | |
• 2019 estimate | 524,000,000 |
• 2016 census | 523,645,720 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | 30.02 Trillion |
• Per capita | 57,643 |
| HDI (2018) | .932 very high |
| Currency | Mark |
| Driving side | right |
| Internet TLD | .soh |
A Nation Created in a Spirit of Hope, commonly known as Spirit of Hope (SoH), is a country comprising of 13 kingdoms. The capital is Haless, which also serves as the capital for that kingdom.
The boundaries of Spirit of Hope were created in antiquity, with the creation of the Fromosian Empire. The Fromosian empire lasted a little over a century before collapsing due to internal power struggles. In it's place thirteen separate nations arose, and began to fight for dominance of the region.
In 1594 the Formation Wars began when X and Y went to war over a disputed bit of territory, the conflict quickly engulfed the entire region, and by 1601 every one of the thirteen nations was involved in the conflict. Over the next fifty years the region was devastated by the war, and the original cause of the war was quickly forgotten. By 1652 all participant nations were exhausted from the war, and due to complicated dynastic marriages, ongoing conflict, and assassinations, most of the royal families had consolidated on King Abelard the First. Starting in 1653 King Abelard held a series of peace negotiations to end the conflict and consolidate his new realm. In 1654 the Treaty Creating A Nation in a Spirit of Hope was signed, creating the modern empire and setting out the government system.
Politics and Government
Spirit of Hope is divided into 13 independent kingdoms, each controlling internal policing and government. The federal government is responsible for governing trade between the kingdoms and foreign policy, however by controlling the distribution of tax money it is able to heavily influence each kingdoms internal policies.
The federal government has three branches:
- The Executive: Formally the Emperor is the head of the Executive Branch, however all power has been devolved to the office of the President. The executive branch is responsible for regulatory actions and the governance of the empire.
- Legislator: Made up of the House of Lords and House of Citizens, makes federal laws and sets federal taxes.
- Judicial: Headed by the Supreme Judiciary, it investigates crimes, conducts trials and arbitration, and interprets laws and how they interact with the founding treaty for Spirit of Hope.
The Executive Branch is separated into multiple Departments each headed by a minister, the President appoints the ministers but requires the consent of the House of Citizens. The President is elected every 6 years and is restricted to only one term in office.
The Legislative Branch is made up of the House of Citizens and House of Lords. The House of the Citizens has 500 seats, representing multi members districts apportioned by population. Districts can, and often do, cross kingdom lines and are designed to group geographic and ethnic regions by the Judiciary. Elections are held every 2 years for all seats. The House of the Lords has 52 seats, four for each Kingdom. Formally they are appointed by the head of state of each kingdom, but for over 100 years all have been elected by their kingdom population at large. They hold their seat for eight years, with one seat being elected every two years. The House of Lords is unable to propose new laws and is restricted in its ability to impede the passing of laws by the House of Citizens. The Legislative Branch has a small number of departments that answer to the Prime Minister (head of the House of Citizens) instead of answering to the President.
The Judicial Branch is made up of a series of court levels. Judges are nominated by the next level of court, selected by the President, and confirmed by the House of Citizens and Lords. While the Executive Branch conducts regulatory actions, such as fines and licensing, the Judicial Branch is responsible for formally investigating breaches of the law that could result in criminal trials, the conduct of trials, and the interpretation of laws. The highest Court level is the Court of Treaty Enforcement, members are nominated by sitting members with a treaty limit of 21 Judges.
Military
The President is the commander in chief of the country's armed forces and appoints the heads of the different branches of the armed forces, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Emperor's Own. Total active forces are over 1 million personnel, with reserves bringing the total to around 2 million.
Military service is voluntary, however conscription has been used in the past and in extreme circumstances the President can call for conscription again. Between the Navies amphibious assault ships, and the Air Forces transport capability, the Spirit of Hope armed forces can rapidly deploy anywhere in the world.
The total Budget of the armed forces in 2016 was over $600 Billion. During that time the Spirit of Hope Army has a budget of $251 Billion, composed of 11 active divisions, 9 reserve divisions, the Emperors Own Brigade, and a number of independent smaller units. The Air Force and Navy each have a budget of $203 Billion in 2016.
Spirit of Hope is a declared nuclear power, with it's primary means of delivery being ICBM's carried by the nations submarine force. A limited number of air and surface launched cruise missile warheads are declared. Spirit of Hope denies any chemical or biological weapons, but does carry out defensive research.
Economy
Spirit of Hope is a developed country with a high income and mixed economy. The private sector is estimated to constitute approximately 75% of the economy. Federal spending accounted for roughly 10%, with kingdom funding, including federal transfers, amounting to the remaining 15%. With abundant natural resources and a large industrial base, Spirit of Hope is a net exporter despite its postindustrial economy.
Major finished exports include electronics, cars and parts for cars, and ships and other vessels. Spirit of Hope is also a net exporter of oil and other petroleum products, along with other raw resources such as natural gas, coal, iron, copper, lead, magnesium, tungsten and graphite.
The various governmental level of Spirit of Hope work to maintain low debt and a strong fiscal reserve to counter financial emergencies. The Imperial Bank is the central bank for Spirit of Hope, it is run as a public private collaboration.
Transportation
Spirit of Hope has a technologically advanced transportation network, consisting of high speed and normal railways, highways, bus routes, river and canal routes, and air routes that crisscross the country.
High speed passenger rail lines connect the major cities of Spirit of Hope, with services at 400 km/h. In addition their is an extensive regular rail network that connects smaller cities and towns, along with providing for the transport of bulk or heavier goods. All major cities have urban subway and rapid transit systems.
There are over fifteen international airports in Spirit of Hope, that regularly support large international flights as well as internal flights, both for passengers as well as freight. Three major domestic airlines dominate the market, however smaller airlines exist and many international flights are owned by international airlines.
River and canal services still support the bulk transfer of some goods, such as iron and some agricultural goods, however they are largely a legacy system that has been overtaken by rail for other markets.
Electric vehicles account for 2.3 percent of vehicles on the road in 2020. Use of electric vehicles is encouraged through increased taxation on gas and subsidized charging stations.
Energy
Nuclear Power produces 80% of Spirit of Hopes electrical power, with the remaining 20% produced by a combination of hydro and solar. Construction of new nuclear power plants is ongoing, with three more reactors scheduled to come online in 2030 and cover the decommissioning of older reactors. Spirit of Hope enriches it's own uranium, however a majority of the uranium is imported.
Renewable energy sources, such as hydro, solar, and wind, have been gaining a larger market share over the last two decades, rising from less than 10% in 2000 to slightly over 20% in 2018. The role of renewable energy sources continues to increase, with plans for hydro, solar, and wind sources to account for 40% of the energy grid by 2050.
Science and Technology
Spirit of Hope has been a strong contender in science and technology since the mid 19th century following government investments in higher education and improvements to public education.
Aerospace
Spirit of Hope has a robust Aerospace industry dominated by two competing launch companies, with the Air Force conducting military launches and the Imperial Air and Space Foundation conducting research and development.
The IASF maintains a small space station used for research with plans to expand it to support planned deep space manned flights. In addition the IASF has landed unmanned probes on the moon and several planets of the solar system.