Kolhar

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Federal State of Kolhar ꡀꡟꡂ ꡘꡠꡋꡎꡦꡋ ꡞ ꡢꡡꡘꡦꡘ kug renban i qorar
Flag
Anthem: "Hail, Our Nation!"
Capital	Vakor
Other languages	Kolhari
Demonym(s)	Kolhari
Government	Federal presidential republic under a Single-party authoritarian dictatorship
• Davil	Arez Brionan
Legislature	Congress
Area
• Total	239,930 km2 (92,640 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	39,534,000
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$590.321 billion
• Per capita	$14,932
Date format	YYYY-MM-DD
Driving side	left
Internet TLD	.kl

Kolhar, officially the Federal State of Kolhar, is an island nation in Aurelia. It covers 239,930 km² spread across 2 large islands, alongside a number of smaller islands. Most of these islands are in a desert climate, though the eastern portion of the main island is home to a relatively more moderate climate. It has a population of about 39,534,000 people, mostly concentrated in the eastern side of the island and along the countries rivers.

Etymology

Main article: Names of Kolhar

The name for Kolhar written in Kolhari is ꡢꡡꡘꡦꡘ and pronounced qorar. Before the adoption of this name, the Sheng dynasty referred to the country as Kolkug (written 戈國). Later Kolhari scribes would abandon this Sheng writing, due to the fact that the characterand 戈 also referred to a type of tool (specifically an axe). They instead wrote the name of the country as 高春, meaning "great spring" or "high spring" and read it as "Kolhar". Over time this would evolve into the modern pronunciation qorar.

History

Early Settlement

The earliest record of human settlement on the islands of Kolhar date back to 30,000 BCE. During this time an ancient paleolithic hunter-gatherer culture existed on the island. 15,000 BCE saw the development of some rudimentary agriculture and the first signs of pottery on the islands. Starting from around 700 BCE there was a large migration to the islands from the north. Based on the records of the tools used, these people are believed to be proto-Mitonese, and would continue to migrate to the island until roughly 1 CE. Around 400 BCE a separate wave of migration to Kolhar began from the east, where proto-Kolhari's migrated from the Aurelian mainland to the island. These combined developments led to the introduction of metallurgy from the Sheng dynasty to the north. However, they also led to a sustained conflict between the Kolharic and Mitonic migrants.

The first written records of Kolhar appear in the Sheng Book of the Seas. Compiled in 75 CE, it describes Kolhar as divided between more than 100 states, though modern historians generally regard these to be advanced tribal communities that were on the verge of becoming city-states. The first state that has archaeological evidence to back up its existence is Sankug, written 散國. It is unclear when this country came into existence, however archaeological evidence dates back to at least 230 CE. Sheng writings indicate them having received an embassy from them in 329 CE. Written records from the Sheng dynasty indicate this state spoke not a proto-Kolhari language, but a proto-Mitonic language. A base vocabulary compiled by the Sheng show far more words with Mitonese roots than Kolharic roots, and a description of the grammar indicates a language closely related to proto-Mitonese. The second state with archaeological evicende would be that of Kolkug, written 戈國. It is also unclear when this country came into existence, however the earliest archaeological evidence of dates back to roughly 290 CE. Sheng writings indicate them having received an embassy from them in 343 CE. Sheng records indicate this country to be the first state that speaks a Kolharic language to come into existence in the region.

Politics

Arez Brionan, the current Davil of Kolhar

Kolhari politics take place in the framework of a presidential republic. The Davil acts as both the head of state and head of government. According to the constitution there are limits places on the Davil's power, however in practice the Davil wields unlimited and unchecked political authority through the entire country. The current Davil of Kolhar is Arez Brionan, who has ruled the country since the 1990 Kolhari Davil election. He it was reported that he won that election with 93.7% of the vote, however the election was widely regarded as a sham.

While officially the law allows opposition political parties, in practice no political party has official recognition aside from the Kolhari Advancement Party, and the country operates as a de facto one-party state.

Human Rights

Human rights are severely curtailed within Kolhar, with many rights being regularly ignored or violated.

The law of Kolhar protects freedom of religion, and people are generally free to practice any religion they please privately. However, public expression of religion is generally prohibited. Religious leaders are prohibited from making any sort of political statements opposing the government, with any violations of this resulting in harsh reprisals from authorities. The government regularly monitors religious organizations of all types, mostly to ensure that nothing political is being discussed in religious sermons.

Demographics

Religion

According to the results of the 2017 census, roughly 73% of Kolhari people identified as belonging to Qodism. Another 16% identified as Buddhist, with the strongest presence of Buddhists being in the west of the country. 5% identified as belonging to Tikism, and the remaining 6% were divided between atheists or belong to various other religions.

Qodism is the traditional Kolhari religion, and the largest religion followed in Kolhar. It is characterized by strong ancestor worship, with the religion explicitly teaching that there are no more living deities. Instead, many figures worshipped in Qodism are viewed as ancestors.

Buddhism was introduced to Kolhar in the 430's. It was introduced by many escaping the crackdown on the Lotus Uprisings in the late Sheng dynasty, and was quickly adopted by the proto-Mitonese population of the time. When the proto-Mitonese in Kolhar assimilated into Kolhari culture, they carried over their religion. Eventually Buddhism gained a respected place in Kolhari society, becoming an accepted minority religion. Many Buddhist religious figures were regarded as spiritual leaders and wise advisors, with them being employed by Kolhari nobility at many points in history.