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Mascylla

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Mascyllary Reich

Maskillisches Reich
(Hesurian)
Motto: "Nihil sine Deo"
"Nothing without God" (Cambran)
Anthem: "Geeint in Blut und Schwur"
"United in Blood and Oath"
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Location of Mascylla (dark green) in Berea (dark grey and green)
Location of Mascylla (dark green) in Berea (dark grey and green)
Aurorum Mascylla locator map III.png
CapitalKönigsreh
Largest cityFlussmund
Official languagesHesurian
Recognised national languagesCuthish, Waldish, Therundian, Warnoan
Ethnic groups
84.2% Mascyllary
10.5% other Telmerian
3.0% Black
2.3% Other
Demonym(s)Mascyllary
GovernmentFederal parliamentary elective monarchy (mixed)
• Queen
Dorothy I
Thomas Falkner
The Viscount Weidmann of Wietzen
Walther Steintz
LegislatureParliament
Reichssenat
Reichsrat
Establishment
4 September 1789—29 March 1793
18 May 1793
25 October—1 December 1847
10 May 1923—22 January 1924
• Current constitution adopted
24 January 1924
• Founded the TU
21 March 1984
Area
• Total
711,482.6 km2 (274,705.0 sq mi)
• Water (%)
2.1%
Population
• 2021 estimate
Increase 89,230,070
• 2020 census
Increase 88,972,336
• Density
125.1/km2 (324.0/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2020 estimate
• Total
Decrease $5.240 trillion
• Per capita
Decrease $58,901
GDP (nominal)2020 estimate
• Total
Increase $4.796 trillion
• Per capita
Increase $53,417
Gini (2017)Negative increase 28.2
low
HDI (2018)Increase 0.922
very high
CurrencyMascyllary karning (MKN, Ӄ)
Date formatDD/MM/YYYY
Driving sideright
Calling code+47
Internet TLD.mc

Mascylla (Hesurian: Maskillien [maski:ljən]), officially the Mascyllary Reich[a] or Crowned Republic of Mascylla (CRM)[b], and rarely fallisized as Mascily, is a sovereign state on the Telmerian peninsula in northern Berea while also comprising Overseas Territories in Alvinia and the Agric Ocean. It is bordered to the west by Temaria, Lilienburg, and Lake Sigismund, to the south by Cuthland and X, to the east by Valimia, and to the north by the North Sea and White Sea, with additional maritime boundaries with X to the north and Norden to the west. Königsreh is the country's capital, and together with Flussmund is one of the two main cultural and economic centres of Mascylla; other major cities and urban areas include Lancaide, Augusthal, Lansbruck, Carnitz, Pereuth, and Breisgau. With a population of approximately 89 million inhabitants as of 2020 and a territorial area of 711,482.6 km2 (247,705.1 sq mi), Mascylla is both the second-most populous and second-largest country in Telmeria, after Valimia.

Mascylla is a federal parliamentary elective constitutional monarchy since 1847. Current monarch since 2006 and the second female head of state in Mascylla's history is Dorothea I, while Thomas Falkner is elected head of government as Prime Minister since 2016. The constitution adopted in 1924 determines the separation of power is exercised through the country's bicameral Reichsrat and Reichssenat, the Royal Government in the name of the Monarch, and the High Court.

The area of what is now Mascylla was originally inhabited by a number of Telmerian tribes, most notably the Therunds (Terunder), Falians (Fahlier), Aldens (Aldier) and Adhuins (Adhuiner) since classical antiquity. Attempts by the Cambran Empire to expand northward beyond modern-day Dulebia were futile and its subsequent collapse was precipitated by the Migration Period in 300 AD. The newly founded Welbarian Kingdom seized territories in southern Mascylla while introducing Cambran innovations and customs to the region and developing a distinctive culture and language, forming the basis for modern Mascyllary culture. The presence of the Welbarians prompted the slow creation of duchies and states from the Mascyllary tribes, and by 1000 AD most of Mascylla had been organized into a patchwork of petty kingdoms and duchies (Kleinstaaterei). Thereafter, religious disputes and a prolonged series of dynastic disputes dominated Mascyllary politics in the Middle Ages, increasingly influenced by the growing presence of the First Cuthish Empire and Loxstedt-Hoeveden Monarchy. In 1785, the unification process of Mascylla was initiated with the establishment of the Elbgau Confederation, and in 1793, the War of the Five Kings and Treaty of Lancaide resulted in the formation of the Aldian-led Mascyllary Kingdom.

Mascylla soon developed into a great power and controlled the second-largest colonial empire in history. Imperialist ambitions and the Cuthish–Mascyllary enmity were partly responsible for the 1911 Great War, which left Mascylla an influentual albeit devastated superpower and the world's largest economy. Following the 1923 Mascyllary Revolution, a crowned republic was proclaimed; active decolonization and the civil rights movement accompanied the Great Game, a post-war struggle for global ideological and economic dominance throughout the 20th century against the Mageiros League and the X. In 1944, the BDTA was formed, and in 1981, Sigma 5 first landed humans on the Moon. Berean integration became a priority for Mascyllary foreign policy after the foundation of the Telmerian Union in 1984, and the Treaty of Toulogne in 2009. In 1991, the July 20 attacks became the worst act of terrorism in history.

As the single largest economy by nominal GDP and second-largest by PPP, Mascylla is a highly developed country, the world's largest importer, and the second-largest export nation. It ranks highly in metrices of human development, education, political and personal freedom, healthcare, life expectancy, and economic competitiveness. Generally considered to be one of the world's great powers, it is a permanent member state of the Assembly of Nations Security Council and recognized nuclear-weapon state. It is a member of the Assembly of Nations, BDTA, Telmerian Union, CBEA, and ECDF.

Etymology

History

Prehistory

Middle Ages

Early modern period

Mascyllary Kingdom (1793–1923)

Revolution, Great Game, and late 20th century (1924–1991)

Peter Zeschtemann, revolutionary figure and first Prime Minister of the Crowned Republic in 1924–1940

Ultimately, the worsening conditions and the inability of the Königsreh government to face and fight these issues culminated in the 1923–24 Mascyllary Revolution. King Louis I abdicated, along with his subordinate nobility (Reichsfürste), and was murdered, while Friedrich Estermann proclaimed a republic ("Mairepublik") on 23 May, 1923. The power vacuum precipitated a bloody political struggle with street fighting in major cities, representing opportunities for the KPM to proclaim a soviet republic and seize power in the Red Uprising. In January 1924, the Marlau Constitution was ratified, and Peter Zeschtemann was elected Prime Minister. Political instability continued well into the 1920s, however, with attempts at overthrowing the democratic government (Litten Putsch, Röhrn uprising, Pereuth uprising) or assassinating members of it (Wilhelm Gerion).

Unprecedented economic growth and various reform policies during the “Goldene Zwanziger” strengthened the stability of the Crowned Republic, which introduced social welfare, housing programs, and infrastructure build-up (Autobahn). The effects of the period resulted in women's suffrage in 1926 and alcohol prohibition from 1923–1930. Amid rising protests, Mascylla released Melasia under Wilhelm Keller into independence with the 1929 Fleicher Accord, setting in motion the beginning of Weltreich decolonization.

The Ace test of Operation Whitehorse, a joint project with Falland, was the first nuclear weapons test in history

In response to the Western War and the 1932 Guarantee Declaration, Mascylla re-introduced general conscription and modernized its military. Geopolitical tensions between a resurgent Cuthish State and Mascylla came to a head with the Melasian Crisis of 1941–43, which saw imperialist attempts to regain control over Melasia and the mobilization of the Cuthish military in response; millions of internally displaced Melasians were subsequently forced to flee. In the wake of the looming Great Game, Mascylla was the leading founding member of the BDTA in 1944, and the conservative Peter Zeschtemann was replaced with the social democratic Ernest Rähner in 1956. The nationalization of various major industries, the introduction of social security legislation, and the establishment of a national health service in 1941 profoundly impacted post-revolution society. The Heisserer doctrine opposed regime change of left-wing governments in countries throughout the world, leading to Mascyllary military involvement in the Kenlongese War (1944–1951), Rovinan Civil War, and Chasunese War (1957–58) to use these conflicts as proxy wars. In 1950, Mascylla became the first country to develop nuclear weapons (Ace test).

Wolfgang Behrest oversaw spectacular economic growth, the Wirtschaftswunder, urbanization, and drastic population growth after the introduction of the “social market economy” in the 1950s; however, he could not avoid the policy of active decolonization as formulated in the 1946 Cambra Conference, which rapidly accelerated into the 1960s. By 1990, most colonies were either released into independence or given back to sovereign states, and the remainder reorganized to become Overseas Territories (Überseegebiete). Nevertheless, Mascylla continued to maintain its position as a foremost great power. Reforms implemented by the Behrest government culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1962, but its passing put a severe strain on the SDP-Centre grand coalition that led to the 1964 government crisis.

Right-wing conservatist Ulrich Werner was met with fierce criticism by the student movement of 1966 that disrupted national political discourse and led to mass demonstrations. The coinciding counterculture movement encompassed social criticism, the sexual revolution, and the gay rights movement. Amid the unfolding Kornbach scandal, Werner was forced to resign in 1968. The Melasian Oil Crisis precipitated the 1967 oil crisis, forcing the thriving Mascyllary economy into stagflation and ultimately into a steep recession that could not be adequately mitigated or resolved until the 1980s. Since 1967, the Revolutionary Garrison, a left-wing militant organization, led a near-continuous wave of terrorist attacks, dominating domestic and security policy throughout the 1970s and beyond.

Sigma 5 in May 1981 was the first manned lunar landing in history, the culmination of the Space Race, and a major political achievement of collaboration during the Great Game.

Konrad Dierck’s policy of geopolitical relaxation, having had a significant effect apparent in the state visit of Elfric Mendenhall in 1970, was continued and intensified with David Gehlgen’s Südpolitik. Amid this period of international détente, Mascylla and the PRD collaborated in the Sigma space program during the Space Race, culminating in the first manned lunar landing (Sigma 5) in 1981. The SDP also underwent an all-encompassing transformation away from its socialist ideals to a more moderate form of left-wing politics (Lambsdorff Declaration). Gehlgen’s government strived for ambitious reform programs, evident in its attempts to combat the worsening economic crisis (floating exchange rate of the karning in 1974), new criminal law, the fight against racial discrimination, the handling of abortions, and the lowering of the voting age. The 1976 coal strike, 1977 government crisis, and the Wörner–Schuman affair were episodes of crisis during his tenure. In 1978, Lucas III became King following the abdication of Maximilian I.

In 1981, Charlotte Mayn became the first female Prime Minister after her electoral victory. The 1980s in politics also saw the political realignment known as the “Herbstwende” as well as the electoral success of the Green Movement. Mayn implemented a supply-side economic policy to combat economic downturn and soaring inflation, most notably by privatizing numerous industries (Maynism). Additionally, her foreign policy was of aggressive posture (“Rückdrängen”) and was followed by a drastic increase in defense spending. As a result of the efforts of the Mayn government, national debt nearly quadrupled due to deficit spending. In 1984, Mascylla was instrumental to the establishment of the Telmerian Union (TU) in the Treaty of Lilienburg, an important step towards Berean integration. However, the crash and financial crisis of 1987 caused the most significant national economic contraction since the Great War and the workers’ strike of 1988, ultimately ousting Mayn from power in 1989.

Contemporary history (1991–present)

Leaders of the BEC and the TU during the Treaty of Toulogne, 2009

Michael Meilke attempted to curb the economic crisis with the “Aufbau Land” program and the Treuhandanstalt, inadvertently causing unemployment to spike in the early 1990s. The terrorist attacks on 20 July, 1991, claimed the lives of 507 people, making it the worst act of terrorism in the country’s history. The dissolution of the X in 1992 was a major turning point for the Great Game, paving the way for a brief period of global BDTA unipolarity, before the Ochoccola War and the Akawhk Crisis in 1994 rekindled tensions with Cuthland. The Digital Revolution aided Mascylla’s recovery from the Great Recession, and the Centre Party reformed itself (Langquaid Agenda, RU/ABP) in light of their recent electoral defeat. In early 2000, Michael Meilke was assassinated in a bombing attack.

In the early 2000s, Konrad Folln’s social democratic government tackled chronic unemployment with job-creating programs and new minimum wages to mediocre effect and emphasized ecology as a priority of his policies with the initiation of the nuclear phase-out (Atomausstieg) and the eco-tax. Following Lucas III’s abdication in 2005, Dorothy I became the first queen regnant since 1847, but her accession was overshadowed by the Breisgau bombing of the 2006 Auroran Summer Games.

Mascylla ratified the Treaty of Toulogne, taking the step towards membership in the Common Berean Economic Area (CBEA), in 2009. 2015 was designated as an annus horribilis by the Mascyllary monarchy, and in 2016, the Hunsbüttel affair rocked politics which led to the resignation of Lothar Obrecht’s administration. The RU/ABP gained their largest electoral victory in over half a century in the ensuing elections. Thomas Falkner emphasized the energy transition (Energiewende), the introduction of a national debt brake (Schuldenbremse), and efforts to aid Mascylla in its transition towards high-tech industry in his government since 2016.

Geography

General and topographic map of Mascylla

Mascylla is situated in the north of the Telmerian peninsula of the Berean continent, bordering X to the north, Valimia to the east, X to the southeast, X to the south, Lilienburg to the south-southwest, and Temaria and Cuthland to the west. Furthermore, it is bound by Lake Sigismund to the southwest, the White Sea to the northwest and north, the Hallerweg strait in the north dividing the Jusland peninsula from X, the North Sea to the north-east, and Lake Decia to the southeast. The territorial extent of Mascylla covers an area of 711,482.6 km2 (or 247,705.1 sq mi), 2.1% or 14,941.1 km2 (5,768.8 sq mi) of which are areas of water; this makes Mascylla the largest country by size in Telmeria (excluding Dulebia and Valimia) and the Xth largest in the world. The country also encompasses overseas territories worldwide, the largest of which by land area and population being Akawhk in Alvinia.

Its most notable feature is the abundance of diverse topographical and geological assets, having been amassed throughout its turbulent geographical history. The Weisenian mountains in the west of the country are the highest elevated areas of Mascylla, with the Schneespeer (at 2,597 meters or 8,520 feet) as its peak, while numerous collections of mountains and small ranges dot the central highlands region of Mascylla. The coastal areas are dominated by two low-lying agrarable and lightly forested plains, forming the Eastern Mascyllary Plain to the east and the Fanian Plain to the northwest.

These regions are traversed by some of Telmeria's longest and major rivers, including the River Blaugold, Mogd, Lahr, Warne, Rohrn, and Lanne, and feature an abundance of waterways and lakes, the most notable of which are Lake Sigismund (Sigismundmeer), the Welbernsee, Lake Decia (Delchsesee), and the Amsernsee. Due to its geological activity and diverse landscape, Mascylla is a deposit for numerous natural resources and biodiverse habitats.

Topography and geology

Map of the geological composition of Mascylla by age and phenomena
The Schneespeer, the highest mountain in Mascylla with a height of 2,597 m (8,520 ft), in the Weisenian Mountains, formed from short-lived volcanic activity and large-scale area uplift

Its topographic outline is distinctive enough to be divided into three major regions—that of the Fanian Plain, Eastern Mascyllary Plain, and Central Mountains massif. The central regions of Mascylla feature rugged and a patternless clusters of highlands, small mountainous ranges, and hillsides, predominantly formed through ancient volcanic processes caused by the creation of the Ejeva Mountains to the south of Mascylla and Telmeria and the recent geologic development of the Cuthish Rift Valley to the west. Tectonic instability following the irregular collision of the Pamiran with the Dentro-Telmerian Plate some 42 million years ago fractured its central areas and allowed for short-lived volcanic activity that created numerous small volcanoes and uplifted large areas.

Ultimately, this first phase of mountain building came to a halt 30 million years ago when the collision and creation of the Ejeva Mountains also stopped. However, the triggered fracturing gravely destabilized the entire plate. The Cuthish Rift Valley formed from substantial crust thinning and the establishment of a graben along the foreland basin of the too recently formed Dentrian Mountains, causing further isolated volcanic activity and the uplift of its eastern rift flank which built the present-day Weisenian and Holnian mountains 28 million years ago. Due to this geological activity, the ancient Telmerian Lake was drained and transformed into the Eastern Mascyllary Plain. At the same time, the Meinhard central massif was carved out from basalt deposits through the first initial volcanic phase.

While Mascylla's major topographic makeup is geologically young in its development, the massif on which it sits was created nearly a billion years ago, and some of its heavily eroded and almost decimated mountains still exist, such as the linear hill and mountain ranges of Jusland (the Farstwald and Schwesengebirge) or the Meinhard massif. The latter is speculated to have originated from a magma plume submerged and active 260 million years ago and later uplifted with the creation of the Ejeva Mountains. Its bedrock is primarily covered in younger volcanic materials and layers, which protected it from aggressive erosion, and was geologically only recently resurfaced. This process is the only one in Mascylla to be an ongoing activity, and in tandem with the Cuthish Rift Valley, the cause for several historical earthquakes and small-scale volcanic eruptions as recently as 300 years ago.

Mascylla was substantially covered by a glacier shield at least 500 meters thick during the last ice age. This resulted in the depressions of today's Fanian and Eastern Mascyllary Plain while heavily eroding much of the mountains' previous material and mass. When global temperatures rose again, the ice cover melted away and released enormous amounts of fresh water, filling the low-lying areas of the Cuthish Rift Valley and eventually forming Lake Sigismund as a glacial lake. The steep canyons and river valleys of the Central Mountains can also be attributed to the sudden heavy erosion experienced shortly after the Pleistocene ice age. The sediments of the mountains carried away by massive rivers eventually culminated as expansive sandy deltas and marshlands, amassing and draining large swaths of previous shallow waters over time. As a result, extensive flat plains were created that today constitute Mascylla's low-lying coastal areas and their fertility.

Climate

Mascylla is entirely situated within the temperate climate zone of Telmeria in the planet's westerlies zone and on a transitional area between the oceanic climate of Dentria and western Berea and the continental climate of Pamira. The climate of Mascylla is also influenced by the X Stream, which is responsible for unusually high annual temperature averages at such a local latitude, supplying Mascylla and Telmeria with primarily wet and mild oceanic air. The influence of the Agric Ocean decreases significantly when moving from west to east. A maritime climate with minor temperature differences between winter and summer is found along the coastlines, the adjacent hinterland, and areas up to the Lensrau Basin and Unterelpser Wald foreland. Additionally, seasonal temperature fluctuations increase when traveling southward to Holnia and Adwinia.

However, major climatic differences also occur due to the country's obstructive and rugged topographical relief, which makes the passage of warm and cold air especially in the central regions of Mascylla difficult. While valleys and lowlands such as the Blaugold Valley and Dahle Valley allow for cold air to leave the mountainous areas and warm air to highten its average temperatures, most areas and ranges remain generally more influenced by continental weather patterns than the geographically closer maritime climate.

When considering the national measurements of 1934–2000, the annual average temperature is approximately 17.6 °C, and the national amount of precipitation is estimated at 596.8 mm. While Mascylla enjoys much of the calibrating and controlling meteorological effects of large bodies of water, it has witnessed multiple extreme weather phenomena. The highest temperature on record and validified by the Mascyllary Meteorological Service (MMD) was 37.4 °C on 10 August 2019 in Sonthofen in Holnia, while the coldest temperature measured in Mascylla was at –22.5 °C on 19 January 1935, recorded in Munstborn, Adwinia. Natural meteorological hazards of Mascylla include forest fires such as the Thulba Fire of 2019, windstorms (called Orkane) such as Orkan Ariadne in 1998 or Orkan Lothar in 2006, and thunderstorms, floodings, storm surges, and landslides.

Climate data for Königsreh (Schönhoch), normals 1975–present, extremes 1950–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.5
(59.9)
17.0
(62.6)
25.3
(77.5)
28.9
(84.0)
32.4
(90.3)
34.9
(94.8)
35.1
(95.2)
37.4
(99.3)
32.8
(91.0)
27.2
(81.0)
21.1
(70.0)
14.0
(57.2)
37.4
(99.3)
Average high °C (°F) 6.9
(44.4)
8.7
(47.7)
10.0
(50.0)
12.2
(54.0)
17.6
(63.7)
19.1
(66.4)
24.8
(76.6)
26.4
(79.5)
21.7
(71.1)
19.5
(67.1)
12.5
(54.5)
5.7
(42.3)
15.4
(59.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.8
(35.2)
2.3
(36.1)
5.3
(41.5)
11.0
(51.8)
14.1
(57.4)
16.9
(62.4)
18.4
(65.1)
20.2
(68.4)
16.6
(61.9)
9.4
(48.9)
6.6
(43.9)
3.7
(38.7)
10.5
(50.9)
Average low °C (°F) −0.7
(30.7)
−0.2
(31.6)
1.1
(34.0)
4.6
(40.3)
7.2
(45.0)
10.4
(50.7)
13.8
(56.8)
15.0
(59.0)
12.3
(54.1)
8.8
(47.8)
3.4
(38.1)
1.2
(34.2)
6.4
(43.5)
Record low °C (°F) −22.5
(−8.5)
−16.8
(1.8)
−9.9
(14.2)
−5.3
(22.5)
−4
(25)
1.7
(35.1)
3.3
(37.9)
6.5
(43.7)
2.9
(37.2)
−1.6
(29.1)
−13.7
(7.3)
−20.2
(−4.4)
−22.5
(−8.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 47.3
(1.86)
40.5
(1.59)
39.7
(1.56)
36.0
(1.42)
58.8
(2.31)
70.1
(2.76)
62.1
(2.44)
59.2
(2.33)
86.9
(3.42)
31.3
(1.23)
26.9
(1.06)
38.0
(1.50)
596.8
(23.50)
Average snowy days 13 9 7 2 0 0 0 0 1 4 12 18 66
Mean monthly sunshine hours 61.7 77.6 119.4 165.6 228.1 236.9 240.3 216.2 160.8 119.4 63.5 57.3 1,746.8
Average ultraviolet index 1 1 3 4 6 6 6 6 4 2 1 1 3
Source: MMD and MaskData

Biodiversity and environment

The red deer, a protected mammal and one of the two national animals of Mascylla

The biological territory of Mascylla lies predominantly in the temperate climate zone, and its natural vegetation marks a distinct transformation from an oceanic to a continental climate. The flora of the country without human interaction is mostly constituted by deciduous forests of beeches and oaks and conifer forests of spruces and pines, excluding unfertile and arid areas such as mountain summits, heaths, moorlands and alpine und subalpine highlands, which are largely free of vegetation and colder in their climates. Locally, the flora in Mascylla exhibits a large diversification due to local factors of the terrain and mesoclimatic location, which resulted in large numbers of different species of ferns, flowers, fungi, and mosses.

Around 45,000 species of animals are identified and verified to live in Mascylla, which, compared other Berean ecological areas, makes it a somewhat less diverse region. Native wild mammals of Mascylla include deers such as the roe deer, wild boars, foxes, martens, and lynxes; birds of Mascylla are, for example, the osprey, white-tailed eagle, and falcon, while marine species include seals, certain whales, and amphibians. Beavers and otters are relatively rare inhabitants of rivers and lakes, albeit with a growing population. Dense and increasing human populations throughout history led to the devastation and extinction of various animals such as the wisent, native salmon, brown bear, wolf, and moose. However, recent efforts have successfully resettled populations of them in protected areas.

As of 2017, 29% of Mascylla's area was covered in forests and more than half of the entire region, at 52%, was devoted to agriculture, two-thirds used for pastures and greenlands, and the remainder for actual agricultural activities. The protection and preservation of nature is defined by the Constitution as a public duty and designated policy target; ecological protection is guaranteed through 20 national parks (Nationalparks), 24 biosphere reserves (Biosphärenreservate), 111 nature parks (Naturreservate) and thousands of nature protection areas, landscape protection areas and natural memorials.

Politics

Government

Mascylla is a federal parliamentary representative democracy formally governed by a constitutional elective monarchy, as codified and set by its Constitution. Exercising the separation of powers, the country's political system is divided into the executive, legislative, and judiciary, each controlled by a separate institution. Formally and de jure, the Monarch of Mascylla is the head of the executive branch and, therefore, head of state, ceremonial commander-in-chief of the armed forces in peacetime and most influential political instance in Mascyllary politics due to the royal prerogative privilege of assent. Foreign legal scholars repeatedly refer to Mascylla as being a mixed government and crowned republic, the latter of which is embraced as a term and occasionally used by government authorities.

However, since 1924 these powers are primarily vested in ceremonial and representative responsibilities and duties held mainly by the Prime Minister, who serves as the head of government and exercises de facto executive power. The Prime Minister is formally appointed and approved by the Monarch if they can wield the confidence of parliament through a single-party majority or coalition government. The ministers of the cabinet are then proposed by the Prime Minister, who are in turn either approved or rejected by the Reichsrat. The current Prime Minister since 2016 is Thomas Falkner of the RU, and the current Monarch since 2005 is Queen Dorothy I.

The political system of Mascylla as laid out by its Constitution and Krongesetz (since 1924)
The Reichsrat building in central Königsreh, where the country's official parliament is housed

The political system is laid out by the frameworks of the Constitution (Reichsverfassung), and Crown Law (Krongesetz) established in 1924 and 1930. Essential concepts of the system, such as the federal structure, respect for human rights and the rule of law were officially added in 1924 and are protected by a status of perpetual validity. Direct democracy is supported through the availability of protests, referenda, a multi-party system and accountancy of the government, and guaranteed freedoms of expression, assembly, and universal suffrage beginning at age 18.

The legislative is composed of two institutions, the Reichsrat and Reichssenat, which wield legislative power to propose and decide on law proposals and amendments. While the Reichssenat is not an official institution established by either document, it has been preserved since the country's unification in 1793. The Reichsrat is directly elected using the mixed-member proportional representation system, while the Reichssenat, as the representative body of Mascylla's federal states and free cities, is appointed by the individual state governments or generally comprised mainly of a number of noble peers (Paire). The legislative chambers have a broad set of political options and powers and are overseen by the President of the Reichssenat (Präsident des Reichssenates), currently The Viscount Weidmann of Wietzen, and the Prime Speaker of the Reichsrat (Oberster Sprecher des Reichsrates), currently Walther Steintz, coming second and fourth on the order of precedence, respectively. The national judiciary is embodied in the High Court of the Realm (Hohes Gericht des Reiches), led by Highest Judge Linus Pretschgen, being the official source of law of the country and guarantor and protector of the constitution.

In Mascylla's political history, the Centre Party (preceding the Rehunion), Social Democratic Party, and National Democrats have been the dominant parties, with almost every Prime Minister to date being a member of either party. However, smaller parties still retain significant power, most notably the Liberal Party, the People's Party, The Greens, and the Adwinian Citizens' Party. Almost every government was a coalition government, however, and many of the smaller parties oriented to the larger parties, who maintain catch-all blocs in hopes of better negotiating a coalition government contract with another major party bloc.

Administrative divisions

The federal system of the Crowned Republic is represented and exercised through its 22 member states, which are officially referred to as Länder ('States') or Reichsländer ('Imperial States'). The city states are individually called Freie Städte or Freie Reichsstädte ('Free Cities' or 'Free Imperial Cities') depending on the historical and economic development of the cities as free entities and encompass the states of Kronlande, interchangeably used with the city name Königsreh, Flussmund, Pereuth, and Lancaide. However, as opposed to other federal states, Mascylla does not have a territory of direct government control, such as a capital district.

The states and free cities make up the most significant devolutionary subjects of the Mascyllary federal system. However, they are subdivided into municipalities (Gemeinden) as the smallest unit of administration. They are, excluding the free city states and independent cities of the states, each summarized into districts (Landkreise), depending on the municipality's population and location.

Districts and municipalities are subject to the states' individual laws and, therefore, considerably variable. However, they have to be in compliance with the supreme constitution. Representative councils of the municipalities are directly voted by the public and enact local laws and decisions based on the larger state's actions and legal situation; while each subject or level maintains bodies of delegates, solely the legislature of the state and its government is politically relevant to the entire country, seated in the state's capital (Landeshauptstadt).

Map State Capital city Largest city Population
(December 2018)
General map of Mascylla (2022).png
Subdivision
Adwinia Breisgau Breisgau 15,826,004
Aldia Augusthal Augusthal 17,924,217
Elpsia Birchau Konreid 4,841,107
Eustria–Folnery Lensrau Lensrau 9,208,624
Falia Teufurt Teufurt 3,440,506
Flussmund 4,118,492
Holnia Lansbruck Lansbruck 11,724,292
Königsreh 3,231,326
Lower Therundy–Lancaide Lancaide Lancaide 4,815,180
Nelgery Elsterwitz Dockfurt 5,779,104
Pereuth 681,034
Shwesia Carlsweil Krielow 4,603,226
Therundy–Welsbach Carnitz Carnitz 4,644,524
Tudonia Sigairen Sigairen 2,779,224
Mascylla Mascyllary Reich Königsreh Flussmund 88,972,336

Law and law enforcement

Seat of the High Court of the Realm of Mascylla (Hohes Gericht des Reiches) in Lensrau

The Mascyllary judicial system is based on Mascyllary law of medieval origin and civil Cuthish law, most significantly the Welsbächisches Bürgerrecht and Fahner Recht, as well as a modified version of Cambran law embraced in the 12th century due to its precision, efficiency, and versility. The Crowned Republic defines itself as a constitutional state, and therefore committs itself to base political actions on the sole rule of law that the country's constitution can only regulate.

Anybody whose rights are violated by public violence or action has the right to seek legal justice in a court. The judges are independent and oblige no limitations in their jurisdiction. The justice system is primarily exercised by the states' courts individualized for certain crimes and affairs and their severity, including the Amtsgericht (district court), Landgericht, and Oberlandesgerichte (higher regional court). The highest court of the judicial system and the country's court of appeal for civil and crime-related cases, as well as the constitutional court, is that of the High Court of the Realm (Hohes Reichsgericht), while other courts are responsible for work-related (Arbeitsgericht des Reiches), political and administrative (Reichsverwaltungshof), social (Sozialgericht des Reiches) and financial cases (Reichsfinanzhof).

A police car of the Imperial Police in Breisgau, Adwinia (new livery as of 2018)

Generally, internal security is the responsibility of the individual states of Mascylla due to its federal nature. However, Mascylla instead opted to unify the state police forces into a centralized unit in 1800, today the Imperial Police (Reichspolizei). In turn, the Reichspolizei is separated into distinct branches of specialization, including security police (Schutzpolizei), riot police (Bereitschafts- und Sonderpolizei), criminal police (Kriminalpolizei), and special forces (such as the Spezialoperationseinheit (SOE) and Mobileinsatzkommando (MEK). The protection of public order is also supported by the border protection police (Reichsgrenzschutzpolizei), responsible for border protection and anti-terror measures. Other institutions include the Reichskriminalamt, used to investigate severe crimes, and the Zolldienst, Zollfahndungsamt, and Zollkriminalamt for customs enforcement. These agencies are subject to the Ministry of the Realm in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance of the Realm.

Mascylla also maintains three separate intelligence services: the civil Dienst für strategische Aufklärung (DSA) gathers civil and military intel from abroad and processes them accordingly, the internal Agentur für Demokratieschutz (ADS) oversees the protection of the constitution and deterrence of espionage, and the Reichswehr Militärischer Abschirm- und Aufklärungsdienst (MAAD). Intelligence agencies do not have the enforcement authority as opposed to police forces and are subject to more guidelines and regulations by the civil authorities.

Foreign relations and policy

The headquarters of the Assembly of Nations secretariat and general assembly in central Köpenick, Königsreh

Mascylla, as a dominant political, economic and military world power, has often established extensive relations with almost every country as part of its intricate foreign policy. Nearly every country maintains an embassy in Königsreh and additional consulates in other major Mascyllary cities; therefore, Mascylla maintains a vast network of diplomatic missions to almost every other country in the world. Mascylla hosts the headquarters of the Assembly of Nations located in Königsreh. Furthermore, it is a permanent member of the Assembly of Nations Security Council, through which it maintains its status as a recognized great power, and is is a member state of the Telmerian Union, the Common Berean Economic Area, X.

The country has played an influential role throughout much of modern Berea's history, beginning with its inception in the late 18th century. Culminating in the joint foundation of the Berean Defence Treaty Association (BDTA) of 1944, it has maintained a significantly strong relationship with Lavaria and extensive dialogue with Falland after having collaborated and cooperated during the Great Game and previously the Great War as political allies.

Relations with Cuthland remain an integral part of Mascyllary foreign policy and historically played a significant role in Mascylla's development and policymaking. While antagonizing Cuthland as a major enemy of Mascylla repeatedly through the 20th century, it has promoted the foundation of a more centralized and unified Interberean political, economic, and security system. As a result, Mascylla has been a major driving force in Telmerian and Berean economic and political co-ordination and unification (Berean integration), culminating in the Telmerian Union in 1984 (Treaty of Lilienburg), the Telmerian Joint Customs Union and Eichau Space in 1990 (Treaty of Eichau), the Telmerian Single Market in 1994 (Treaty of Aketerina), and the Common Berean Economic Area in 2009 (Treaty of Toulogne). Mascylla also maintained strong bilateral relations with its former colonies, most notably the recent rapprochement to Melasia, and continuously supplied economically or intervened in insurgencies in said colonies and generally minor states in Berea, Caphtora, and Pamira around the world, such as X in X, while being repeatedly criticized for its reactionary foreign policy and interventionism.

Military

Mascylla's Reichswehr equipment and personnel (from top left, clockwise): nuclear aircraft carrier MSS Wilhelm von Stenreck (FT-11) and multi-role frigate MSS Kurfürst (MF-71), a JS-11 Steinadler II fighter aircraft, equipped infantry forces during a tactical exercise in Falland, a G-2 Braunbär main battle tank

The Mascyllary Reichswehr is the military and paramilitary organization of Mascylla responsible for its external protection and military actions. It consists of the Streitkräfte, namely the Mascyllary Army (Heer), the Mascyllary Navy (Kriegsmarine), the Mascyllary Air Force (Luftheer); the Zivilverwaltung of the Reichswehr Joint Medial Services (Reichwehrmedizinbasis) and Joint Support Services (Streitkräftebasis) meets the role of the civil counterpart, non-combat support branch, and active police force of the military.

In its entirety, the Reichswehr deploys some 226,031 active duty soldiers and 89,210 reserve personnel as of 2020, making it one of the largest armed forces in the world and the second largest in Telmeria proper behind the Cuthish military; it has formally suspended the use of conscription in 2002. Mascylla's annual military expenditure was approximately Ӄ163.8 billion (US$147.3 billion), or 3.1% of its GDP, making it the single largest global military spender. The Reichswehr is overseen by the Ministry of Defence of the Realm. While the Monarch remains the ceremonial commander-in-chief in peacetime, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence wield executive power in essence.

A test launch of a RNK-12b Bogenschütze ICBM at Halnburg Air Base

Mascylla's military position is evident by its status as a permanent member state of the Assembly of Nations Security Council and recognized nuclear-weapon state since the testing of its first nuclear device in 1950; it has both ratified and signed the Birchau Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970 and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1984. Its current nuclear weapons stockpile (as of 2020) encompasses 390 active warheads, the second-largest in the world. Mascyllary nuclear strategy and deterrence rely on its nuclear triad capability: it maintains a fleet of 19 Pritnitz-class submarines equipped and purposed for submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), long-range strategic aircraft, such as AB-2 Donnerschlag and ABT-1 Geist bombers, capable of carrying gravity bombs, air-to-ground missiles, and cruise missiles with nuclear warheads, and silo-based ICBMs and MRBMs capable of delivering multiple nuclear weapons or one, respectively.

A large complex of civil companies supplies the Mascyllary military, stimulating one of the largest arms and aerospace industries in the world. It has also collaborated on a number of international projects with other countries, most notably the other BDTA member states and the TU. However, contemporary military doctrine has preferred the use of domestically produced arms and equipment over foreign imports. Major defense contractors such as Schütze Gneisau, LloydHansen, Friedel & Nyssen, and Albatross frequently partner with the Reichswehr in weapons development, and are among the largest arms sellers worldwide.

Economy

Königsreh is a global financial capital of the world and the country's second-most populous city

With a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $4.796 trillion in 2018, the economy of Mascylla is the single largest one in Berea and the world at large, and the second-largest one measured by PPP. Mascylla is considered to be a developed country with the third-highest Human Development Index of the world and boasting one of the largest rates of nominal GDP per capita in any country; it also ranks third in the Global Competitiveness Index of 2019. Mascylla's economic viability is mainly derived from its policy model of numerous small and medium-sized enterprises, called Mittelstand, which are especially effective and moreoften world market leaders in specialised industrial sectors. Furthermore, the human potential of Mascylla with sufficient education and a large innovation culture are seen as integral to the success of the Mascyllary economy. Mascylla's economy is defined as a highly developed and free-market-oriented social market economy. The entirety of economic productivity is brought about by 1.8% in the primary industrial (agriculture), 27.5% in the secondary (industry), and 70.7% in the tertiary (services) sectors. Mascylla employed its largest labour force of 74.826 million people in 2017, or 84.1% of the population, in its history; its unemployment rate was estimated at 15.9% in 2017.

Map of the Telmerian Union (Mascylla, Temaria, Lilienburg, Valimia, and Valtriva in dark blue) and associated trading partners (light blue)

While Mascylla has access to large resource deposits (including coal, lignite, industrially relevant minerals such as silver, iron, zinc and copper, and salts) and a long history of mining, it is crucially dependant on the import of resources and energy assets from abroad. The most competitive sectors of the Mascyllary industry are considered to be the automotive, aerospace, electronic, heavy machinery and chemical sectors. Financial services such as banking and insurance managing are also globally significant, with Flussmund in particular serving as an international financial centre. The most important trading partners of Mascylla in 2016 were the Telmerian Union at a trading volume of $1,038.5 billion, Dulebia with $284.3 billion, Lavaria with $171.6 billion, and Sarrac with $87.6 billion. The value of all exports of goods and services comprised 52% of the economic output in 2017, which makes Mascylla a highly globalised and export-oriented economy, although with potential to decline following global trade fluctuations, despite the economic growth of the recent decade being largely fueled by an increase in participating consumers.

The Königsreh Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange by market capitalization in Berea

Mascylla also serves as the mediator of the Telmerian Union, an economic area comprising Mascylla, Temaria, Lilienburg, Valimia and Valtriva (approximately 222 million people) to foster economic development, import and export relations, trade customs, and currency policy. The Mascyllary national currency is the karning (MKӃ, Ӄ) and its exchange rate and policy is directed by the national Great Bank of Mascylla in Flussmund. The Karning is among the most traded currencies by value and important reserve currencies in the world.

Of the world's 500 largest stock-market-listed companies measured by revenue in 2014, 94 of which are headquarted in Mascylla. 31 major Mascylla-based companies are included in the MAIX, the prime Mascyllary stock market index which is operated by the Flussmund and Königsreh Stock Exchanges, in order to coordinate market economic and company-related affairs. Major, well-known and internationally popular Mascyllary companies and brands include EdgeCartz, Baunach, Grainer and Damo in the automotive industry, Reuthers, Koldmeier, Albatross, Magnall, SPCF, and AGAtechnik as electronics, chemistry and technology producers, Bunde and Königliche Bank as insurance and banking comglomerates, the retailer BIEK, petrochemical producer Shale PetroChem, transport companies MKH and Maskillische Post, Mask Telekom, software and computer manufacturers DAP, Heiders, WohlneMKS and IBA Systeme, and media producers such as RSUGlobal, Prisma, BärtleKrenz, and ANB.

Agriculture

Potato harvesters on an agricultural field near Lürgen, Adwinia. Adwinia is the largest domestic producer of agricultural products in Mascylla

While the agricultural industry gradually diminished in their importance to the national economy, partaking only 1.8% of economic business in 2019, it is still considered internationally relevant in generating a wide array of products, being the fourth-largest exporter of agricultural products in Berea. The domestic agricultural industry is extremely productive in that it is able to sustain and cover more than 65% of the Mascyllary population's needs for food in 2019, mainly due to extensive fertile soils in northern and eastern Mascylla and sophisticated modern technology used in agriculture.

Principal agricultural exports of Mascylla include products of lifestock, including poultry, beef and pork, dairy products, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, rye, cabbages, and fruit. Processed food such as variations of cheese and bread are also important, and form staples of Mascyllary cuisine, while to a lesser extent domestically grown wine, citrus fruits and legumes are also consumed and exported. Beer is a historically relevant, traditional and widely popular beverage, and many beers brewn in Mascylla are known worldwide.

Tourism

The Victory Gate (Siegestor) of Königsreh is one of the world's most visited monuments and a recognizable symbol of the city and Mascylla

Mascylla is the second-most visited country in the world as of 2015, with a total of 49.7 million international arrivals and overnight stays of tourists. Tourism as an economic sector made a considerable contribution to the national economy, generating a revenue of $446.75 billion, or 9.4% of Mascylla's GDP in 2019. It is also an important source of employment in urban areas and by a smaller margin in rural areas of frequent availability to tourists. Approximately 3,500 of the 10,162 town and villageships of Mascylla are registered in some form of tourist agency, and 260 of them are recognized spas and seaside resorts. 4,281 museums, 204 theatres, 18 amusement parks, 32,100 tennis courts, 711 golf courses, more than 175,000 kilometres of hike trails and 20,000 kilometres of biking ways, and numerous special thematic routes (Themenstraßen) are all available and accessible to tourism activities.

The country is host to a number of well-known cultural, iconic and environmental tourist destinations, as well as 27 UPESCH World Heritage Sites, among the ten countries globally with the most protected sites. Königsreh and Flussmund are the leading tourist destinations of Mascylla, attracting up to 9.3 and 7.6 million tourists in 2010 respectively; the most popular sites are the Victory Gate, Reichsrat building and Lobrecht Palace, Königsreh Zoo (Zoologischer Park), Hohenehr Palace, St Lawrence Cathedral, and Palace Island in Königsreh, and Nielsenshafen, Reeper Square, and Lonasbek in Flussmund. Other major tourist destination in Mascylla include Lancaide Cathedral, the Aula Honorius, Wurthburg Castle, St Weidemar Church, Köpenick Palace, and Winden Castle.

Mascylla is also a significant host of international economic and innovative exhibitions, particularly the cities of Lansbruck and Lancaide, colloquially called Messestädte ('fair cities'). The country is often viewed as the most valuable fair host worldwide, and its exhibitions, fairs and congresses considered to be trend-setters of global economic sectors, with more than 7.7 million visitors arriving in Mascylla for the 100 largest fairs alone in 2010.

Transport and infrastructure

Albert Polschnitz Airport in Königsreh is one of the world's busiest airports by international passenger traffic
Vehicles on Autobahn 11 near Großbeeren, Adwinia. The Autobahn highway system of Mascylla is extensive.

Due to the dense human habitation and central role in regional and global economics, Mascylla witnesses large-scale traffic and needs for transport accesibility. Therefore it boasts an extensive network of roadways, waterways, railways and air-bound infrastructure. Mascylla has one of the densest and longest road network in the world, with more than 712,000 kilometres of navigable roads, and 18,707 kilometres of the nation's highway Autobahn network. International access by road is substantially guaranteed for every neighbouring state of Mascylla. As of 2020, 47.5 million passenger cars were registered in the country, while the total number of all motor vehicles and trailers accounted to roughly 62.4 million in the same year.

A ILE passenger train passing Westmarke Bahnhof, travelling from Königsreh-HBF to Lannbrück-Schalckplatz train station

The railroad network of Mascylla is 543,726 kilometres long and is traversed daily by up to 40,000 passenger and cargo trains. The partially state-owned largest railroad company Gekrönte Bahn AG serves and oeprates a large number of trains, passengers and infrastructure components, but under growing competition with 204 other railroad companies seeking to balance out the economic preference of the GB and establish norms of a free market economy in the railroad transport sector. Most of the railroad infrastructure is maintained, operated, and financed by the Ministry of Infrastructure of the Realm of the Mascyllary government since 1997. The network is used by regular and high speed trains, most notably the ILE and InterCity trains travelling at between 240 km/h (149 mph) to under 370 km/h (230 mph), providing expansive domestic and international rail connections. Confined urban underground rapid transit such as the U-Bahn, suburban transit such as the S-Bahn, light rail tramways (Straßenbahn) and omnibus services are all well developed in major Mascyllary cities.

462 airports and airfields were located throughout the country in 2010, one of the highest densities of runways per country in the world, which also makes Mascylla an active location of air travel. The Albert Polschnitz Airport in Königsreh was the largest airport in Mascylla in terms of passenger arrivals (at 40.1 million passengers) and third-largest by metric tons of cargo in 2011. Mascylla's flag carrier airline Maskillea Airlines operates from Albert Polschnitz Airport as well as Flussmund Lachsen Airport intercontinental connections, and numerous other airlines provide domestic and international flights as well. Due to Mascylla's dependancy on import and export, trade by sea is integral. Mascylla maintains a number of seaports, the largest of which by amount of cargo are Pereuth, Flussmund, and Mogdburg, as well as a network of canals supported by the country's extensive natural waterway system, the most important traversible rivers being the Mogd, Rohrn, Blaugold, Warne and Lanne.

Energy

The Erik Armber Nuclear Power Station in Winden, Elpsia

More than 676 TWh of primary energy was domestically generated by Mascylla in 2016, making it the third-largest producer of energy in the world and largest in Telmeria. Mascylla's primary energy consumption in the same year was estimated at 13,510 petajoule, while Mascylla was also the third-largest global energy consumer between 2004 and 2010, and due to its inbalance between power generation and consumption also one of the world's largest importers of energy. Power supply was ensured by 391 companies with headquarters in Mascylla in 2010, with the largest company being LOE seated in Lanbruck, a partially state-owned enterprise which holds a probable monopoly status over Mascylla's energy market; it is also one the most important markets of traded electricity in Berea and the world.

Renewable energies comprised over 63% of gross generated energy, one of the highest numbers in the world, 34% of net generated energy, and 4.5% of fuel supplies. Other main energy providers for the national electric consumption include mainly nuclear power and dependable imported supplies of coal, petroleum and natural gas from more resource-intensive countries such as Valimia and Dulebia, which in particular operates a large Telmerian gas pipeline grid.

Nuclear power stations generate a considerable amount of electricity, adding 9.1% to the national energy supply in 2014, though efforts to phase out nuclear power have been gradually introduced in the early 2000s. The national energy transformation policy, the Energiewende, provides for a gradual change towards rising the percentage of renewable energy supplying Mascylla to 70% by 2070 as well as drastically lowering the emission of greenhouse gasses by more than 85% until 2100. While partially successful, numerous critics put forward concerns of an insustainable deconstruction of present energy industrial sectors such as the petrochemical and mining industries, as well as significantly low attention to nuclear power advantages.

Science and technology

Examples of Mascyllary scientists and researchers (from top left, clockwise): Theoretical physicist Joseph Görche (1774–1867), Johann Theodor Threu (1846–1942), discoverer of x-rays Conrad Ehrach (1843–1921), naturalist and explorer Philipp Alexander von Hährnig (1750–1833)

Mascylla is an internationally significant and renowned location of technology and science. Since the Industrial Revolution, Mascyllary scientists participated immensly in the foundation of modern science; especially the economic productivity of multiple industrial sectors and the transfer of knowledge to practical use proved pivotal in the scientific development of the Mascyllary academic field. Approximately 12% of all patents registered in 2015, or the second-highest amount worldwide, originated from Mascylla. Publications of scientific matters receive international acclaim and domestic public popularity; scientific journals published in Mascylla include Natur and Erkunder, while Mascylla as a research host produced more than 10% of the world's scientific research papers in 2019.

Institutions of research and science in Mascylla are embodied through universities (Universitäten), technical universities (Technische Universitäten) and universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen). Most of which are in public ownership and service, but their research activities are often financed by third parties such as the Maskillische Forschungsunion (MFU), foundations, companies, and other. The Philipp von Hährnig University of Königsreh and the University of Lehpold remain one of the most renowned and prestigious universities in the world. Apart from the country's universities, a large number of research organizations are active across Mascylla and abroad, represented and coordinated through associations and councils in compliance with the Ministry of Education of the Realm and each university. the most famous of which include the Joseph Görche Society (Joseph-Görche-Gesellschaft) for basic research, the Wolbrecht Society (Wolbrecht-Gesellschaft) as the country's largest scientific society, and the Maximilian Nohrbach Society (Maximilian-Nohrbach-Gesellschaft) for applied research.

Numerous researchers and scientists from nearly all industrial and modern scientific fields come from Mascylla: more than 150 X Prize winners are assigned to the country. The Mascyllary Kingdom was considerably interested in the emergence and nuturing of its academic field, and encouraged researchers with national institutions and sufficient funding in order to raise awareness and prestige from foreign circles. Joseph Görche was pivotal to the foundation of theoretical physics and the understanding of electromagnetism, Conrad Ehrach discovered and studied x-rays, later named Ehrach radiation in his honor and today used for medical diagnostics and material examinations, and Johann Theodor Threu formulated important works of electromagnetic radiation, today indespensible for telecommunications and quantum physics. The efforts of Carl Eduard Edge, Adolf Baunach, Johannes Mohren, and Ferdinand Bürgel helped revolutionize transport with their early prototypes and inventions, and many of which became pioneers in the development and later popularization of the automotive, airplane and submarine. Figures such as Erhard Reuthers for his utilization of the dynamoelectric principle, Justus von Holtzbruch for the discovery of nuclear fission, the 18th century universal scholar Eduard Friedrich Lobrecht, Philipp Alexander von Hährnig as the principal naturalist and explorer of the early 19th century, mediciners and pioneer microbiologist Norbert Schenck, and sociologist and social theorist Egon Kolber are all renowned and influential scientists of early Mascylla.

During the Melasian Crisis, Mascylla and Falland cooperated in developing and successfully detonating a nuclear weapon, ushering in the Atomic Age. The invention of the transistor by Gottlieb Rieß marked the beginning of modern day electronics. Mascyllary spaceflight achieved decisive pioneer accomplishments in materials science, aeronautics and space sciences and together with international partners such as Falland and Dulebia performed numerous operations and projects, most notably Sigma 5 of the Sigma program which first landed humans on the Moon in 1980, and the operation of the Haller Base lunar research station on its surface until 2009; spaceflight activity also spawned the Mascyllary Aerial and Orbital Agency (MAOA) as a capable space agency and renowned rocketry engineers such as Emil Haller and Wernher Grätzge.

Demographics

Map of population density of Mascylla by district as of 2015
Total population growth of Mascylla 1800-2020 (blue) and Mascyllary residents with foreign ethnicity (red)

Mascylla has a population of approximately 89.23 million according to its 2019 census estimate, thus making it the most populous country in Telmeria ahead of Cuthland with around 44 million inhabitants, the second-most populous in Berea and the sixth-most populous country in the world. Despite its population size, it stands at a relatively small population density of 125.1 people per square kilometre (323.9 per sq mi) and high rate of urbanisation. Being a developed country, Mascylla's average life expectancy at birth measures at around 80.05 years (79.72 years for men and 81.94 years for women) and a dampened fertility rate of 1.76 children per woman, below the required replacement rate of 2.1 children. Historically the rate of reproduction remained above-average with 2.49 children in the 1970s, but deteriorated significantly since then with a period of the death rate of Mascylla exceeding its birth rate and a slightly shrinking population between 1990 and 2010. However, Mascylla since then adovcated immigration to the country and introduced efforts to stimulate population growth; increased birth rates and migration numbers curbed the low fertility rate and supported population growth since 2010. Mascylla's population, like other developed countries, is aging as well: the average age is estimated at 41.8 years, making it the fourth oldest population in the world.

Most Mascyllary people are predominantly of Hesurianic origin, which make up approximately 81.4% of the population. However, Mascylla features a wide range of ethnic groups mainly attributed to either small minority groups in Mascylla proper, such as the Cuthish and Waldish to the west and south of the country, though often associated with the Hesurianic ethnic groups at large, Valimians to the east, and ethnic groups attributed to substantial immigration from countries formerly part of the Mascyllary colonial empire, namely Melasians and Cunuccans due to the lack of a pre-existing language barrier, or other countries in Caphtora and Pamira which has led to a large diversitification of the immigrant population in recent decades.

Mascylla is one of the most important immigration destinations in the world. In a 2017 census, 17.44 million people (or close to 19.6%) were either of immigrant or partially immigrant descent, and in 2015, 21% of all newborn children had atleast one parent born in a foreign country, and 12% atleast one born outside of Berea, including Mascylla's overseas territories. Immigration to Mascylla is a key factor in supporting its population growth and supply of work forces in light of its aging population, and Mascylla hosts the third-highest number of international migrants at about 10.04 million people.

Major cities

Mascylla is a highly urbanized country, with a disproportionate amount of larger cities as defined by the country's data census. Its largest cities include Flussmund (with 4,118,492 inhabitants), Königsreh (3,231,326), Lancaide (1,815,180), Augusthal (1,789,426), Lansbruck (715,337) and Pereuth (681,034), and features a number of large metropolitan areas summing up urban agglomerations, such as the Greater Flussmund region or the Rohrn-Klahr Region with populations exceeding up to 7 million inhabitants.

Four states, referred to as Free Cities (Freie Städte or Freie Reichsstädte), encompass solely highly urban regions and administer the country's largest cities. Geographically, most urban regions are concentrated in the central regions of the country, branching out west and east respectively, with minor clusters along the Sigismund Corridor and Warne regions.

Language

Map of the usage of the Hesurian language:
  Official language
  Secondary administrative language
  Hesurian minorities

The most widely used and spread language in Mascylla is Hesurian (High Hesurian). It is the standard language of overregional media and is used as the accepted written language; Hesurian remains the predominantly spoken language in almost every region, while the transition of usage to Mascyllary Hesurian dialects is minor. As one of the country's official languages, Hesurian is the most important administrative language, though the acknowledgement of an administrative language is part of the states' individual cultural sovereignty, while the encompassing state only determines a language for official use and domestic duties. Upon request, it always remains possible to adapt any official document into a translation of a wished language. Historical national minorities include Waldish, Valimians, Warnish, and Temarians. Certain regional and minority languages can be used as official, administrative and court languages. The by deaf people used Mascyllary Sign Language (MGS) was recognized as a language following the introduction of the Behindertengleichstellungsverordnung (BGsV) in 2000.

Languages introduced to Mascylla by immigrants are numerous and often treated as "unofficial official languages." While the descendants of older migration waves have largely adapted to the linguistic environment of Mascylla, immigrants of previous decades, more often guest workers and refugees, still frequently use their mother language in their daily lives, most notably X. Other such widely used languages include Dulebian, introduced by a large diaspora of Dulebian Hesurian people and contingent refugees, Rovinian, Cuthish and X. The prioritized foreign language taught at public schools is Lavish, and the second foreign language is often Fallish, Cuthish or Cambran, more rarely Lyonian or Dulebian. Mascyllary citizens are thought to be multilingual, with 70% of citizens claiming to be able to communicate in atleast one language other than Hesurian.

Due to Mascylla's history, Hesurian is a widely recognized world language of business and culture and one of the world's most spoken languages as part of the legacy of the Mascyllary colonial empire of the 19th and 20th centuries, sharing the status as official language with three other countries. Hesurian-speaking countries and their inhabitants are referred to as hesurophon. Hesurian is taught as a foreign language at a large number of schools abroad and remains a significant global political, economic, cultural and social language.

Religion

Sankt Lorenz Cathedral in Königsreh, central Cambran Semitar cathedral and crowning place of Mascyllary monarchs since 1827
Religions in Mascylla (2019 census)
Cambran Semitarism
26.4%
Nordic Semitarism
22.8%
Orthodox Semitarism
3.2%
Other Semitars
2.0%
Neopaganism
4.6%
Iqlad
4.9%
No religion
32.2%
Other religions
2.8%
Unanswered
1.1%
The Lansbruck Central Mosque, one of the country's largest Iqladic churches

Like the majority of Northern and Western Berea, Mascylla was significantly influenced by Semitar and Occidental theorems until the Late Middle Ages, and scientific and enlightened sociological models from the 18th century onward. The basis for early religious and cultural development were influences from Erytherian and Cambran culture, and X and Semitar traditions and practices that have mixed with Hesurianic cultures since the gradual Semitarization of Telmeria in the 5th to 8th centuries.

As a legally defined secular state, Mascylla guarantees freedom of religion as an individual constitutional right and institutional separation of church and state. Thus the religious view of the state is determined to be neutral and the right of self-determination for religious groups upheld. While the government refrains from recognizing any certain rights of a religious group, and these groups are expected to reject any interaction with politics, church and state rather act as partners: they maintain substantial ties in social, educational and cultural affairs, for example by kindergartens, schools, hospitals or retirenment homes overseen by religious actors but state-financed.

Approximately 54% of the total Mascyllary population were members of a Semitar confession: 26.4% Cambran Semitarism, mainly located in southern and western Mascylla, 22.8% Nordic Semitarism, and 5.2% Orthodox Semitarism and other Semitar churches. The number of worshippers is significantly smaller than the total number of church members; in 2015 around 2.3 million people, or 2.6% of the national population, attended a Semitar church service, while the number is overwhelmingly higher during religious holidays, doubling in total. More than 32% of the population are non-denominational and identify as atheist or agnostic, and another 2.8% adhere to minor sects, differenciating beliefs or other religions. In 2019, 4.4 million people identified as Muqallids in Mascylla, constituting 4.9% of the population. More than half are of X origin, and another 20% come from the Middle East.

Health

The University Hospital of Augusthal (Universitätsklinikum Augusthal) is one of the largest hospitals in Mascylla

The Mascyllary universal healthcare system is highly developed, as indicated by its very low infant mortality rate of 3.6 boys and 3.3 girls per 1,000 births and a high life expectancy of around 80.05 years, 79.72 years for men and 81.94 years for women. According a 2017 international study conducted by the ECDF, patients in Mascylla experienced minor waiting times, small individual financial expense and a large number of options. However, the study showed difficulties and shortcomings in medical prevention, resulting in the large number of cases of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers; the system still qualifies in that it is able to save most patients in critical conditions, such as after strokes.

The number of hospitalisations and surgeries as well as the expenditures for medicine are among the highest in the world; in 2013, Mascylla's national expenditure for healthcare was roughly 13% of its GDP. The majority of the population is protected by the Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (GKV) and obtain assets based on their income; family members without an income are provided for nonethless. The means of service are independent from the contribution amount; around 9.9% of the insured were privately insured in 2010.

The system encompass the service providers such as doctors, pharmacists, nursing staff, the state (including the Ministry of Health of the Realm, the states and municipalities), the health, accident, care and pension insurances, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (RVÄV), the employers and workers' associations, other groups of interest and the patients themselves, often represented by foundations and associations. Hospitals are majorily operated by non-profit organizations, but increasingly privatized. Other services are provided by private individuals (doctor's offices, pharmacies or companies in the pharmaceutical industry). The state is only involved as a direct healthcare provider through local health departments, communal and university hospitals.

Education

The Palace Library at the campus of the University of Mackrau, the oldest university in Mascylla founded in 1419 and seen as one of its most prestigious

The modern Mascyllary educational system has its roots in the Linnderian ideals of education, a world-renowned and numerously replicated academic model of many Western universities. Educational affairs at large are the responsibility for the supervision of the individual states (called Kulturhoheit), but is often co-ordinated by an annual nationwide conference of education ministers who also agree on educational standards. Kindergarten education is optional and dependant for each state, while higher school attendance is compulsory for nine to thirteen years. Primary school attendance is atleast six years long. After that, students can enter continuing or vocational schools. Most of the Mascyllary states follow a structured school system with Hauptschulen, Realschulen and Gymnasien, and additional Gesamtschulen and Ganztagsschulen. University entrance qualification (Hochschulreife or Abitur) is acquired after attending twelve or thirteen years in school, depending on the state.

Almost all young adults visit another educational institution after school. Apprentices in companies usually attend a Berufsschule once or twice a week for skilled qualification education, as part of the internationally renowned duale Ausbildung model. The academic counterpart to that is the duales Studium. Students can choose between either universities or specialised colleges (Fachhochschulen). The established Mascyllary universities are some of the oldest and most prestigious in the world, among them the University of Mackrau, founded in 1419. While Mascylla is one of the leading destinations for international study in 2015, most of which for the country's universities and advanced research facilities, it remains noticably below-average in international comparisons for the performance of primary school students. According to four ECDF studies in 2008, Mascylla's educational system is exacerbating the gap between the rich and poor, as it appears less likely for a student from a poor financial background to gain higher educational qualifications than individuals from the middle and upper class. Further criticism also involved the lack of support for noticably poor and above-average perfoming students, insufficient funding for primary schools and care options for younger students.

Culture

Mascyllary culture and its historical development, its roots reaching back as far as the Hesurians and Cambran culture, has since the early Middle Ages produced numerous intellectual and popular figures. Hesurian-speaking individuals became pioneers of new major intellectual and cultural currents in Europe in almost every disciplinary field. Some of the most influential Mascyllary artists and thinkers are counted as protagonists of Western thought and civilization.

Since Mascylla did not exist as a nation state for centuries, Mascylary culture had defined itself through its common language; after the unification of Mascylla in 1793, the country was still seen as a cultural nation. The rise of mass media in the early 20th century paved the way for popular culture to became an influential factor in Mascyllary culture. The expansion of the internet in the 21st century has led to a differentiation of the cultural landscape and changed the various niche cultures in their characteristics. The promotion of Mascyllary culture and the Hesurian language is the responsibility of the Baerde Institutes (Baerde-Institute), with approximately 102 offices in 16 countries.

Visual arts

The Fall of Aestas by Theodorich Zimmerwitz (1653, Museum der Nationalen Künste)
Above the Depths of Fog by Eberhard Helsig (1806, Museum der Nationalen Künste)

The first pieces of art were crafted well over 13,000 years ago in form of neolithic figures, sculptures and pottery. While Mascylla was a centre of human habitation and Medieval culture, it produced particularly few motions for artistic currents and significant works. Gothic art was immensly popular in 12th century Mascylla, and was a resonance room for various Berean periods of Western art. The political and economic rise of Aldia in the 17th century coincided with a sharp increase of intense artistic achievements in Augusthal, Pereuth and Weidenau.

Woman with a Hat, Color by David Ruprecht (1910, Alte Kunsthallen)
The Staircase Walker by Paul Gronius (1918, Castelby Museum of Art)

Important Mascyllary artists of the Renaissance include Albrecht Neuhoff, Herbecht of Tschele, Ruprecht Waillen, Hans Lukas the Younger, and most famously, Gottfried Hälsch. Heinrich Mürer, Theodorich Zimmerwitz, and Martin von Reuchen were subsequently the most significant Baroque and Rococo Mascyllary painters. Major artists of Romanticism, together with Eberhard Helsig, were Philipp Georg, Friedrich Weißer and Carl Otto Tannholtz. Aldian painters Matthias von Elbseck and Reinhold Junge specialised in history painting, while the Breisgauer and Merzenicher Kunstschulen art schools were of international importance in the 18th century. Other renowned historical artists include the Impressionist Alexander Lolbitz, Surrealists Hans Oedtermann, Adolph Aspe and Leo Staffel, and Max Moltke, Paul Gronius, Tronte Alb, and David Ruprecht of Expressionism.

The second half of the 20th century saw the rise of the New Objectivity in the post-revolutionry Mascylla in opposition to Expressionism. Younger artists of that period were for example Moritz Krolhaff, the Action and Concept artist Adelbert Beuther and the brothers Joseph and Richard Vagt as central figures of the Junge Wilde. In the 1950s and 1960s, new trends of art developed particularly in Flussmund and Königsreh as major international centres of visual arts, with Wolfgang Pestell, Wernher Lotta, and Alice Kippen as pioneers of movements such as Happening, Video art and Fluxus. Broad trends such as Neo-Expressionism with Lothar Gessel and Daniel Schlichter also dominated Mascyllary visual arts by the 1970s. Thomas Kürz, Sigmar Schlag, Richard Gersky, Hans-Joachim Horst, and Emil Hoffschwert were influential photographic artists of 20th and early 21st century Mascylla.

Architecture

Cathedral of Lancaide and the Ahnernbrücke bridge
The Carnitz Dameroper opera house
Foynac Factory in Stakau, one of the first examples of the Modern style

Mascylla has a long and varied history of architecture that is closely tied to the Occidental architectural history of its neighbouring states. The basis of Mascyllary architecture were primarly contributions of Ottonian style introduced in the 11th century, and later Gothic architecture adopted from Lyonian works in the 13th century. In 1650, the Renaissance arrived from modern day Lavaria and produced renowned examples such as the Estmar and Pereuth City Hall (Estmarer and Pereuther Rathaus). The Baroque also set in by 1670; prominent examples include the works of Maria von Nolsich, the Feldkirche in Karlsburg, and Friedrichsburg Palace (Residenzschloss Friedrichsburg). In 1770 to 1780, the Classicism period was very well-received and immensly popularized across Mascylla, and triggered the construction of the Siegestor, Altes Museum, Museum der Nationalen Künste and Köpenick Castle (Schloss Köpenick) in Königsreh by Karl Wilhelm Langstand and Gorch Hahn. Langstand was an Aldian architect who influenced generations of builders through his Langstand School (Langstandschule) and Königsreh Construction Academy (Königsreher Bauakademie).

Much of Mascylla's most recognizable buildings and landmarks were built in the Historicism style between 1830 and 1890, examples being the Dameroper in Carnitz, Sankt Lorenz Cathedral (Sankt-Lorenz-Kathedrale), Reichsrat in Königsreh and Sigairen Castle (Sigairener Schloss), and introduced important architects such as Gottfried Krüger, Otto von Longen, Friedrich Graeber and Friedrich Hans von Rath. This era, due to the Industrial Revolution, Gründerjahre and coinciding rapid population growth, proved more influential to Mascyllary architecture than the preceding periods. Numerous architectural bureaus, schools such as the Weidenauer and Langquaider Architekturschule, and unique regional styles diversified Mascyllary architecture of the 19th century.

Classcial modern architecture was partly pioneered by Mascyllary architects of the early 20th century. Pivotal to that development was the Mascyllary Craftsmen Association (Maskillischer Werksbund) founded in 1901. Helmut Soljas was the founder of the Bauhaus style, and Ernst Heinrich Zwicke together with his school (Die Stadt) spearheaded the Neues Bauen city planning model. Concurrently the first skyscrapers and suspension bridges out of steel and concrete were erected, primarly in Flussmund. Localized and largely confined styles of Expressionism and Regionalism (Heimatarchitektur) were significant in 1930s Mascylla as well, most notably in Adwinia and Therundy–Welsbach. In the latter half of the 20th century, Postmodernism emerged as the principal style, and produced works like the Augusthal Aurorum Stadium (Aurorumstadion Augusthal) by Karl Otter and Franz Behnsch, or various Plattenbau settlements across national suburban areas such as the Teufurt planned city project. In 1967, the 391 metres tall Assembly of Nations Headquarters became the highest skyscraper in Berea, before it lost that title to the Intertrade Complex in Flussmund in 1977, currently the highest buildings in Mascylla.

In recent decades, architecture gradually globalised and more recently introduced new currents of New Urbanism (Neuurbanismus), while reviving older styles such as block perimeter development (dubbed Blockrandbebauung of the 19th century) now again popular in cities as part of their modern gentrification processes, or inspirations from historical buildings and traditional architecture. Contemporary Mascyllary architects and architecture agencies are globally active and include renowned figures such as Peter Kalthoff, Helmut Scheere, Andreas Aschinger and Oswald and Jonas Ülthinger, contributing to numerous architecture projects in cities around the world.

Philosophy and literature

The Codex Manessia, a historically significant collection of Medieval songs and folktales from the 11th century
Famous Mascyllary philosophers and writers (from top left, clockwise): Albert Sahl, universal scholar and central Enlightenment thinker; Wilhelm von Baerder, influential poet and writer; Eduard Friedrich Lobrecht, 18th century universal scholar and intellectual; Amadeus Bertold von Rasling, Enlightenment writer and statesman

The most important manuscript in the development of the Mascyllary Hesurian language use and also the oldest known Mascyllary book is the 895 Abrogans of Semitar practices and translations of benedict Sarich the Hesurian, currently stored in the Seydrich National Archive (Staatsarchiv Seydrich). General Mascyllary literature reaches back as far as the Early Middle Ages, when the first Medieval libraries began producing manuscripts, books and book paintings. Especially significant in that era were the contributions of the Minstrel (Minnesang), many of which recorded in the Codex Manessia, the largest surviving Mascyllary collection of Minstrel songs and tales. The most famous Minstrel is considered to be Dieterich Elgast der Kleeheide, and the epos Falians' Song (Farierlied) is an early milestone of Mascyllary fictional literature.

Some of the most revolutionary or noticable Mascyllary authors include Bertold von Rasling as the father of the modern theatre and political drama, Wilhelm von Baerder as one of the most significant contributors of modern Mascyllary poetry, and Adolphus Schupp for his publication of the first Hesurian Encyclopedia and extensive collection of Mascyllary folk tales and myths. Other noticable writers of the 19th and 20th century in Mascylla include Heinrich Janne, Knut Bruno, Anne Schönmann and Conrad Berthold. The Lancaide Book Fair (Langquaider Buchmesse) is generally seen as one of the major global events of the literary scene and international publishing, awarding the annual Berthold Prize (Berthold-Literaturpreis) to a work of literature; the Ihleburg Book Fair (Ihleburger Buchmesse) is mainly of importance for new publications.

Influential intellects and thinkers of Mascylla were for example the universal scholar Eduard Friedrich Lobrecht for his works on rationalism and analytic philosophy, Matthias von Spaier as the first proponent of humanism, Albert Sahl as a central thinker of the Enlightenment, categorical imperative model and deontology, Lukas Wilhelm Hayder as the founder of Mascyllary idealism, Egon Kolber as the father of modern rationalisation and sociology, and Maximilian Joseph Schneitzer for his contributions to perspectivism, nihilism and cultural criticism. Important political currents originated from Mascyllary philosophers such as Mascyllary idealism, classical liberalism, early feminism, secularisation and political capitalism. In the 20th century, the Flussmund School (Flussmunder Schule) under Hans Korkbaum and Edwin Liebknecht developed the critical theory and housed modern thinkers such as Günter Engel and Henriette Haberman.

Music

Cinema and media

A Conrad statuette from the Königsreh International Film Mastery Festival, one of the world's major film awards and festivals, respectively

Films were produced in Mascylla and the Hesurian-speaking countries since the end of the 19th century. The Große Ecke varieté theatre in Königsreh was one of the first cinemas in history, with pioneer filmmakers August and Lukas Schpitz as its operators presenting films to audiences since 1892. The Filmstudios Sarfeld in Estmar near Flussmund were founded in 1909, being the first large film studio in the world and conceptual prototype for later studios. It produces films until today and is considered to be one of the largest film studio facilities in the world; the term Sarfeld became historically synonymous with popular and successful film productions. Multiple genres of the early film were developed partly by Mascyllary filmmakers; the 1929 film Stahlhimmel ("Sky of Steel") by Fritz Bellmann was among the first science fiction films, while Vom Blitz Getroffen ("Hit by Lightning") in 1931 by Charlotte Arpus internationally popularized Mascyllary sound film. The emergence of documentary films in the 1940s, advertising films in the 1960s, and home video in the 1980s, as well as major contributions to motion picture technology and engineering significantly linked Mascylla to cinema history.

Erkunder, founded in 1890, is one of the most circulated topical magazines in Mascylla and considered a newspaper of record

Major Mascyllary film studios and companies are RSU, Global Motion, Brothers Raicht Studios, Zenith Pictures, TUA Studios and BärtleKrenz. Some of the most successful, renowned and prolific modern Mascyllary directors include Gabriel Sonderberg, Stephan Fahler, Linus Loren, Albrecht Thomas Kössler, Johann Schaffel, Georg Hoebsch and Thorsten Britzke. Recognizable actors and actresses from Mascylla are for example Alexander Jainrich, Caroline Lank, Ulrich Becker, Adam Trippler, Monika Bräuer, David Weiß and Matthias Kleera, and other famous figures include the composer Ludwig Bruch, animation icon Felix Anton and production designer Otto Schellenberg. The most highly valued award in the Mascyllary film industry is the annual Internationale Festspiele der Königsreher Filmmeisterei (Königsreh International Film Mastery Festival, or often called "Königsrehale" or "Mastery Awards"), having established itself as an internationally acclaimed film festival. The country's strong film industry releases rougly 400 films a year, and distributes them to international audiences, with numerous Mascyllary productions grossing financial success or critical acclaim.

Headquarters of Monika Schölf Publishings SE in Pereuth, one of the largest international media corporations

Mascyllary inventors and engineers were involved in the early development and mass popularization of radio and television beginning in the 1920s. The supply of broadcasts of various topics to the public is conducted historically via terrestrial television (UHF/VHF), regional cable companies and more recently via satellite. Developments to digitalize television and radio are partly underway and already offer services such as IPTV, streaming and online radio on the internet. Television in Mascylla is evenly divided between the public state-owned broadcasters including ENS and ARF and the private companies, the largest of which being the Telemax Group, Kanal+Media Group and BärtleKrenz. Aprt from freecly receivable broadcasters, there are numerous regional channels, pay TV channels and streaming services. The country also maintains a dual broadcasting system between tax-financed public broadcasters, largely bound with broadcasting and topical outline to their serviced states, and a large number of private smaller channels mainly financed by advertisements.

The Mascyllary press landscape is diverse and offers content as printed, online and digital media. The most popular overregional newspapers are the Faktor, Langquaider Zeitung, Allgemeines Blatt, Globus and Handelsblatt. A characteristica of the regional and local distribution of press is the Ein-Zeitung-Kreis, meaning in many regions there is only a single daily newspaper published and is thus holding a localized monopoly. News and topical magazines such as Exact, Zeiten, Erkunder, Die Schau and Aurora all enjoy great popularity. Some of the largest international media corporations with seat in Mascylla include BärtleKrenz Media, Müller Media Group and Monika Schölf Publishings SE. The use of social media and user-created content like blogs, videos and information outlets also rose in prominence in the past decade, able to reach a potential audience of 29.5 million people in 2018.

Cuisine

Typical Mascyllary sausage, meat and cheese specialities at display in a store

Traditional Mascyllary cuisine varies from region to region, but often stands in relation with the culinary cultures of neighbouring countries. Different immigrated groups and typical Western styles of eating have greatly expanded the variations of cuisine in Mascylla; additionally a gradual in vegetarian diets can be observed throughout the country. According to international customers and recipients, Mascyllary speciality cuisine has achieved a highly regarded standing. Moreover, the private supply of foodstuffs is dominated by few providers, the Biek Group, Gekoha-Gruppe, Hansen and Bertel-Gruppe serve more than 83% of the Mascyllary food market.

Served dish of roasted Bratwürste with yellow mustard (front), fresh Brezeln (left) and Tinzner beer (right)

Widespread Mascyllary dishes include the festive Gänsebraten with red cabbage, Kassler with Sauerkraut, Grünkohl with smoked Mettwurst or Bregenwurst, Schweinshaxe, and various stews. However, very old and simple dishes such as Arme Ritter and Labskaus are also popular as well. Potatoes are a common ingredient to a large number of dishes especially in northern Mascylla, while traditional Knödel, Spätzle and noodles are more commonly used by southern Mascyllary cooks. Famous and notable particularities include the Weißwurst in Adwinia, the Bratwurst in Fania, the Schwenkbraten in Elpsia, the Maultasche in Holnia, or the Schwesener Rostbratwurst. Desserts are often served as variants of fruit compote or sweetened curd. Mascylla is home to an extraordinary number of bread and sausage variations. The typical first meal of the day is a breakfast based on bread rolls with either toppings of cold meat and cheese or sweet toppings like honey, fruit jam or cocoa spread. A cooked egg, cereals prepared with dairy, or the more traditional Bauernfrühstuck also often accompany breakfast. Coffee is often consumed while eating, whereas tea is more widespread to the west and north. Traditionally, a warm dish is served at noon (Mittagessen) and a bread-based one at supper (Abendbrot or Abendessen). Sweet pastries, cakes and candy are part of the Mascyllary cuisine as well, with Brunsrücker Großtorte, Lannebach or Augusthaler Kranz served at afternoon coffee tables (Kaffeetafeln). Famous and frequently exported sweets and small foods such as Gummibärchen, Estmarer Marzipan, Stollen, Liqueur products and Bretzeln are internationally popular.

Mascylla is also renowned for its long tradition in beer brewing, with many local Mascyllary favouring a regionally produced beer. Domestically brewed variations of beer include the Altbier, Dunkel, Bockbier, Kölsch, Lagerbier, Malzbier, Tinzner, and Weizenbier. Grown Mascyllary wine is also recently growing popular, with up to 13 wine regions mainly centered along the shore to Lake Sigismund. Carbonated mineral water is the most popular soft drink in Mascylla, while fruit juices and Schorle as water mixed with juice or wine are also widely consumed.

Sports

The Juslandstadion in Ankstedt is the home venue of FC Ankstedt and the largest football stadium by spectator capacity in Mascylla
Emilia Nagata, one of Mascylla's most successful professional tennis players

In 2011, approximately 25.2 million people were organized in 87,000 sports and gymnastics clubs in Mascylla, the overwhelming majority of which are embodied in the Mascyllary Auroran Sports Association (Maskillischer Aurorischer Sportbund). The Mascyllary Kingdom and its successor state hosted the Auroran Games six times, three times for the Summer Games in 1906, 1954 and 2006, and three times for the Winter Games in 1930, 1982 and 1990; Mascyllary athletes ranked second in the all time number of received medals at 1,047.

Football remains the most popular sport in Mascylla. Roughly 4.9 million members and more than 70,000 football clubs are registered in the Mascyllary Association of Football (Maskillischer Fußballbund), which hosted the X World Cup in 1974, 1990 and 2012 and became one of the largest and most successful sports associations worldwide. The Mascyllary national football team, while internationally renowned and regarded, lags behind other football teams and thus only gained two victories in the 1990 and 2004 X World Cups. The Reichsliga is the main association football league of the country; the most successful Mascyllary football club and second-largest club worldwide by amount of members is FC Ankstedt.

The Reichsliga Handball is often seen as the best class of handball in the world, having won four titles of world champion. 470,000 active members are part of 1,920 sports clubs encompassing the Mascyllary Association of Handball (Maskillischer Handballbund). Mascyllary hockey, volleyball, cycling and particularly tennis are also individually very popular and quite sucessful in international competitions, the most notable athlete of which being tennis player Emilia Nagata. Motor sport, sport shooting and swimming are of particular notice, with athletes and figures such as Ralf Woerle, Florian Wellsbock, Sebastian Rährl, Katharina Stephan and Sophia König among the best athletes of their respective sport and holding numerous titles and awards.

National symbols and holidays

The Maskane der Republik in Memorial Plaza in Flussmund. Mascane is the national personification of Mascylla since its establishment

The Constitution of Mascylla defines a certain set of acknowledged symbols and icons legitimately representative of Mascylla, those being: the national flag of Mascylla adopted in 1923 but a similar design before then since 1793, the coat of arms of the government and monarchy respectively, the national anthem "Geeint in Blut und Schwur" by David Fallsbecht and Theodor Birk used since 1793, the national motto "Hier stehen Wir" as an allegory of the inofficial motto of the House of Ahnern, and the national personification of Mascylla, Mascane. Specifically Mascane holds significant iconography as a portrayal of the Mascyllary unification, the values of republicanism and democracy, and the Goddess of Liberty and Goddess of War itself, with her appearance as a young women with brown or golden hair and armored warrior with a spear and Corinthian helmet. Mascane has often been associated with Mascyllary imperialism and its colonial empire since the 19th century, and receives places of significance on currency, in government buildings and as statues and memorials.

Apart from its official symbols, Mascylla also possesses three other lesser known and inofficial symbols still widely considered to be and used as icons of Mascylla, such as the roe deer as a national animal, and the oak tree and cornflower as representations of the country's flora. Mascylla also has 17 recognized national holidays, many of which are public holidays and subject to celebration or lay-off of worktime. Most of them are derived from Semitarist practices and beliefs, while other are significant historical and national dates, days of rememberance and introduced aspects of foreign culture.

Holiday name Native name
(Mascyllary Hesurian)
Date Public holiday Notes
New Years' Day Neujahrstag 1 January Yes
Epiphany Heilige Drei Könige 6 January Yes
National Day Tag der Nation 26 January Yes Celebrations commemorating the foundation of the Crowned Republic by Peter Zeschtemann after the Mascyllary Revolution in 1924.
Crown Day Tag der Maskillischen Krone 5 March Yes Celebrations commemorating the crowning of Maximilian I as King of Mascylla in 1924.
Emancipation Day Tag der Emanzipation 8 March No
Good Friday Karfreitag Two days before Easter Sunday Yes
Easter Monday Ostermontag One day after Easter Sunday Yes
Labour Day Tag der Arbeit 1 May Yes
Unification Day Tag der Einigung 23 May Yes Celebrations commemorating the unification of Mascylla after the War of the Five Kings and the proclamation of the May Republic at the begin of the Mascyllary Revolution in 1923.
Ascension Day Himmelfahrt 39 days after Easter Sunday Yes
Rememberance Day Tag der Gesinnung 20 July No Day of rememberance to the victims of terrorism and war of Mascylla; date specifically set for the July 20 attacks in Königsreh in 1991
Whit Monday Pfingstmontag 50 days after Easter Sunday Yes
X X 60 days after Easter Sunday No
X X 15 August No
All Saints' Day Alleheiligen 1 November Yes
Christmas Day Weihnachtstag 24 December—26 December Yes
New Years' Eve Silvester 31 December Yes

Notes

a.^ Hesurian: Maskillisches Reich, IPA: [maski:lɪʃəs ʁaɪ̯ç]
b.^ Hesurian: Gekrönte Republik Maskillien, IPA: [gəkʁø:ntə ʁɛpʊbli:k maski:ljən]

See also