Themiclesia
Themiclesia 震旦/中國 | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
Anthem: Air of Curvilinear Clouds (慶雲歌) Royal anthem: Air of Mosses (南山有臺) | |
| Capital | Kien-k'ang |
| Largest | Ghap-bo' |
| Official languages | Shinasthana |
| Recognised regional languages | Dayashinese Menghean Rajian |
| Demonym(s) | Themiclesian |
| Government | Unitary constitutional monarchy |
• Emperor (皇帝, ghwang-teh) | Ljag Dzion |
• Prime Minister1 | Glu Grjwod |
| Establishment | |
• First dynasty | 265 |
• Declaration of accession | 478 |
• Current dynasty | 1558 |
| Area | |
• | 2,899,659.06 km2 (1,119,564.62 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 4% |
| Population | |
• 2016 estimate | 40 million |
• 2014 census | 39.2 million |
• Density | 10/km2 (25.9/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2015 estimate |
• Total | $2,000,000,000,000 (11) |
• Per capita | $50,000 (7) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2015 estimate |
• Total | $1,800,000,000,000 (12) |
• Per capita | $45,000 (6) |
| Gini (2015) | 25.7 low |
| HDI (2015) | 0.93 very high |
| Currency | Auric catty (鎰, 'lot) (€) |
| Time zone | UTCSMT +4–6 (West, East, Remote East) |
| Yes | |
| Date format | mm-dd-yyyy (Gregorian) RN-yy-mm-dd-cc (official) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +2 |
| Internet TLD | .tm |
| |
Themiclesia is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy situated on the east side of the Halu'an Sea. It borders Nukkumaa to the north, Polvokia to the northeast, Dzhungestan to the east, and Maverica to the south. It is typically received as stable, well-off, mid-sized country in Septentrion, rich in history and culture, which links it primarily to Menghe, though elements of other cultures are also represented. Themiclesia is internationally noted for its technological advancement and moderate foreign policy, though it is an active member state in multiple international organizations.
According to the latest census, Themiclesia has around 40 million inhabitants.
Name
The country's official English name, "Themiclesia", is far removed from its etymological origin. Themiclesia was under the rule of the Tsjens Dynasty in the 300s, when Maverican merchants started to use Shinasthana as a portmanteau of Tsjonh + -sthana (locative suffix); more than a thousand years later, Shinasthana was borrowed into Rajian as Thimestheni, when either clerical error or arbitrary phonetic Sylvanization, or a combination of both, resulted in its reading as Themiclesia in central Casaterra. As eastern and northern Casaterran nations were not influenced by this change, their names for Themiclesia remain Thimestheni.
Themiclesia originally existed without a permanent name attached to the nationality but adopted a new name as each dynasty came and went. Since the arrival of the Meng in 543, however, the name 中朝 (trjung-hngjawg), "Restored Dynasty" came into general use as Themiclesia developed an identity disparate from that of Menghe, which was then governed by a series of nomadic rulers, whom the Liangs (and their successors) regarded as politically and culturally illegitimate. Meanwhile, to emphasize its legitimacy, names that originally referred to Menghe were also widely used by the literati to identify to Themiclesia, such as 中夏 (trjung-ghra'), "Restored Legitimate/Cultured Nation", and 中華 (trjung-ghrwa'), "Restored Illustrious Nation". On the other hand, the exonym Shinasthana was borrowed into Themiclesia during the 7th c., as 震旦 (tjenh-tanh), two characters roughly simulating the Maverican pronunciation but devoid of meaning. This name found more use in geographical and international contexts, while those stipulating political legitimacy were used in political contexts.
By the 19th Century, tjenh-tanh had overtaken the use of trjung-hngjawg as a political name for Themiclesia, whose government gradually became less entrenched in the doctrine that it derived governing legitimacy as the inheritor of Menghean imperial legacy. Part of this detachment stemmed from the inevitable realization that Themiclesia would need to recognize the thriving and powerful Menghean state as a legitimate country in its own right, in order to establish much-needed diplomatic relationship with it; naturally, the name trjung-hngjawg, which explicitly denigrates Menghe, cannot be used in a diplomatic setting. Nevertheless, the term still retains some use in state ceremonies, where the Emperor is referred to as the Sovereign of the Restored Dynasty, instead of the Emperor of Themiclesia, a term not used domestically.
History
Themiclesia possesses a long tradition of written history, translated from its Menghean origins. A general survey of Themiclesian history typically relies upon official histories and anthologies, books by private authors, and non-academic records left by contemporaries. Traditionally, history is almost exclusively focused on the post-settlement part of history and the history of Menghe (which Themiclesia identified with), a growing portion of studies include archaeological material of prehistoric societies that inhabited the country.
Menghean settlement
The cultural group that forms the majority of the Themiclesian populace came from the Menggok culture, which was based in and gives its name to Menghe. Meng people settled in Themiclesia starting from the 8th c. BCE, first in pursuit of the region's lapis lazuli ores, prized by Menghean nobility. There is some evidence that early migration correlates to political stability in Menghe; during periods of disorder or weak governance, immigration intensified, and in others, it slowed. There is evidence of individuals returning to Menghe, suggesting Themiclesia functioned as a refuge in its earliest history. The first waves of settlers were unaffiliated with the Menghean court, leaving little historical record. Menghe was under stable governance since the 3rd c. BCE until 278 CE, and the population in Themiclesia increased slowly during this time.
The fall of the Meng Dynasty in 278 to civil war corresponds with the first rapid expansion of the new country's population. Some researchers provide that Themiclesia may have hosted up to 1 million inhabitants to 278, though others halve or quarter the proposed figure. Menghe did not govern Themiclesia formally, and local communities, sometimes organized around extended families, functioned autonomously, though it seems organized leadership of a considerable number of Menghean-descent communities may have existed since around the start of the Common Era, whether for security against natives or other reasons.
Tsjens Dynasty
The establishment of the Tsjens Dynasty (晉) in 265 precedes the fall of the Meng State by twelve years. In later reckoning, Tsjens' founding date was shifted to describe it as a successor state to the Meng Dynasty; this practice is no longer deemed acceptable. Tsjens' early governance remains mysterious due to the absence of systematic record-keeping and to later romanticism. At the start of the Tsjens, a new government organized itself as the one in Menghe, probably instigated by the first large clans to resettle in Themiclesia, escaping chaos in Menghe. These people have been thought to represent some prominent lineages in Menghean society, though most think it unlikely that the most prominent would trek as far as Themiclesia to avoid the war.
The figure Gwjang Du' (王導, 262–320) is central to the founding of the first dynasty. His clan arrived in Themiclesia, like many others, to escape turmoil; as is typical in Menghe, large estates were organized around a landed aristocrat, with free tenants, indentured tenants, men-at-arms, and slaves. Though Themiclesia was largely peaceful, minor skirmishes occurred frequently between indigenous groups and those of Menghean-descent. Their non-coordinated distribution and expansion resulted in a patchwork with settler- and indigenous-held areas, which Gwjang criticized as unsafe and inefficient, since manpower had to be dedicated to defence. Possibly weary of the civil war in Menghe, Gwjang suggested that leaders of various clans establish a state in lieu of the Menghean one to consolidate resources and establish unitary control over the settled portion of Themiclesia, which came to fruition in 265. The Sje-mra' (司馬) clan, being the one that settled purportedly before other major clans, was acclaimed as king, with the proviso that everything was to be "done as accustomed in the Meng court, except the Imperial title".
Ghjwang's proposals were met with general approval from leading clans, which conceivably desired a familiar social and political structure after a long exodus from their homes. However, the new state was starkly different from its antecedent in the inactivity of the government. Ghjwang transposed Menghean institutions to Themiclesia with didactic fidelity, yet because the Sjo-mra clan obtained the crown courtesy of the other major clans (and Ghjwang in particular), the crown, by design, had no power over the same clans that initially created it. Many historians recall to Meng government in the 3rd c., where weak monarchs were routinely dominated by powerful officials, originating from aristocratic, educated clans that owned large tracts of land, providing financial backing to their activities at court. Moreover, that recently the total collapse of the Menghean state was triggered by an ambitious monarch attempting to restore power to himself, the clans may have seen an explicit and urgent need to maintain a monarchy unable to repeat what exiled them in the first place. The Tsjonh sovereign has been analyzed as a "masterfully-crafted mascot, born out of a complex need for solace and nostalgia, featuring everything that they liked—and nothing they disliked—about the Meng crown".[1]
Pre-modern historians generally write of the Tsjonh period as one of great cultural achievement, social stability, and a model for later dynasties. Some have criticized this image as romantic and connected it with later politics. Still others assert that social mobility during the Tsjonh period was extremely poor, and a commoner, even one educated, faced insuperable barriers in seeking office. In any event, it is generally agreed that the Tsjonh monarchy was little more than a figurehead, loosely styled after the Meng emperors though not so called at that time. Certain factors, such as the abundance of farmland, demarked Tsjonh society from the norm in Menghe, where farmers were structurally forced to sell their land and become serfs.
Sungh (420–478)
Siaw-Rjang (492–543)
Meng-Rjang (543–681)
Dzei (681–922)
Drjon (922–1150)
Ngwrjeis (1150–1544)
Conflicts with Yi-Menghe
Modern Era
Rajians contact
The large maritime state that the Sung Dynasty governed suffered a catastrophic economic downturn that scholars now attribute to deflation of silver, and, under immature monetary policies, the governemnt issued banknotes leading to inflation in copper coins. Commerce became unprofitable, and the state's revenues sharply decreased. Starting in 1350, the outposts on the western coasat of the Halu'an Sea, which enabled overland commerce in what today is the Organized States, were subject to frequent raids from Rajamaan Yhdysvallat, and the cost of repelling them became a liability to state coffers; combined with persistent failure and recent conflict with Menghe, the government withdrew military positions in 1393. Meanwhile, the territories on the east coast of Columbia became more prosperous tailing the mainland.
Sylvans contact
Fleets from the Columbian west coast were repositioned on southern coast. The South Sea Fleet settled at Novio Porto in 1395. With waters alien to Vuortish pirates and better access to domestic resources, the Themiclesian Navy had more success halting the Rajian advance along the southern coast. In 1399, Sylvan merchants arrived to the amazement of the Port Corps; they were invited ashore to trade with both Themiclesian merchants and the natives. The presence of a second Casaterran power was received with excitement in Themiclesia, which could now trade with multiple states without crossing the tulmultuous Strait and braving piracy. Diplomacy between Sylva and Themiclesia began in 1410.
Mutualistic commerce persisted until a war broke out between Sylvans and Rajians for control over the OS interior. Sylvans requested for assistance from Themiclesia, and, deciding that competition between Casaterran powers may elicit better offers, the government sent four infantry divisions (with a strength of around 36,000) to the OS. Armed with Sylvan muskets and Themiclesian artillery and bolstered with native auxiliary forces, Themiclesia engaged Rajamaan in winter of 1596. To ensure logistical preparedness, the South Sea Fleet was ordered to ferry supplies across the Halu'an Sea, together with the North Sea Fleet. A stalemate ensued in mid-1597. The Sylvans suddenly attacked and captured Novio Porto; a small part of the South Sea Fleet investigated the incident, only to find the Sylvans firmly entrenched in the area. Citing natives attempting to eradicate them, they refused to admit Themiclesian administrators; the ships docked outside the port. The entire fleet later sailed south to apply pressure.
The lack of food and refurbishments prevented the Army from continuing fighting, while the South Sea Fleet arrived in Novio Porto to discover a reinforced Sylvan fleet in positions; later in 1597, the Army retreated to the large settlement near Clarkestown. In 1599, Themiclesian, Rajian, and Sylvan legates concluded the Treaty of Giaw-tju, which ceded Themiclesian outposts near New Erus City and Novio Porto to Sylva and the other one to the Rajamaan. The Themiclesian delegation reportedly claimed that the outposts were leased from native tribes and thus could not be ceded, the two other delegations denied the presence of any legal obstacles; the same treaty affirmed Themiclesian merchants' rights to trade there, upon a duty on the value of their sales. Relations were quickly restored to normalcy thereafter.
Tyrannians contact
Tyrannian settlers first arrived in Columbia in the early 1600s; unlike the others, more of them were settlers than traders. Disputes arose between colonial officials and Tyrannian settlers, whose sales were taxed. The Tyrannian colonists argued that they were already paying duties towards their own government, and being taxed again ran afoul of reason and their allegiance. The government was unable or unwilling to respond, and in 1635 a revolt occurred in Neng-t'jang. He expelled the rebels from the settlement and sent for further instructions from court, but that too fell on deaf ears; he watched the Tyrannians take over the entire settlement. Later, the court strip of office for incompetence, and his lieutenant, who managed to escape home, was convicted of misgovernance inciting rebellion. The loss of the settlement was used as ammunition for the view that maintaining administration there was an erroneous policy.
In 1656, a new policy was announced, increasing customs duties to remit the poll and land taxes. The official trade route in Neng-t'jang was to be re-opened by force. The fleet launched an attack on the Tyrannian-controlled settlement. After some success, the prime minister suddenly died, and his replacement ordered the fleet back home immediately. His policy created customs duties all maritime commerce passing into the Halu'an Sea and to split the resulting revenues with the Empire of Gavistia, in Maverica. This move was intended to create a lasting peace and a permanent trade route, over land, to Menghe. However, it also recreated the problematic double-taxing of Tyrannian settlers. The resulting conflict protracted over a span of four decades, Themiclesian settlements lost piecemeal to Tyran. The imperial court was not committed to defending holdings abroad but would not surrender them without opposition. By 1674, the last Themiclesian-controlled outpost was lost, ending the Themiclesia's administration in continental Columbia.
Ostlandian contact
Northern Maverica, then administered by to Themiclesia. An edict dating to 1733 permitted Ostlandic colonists to settle freely south of the river of Kim-shra. While the government treated the Ostlandic settlers as ordinary subjects, disputes soon arose over linguistic incompatibility (Ostlandic settlers were German-speaking). Ostlandic settlers in 1751 petitioned for the use of German as the lingua franca in all government proceedings relating to them; upon refusal, a rebellion fermented in 1755 in an alliance with a number of Indic city-states under the suzerainty of the Themiclesian monarchy. Temporarily able to prevent its expansion, the government opted for peace, fortified by its own alliance with a third party: the Empire of Gavistia would have a condominium with Themiclesia over the Ostlanders and the Indic city-states in the region, with common upper limits for taxation and provisions for administrative jurisdiction.
The Gavistia Empire disintegrated after internal strife later in the century, reverting to Themiclesia full dominion over the Ostlandic settlers. Egged on by the example of the newly liberated Columbians, in 1781, radical groups of Ostlandians began a guerilla war against Themiclesian rule, which was increasingly suspicous of both Ostlanders and Mavericans in the late 1700s. Measures prejudicial to locals were enacted in favour of Themiclesians, namely granted them a higher social status and sumptuary entitlements. The colonists pressed on with their strategy to avoid a full deployment from the metropole; during 50 years of intermittent warfare, government reaction bounced between suppression and placation. In 1838, an edict was passed, officially abandoning control over the north of Maverica, after the Organized States lobbied at court in sympathy of the Ostlanders; this was done in exchange for commercial rights with the OS.
20th Century
The closing years of the 19th century saw an increase in trans-Halu'an trade between Themiclesia and OS. Due to the composition of the government of OS at this time, official requests from that body towards the Themiclesian authorities increased in frequency; the government practiced a policy of maximal tolerance, believing that assisting the development of the economy in OS was ultimately to the interest of Themiclesian itself, not to mention a smoother diplomatic relationship in the short term. The permission of OS factories to be set up in Themiclesia, under attractive terms, was conceived by the government as a means to expand industrial infrastructure to less developed areas. In order to attract investment, the government also made several significant concessions, including allowing Columbian troops to be stationed in Themiclesia; while unsavoury for some contemporary commentators, it seems these sacrifices had paid off in the longer term. The outbreak of WWI further placed demands on Themiclesian industry, leading to increased output and employment. In order to facilitate better co-operation with OS, the government passed the Preservation of Civic and Political Institutions Act in 1894, which essentially made nationalism in Themiclesia illegal (the sovereignty of the government as a whole is legally protected); the Liberal Party has always appealed to rationaism and viewed nationalistic sentiment as an inimical ideology. In exchange for these policies, the OS government backed the Liberal Party in the elections between 1902 and 1930, with the notable result that the country during this period enjoyed a strong, stable, and Liberal government.
In 1931, the OS government was formed by a new president, who implemented what today is known as the "good neighbour policy". Under this doctrine the OS would cease its intervention in neighbouring countries, which in OS was openly practiced and admitted. In Themiclesia, OS presence and influence was regarded as legitimate by the populace, under the assumption that it would economically benefit the country, and, crucially, was permitted by the government. The withdrawal of OS troops in 1932 caused some anxiety in certain communities that had developed around servicing OS garrisons. 1932 was also election year, and in March the Liberals saw their majority wane to a paltry 2 seats, causing alarm within the cabinet. As an emergency measure to suppress oppositing ideologies threatening to expose Liberal complicity with some intercourse with the OS never meant for the public eye, the government passed the Preservation of Civil and Constitutional Order Act of 1932 (Apr.), making many forms of non-traditional thought officially illegal in public assemblies and political parties, extending to public speeches, books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, or simply any "medium of information intended for and made available to a public audience". The proscribed list included Marxism, Leninism, Fascism, Zayetism, and Anarchism; the existing ban on nationalism was amped up. It also directed the government to "suppress, arrest, and prevent all public assemblies actively altering or professing to alter the constitution of this country."
Meanwhile, the government also reinvigorated its list of planned social legislation, which were on hold since the late 19th Century due to certain provisions that interfered with OS industrial interests. Social insurance, medical grants, rural land grants, public pensions, and mandatory secondary education were all instituted within a short window; the sudden installation of these programmes strained the treasury greatly, but higher taxes were raised on corporations and high-income individuals as a counter-measure.
The operation of the PCCOA reached a zenith in May 1935, when a fascist demonstration burst into the imperial palace in Luok-yang, where ensuing suppression resulted in over 2,200 dead and more than 4,000 injured; parts of the country were in uproar over the government's decision. On Sept. 30th, a referendum was ordered, the first in this country's history, asking the citizenry whether they "affirmed or opposed the government's actions in May"; with still a sizeable majority by the government's side, the Prime Minister then pressed on with suppressing ideologies that contradicted the Liberal-Progressive coalition, which together accounted for over 90% of the seats in parliament, until the outbreak of the PSW. The implementation of PCCOA continued to draw criticism from domestic and foreign commentators, who thought this act enabled the government to crack down on anything, since Themiclesia's constitution, "if it actually exists, is not stated."
PSW
Post-war
As Themiclesia suffered comparatively little casualty and damage to its infrastructure in the PSW, it was well-placed to take advantage of the reconstruction wave. The nation's economy developed rapidly, in close conjunction with that of the OS, after wartime controls on capital were loosened in 1946. The pre-war contention over the repressive political environment abated in a national fervor for industry and innovation, and the stable, moderate policies of the post-war Liberal government continued to nurture the country's industries. Strong social programmes, which burdened capital and labour equally, ensured social cohesion, and the government's foreign policy of "integration" in the world seemed to support the emerging idea of perpetual peace, as the last remnants of enmity with foreign states were officially forgotten with free trade treaties signed with several powers. Starting in the 1950s, the government discreetly relented on its control over the nation's ideology. It should be noted that the PCCOA did not ban ideologies so much as prevented revolutionary rhetoric; private discusisons and academic debates (particularly in universities) were not forbidden. For exmaple, the Fascist Uprising of 1935 contained a demand to restore the Themiclesian Emperor to political power, which departed from Themiclesia's undefined constitution, and this was the principal reason why the government suppressed them.
Geography and Administration
Administrative Divisions
Regions
Regions are first-level administrative division in Themiclesia; there are 19 of these in total.
| Name | Population | Capital | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | Shinasthana | Transliteration | Shinasthana | ||
| Lang-tju | 揚州 | 建康 | Kjan-k'ang | ||
| Krong-tju | 江州 | 九江 | Kju'-krong | ||
| Lja-tju | 徐州 | 彭城 | Brang-djeng | ||
| Gla-tju | 豫州 | 陳縣 | Drjon-gwians | ||
| Ts'ing-tju | 青州 | 臨淄 | Bljem-snje | ||
| Luan'-tju | 兗州 | 廩丘 | Rjem'-k'lju | ||
| Sje-tju | 司州 | 洛陽 | Rak-lang | ||
| Krjeh-tju | 冀州 | 信都 | Sjians-ta | ||
| lju-tju | 幽州 | 涿縣 | Truk-gwians | ||
| Brjiang-tju | 平州 | 襄平 | Snjang-brjiang | ||
| Bjiangs-tju | 并州 | 晉陽 | Tsjens-lang | ||
| 'jong-tju | 雍州 | 長安 | Drjang-an | ||
| Gljang-tju | 涼州 | 姑臧 | Ka-tsang | ||
| Snjin-tju | 秦州 | 冀縣 | Krjeh-gwian | ||
| Rjang-tju | 梁州 | 南鄭 | Nom-drjens | ||
| 'jik-tju | 益州 | 成都 | Drjeng-ta | ||
| Kwang-tju | 廣州 | 番禺 | P'rar-ngje | ||
| Kraw-tju | 交州 | 龍編 | Rjung-prjan | ||
| Kjing-tju | 荊州 | 江寧 | Krong-niang | ||
Government
The Themiclesian political system is typically described as a cross between Menghean-style bureaucracy and Hadaway-style government. There is no codified constitution in the usual sense, though there are certain provisions within the Administrative Code (mljengh) that are deemed more important than others.
Council of Correspondence
The executive branch consists of the leadership of the Council of Correspondence; this group of individuals are typically referred to as the "government" in foreign media, but they are domestically called the priat-dzuah, "Eight Chairpersons". The Council of Correspondence is responsible for making all decisions that do not require an edict; it is the department with the most power and widest purview. Procedurally, any of the eight ministers (prime minister, two deputy PMs, five administrators) may put forth a proposal to exercise the Council's prerogatives, but all eight must assent by signing the instrument before it is effective.
The prime minister usually holds slightly more influence than his colleagues, though this is not structural. Without a department of his own, the PM devotes more time to interdepartmental policy development, granting him more weight in inter-departmental affairs, against those concerning a single department, where the responsible minister is expected to be dominant. The two deputy PMs have a similar but smaller advantage; the Minister of the Left has supervisory power over the Department's bureaucracy, the Cabinet Office. The Minister of the Right is accorded a place of distinction as he is responsible for education, an area of cultural import to Themiclesia. Both deputies are entitled to read briefs sent to the PM and act on his behalf under some circumstances.
If a lone minister cannot assent to a policy, he is expected to tender resignation from the government, though this may or may not be accepted at the discretion of the PM. If he is the responsible minister over the disputed policy, he has the option of asking his colleages to re-start discussions over it or to wait for further information; this prerogative cannot be abused, and a third such request is deemed disruptive. If the government is split over a certain issue, the PM customarily tenders resignation, which prompts all other ministers to resign. Such a situation is infrequent, as most governments are composed of like-minded individuals.
Junior ministers
Junior ministers assist their superiors in managing smaller and more specific segments of the typically wide portfolios of higher ministers. They are personally in control of one or several departments that are located outside of the imperial palace; some departments pertain only to their original functions, which make them mostly sinecures as far as public government is concerned; others have been given a public function; still others were created in the modern era. These departments range from a small office of several individuals to large bureaucracies with thousands in staffing.
Council of Protonotaries
The Council of Protonotaries elected by the people and represents their will. It is the source of political legitimacy and the chamber to which the executive is responsible. The modern Council of Protonotaries, having taken shape of a first chamber in the 1800s, consists of 610 members directly elected by the first-past-the-post method in multi-member constituencies. Both candidate and elector must be above the age of 20, of sound mind, not an undischarged bankrupt, and not a member of the Armed Forces of Themiclesia. All candidates are required to submit a manifesto of any length, published by the government on the local Election Notice for every enumerated voter. Voter enumeration is done annually, but non-enumerated voters who can show evidence of permanent residence in excess of three months within their current constituencies may also vote.
Council of Attendants
The modern Council of Attendants forms, together with the Protonotaries and Cavaliers, the parliament of Themiclesia. Members are nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed by the Emperor for life. While anyone who is eligible for election may be appointed, retired civil servants compose of the majority of appointees. The other major source of members is the academia; scholars and scientists who have made important contributions are often deemed eligible. This house is not a deliberative chamber in the usual sense, as there is no voting process; instead, the assent of any one of the several members (constitutional precedent demands at least four) is sufficient to convey the Council's acceptance. Since the end of the Pan-Septentrion War, this upper house has never once rejected a draft edict.
Council of Cavaliers
The Council of Cavaliers is a part of the parliament of Themiclesia, though it possesses non-legislative functions.
Judiciary
The judicial branch consists of the Marshal of the Court and subordinate benches.
Imperial Tribunes
Themiclesia has a distinct fourth branch of government exercising the power of censorship and control over the other three branches; in this context, "censorship" means the power to censure inappropriate decisions and punish misbehaviour by government officials. This branch is led by the Grand Minister of Imperial Censors; however, that position today is considered a sinecure, with all his duties being discharged by the Meridian Secretary of Imperial Censors. There are three colleges of Imperial Tribunes under the governance of the Meridian Secretary, the Correspondent Tribunes, the Attendant Tribunes, and Tribunes of the Hall. Each has a separate jurisdiction, but their functions are comparable to the ombudsman in most other states, accepting complaints and evidence of abuse of power by public officials and prosecuting them if warranted.
Emperor
The Emperor is the head of state of Themiclesia. Though generally well-received, he has no voice in the political process. He is, atypically for monarchs, not the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Emperor has the right to receive information form his ministers. His immunity to political responsibility is the reciprocol side of his personal impotence in politics. Historically, the Themiclesian monarchy has been characterized by political passivity and isolation from military affairs. One-six-thousandths of the revenue of the govenrmnet goes towards the Emperor's upkeep and that of his palaces and other properties.
Council of Confident Librarians
Palace Hall Superintendency
This department attended to the emperor's personal and daily needs. Subordinate divisions attend to the emperor's wardrobe, headdresses, thrones, food, and baths. Additional offices are responsible for co-ordinating the emperor's security and transport and maintenance of the premises of his palaces. Appointment to any position within this department is a matter of much trust from the government, since a budget worth $600 million or so will be granted annually, and misappropriation is not easily detected. The head of this agency carries the ministerial title of Officer of the Palace, and he reports to the Minister of the Left.
Nobility
Economy
The Themiclesian economy is founded primarily on the service industry, which accounts for over 64% of its national product; main services in which Themiclesia has a noted position internationally are those of finance, education, technology, business consultancy, and insurance. Nevertheless, the nation is still involved in agriculture and industry, but has focused, after the Pan-Septentrion War, on high value-added or specialized goods.
Agriculture
For most of its history, Themiclesia's economy was one of subsistence agriculture. Most dynasties openly promoted this form of production, sometimes even at the expense of suppressing commerce, as it fostered social stability and order by securing peasants to their land; this was further supported by land policies that protected a minimum allotment of arable land to each male and female subject. By the early 20th Century, high production costs meant it competed poorly with the industrialized agricultural market. Failing prices in agricultural goods forced many peasants to migrate towards the city, causing much unrest and tension, and also industrial wages to drop precipitously. In 1932, the government introduced a program to lease machinery to the peasantry, but it hardly made a dent until after the war. The traditional fishing industry also suffered a similar collapse, until an injection of funding in 1952 to modernize and revive it.
Modern agricultural in Themiclesia produces only a handful of cash crops, namely rice, wheat, and millet. The temperate climate of Themiclesia's heartland supports growing a wide variety of high-value cash crops, such as exotic fruits, premium vegetables, flowers, and spices. Themiclesia has a large fleet of fishing boats that utilize trawling nets to harvest the rich seafood that was previously inaccessible to manual divers and thus untapped. Further from coast, the natural current of the Halu'an Sea brings tuna and several other commercially viable species close enough to the coast that fishers do not need to brave the high ocean tides. Themiclesia's many long and peaceful rivers is also the reproductive habitat of salmon and herring. Inland lakes have sections closed off for the purpose of fisheries that produce halibut and sole, species suited to intensive farming.
Agricultural and rural tourism is now a hot topic and booming industry in Themiclesia. Service providers establish hotels and lodges in farming communities and provide the opportunity for tourists to acquire in-depth and hands-on knowledge of traditional agriculture; revenues from this industry is shared in co-operatives with the local community for perpetual development.
Mining and Industry
Themiclesia is particularly well-endowed in terms of mineral deposits that command value on the international market. Themiclesia, being home to an ancient civilization, has cultivated the use of copper, tin, iron, silver, and gold several millennia ago. With the introduction of modern technology, previously exhausted mines are being re-developed; many investors value them higher than new mines, as existing shafts and tunnels could be re-used, drastically reducing the costs of initiating operations. Of these, copper and tin are the most intensively mined metals in this country. While Themiclesia may be one of the first users of a blast furnace, which creates cast iron, a key component of steel, this has never developed into a steel industry in Themiclesia. This also largely applies to coal.
There are large uranium deposits in Themiclesia, located to the northeast of the nation.
Service, IT, and Finance
Demographics
Income and Income Distribution
Themiclesia produces roughly OS$1.86 trillion worth of value annually at the previous statistics announcement, for fiscal year 2018. Spread across the nation's population of 40.4 million, each citizen produces accordingly $46,000 of value; this is next to the Organized States of Columbia and (recently) Dayashina-proper. Income is distributed fairly equitably, with a Gini Coefficient of under 30.
Age
The average age of Themiclesians is 40, and this figure is set to increase on any ten-year outlook. The government is concerned if this trend is not corrected in the long term, but income shows a stronger correlation with age in Themiclesia than in other countries, as older people tend to be better-paid, which explains the relatively high retirement age in Themiclesia. The average retirement age in Themiclesia is 67.2 years.
Urbanization
Themiclesia is highly urbanized; over 80% of its population resides in urban areas. The most populous city is the capital city of Kien-k'ang, with a population of 2.65 million; counting the metropolitan area around it, around 8 million or 1/5 of the nation's population live close to the capital city. The second and third most populous are Ghwap-bo and Kwang-tshiu, each with 8 and 6 pepole residing in their respective metropolitan areas. There are 12 cities in Themiclesia with a population greater than 1 million.
Culture
Language
The official written language of Themiclesia is Shinasthana, though no law formally recognizes this. It is the de facto national language of Themiclesia, as it is the main language of instruction in primary and secondary schools as well as a mandatory subject in literature courses. This language belongs to the Menghic Family, sharing much of its vocabulary with the Menggok languages.
Aside from Shinasthana, various varieties of Menghean and Dayashinese are spoken natively by immigrants or their second- and third-generation descendants; they account for around 10% of the total population of Themiclesia. These two languages are also intensively studied by native speakers of Shinasthana, due to commercial and cultural relationships between these countries. Behind these two languages, Tyrannian is widely spoken as a second or third language by individuals of all backgrounds, but it is not usually a first language in Themiclesia. Rajian is spoken by a smaller but more distinct community residing in Themiclesia's far north, along the Nukkumaan border; formerly, it was farther north, but when Sngrak-tju was ceded to Nukkumaa in 1857, they decided to remain in Themiclesia.
Etiquette
Religion
Foreign Relations
Armed forces
References
- ↑ Boulton 1995