Calradia
United Republic of Calradia | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: Unitas in Adversitate Unity in Adversity | |
| Anthem: Hymn of the Kalrad | |
| Capital and largest city | Praven |
| Official languages | Calradic |
| Recognised regional languages | Rhodok, Swadian, Vaegir, Nordic, Sarrinid, Khergan, Champs, Seppami |
| Demonym(s) | Calradian |
| Government | Semi-federal presidential republic |
| Rowan Allen | |
• Vice President | Alan Mortage |
• Leader of the Senate | Willem Carnegie |
• Leader of the House | Kimberly Accordia |
• High Justice | Maxim Courean |
| Legislature | Calradian Congress |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Formation | |
• Calradic Empire | 75 CE |
• Collapse of the Calradic Empire | 912 CE |
• Declaration of the United Republic | 5 January 1150 |
• Ratification of the Unitary Law | 14 February 1152 |
• Formation of the Constitution | 21 May 1200 |
• Red Crisis | 25 November 1919 |
• The Second Constitution | 5 January 1923 |
| Area | |
• | 9,872,523 km2 (3,811,802 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 6.7% |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 628,455,739 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | CRD 66.630 trillion |
• Per capita | CRD 106,015 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | CRD 51.254 trillion |
• Per capita | CRD 81,540 |
| Gini | 29.8 low |
| HDI (2023) |  0.943very high (3) |
| Currency | Calradian Denar (CRD) |
| Time zone | CST, CCT, CET |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +1 (ICS) |
| Internet TLD | .ca |
The United Republic of Calradia, commonly known as the United Republic or Calradia, is a country primarily located in the continent of Midderra, Terrum. The country is a semi-federal union of eight states, with seven contiguous states — Swadia, Nordlandia, Vaegiria, Rhodokia, Khergia, Sarrinidia, and Champsieux — and the state of Seppam located on the continent of Occiddera, across the Eambra Ocean to the west of the mainland. Additionally, it also holds sovereignty over seven insular territories in the Caucurie and Eambra Oceans, as well as military jurisdiction over the central lands of the Otherworld continent of Novia. With a highly urbanized population of over 628 million people, as well as a land area of 9.872 million square kilometers, it is the third-largest country by size and population. The capital and largest city is Praven, with a population of 10.4 million and a metropolitan area housing 21 million people in total, making it the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the world.
Prior to the advent of civilization, the lands of Calradia were first inhabited by Meso-Vlandian settlers sometime around 7900 BCE. The cultivation of the Meso-Vlandian culture in the region led to the rise of the Proto-Kingdoms in 1000 BCE, and the continuous conflicts between the Vlandian, Battanian, and Sturgian tribes in the following millennium. It was not until 75 CE that the region saw its first integration when the Calradic Empire was established under the rule of Valorian, and by 350 CE, it had expanded to its greatest extent when it conquered the eastern kingdoms of Khergia and Sarrinidia. However, over time, the empire was too overextended, and it was dismantled after the siege of Pravia by the Swadians in 912 CE, resulting in its breakup into six independent kingdoms. After a series of wars that led to the Decline of the Six Kingdoms, the region was once again unified by a republican uprising under Guirrovan that led to the Declaration of the United Republic on 5 January 1150, effectively establishing the United Republic of Calradia. Following its full adoption of democracy in 1200, the republic expanded its lands both eastward and across the western seas, leading to the induction of Champsieux in 1276 and its exploration and incorporation of Seppam in 1301.
From the 1300s to the 1600s, its sailors pioneered in the circumnavigation of Terrum, and Calradia's industrialization in 1725 elevated it into a world power. In 1919, a communist revolution in Reyvadin, in what would be known as the Red Crisis, resulted in great political upheaval that threatened the existence of the republic. After government forces successfully quelled the revolution in 1922, the Calradian Congress amended the constitution and launched significant administrative reforms, leading to the abolition of the Chancellery and the creation of the Presidency. The aftermath of the First Global Conflict in 1959 left Calradia as the world's sole superpower, giving it substantial geopolitical influence globally. However, this unipolarity was challenged by Plaegirus, culminating in a power struggle through the Second Global Conflict. Calradia's role as a superpower was further cemented following the end of the conflict and the defeat of the Opposing Bloc in 1995.
Calradia is a semi-federal constitutional presidential republic. Its government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The Calradian Congress, the country's bicameral national legislature, is the oldest in the world, and is composed of the House of Representatives, the lower house; and the Senate, the upper house. Both houses wield significant power over legislation and are apportioned based on the population of constituencies, although the Senate wields a smaller number of seats. The executive branch is headed by the President, an office widely regarded to be the most powerful in the world. The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court, which oversees the legality of each legislation and government action. While Calradia is a federation that grants states significant autonomy, the hierarchy of government as defined by the constitution places the central government at the highest level, and in turn gives it a leverage over state policies. Calradia's political culture revolves around the very same ideals laid out by the Declaration of the United Republic, and the promotion of liberty and democracy has become an essential feature in its domestic and foreign policies.
Calradia wields the largest economy in the world — its GDP accounting for over 18% of Terrum's economy in 2023 — and possesses the highest disposable household income per capita in the world. It consistently ranks among the highest in economic competitiveness, innovation, and ranks second place in the higher education sector. Calradia is also a founding member of various international organizations, such as the Assembly of Nations (AON), the Economic Prosperity Council (EPC), and the Pan Emmerian Alliance (PEA). Historically a militaristic nation, it also has the highest number of international military deployments in the world, possesses the most overseas military bases of any country, and maintains the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. To this day, it remains a dominant figure in world politics, and is dubbed by many as the world's "guiding eye."
Etymology
The name Calradia is derived from the ancient Vlandian word "Kalrad", meaning "others". As such, Calradia can either conventionally mean "the land of others" or, in the context of Valorian's use of the word, a "union of others". The first use of the word "Calradia" can be traced back to a passage from The Ballad of the Chagrined Scythian, a tragedy written sometime around 32 CE by the Svadian bard Ferris, wherein it was loosely translated to "... in the realm of the others where the layman thrives, does the Scythian continue its wanderlust in woeful envy."
The motivations that prompted Valorian to use the word in his Decree of the Calradia and its subsequent use as the name of the imperial realm are unknown. However, historians suggest that Valorian might have been entranced by a performance of The Ballad of the Chagrined Scythian that was presented to his court after a victory over the Nords during his war of expansion. While this assumption has since been ridiculed by contemporary views for being too specific, Valorian has been recorded to have made references to the play in firsthand accounts of close aides that served under him in the leadup to the establishment of the Calradic Empire.
The word has since been synonymous with the lands, and even well into the era of the Six Kingdoms, it was widely used to refer to the old empire and the region as a whole. The word came to further prominence when it was used by Guirrovan to establish the United Republic, and is more recently used in various terms that describe specific actions or cultures that allude to the country itself, such as "the Calradian thinking" or "Calradization".