Karazawa
The Kingdom of Karazawa Caconzicua Karazawi | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
Motto: Eskua ke Eskua. Sani ke Sani Eye for Eye, Tooth for tooth | |
Anthem: tamajaninski para Uarazacha Remember our deads | |
 | |
| Location | Location of Karazawa in Conitia |
| Capital | Zacapatu |
| Largest city | Eri-Chiperi |
| Official languages | Azawarecha |
| Recognised regional languages | Aininian · Nahuatl · Many others |
| Ethnic groups (2016) | Karazawi · French · Nahuas · Chichimeca · Totonac · Zapotec · Mixtec · Tepehuas · Otomi |
| Religion | Saturnism |
| Demonym(s) | Karazawi |
| Government | parliamentary Monarchy |
• Caconzi | Cucumenthi II |
• Yrateq | Obraq Sokkan |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Establishment | |
• First Karazawi settlements in the Peninsula | 1190 |
• Foundation of Karazawa | 1301 |
| Area | |
• | 1,906,189 km2 (735,984 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2014 estimate | 90,755,833 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | 1,665,000,000,000 USD |
• Per capita | 18,500 USD |
| Gini | 0.54 low |
| HDI | 0.62 medium |
| Currency | Cusheks (CHK) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yyyy AC |
| Driving side | right |
| Internet TLD | .ka |
Karazawa also known as the Kingdom of Karazawa or Caconzicua Karazawi in Azawarecha is a Sovereign State located in Conitia, in Esquarium. It is bordered by the Lazarene Sea to the north, Nameria to the west, and Pantalera to the south-west. It has a population of around 95 millions inhabitants of many ethnicities, but mostly of Karazawi or mixed ancestry. It is one of the few kingdoms who survived and even thrived under the Aininian colonization period.
Since the end of the Civil War in 1939, Karazawa is a Constitutional Monarchy where the Leader of the State is the Caconzi. His powers are extremely limited by the Constitution and the country is truly under the Chancellor (Yrateq)'s control. The Yrateq is elected by the Assembly, itself elected by the Karazawi citizen.
While the country is rich in natural resources; scandals, criminality and affairs of corruption that regularly come to light slow down the process of modernisation of Karazawa.
Etymology
The name "Karazawa" is in direct reference to the name of the ethnicities that founded the kingdom at the beginning of the 13th century : the Karazawi. The origin of the name itself is unknown, but it is supposed it is a deformation of the words "Karhiri" and "Acha", which would mean "The Dry Men".
The first name that was given to the country by the Latins traders was "Tecuinocan", derived from the Nahuatl "Country of the Flame". However, after the country's conversion to Saturnism, cartographers started to use "Karazawa" to name the territories under the Caconzi's rule.
History
Prehistory
Antiquity
Ikchilco Hegemony
Kingdom of Tollatepetl
The Kingdom of Tollatepetl was established as the "shield" of Ikchilco against the Chichimeca. It came to prominence with the opening of many quarries near its capital of Tollatepetl. Soon, it became famous for its many artisans, masons, and stonecutters. While the soil was not suitable for intensive agriculture, farmers nonetheless settled in the region to raise cattles, notably bovines, sheep, but also horses. The kings of Tollatepetl, coming from a junior branch of the Chiltitecolomeh, allowed for Chichimecas tribes to settle in their lands, as well as colons from the Cholulean Core, especially artisans and expert workers for the mines and quarries. Nuu Davi metallurgists would settle in Tollatepetl during this period, creating an important and booming metalworking industry. Slowly but surely, Tollatepetl became the industrial center of the Ixchilco Hegemony.
This prime situation naturally led to Tollatepetl taking over as the hegemon of its region after internal strifes took down Ikchilco. At its height, the city influenced almost all of the dependencies of its predecessor, but also had pushed southward, willingly allying and working with Chichimecas tribes and kingdoms, even allowing Chichimecas colons to settle in its territories. At its height, the city is estimated to have had a population of around 200,000 inhabitants and took the name of Tula.
The Second Migration of the Chichimeca during the second half of the 12th century was the last nail in Tollatepetl's coffin. Tullan was destroyed, and new Chichimeca and Nahuas kingdoms were carved out of its old possessions, waging war against the surviving Tollans Principalities and City-states.
Caconzicua and Tlahtoloyan
It is during this period of chaos that the Karazawi founded their own city-state, the direct ancestor to the current Karazawi State, somewhere around 1200, in the Tsun Highland, near the Patzquro Lake. The origin of this Karazawi Tribe is unknown, as Azawarecha is a language with no links with its neighbors and before their contact with the Aininian Viceroyalty, they didn't wrote. By the beginning of the 14th century, the Karazawi State had united all of the Tsun Highland and started to expand in the neighboring valleys, Lowlands, and Mesas. It was the start of the Caconzicua Karazawi.
At the same time, the Tollan Valley knew a similar slow process of unification, at first under the hegemony of the Gamaches, but they were themselves overthrew by the Acolhuas who became an independent principality at the head of its own network of tributaries and allied states in 1356 : the Tlahtoloyan Acolhua.
The Tlahtoloyan knew a rapid expansion that quickly pushed it out of the traditional boundaries of the Tollan Hegemony : from the Chichimeca plateau and the Teneca coast to the south, down to the Xue plain and Nuu Savi to the north. It's only during the first half of the 15th century that the Caconzicua and the Tlahtoloyan met and immediately entered in conflict for the domination of the Edo Valley.
The Tlahtoloyan Tezcoah was in the pure Tulaic tradition of rulership, exerting less of a direct control and more of an hegemony over vassal states, mixing both tributaries and feudal networks to collect taxes and raise armies. Meanwhile, the Caconzicua Karazawi was at the exact antipodes of its Nahuatl-speaking rival : while smaller in size, it was also far more centralized with the Caconzi having direct say in all matters of his country. While vassal tribes and settlements existed at the border, continuing to live automously in exchange of answering the Caconzi call-to-arms when required, the core of the Caconzicua was far more homogeneous, with the royal authorities going to great length to integrate the many minorities and non-Karazawi ethnicities into the mold, imposing [[wp|Purépecha language|Azawarecha}} as the only official language, destroying non-Karazawi idols and building temples to their sun and fire gods in conquered territories. They also kept a permanent, professional army under the Caconzi's sole authority, a single money, a single units system, and transmitted messages and alerts through a system of fire-towers (Chitsakaiocha) and a powerful administration despite the lack of writing. At the same time, the Tlahtoloyan had no permanent army, preferring to win their war with superior numbers obtained through levies, multiple local moneys, powerful local lords that by the 16th century were only slowly being replaced by royal inspectors, and in general a weaker central government.
This is why Karazawi historians have given the period the name of Tsima kostierechicha, the "Dual Wide Lands", in reference to the many similarities and parallels between these two dominant powers. While this denomination came under criticism in recent years, notably because of its partiality and being part of a wider, Karazawi nationalist, view of history that does not reflect correctly the intricate relations between the two powers and the many other principalities that opposed or allied one or the other, it is still commonly used in Karazawa.
The Conquest
At the start of the 16th century, many Conitians principalities were competing against each others for the control of maritime trades and to expand further, beyond the seas. The Tlahtoloyan Tezcocah was in the right position to do so and its fleet often went against other local thalassocracies. An important rivalry grew between the Tlahtoloyan and the Kingdom of Ainin, culminating in a first war for Jahovi Island that the Aininian won in 1521.
In 1523, Pierre de Lamarque obtained from the Governor of Johavi the authorization to start an expedition in Moltotia to seek local allies. He left the island with about 500 men-at-arms and 20 horsemen the 7th of November, 1523. The Tlaloc of Xue, informed of Larmarque’s expedition, quickly moved in to stop him and defeated him at the Battle of Chalci. Lamarque and his men would then flee further inland to escape the Tlaloc’s troops, and found refuge among the Totonacs opposed to the Tlahtoloyan. These cities allied with Pierre de Lamarque, and he was able to rebuild his forces before moving to Nuu Savi, one of the vassal kingdom of the Tezcocah.
Pierre de Lamarque managed to convince the Nuu Davi to revolt agains the Tlahtoloyan, and then formed the Triple Alliance between the Moltotese Khaan Confederation, Nuu Savi, and himself, in the name of the Kingdom of Ainin. The Triple Alliance defeated the Acolhuas at the Battle of Xuepotlan. Following this first victory, many small principalities and minor tributary states rebelled against the Acolhuas and joined the Triple Alliance.
In 1524, Pierre de Lamarque negotiated with the Acolhua Huetlatoani an agreement that putted an end to the rebellion, but vastly reduced the power of the Tezcocan Principality over the other states, reducing taxes and levies the Huetlatoani could demand. Lamarque was named Cihuacoatl, “Internal Ruler”, of the Tlahtoloyan and him and his men were free to come and go as they pleased, with the blessing of the Huetlatoani. Lamarque also married the daughter of a prominent leader of the Khaan Confederation to secure his alliance with the Moltotese states.
The Governor of Jahovi learned of Lamarque’s survival and rise to power and saw this as both a betrayal and a danger for his own position. He took control of his own fleet and sailed west in the goal to stop Lamarque. Learning of this, the new Cihuacoatl quickly prepared an ambush where he captured the Governor. However, his absence from the Tezcocan Capital led to a revolt of the local aristocracy who massacred the Aininian garrisons, assassinated the Huetlatoani and crowned his nephew as their new ruler. Pierre recruited the Governor’s men, called to arms to principalities that had participated into the Triple Alliance’s revolt and gathered a grand army, defeating the Tezcocah a first time at the Battle of Quetza, destroyed the town, and then laid siege to the Capital. After two months of long and tedious battles during which the troops of the Triple Alliance had to fight for each house and street, the Capital was finally once again their and the revolted Aristocrat and their elected Huetlatoani executed. Pierre de Lamarque concluded this serie of events on Saturnalia 1524 by dissolving the Tlahtoloyan Acolhua and proclaiming the Viceroyalty of Ultramer, with himself as the first Viceroy. A move that was contested by the Governor of Johavi, but finally endorsed by the Aininian King who recognized Lamarque’s claims.
Lamarquist Ultramer
The Viceroyalty of Ultramer seized the wealth and treasures of the Tlahtoloyan and of the aristocrats who opposed Lamarque's rise to power. The pro-Lamarque aristocracy, however, was greatly rewarded and so was the few Aininians who supported the new Viceroy. New titles were created and lands distributed, agricultural, institutional, financial, and military reforms strengthened the position of the Lamarquists against both the Tlalocists and the partisans of the Johavi Governorarte. These reforms also greatly satisfied the Aininian Kingdom who enjoyed free trades with the resource-rich lands of the Viceroyalty. Grands and rents from Huitmont also allowed Lamarque to maintain low taxes, therefore winning in popularity with the working and middle classes.
One of the first war of the Viceroyalty was the Cloud War (1526-1527), when the Nuu Davi cities, no longer united against the Thlatoloyan, started to be divided between the Pro-Aininian faction, led by the stepbrother of Lamarque and Iya Nacuaa Teyusi Ñaña, and the Anti-Aininian faction, who opposed the slow transformation of what was an alliance of equals into Iya Nacuaa's own tributary network. During the War, the Lamarquists and allied Mixtecs together crushed their opposition, and then the Cloudland was integrated into the Viceroyalty as the Duchy of Cirrus.
To the east, the situation was more complex. Between the Battle of Quetza and the ultimate defeat of the Acolhuas, the Caconzicua Karazawi took advantage of the chaotic situation to take control of all the border regions and obtain the submission of many Otomis and Chichimecas settlements. At first, Pierre de Lamarque had made preparations toward a war against the Caconzicua, but then the Cloud War forced him to shift his attention to the north. In 1527, the Ilcahua Altepetls, the name given to a collection of Nahuas speaking city-states to the west of the Viceroyalty, whom the Tlahtoloyan had slowly but surely turned into allies and then tributaries states before the arrival of Lamarque, united and refused to recognized the Viceroyalty as a legitimate authority. The Aininians, who were expecting before that point to receive the same tributes as their Acolhuas predecessors, took this refusal as a casus belli. Pierre de Lamarque, only recently back from Cirrus, had to gather his troops, vassals, and partisans again to mount expeditions and punitive campaigns against the city-states. But he failed to secure any tengible success against them. It's at this time that Aininians ambassadors met with representatives of the Caconzicua, and secured an alliance with the Karazawi, who intervened in the war against the Ilcahuas during the year 1530. By 1532, the Aininian-Karazawi alliance had defeated all the city-states and taken control of the Ilcahua lands.
As a reward for their help, Lamarque recognized the Caconzi's authority over all the border territories he had occupied since 1525. The Viceroyalty obtained technically the hegemony over the pacified eastern coast, but the distance plus the lack of manpower and administrators meant that they could not keep control of the region, leading to a new revolt in 1533. A revolt that had to be put down by the Karazawi the same year. A new deal was then struck between the Caconzicua and the Viceroyalty, with the Caconzi taking an oath of loyalty toward the King of Ainin, recognizing him as his sovereign. In exchange, the Karazawi obtained full control of the Ilcahua Peninsula, among other economical and technological opportunities.
In 1534, a delegation of Karazawi Caciques reached Ainin, alongside other delegations from Cirrus and Totonacapan. This resulted in the Treaty of Huimont which confirmed the past treaties signed between the Viceroyalty and the three principalities. the Caconzicua Karazawi, notably, maintained its Sovereignty, while the two others were definitively integrated to the Viceroyalty of Ultramer. The treaty also cemented the merchantilist policy that the Aininian Kingdom would continue to pursue for the duration of its hegemony over the Erechi Peninsula, now known as Austremer.
The Caconzicua under Ainin
The Caconzi Zangua II used the opportunities offered by the conquests of Lamarque and the sudden disparition of his most important rival to consolidate his power. He notably secured once and for all the borderlands that had served as a battlefield for the Caconzicua and the Tlahtoloyan for generations, and then preparing for any counter-assault by the Aininians, but died before the fated war could happen, delayed by the political tensions among the Aininians and their allies, and the Khaan War which diverted the attention of Pierre de Lamarque to the south. Despite this, his inheritor, Tzixuan II, helped the newly born Viceroyalty during the Ilcahua Wars, at the end of which both the contested borderlands and the Ilcahua Peninsula were offered to the Caconzi by the Viceroy Lamarque.
Tzixuan II's rule was brutal. He destroyed the main cities who spear-headed the revolt of 1533 and either enslaved or deported their populations. From 1535 to 1350, more and more of the Nahuas cities under Karazawi rule had their political class completely replaced as the Caconzi assumed direct rule over the Peninsula. Any minor rebellion was crushed in blood, and the rebel city was burned down, its population deported, either to colonize the northern border of the Caconzicua or to be sold as slaves.
This ruthless repression won the Caconzicua the south, but a new danger was appearing in the north. An alliance was formed between the deported populations, some of the local communities, and the petty kingdoms of the Settled Chichimecas, a generic name given to the "Chichimecas" or "barbarians" that had abandoned their nomadic lifestyle, and massive revolts were started. In 1549, Tzixuan's son, the Caconzi Zangua III, ordered the bloody repression of these revolts and then started a war against the Settled Chichimeca. The use of artillery, support from some communities of the northern borderland that stayed loyals to the Caconzicua and defectors from the Chichimeca alliance allowed for the Caconzicua to occupy vast sway of territories and to pacify them using the same brutality as it did before in the south.
The Turuanakunichi War (1921-1936)
The Junta and the Clubs (1936-1976)
While still nominally a Monarchy, Karazawa fell under the grasp of General Malnonfi. The last years of the Civil War served to purge the opposition. The Assembly and the Yrateq's cabinet were staffed with partisans and allies of the General, mostly officers of the army. This new regime, where the Caconzi was mostly out of the picture, was nicknamed "the Junta" and was faced with the difficult task of restoring the nation to its former state after 15 years of civil wars and high levels of debts. The "modernisation" of the country started again, but this time through nationalized companies and capitals and not foreigns and privates investors. While some "Workers Protection laws" were passed, mostly to please the Socialists allied to Malnonfi, syndicates were outlawed and the right of manifestation was revoked.
The Karazawi economy stabilized, but the brutal ways of Kuruch Malnonfi to deal with discontents and oppositions created many undergrounds and illegals groups and factions calling for everything from a change in politic, more freedom, transparent elections, or just the death of Malnonfi. These new groups added themselves to the other criminals organisations, inheritors of the defeated factions of the War. Collectively, they came to be known as "the Clubs".
During the 50s, some Clubs became more and more important and even started to play a role in backstages politics. Some of the less radicals even started to have their members reaching important position in the Malnonfi Government and to advise the dictator. The other just became even more radical and united in various leagues, the first "Cartels" as they came to be called.
1967 is a turning point for the Junta, as some radical Clubs managed to infiltrate the education system during the past decade and organized student manifestation, asking for freespeech, liberty of religion, sexuality and for better Workers Protection Laws. Theses manifestation were brutally repressed by the Army, killing hundred of protesters. This would have ended there if the new Caconzi, Cucumenthi I, made a speech -the first one since 1928- where he qualified himself of "deeply hurt" by the divisions in the nation and wished for a true national union to restore Karazawa past glory. Monarchists and Populists movements rallied behind the Caconzi's figure to ask for a regime change and the situation became impossible to manage for the Junta.
By 1968, the Caconzi had to flee Zacapatu in fear of Malnonfi's wrath, and took refuge in Ottomanchia, in the east. The Junta tried to change it's vocabulary to become anti-monarchy, pro-republic, but it failed as the Caconzi still had popular support and only made the Junta weaker. Unable to fight the rise of the monarchists, who already took unofficial control over the eastern and southern regions, a deal was made between the Caconzi and the General. A new Monarchist Party was created, who won many seats at the Assembly during the elections of 1971 and some civilian even became ministers in Malnonfi's 7th Cabinet, a role that was filled until then only by military officers.
The loss of the narrative by the Junta was complete when the Caconzi and his partisans created many news outlets and armed unofficial militias that the Army couldn't arrest because of the Deal. But the Monarchists still supported the Junta during its military operations, despite tighter control over the debt cap.
Kuruch Malnonfi died a few months before the elections of 1976. While the truth about his health as been kept secret, most of his partisans and allies prepared backup plans for this, as he was no longer a young man. They made alliances with the Caconzi and when the elections came, they were ready. The Monarchist won more seats, and a monarchist-republican coalition was formed to win the majority, but the transition has been stable. The Caconzi returned to his Palace in Zacapatu with his family, putting an end to his "exile".
Cucumenthi I died a year after, and his son succeeded him as Cucumenthi II, the current Caconzi.
Cucumenthi II and the Royal Clan (1976-today)
Despite the best efforts to minimize the effects of Malnonfi's death, the new government elected by the assembly was rendered powerless because of the disagreements between the Monarchists, the Republicans and the Malnonfists. The loose coalition between the three soon ended and the secret societies that were the Clubs started to devour each other in political battles that shacked the public discourse. Neither Cucumenthi I or his new Yrateq were able to stop what amounted to a succession crisis.
Cucumenthi I died in 1977, which deteriorated the situation even more. Once crowned, Cucumenthi II -who was already considered by many as the leader of the Royal Clan- took matter in his own land. He appeared far more often in public, on television, or speaking on the radio, than his father or grandfather did. His alliances with certain clubs and parties dating back from before his crowning, helped him consolidate more power in his hands and help assert his position as true leader of the nation.
The Royal Clan became more and more important during the 80s, with members at key positions such as CEO of the main news network of Karazawa, Generals in the army or the marine, and so on. The Monarchists Party became more prominent, even shadowing the Republican and the Socialists, while the left fractured into many smaller parties, such as the Syndicalists, the Radical Socialists and the Christian Humanists.
The period also saw a rise of violence from the criminal gangs. The "Cartels", either successors to outlawed clubs or formed by different crimelords with shared interests, had many deals with the Junta, but not with the Caconzi. Some managed to win the favors of Cucumenthi II and started to become more bold in their actions, and the Jaguars Crisis, during which members of the police special forces went AWOL and formed their own cartel, destroyed the fragile balance of power that existed. The Royal Clan managed to took advantage of the situation and by the 90s, stabilized the situation by forming deals and alliances with the Cartels until only the loyals to the Caconzi were left.
The 90s and the 00s were marked by a sudden return of the GLA after the counter-insurgencies operations of 1973. Troops where send in the mountains to stop the Syndicalist independentists. By 2002, the Gashgash population in Karazawa had fell from two to one million.
Geography
Climate
Ecology
Government and politics
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Karazawa is a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy. The Basis of the Government is the Constitution of 1935, the supreme law of the country that establishes the framework of the government. There has been calls by most of Karazawa's radicals parties to change the constitution, as it was written mostly to favor the Malnonfi's Junta and is now outdated, but neither the Caconzi or the Assembly have made a move in that direction yet, beyond the addition of Amendments.
The Executive branch is led by the Yrateq, who is elected by the Assembly. He in turn appoints his ministers that will form his cabinet. The Yrateq wields the authority to appoint and dismiss ministers, sign treaties, set foreign policy, along with several other powers. The Yrateq's cabinet is responsible for the day to day operation of the government.
The Legislative branch is the National Assembly, whose 256 members are known as the Delegates (Azawarecha : Guatchi). Delegates are elected for a five years mandate via a two-rounds system in the Area (Buyi) they will represent.
Historically, the main party of Karazawa is the Conservative Party (Cahame Hule), which has been either the majority party or part of the Yrateq Coalition ever since 1952. Other important parties are the Republican Party -now divided in the Moderates Republicans and the Radicals Republicans-, the Monarchists Party, and the Liberals. Most of "leftists" parties are united under the "Sinister League", who serve as a mean of pressure for those groups that are traditionally very weak by themselves. The leading party in the League is the Socialist Party. The current government is a coalition between the Conservative Party and the Moderates Republicans.
The structure of the Cabinet is left to the Yrateq's discretion. However, since the start of Cucumenthi II rule, a certain pattern as been followed by all Yrateqi:
The Ministry of Public Services: Kuraka Irektayullu (literally the Chief of the Public Demesne in Azawarecha) oversees the appointment, promotion and demotion of all civil servants and public officers. He has responsibilities over the education system, the police, the firefighters and the public health service.
The Ministry of the Treasury: Kuraka Cuurd (Chief of the Treasure) is responsible for conducting census, maintaining land and revenues records from both the public and private spheres. The ministry also implements fiscal policies through collection and distribution of taxes.
The Ministry of the Defense: Kuraka Wipalli (Chief of the Flags) coordinates the overall military efforts of the Caconzicua, including the appointment and deployment of military officers and units, oversight of armament production and procurement, as well as relaying of military orders between the General Headquarters and local military formations. The Ministry possesses numerous infrastructures and lands judged critical to Karazawa's defense. As such, the Ministry of Roads and Buildings hold no power over airfields, railroads, military bases and ports belonging to the Ministry of Defense.
The Ministry of the Tribunals: Kuraka Exkachi (Chief of the Tribunals) is the judicial branch of the Imperial government, overseeing the implementation of laws in local levels. It is also responsible for administration and funding of local judicial institutes such as courts as well as management of fine and confiscated property. The administration of prisons is part of the Ministry of Public Services.
The Ministry of Roads and Buildings: Kuraka Choari o Zui supports and coordinates construction and maintenance of public works and infrastructure, including authorisation of major construction and resource extraction, maintenance of roads and railroads. It is responsible of the application of laws and decrees concerning real estates and the economy associated with it.
Law
The Legal Tradition of Karazawa date back from the fondation of Zacapatu. The Caconzi always had in mind the project to unite all their subjects under one common law. The Karazawi were as such under a better defined, more developed system than their Nahuas and Moltot neighbors. This first set of laws is known as the "Royal Orders" and cover most of the Old Regime.
The Sevillan colons brought with them their own legal system, adapted for the need of the colonies. The resulting melting pot between Karazawi, Nahuas and Conitian traditions created a peticular and unclear Imperial Law that ruled over the colonies, at the exception of the Caconzicua Karazawi. After the defeat of the United Republic of Artisia, both systems were kept, creating a very unstable situation where laws and rules varied from regions to regions, sometimes brutally.
The Compilation of the Royal Law was achieved in 1950, offering a law system applicable everywhere, heavily inspired by the Civil Law. It was imposed everywhere by the Malnonfi Junta and despite heavy criticism from regionalists currents, is still in use today.
Administrative Divisions
According to the Constitution of 1936, Karazawa is an unitary state where the national government authority is supreme. The preceding status of the country, somewhat more akin to a federation, was abandoned after this date.
The administrative division is the following : Areas (Buyi) - Counties (aputa) - Provinces (Suiyuu).
There is currently 16 Provinces, which are :
Foreign Relations
The Karazawa Government's main concerns are centered around the development and the protection of its national estate. To this end, they maintain friendly relations with most of their direct neighbors and are an important regional influences over the Lazarene Sea, along with Belfras, Cirdia, East Cortoguay, and Oelia; the Caconzicua keeps friendly relations with all of these nations. The development of Karazawi trade and its importance on the Lazarene Sea has been defined as a priority by the last three Yrateq and their cabinets.
Karazawa is one of the founding states of the SNA, an ideological and military alliance opposed to "radical syndicalism" in the region. As such, the Caconzicua considers it vital to maintain good relations with members of the SNA, as part of the political side of Karazawa's defense.
The only country considered a threat to Karazawa sovereignty and territorial integrity is the Weichltal Commune to its north. Alemannia supports many syndicalists terrorist organisations throughout Southern Nordania and follows an agenda threatening the very existence of its neighbors. Alemannia and Karazawa share a long history as rivals and enemies, and many historians consider the current conflict between the two country to be yet another incarnation of this hostility.
Demographics
Ethnic composition of Karazawa as of 2016
Ethnics
Karazawa is a multicultural society with one official language, Azawarecha and multiple regional languages, notably Cortoguayan and Nahuatl.
The largest ethnic group in Karazawa are the Karazawi. The first confirmed Karazawi settlements date back from the end of the 12th century, in the location of what will become Zacapatu. Their origin is unknown, but they are part of a common genetic haplogroup with the Nahuas, Moltots, Chichimeca and Tarrascans of Cortoguay. In fact, genetic studies tend to show that the Karazawi are closer to the paleo-Tarrascans than to any other groups of the Erechi Peninsula. The number of peoples self-identifying as Karazawi is on the rise - from 55% in 1909 to 66% in 2016. Theses numbers are due in part to natural growth, in part to the decline of the Gashgash peoples in the 70s and 90s, and to more common inter-ethnics marriages producing children identifying themselves as Karazawi despite their mixed ancestry.
The second largest ethnic group are the Criollos, descendants of the Cortoguayans settlers and colons from the Sevillan Empire and the United Republic of Artisia periods, before the annexation of the latter by Karazawa.
Other notables groups are thoses present before the Conquest of the Erechi Peninsula by Cortoguay. The most culturally important one are the Nahuas peoples and the Moltot peoples, whose monuments and ruins are still numerous and can be seen throughout Karazawa's countryside.
Infrastructure
Architecture
There's no law restricting the architectural styles for new buildings in Karazawa. However, public places ,where the Ministry of Roads and Buildings have a word to say, tend to be examples of Conitian classicism or more traditional styles proper to Karazawi culture. Among these styles we can count the Yacatism, named after the round pyramids typical of pre-conquest Karazawa, the Neo-Moltotism, Post-Moltotism, Secular Yacatism and so on.
Culture
Karazawi culture reflect the complexity of the country's history. Through the blending of indigenous cultures and exogenous elements have all been integrated and blended has time passed, giving birth to modern day cultural heritage of the country.
First inhabited more than 10,000 years ago, the cultures that developed around the Claudian Sea became one of the craddle of civilization. During the Ultramarine era, two distinct political phenomenons took place, influencing the culture of the future country : in the Viceroyalty and the the Governorates, the government actively promoted shared cultural traits in order to create a common identity for the myriad of ethnies under their rule. In the Caconzicua Karazawi, a long processus of political integration and assimilation of the conquered territories and people led to the domination of the Karazawi culture, even if it itself evolved under the influence of Ainin, Saturnism, and other minor elements. After the conquest of the Governorates by the Caconzicua, it's this second movement that was imposed on the entire country, even if it remained unfinished to this day.
As a result, the culture of an individual Mexican is influenced by their familial ties, gender, location, and social class, among other factors.
The Karazawi culture has been greatly influenced by Saturnism. The emphasis of the religion on the "poetic voice" as the bearer of divine authority and the meaning of life affected the general perception of cultural refinement of the populations. While in the Viceroyalty, calligraphy, poetry and painting or sculpting were higher forms of arts, it was not homogeneous, with dancing and drama retaining an important social role in the Duchy of Cirrus for example. A similar process also took place in the Caconzicua, where it's the traditional "Karazawi arts" (metalworking, stonecutting, jewelry, mosaic...).
Art
Literature
Music
Painting
Cuisine
Western cuisine
The west coast of Karazawa was mostly influenced by the Aininian cooking traditions. Both Karazawa and Ainin share maize as their archetypal staple crop, but Aininians colons introduced crops such as sorghum, and distillation and the practice of wine and liquor making.
The two most known dishes of the Western cuisine are the Garache, a cornbread, and numerous variant of the tarte royale, a type of flatbread. The Tarte-Maritime is covered in tomato sauce, cheese, and anchovies, while the Tarte-Riverine use tomato sauce, cheese, various spices, and mushrooms. Other take on Aininian cuisine include various types of chowders.
Mutton, beef, and goats, have started to be raised in Karazawa since the time of the Viceroyalty. The importation and development of the culture of rice around the region of Rivesainte created new kind of dishes that became staple of Karazawi regional cuisine, like Risotto. Rice is often accompanied with various kind of mole sauces.
Eastern cuisine
In the old Caconzicua, which was left mostly un-colonized by Aininian settlers, old Karazawi traditions became dominant. There is an important culture of hot smoking, grilling, and deep-frying. Barbecued beef briskets and poultry, served with barbecue sauce, cheese, and mashed sweet potatoes, is considered a classic of Karazawi cuisine. Karazawi barbecues are often accompanied with various wines and alcohols, following the classical Aininians specific alcohol pairings.
Poultry is the main source of proteins for most of the population, and is generally deep fried alongside cutted potatoes. But generally, all kind of dairy products and seafoods are generally deep-fried, grilled, or hot-smoked. The 100 “best grills and smoking pits” of Karazawa are all located in the west, or have their root along that coast.
The establishment of an important Tuthinan community in Parari Chipiru, Karazawi cuisine was enriched with Voragic influence, notably with fried cheese-rolls and honey based alcoholic beverages.