Slirnia
Republic of Slirina Republika Slirnija (Slirnian) | |
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 Flag
 Coat of arms
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Motto: "Istina Pobjeđuje" "Truth Prevails" | |
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 Location of Slirnia | |
| Capital and largest city |  Dražovice |
| Official languages | Slirnian |
| Recognised regional languages | Minilovan, Miersan, Gaullican, Amathian and Lemovician |
| Religion | See Religion in Slirnia |
| Demonym(s) | Slirnian |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic |
| Marija Žalac Jovan Tasić Milenko Novaković | |
• Premier | Irena Mesić |
| Suzana Cvetković | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Establishment | |
• Duchy | c. 870 |
• Union | 1462 |
• Kingdom | 1780 |
| 1927 | |
| 12 February 1935 | |
| 3 November 1936 | |
• Current Constitution | 1 January 1980 |
| Area | |
• | 136,730 km2 (52,790 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2021 estimate | 5,723,452 |
• 2015 census | 5,511,345 |
• Density | 41.86/km2 (108.4/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2021 estimate |
• Total | $104,533 million |
• Per capita | $18,264 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2021 estimate |
• Total | $72,988 million |
• Per capita | $12,752 |
| Gini (2020) | 23.1 low |
| HDI (2020) |  0.849very high |
| Currency | Slirnian Tolar [a] (STO) |
| Date format | yyyy/mm/dd |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +578 |
| Internet TLD | .sl |
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Slirnia (Slirnian: Slirnija), officially the Republic of Slirnia (Slirnian: Republika Slirnija), is a landlocked mountainous country located in the continent of Euclea. It is bordered clockwise, by East Miersa, Gaullica, Amathia, Minilov, Lemovicia and West Miersa; its only coast is reduced to a lakeshore on its north. The territory of Slirnia covers 136,730 kilometres square which distribute between snowed peaks and fertile plains, where the majority of its 5,723,452 inhabitants live.
Prior to the formation of the first Slirnian state, the territory was divided in numerous duchies and principalities, which lived during most of their time under the thrones of other foreign crowns. It was, however, Tomislav Golubović, who unified most of these reigning houses under the Duchy of Dražovice circa 870, marking the first historical trace for the identity of th nation. The Duchy prevailed during the decades cored in the castle of Dražovice until in 1462, the Domnitor Manuel III inherited the territories forming the Unio Trium Nationum, uniting the crowns of Amathia, Dražovice and Carinthia. The personal union between the three crowns, however, was only going to consolidate after a series of conflicts and battles, which concluded during the Great Rebellion of Tirideva that provided Miruvian and Slirnian nobles with a similar position in the structure of the Union as the Amathian ones. The Union would dissolve in 1780, separating the three crowns and establishing the Kingdom of Slirnia under the Belojević House, a state that survived different reigning houses and invasions until the Functionalist occupation of Slirnia during the start of the Great War in 1927. The occupation would remain during most of the course of the international conflict, counting with advances of the Amurgist Amathia on the south.
The end of the Great War saw the return of Slirnian power to the territory and the retirement of Entente forces. The creation of a Slirnian state was proclaimed with the Treaty of _ in 1936, which consolidated the Principality of Slirnia and the inaugural of Prince Tomislav I on the throne. However, a difficult economic panorama and a lack of national unity made the Principality fell in important conflicts. The appearance of councillist revolutionaries created the right moment for the overthrown of the throne and by December of 1935, the country was already immersed in a civil war that would later be known as the Revolution of 1936, year in which it coursed most of its events. Partisans sieged the capital Dražovice and in November 3, they entered in the Princely Palace of Slirnia, achieving the objective of overthrowing the crown an establishing a socialist republic, known between 1936 and 1980 as the Socialist Republic of Slirnia. The new socialist state followed the councils model of Kirenia and the Amathian Council Republic. The SRS remained during its first 24 years under the governments of the Slirnian Socialist Labour Party, until in 1960, the party was absorbed by the Slirnian Section of the Worker's Internationale, with which the nation shifted towards an authoritarian model of governance heavily marked by strict restrictions on the press, personal and collective freedoms and an alignment with the Amathian Equalist Republic. Having achieved a considerable economic development on the previous years, the nation gradually fell into isolation with the government of Slobodan Bijedić, the longest in the political history of the nation. During the decade of the '70s, civil unrest and state repression became more notorious and the incident of the Arsenije Karanović Nuclear Plant forced Ratko Vukašinović to resign. Followed by Pavle Vukomanović, the SRS started a period of important economic difficulties and social discomfort with the regime; the ineffiency of new measures and a students and later workers' movement made the government fell and in 1979, Vukašinović left the office in favour of Petrija Kuzmanović from the Socialist Democratic Party, who led the liberalisation of the nation.
Slirnia is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic with a social market high-income economy that continues showing signs of the socialist era. The nation outstands in South Euclea for ranking high in women participation, civil liberties, press freedom, democratic governance, housing and overall quality of life. Slirnia is a member of the Euclean Common Defense Treaty Organization, the Community of Nations, the Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs, the International Trade Organization and is a founding member of the Association of South Euclean States. As of 2020, it is an officially recognised candidate for a membership of the Euclean Community.
History
Early settlements
Duchy of Dražovice (1400–1780)
Kingdom of Slirnia
Great War and occupation (1927-1935)
Principality of Slirnia (1935-1936)
Slirnian Revolution of 1936
Socialist Republic of Slirnia (1936-1980)
Republic of Slirnia (1980-present)
Geography
Slirnia covers a total extension of 136,730 km2 and it is entirely located in the central area of Euclea bordering six countries. Its territory lies completely between the Mendija Mountains on the west and south bordering Lemovicia and Minilov, it is also in this mountains chain where the Štiavnica Mountain of 2655 metres (8710.63 ft) mark the highest point in the territory; on its east and north borders with East and West Miersa, the territory is characterised by lower high lands and rolling hills; the centre of the coutry is mostly composed by woods and fertile plains generally used for farming or as protected areas. The different topographic areas in the whole territory of Slirnia have produced a variety of regions with their own characteristics, an issue that has impacted on the regional identities across the country. The eastern regions and the south of Vitanje are marked by the presence of high mountains and woods, while as one moves farther to the centre of the country, mountains transform to high lands until it faces the central plains that covers most of the Šavnik, Dražovice, Andrijevica and Radovljica regions with occasional lower hills covered by woods, specially around Dražovice in Šavnik and most of Andrijevica.
The presence of mountains have ensured to Slirnia a fertile soil and large reserves of water underground and in lakes. The country has three rivers that are often considered the most important, these are the Čik River known by crossing the city of Dražovice, the Željeznica River that originates in the Mendija Mountains and crosses the regions of Illirska and Vitanje towards Amathia and the Đetinja River that covers an extension from Gaullica to Radovljica and Andrijevica. Around these, life has been organised since ancient times as they have produced fertile lands throughout most of the territory of Slirnia, specially usable for agriculture and livestock farming, an economic sector which has been one of the most important in Sliria.
Geographic conditions have also had an important impact on the flora and fauna found in the different regions that compose the country; in general terms, plants and animals are those common to the rest of the central area of Euclea. Although Slirnia does not have a national animal, the red deer is often recognised as typical to the area and has today a significant art in the national identity and, although, Red deer is typical of the high lands and woods, it has expanded over the years and is considered a widespread species. Slirnia has several domestic breeds of diary cattle, which are important to the tertiary sector of the economy of the country; the most recognised of all is the Holstein, however, other introduced breeds have gained popularity such as the Gaullican Montbéliarde and the Estmerish Hereford. Deciduous trees constitute most of the trees flora on the country and different types can be found on mountainous regions or in the central plateau.
Horses in the plains of Andrijevica, near the River Čik.
With 2,655 mts, the Štiavnica Mountain is the highest peak of Slirnia and delimites the border with Lemovicia.
Winter landscape near Pljevlja, highlands here mark the limit with East Miersa.
Church of the town of Herceg in Illirska during Winter.
Cattle near Orrantia, Illirskan enclave in Vitanje.
Regional road in Vitanje overlooking the highlands.
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Climate
Politics
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Slirnia is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, whose Head of State is formed by a collective presidency composed by three members (two from the most voted party during presidential elections and one from the second party) and the Head of Government by the Premier. The Presidency is elected through direct universal suffrage for terms of six years where it is ceremonially led by one its members on a rotatory base every two years; in practice, the presidency has an almost ceremonially role among the whole political scene of the republic, being restricted to the formal appoint of the Premier before investiture sessions, receiving ambassadors credentials and calling for elections when the Premier advises them. The Premier presides the executive, composed by Ministers (designated by the Premier) and Deputy Premiers, which convene at the weekly Council of Ministers where policy is made. Premiers are usually voted during general elections, after these happen, the Presidency appoints the leader of the most voted party to held an investiture session at the legislature where confidence is granted or not.
The legislative power is vested on the unicameral Parliament of Slirnia, composed by 179 members. The legislature is in charge of passing laws, approving cabinets, granting confidence, removing individual ministers or forcing the whole executive to resign through motions of no confidence, supervising government's action and declaring war to other nations, among other things. Although calling for early elections is limited to the Presidency (through the Premier), members of the parliament can exercise pressure or call for a motion of no confidence.
The Slirnian judicial system comprises three types of courts hierarchically structured with the courts of general jurisdiction on a first instance, administrative courts and lastly the Supreme Court of Slirnia. Courts of general jurisdiction deal with ordinary civil and criminal matters and are divided between district and regional courts; high courts hear matters firstly dealt in these courts, Slirnia counts with three, one in Drazovice, another in Graštnik and a third one in Kamnik. Administrative courts often deal with issues regarding competence between government agencies, national, regional or institutional elections, registration of political parties and individual cases of affected by state action. The Supreme Court of Slirnia, seated in Drazovice, is the highest court, responsible for the jurisprudence, the protection of human rights and democratic values and guaranteeing the respect of the constitution on the government excersise of power.
In the regional context of Central and South Euclea, Slirnia stands out in several democratic indexes. Since the dismantling of the Socialist Republic of Slirnia, politics have seen different political parties of both right and left coexist peacefully and forming stable governments over the years. The country counts with three main parties, the Social Democratic Party (currently in government), Slirnian Democratic Centre and the Sotirian Democratic Party, the last two usually fight the centre-right and have formed coalition governments in two periods.
Foreign relations
As a landlocked nation of medium size, Slirnia is recognised as a small power. Over the years, it has sought to project its influence through diplomatic, cultural and economic ties and as a result, the country maintains good relations with embassies or consulates in most nations of the world. The country has shifted its foreign policy over the years, distancing itself from past socialist based policy towards one rooted in cooperation and neutrality. Until 1980, year in which the current constitution was established, the SRS was heavily alligned with the socialist world and was considered a sponsor of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies, in addition to being member of other socialist organisations. Slirnia is today member of different intergubernamental organisations as an observer or full member and has kept an active profile of cooperation on its immediate area, aiming to bring socio-political stability in south and central Euclea, and protect Slirnian minorities in surrounding nations. As such, it has cultural ties with the Slirnian Autonomous Region of Lemovicia and although Slirnia withdrew its recognition of the Lemovician entity in 1990, it is considered a backer of the country, something that has been a discussion issue with West Miersa. Slirnian governments over the last decades have reached consensus among all political parties in proactively contributing to the protection of Slirnian sovereignty through the diplomatic path keeping foreign relations far from politicisation.
Since the early 2000s, membership of the Euclean Community and the Euclean Common Defense Treaty Organization have been objectives in most of the main political agendas; the country was granted its accession to the latter in _ and as of 2020, Slirnia is an official candidate for a future membership of the Euclean Community; having achieved consensus on its political scene about eucloscepticism, it aims to achieve accession to the organisation by 2024 together with Piraea and to a certain extent, Galenia. During the last years, Slirnia has proactively sought to expand its relations with the eastern portion of the continent and as such, it has signed different commercial and cultural treaties, due to this, relations with Samorspi and the west have been fraught. Slirnia is a founding member of the Association of South Euclean States and a member of the Euclean Common Defense Treaty Organization, the Community of Nations, the Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs and the International Trade Organization.
Administrative divisions
Slirnia is divided into seven regions, of which six count with their own Regional Assemblies and cabinets, led by a Minister-President. The city of Dražovice is also contemplated as a region but its institutions differ from the rest, with a City Council acting as regional legislature and the Mayor as the elected representative. Although Slirnia is defined by its constitution as a unitary state and regions were drawn under historical limits, these count with certain grade of autonomy, having their own budgets and being able to discuss matters related to urbanism, education, healthcare and others. The regions are further divided into districts and these into municipalities, all of them with their governing bodies being elected every four or five years.
The region of Illirska, which counts with a significant Lemovician population, has three enclaves in the region of Vitanje, commonly called Orrantia.
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Armed forces
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The Armed Forces of Slirnia —Oružane snage Slirnije Republike— are the military service of the republic, they comprise two branches, the Slirnian Air Force (Slirnije ratno zrakoplovstvo) and the Slirnian Army (Slirnije kopnene snage), which are commanded independently and subordinated to whoever is the chairperson of the Presidency of Slirnia (Commander-in-Chief) and the Minister of National Defence. Due to its condition as a landlocked nation, Slirnia does not count with a Navy; however, the police is the force in charge of the coast in the [] Lake. As it is established in the constitution of the republic, the primary mission of the Armed Forces is to safeguard Slirnian independence, sovereignty and territory from foreign interventions; however, in recent times, the Slirnian Armed Forces have also provided the government with an effective emergency relief team during national disasters. Conscription in Slirnia is voluntary since the referendum of 1998 and annually, there is an average of 150 new trainees.
Although their presence in the social and political life of Slirnia has decreased immeasurably since the return of the country to the democracy in 1980, the Armed Forces of Slirnia have kept an active participation in Euclea, Bahia and Coius during peacekeeping missions and joint exercises with members of alliances. Since the integration of the country to the Euclean Common Defense Treaty Organization, the Slirnian armed forces have adopted the protection and support of international peace and stability as a core value in their tasks. In 2019, the country reported a total spending of 0.91% of the country's GDP in their military budget.
Economy
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Slirnia counts with a high-income social market economy and a highly skilled labour force. It counts with a large welfare net inherited from the socialist era and one of the highest rates in Euclea of homeownership. According to official states, the GDP (PPP) of Slirnia was estimated at $104,533, while its GDP per capita (PPP) was at $18,264; in the context of the Association of South Euclean States, Slirnia ranks at the top of near it in several other measures, like Gini and HDI indexes, as well as in economic competitiveness, freedom of business and globalisation, even despite its past as a centrally planned socialist economy. During the 1990s and the mid-2000s, Slirnia has succesfully managed to complete its transition towards a market driven economy and today counts with an important private sector. In 2018, poverty was reported to be at 5.1% and the population in risk of poverty at 1.9%, in the same line, unemployment was reported to be at 6.7%, signifying a gradual increase of 0.8% since the last report.
The economy of Slirnia is driven on its majority by an important tertiary services sector, which accounts 60.2% of the national economy and is constituted by the financial services, the retail and more recently, a flourishing technological and software development sector, which has been attracted to the country by relatively low taxes and an educated workforce. However, the leading industry inside the services remain the tourism, which has seen a continuous expansion with the national flag-carrier Air Slirnia covering destinations in most of the continent, Cois and both Asteria Superior and Inferior. The services sector are followed by an industrial sector that predates from the Socialist Republic of Slirnia. Industry comprises today, 30.8% of the total national GDP of Slirnia and is led by the automotive sector, in which the clear leader is the national car manufacturer, Škavak Auto, whose factories serve as assembling and logistic centres for other brands of the _ Group for the rest of West Euclea; the sector also comprises the production of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, the steel production and the production of other transportation equipments. The agricultural sector is small but has seen important advances on its opening with other Euclean markets through added value and increased quality, the sector remains rooted in the exports cereals, vegetable oils and corn.
During the 80's and 90's, after the establishment of the republic, the country underwent one of the most ambitious programmes of privatisation of its economy to face the transition towards a social market economy. The process was regarded by several analysts as slower than other former socialist nations in the world but it has produced the environment for a sustainable economic stability and an assured prosperity. Although the transition process is regarded to as finished, the Slirnian government keeps shares in several former state-owned companies. In sectors of the economy considered crucial for the environment, the country has accepted the continuation of state monopolies through enterprises. The process of accession to the Euclean Community, consolidated in 2004, has assured Slirnian governments important amounts of subsidies and economic incentives from the organisation to continue developing infrastructure and stabilising macroeconomic numbers. Although the official currency of the country is the Slirnian Tolar, the Euclo is widely used and accepted. Some important and international or regionally recognised Slirnian companies are Škavak Auto, Dražovice Banka and the department stores and retail related chain Elle.
Transport & infrastructure
Slirnia is extensively covered by a large network of roads and railroads, which roots date back from the industrialisation period during the socialist era. Over the course of the years, the investment in infrastructure has notably increased while being a key point from governments as a method to increase the quality of infrastructure in the country to attract foreign investments and supporting the industries of tourism and logistics. The most important motorway is the A1, which starts in the town of Vodjan, near the border with Amathia, and connects several towns until it meets Dražovice and continues farther north until it reaches the border with Gaullica; other important motorways are the A2 and A3, which are complemented with the large network of expressways and other regional and municipal roads.
Slirnia counts with three major international airports and several others operating on a seasonal basis with regional destinations. The most important of all airports is the Drazovice International Airport, which is also the hub for the national flag carrier Air Slirnia. Despite this, the vast majority of the freight and passengers transport is covered by railways. The country operates a semi-privatised company, Železnice Slirnije, which counts with a large operations network in the country; in 2017, the company inaugurated its services to Gaullica, which were added to the already existing international routes to Amathia. Železnice Slirnije is the operator of the high-speed lines in Slirnia and other important suburban lines in major urban poles. Since 2016, the Drazovice-Aleksandar Station is connected by the Euclostar 4 line, which connects the city with the rest of East Euclea via railway.
Due to its central location in Euclea, Slirnia is supplied with liquid and natural gas from Soravia via the Zakhaz Seredny and Promysel pipelines inaugurated in 1977 and 2002 and the _ pipeline from Caldia and Werania.
Energy & telecommunications
The energy and telecommunications markets of Slirnia are some of the areas in which the government of have kept its active participation although allowing private capitals to invest and participate. Energy utilities are today heavily controlled by the government through the Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications and Industry and although, private companies are allowed to invest in several areas, the state keeps a large share in the electric utility company EPSlirnije. These stocks, as well as in other state-owned companies, are protected by the Kamnik Agreement between the different major parties of Slirnia and consolidated the semi-privatisation of the Slirnian economy and markets after the establishment of the current republic.
Although in previous years Slirnia was a country whose domestic production was not enough to fully cover the domestic electricity consumption, since the 90's and together with the privatisations, a modernisation of the whole energy model of Slirnia was took into consideration and with subsidies and further investments, the country has advanced in its electrical independence from neighbouring countries. After the incident of the Arsenije Karanović Nuclear Plant in 1977, the country has reduced the share of nuclear energy on the total energy mix; a law passed in 2010 declared the complete clausure of the plant and the ban on these types of energies in the Slirnian territory. In 2018, domestic electricity consumption was covered by a 85% of domestically produced energy. The geography of Slirnia has been advantage for its electricity production, specially of non-renewable resources; with a vast network of rivers, electric utilities rely on the hydro power while on the plains and mountains, energy utilities have invested on the construction of wind farms.
Demographics
During the 2015 national census, Slirna was reported to have a total population of about 5,511,345 inhabitants of which the majority was concentrated in the capital city Dražovice and its urban sprawl. Although the Slirnian population has lived a constant growth since the 1970s, a higher development and increased consumption have took several analysis to provide answers to one of the slowest growth rates in Euclea. Since the early 2000s, an acceleration in the integration with the rest of Euclea has also been seen as a possible answer to high rates of immigration from and to other Eulean states. According to the results from the last census, Slirnia is inhabited on its majority by Slirnians, followed by Amathians, Gaullicans and Minilovans. The extra-Euclean population is on its majority from former or actual socialist nations, which arrived to Slirnia before 1980 as guest workers and decided to stay after the fall of the SRS. On bordering regions, population tends to be more culturally influeced from neighbouring nations and as a result, a growing number identify themselves as Lemovicians or Minilovans-Slirnians. Traditional groups are also composed by large numbers of Savader people, mostly on the northern region of Radovljica, which borders East Miersa and Gaullica.
As a developed nation, Slirnians enjoy of a very high life expectancy with an average 79.3 years (76.3 for men and 82.4 for women), slightly above the regional average ranking as one of the highest in Central Euclea.
Healthcare
Slirnia counts with a sytem that provides universal health care on a mostly public basis. The system, inherited from the socialist era but reformed over the last decades, counts with a very high healthcare coverage and has eradicated or controlled a number of diseases within the country. Healthcare is delivered nationally through both private health insurances and statutory health insurances, which are public and state-funded; this way, Slirnia had managed to compensate a privatisation of the services while keeping a competitive public and national healthcare service that is present in the whole territory. The national healthcare insurance company is the largest employer in Slirnia and together with the rest of the health infrastructure, it comprises 10.2% of the national GDP, making Slirnia one of the countries with the largest expending on healthcare.
The public system covers approximately 75% of the population and is provided through a series of public and private compulsory insurances funded by the 6.5% tax that all employees are obligated to pay. The national healthcare service also the responsible authority in Slirnia to control other private healthcare providers and assures the right mobilisation and allocation of state funds for hospitals; the State's compulsory insurance provides emergency facilities, treatments and specialised medicine besides of other basic healthcare services. Users have also the opportunity to pay for private insurances, which are usually more costly. The Slirnian infant mortality rate is one of the lowest in the continent at 4.8.
Religion
While Slirnia has no official state religion and the church has been separated from the state since 1936 with the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Slirnia, the population is marked by a heavy Catholic heritage. During the Socialist era, the country faced the censorship of many religious rites and underwent a gradual secularisation process which culminated in 1980; however, at its final stages, the totalitarian regime reduced its control and persecution over religious communities. The Constitution today guarantees the freedom of religion and the protection of all adherents regardless of their adherence. In rough numbers, the majority of the population is still adherent to the Catholic faith, representing some 71.5% of the total population, the group is followed by agnostics or irreligious people, which account for a 21.3%, and other denominations of Christianism, such as Amendists (with a 2.1%) and Episemialists (3.5%, whose majority is adherent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Arciluco). Catholicism is believed to have been brought to the territory in which is today Slirnia by the Selórzans people, mainly in the northern region of Radovljica. Like the Amendists, the Episemialist Church had moments in the religious history of Slirnia in which both counted with large adherence among the Slirnian society; however, as the decades followed, the Solarian Catholic Church gradually recovered its control over the territory, an effect later consolidated with the Gaullican occupation.
Although Catholicism still plays a major role in the traditional and rural life of the Slirnians, the Solarian Catholic Church in Slirnia has kept a low profile, advocated to humanitarian and community works as well as the promotion of education. Its social importance has seen a gradual decrease over the last decades, and although most of the population self-identifies as adherent, most of them are counted as lapsed Catholics. In more recent times, small groups of Catholics in Slirnia have been linked to lobbyist groups against the approbation of abortion, euthanasia and LGBT rights.
Largest cities
While the estimated population of Slirnia is of 5,723,452 inhabitants, the density is reported to be at 102/km2. As a developed country, Slirnia counts with a high urbanisation rate that has been reported to continuously grow as time passes. Most of the population is concentrated in large urban poles, such as Dražovice and its metropolitan area, Graštnik and Kamnik. In these three main cities, people has seen its own inhabitants moving from the city centres to the surrounding suburban areas, which has increased the sizes of the cities and traffic jams. Nevertheless, most of the Slirnian population is equally distributed across the territory.
Largest cities or towns in Slirnia
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| Rank | Name | Regions | Pop. | ||||||
 Dražovice  Graštnik |
1 | Dražovice | Dražovice | 780,551 |  Kamnik  Krško | ||||
| 2 | Graštnik | Andrijevica | 223,468 | ||||||
| 3 | Kamnik | Pljevlija | 110,234 | ||||||
| 4 | Krško | Vitanje | 81,630 | ||||||
| 5 | Sveta Nedelja | Vitanje | 60,235 | ||||||
| 6 | Škavak | Radovljica | 55,892 | ||||||
| 7 | Zapregrad | Pljevlija | 51,622 | ||||||
| 8 | Idrivenska | Illirska | 48,230 | ||||||
| 9 | Bistrica | Šavnik | 44,287 | ||||||
| 10 | Postojna | Radovljica | 38,540 | ||||||
Education
The educative system of Slirnia is divided between kindergartens, primary and secondary schools. Its funding and control is responsibility of the Ministry of Education, which is also the government level from where educative policies are dictated. Kindergartens are often taken as optional for children between two and three years old, although it has recently been approved a project to make it compulsory for all children from the age of three to six years old. Primary and secondary education are later divided into pre-school, basic and secondary, where in the last two years, puppils receive a general understanding of their choice that is supposed to serve as a base for further tertiary education. In general lines, the Slirnian educative system is based on general, vocational and hobby, principles that were first introduced during the Socialist Republic of Slirnia and later perfectioned through multiple educative reforms.
The performance levels of education in Slirnia are among the highest in the region; the country ranks high in the AEDC's Programme for International Student Assessment, specially in mathematics and science and as of 2018, the country had an 87% of its adult population holding a high-school degree. Furthermore, a 58% of the population held a tertiary education degree. In 2019, the government spent 5% of its total GDP on education plus a 1% in science and investigations.
Higher education in Slirnia is led by the autonomous University of Slirnia, which is the oldest and largest tertiary education in the country. The University of Slirnia was founded in _ and in 1956, the government of the SRS granted the institution with the independence from the Ministry of Education and its own budget, separated from the other branches of education. Today, public universities in Slirnia are in charge of organising the academic life of te institution, holding universitary elections to choose rector, create new curricula and approving budget's administration. Other important tertiary education institutes are the Slirnian University of Arts, the Slirnian Academy of Sciences, the Slirnian University of Technology and the University of Graštnik.
Culture
Architecture
Architecture in Slirnia, like other forms of culture, have been severely influenced by the different periods of the country. The oldest preserved stone buildings date from the Christianisation and resemble cultural forms of surrounding empires; however, oldest Solarian constructions like public baths and villages were found during excavations, exposing the extent of the Solarian Empire to the doors of West Euclea. Together with the Christianisation, Slirnia saw the surge of Solarianesque style, which was crucial during the construction of most oldest churches, palaces and castles. Gradually replaced by the Gothic style, duchies and small kingdoms spread in the Sirnian territory advanced on the building of fortified constructions during the middle ages, period in which towns saw an explosive surge of constructions sponsored by the nobility, the aristocracy and the Church, which consolidated its penetration in most regions by building monumental gothic cathedrals and monasteries.
With the creation of the Union between Amathia, Dražovice and Carinthia, the Slirnian architecture embraced several Renaissance elements that were seen in the gardens and palaces, as well as in the interior architecture and art of the churches. As the lands of the Drazovican crown had been on the outskirts of the Solarian Empire, a true classical period on its architecture was almost non-existent and due to this, the permeation of the Renaissance style remained low and few examples of the period are still on foot. Baroque architecture was finally brought during the last periods of the Union, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Slirnia this style saw in Slirnia important contributions from the Gaullican period of Renaissance. During this time, most palaces of Slirnia were built under the Baroque school or added Baroque elements, resulting in a blend of Gothic and Baroque styles.
Following the occupation of the Functionalist Gaullica and the end of the Great War, the new Principality of Slirnia was advocated to the reconstruction of most cities, heavily damaged by the conflict. Influenced by the forms of the previous Art Nouveau and surrounded by new modern lines, architects of the time embraced Utilitarian, which expanded during most of the socialist period at the time of rebuilding cities and towns and under the housing campaigns of the socialist governments. The city of Kamnik, heavily damaged during the war, is today one of the greatest examples of modernism during the socialist period with several apartment buildings and villas constructed under the utilitarian paradigm. The period was marked by the influence of Jasna Marinković, architect and designer who was in charge of the construction of House Kostić and several other significant buildings of the period. The architecture of the Socialist Slirnian Republic was also characterised by the Brutalist architecture in several government buildings as well as in the commissioned designs to embassies outside the SRS; between the 50s and 70s, socialist governments provided housing solutions with the construction of pre-fabricated panel buildings called paneláks.
Art
Music
Media
Slirnia has a long standing tradition of paper press and cultural media. In the regional context, the country ranks high on free press and speech rankings and counts with a variety of newspapers. Slirnia counts with approximately 57 newspapers and magazines registered by the Press Association of Slirnia, while most of these are written and printed in Drazovice, there are several regionally focused newspapers; according to APS, the newspapers with the highest circulation are Dnevnik Finance (centre-left and liberal editorial), Politika (centre right and liberal-conservative), Drazovice Diplomatique (centre-right), Delo (left editorial) and Svijet (centre-right). Like in the newspapers market, magazines are popular in Slirnia and the market is led by DF Nedeljnik, the Sunday magazine of Dnevnik Finance.
Slirnia has an important TV media market as most of the population count with cable or satellite TV, as a result, the country counts with four main national free-to-view commercial channels and a state-broadcaster, Radiotelevizija Slirnija (RTS) is the most viewed TV channel, it is member of the Euclean Union of Broadcasting and has positioned itself as an important producer of series and films, like Inspektorica and The Guest (nominated during the 81st Montecara Film Festival), with regional projection. Besides of its television channels, RTS counts also with three radio stations: RTS Euclea (generalist with news and information), RTS Kultura (focused on cultural aspects) and RTS Générations (created in 2005 and aimed to a young audience, with music and covering pop and Euclean topics of importance).
Sports
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Since the socialist period, Slirnia keeps a tradition of giving sports a place of social importance. The country has been featured in several competitions at a regional and worldwide level and highlights at tennis and hockey. Due to its climate and terrain, mountain and winter sports tend to be incredibly popular and the ones in which national selections and individual sportspersons gain the most international recognition. However, as in most nations across the world, football is the most popular sport among Slirnians; the FK Dražovice City and the FK Hajduk Graštnik are the two most popular clubs and the ones that have won the most international tournaments.
Like football, hockey is the second most popular sport and one of the most played by the population. The two sports have been described by Slirnian analysts and sociologists as one of the few sources of Slirnian patriotism and nationalism, being matches one of the few moments in which the population tend to use national flags on their homes and cars. This feeling is felt more strongly during matches against traditional rivals, like Soravia, West or East Miersa, Amathia, Piraea, Cassier or Caldia. The two most popular football clubs and hockey teams have been on the public eye after violence episodes like in the 2006 Slirnian League incidents that concluded with two deaths, several injured and forcing the Slirnian Football Association to take measures.
Although not always taken into consideration, racing is another important sport in Slirnia and one of the many in which it has been recognised during international competitions. The national auto-maker Škavak Auto has held since 1965 the Škavak Race division engaged in the manufacture of racing and formula cars. Bicycle races are also popular during summer with the traditional Tour of Slirnia. Other sports include basketball, volleyball, team handball and rowing.
Holidays
As of 2020, Slirnia has 11 public holidays days. Although most of them keep a traditional Catholic background, these public holidays are now celebrated in non-religious ways and most of them used as cultural or typical holidays. Slirnia has three special national days; the Slirnian Identity day, which is often referred to as the Slirnian Culture Day, is a day in which museums, art galleries and parks are opened with special exhibitions and activities to celebrate the national identity; the Day of Restoration of the Slirnian Republic, which marks the day of the fall of the Socialist Republic of Slirnia and finally, the Unity day, which celebrates the day in which the referendum over the Constitution was celebrated in 1979, although the referendum was celebrated in September of that year, since 1995 the Unity Day is celebrated after Christmas as a way to commemorate the establishment of the Republic of Slirnia the 1st of January of 1980.
| Public holidays in Slirnia | Date |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Slirnian Identity Day | 3 February |
| Good Friday | moveable |
| Easter Sunday | moveable |
| Workers' Day | 1 May |
| Pentecost | moveable |
| Day of Restoration of the Slirnian Republic | 20 June |
| Midsummer Day | 24 June |
| Christmas Eve | 24 December |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Unity day | 27 December |