Avania
| Principality of Avania | ||||||
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| Motto: Abrogen uninen (Staynish: "We stand united") | ||||||
| Anthem: Behaufuntpatria Avania (Staynish: Dear land of Avania) | ||||||
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| Capital | Ahamadu | |||||
| Official languages | Hamanese | |||||
| Recognised regional languages | Avanian | |||||
| Ethnic groups | Avanian, Hamanite and mixed-race | |||||
| Demonym | Avanian | |||||
| Territory | Hamanian Empire | |||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | |||||
| - | Prince | Maduallahu | ||||
| - | Governor General | Lord Muhammadu Ahamadu | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Jibrayil Malakim | ||||
| Legislature | Assembly of the People | |||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | Hamanian Invasion | 1590 | ||||
| - | Reincorporation as an autonomous part of the Empire | 1800 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 800,000 km2 308,882 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | estimate | 8,000,000 | ||||
| - | Density | 10/km2 25.9/sq mi |
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| GDP (nominal) | estimate | |||||
| - | Total | 120 billion KRB | ||||
| - | Per capita | 15,000 KRB | ||||
| Currency | dahab (DHB) |
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| Date format | DD/MM/YYYY | |||||
| Drives on the | the left | |||||
| ISO 3166 code | AVN | |||||
| Internet TLD | .av | |||||
Avania (officially known as the Principality of Avania and Emiriyatu Avania in the Hamanese language) is a country located in eastern Borea. It is under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Hama as a part of the Hamanian Empire. It is also known as Borean Hama.
Etymology
The word Avania is derived from the native language of the indigenous inhabitants, Avanian, which means "the land" or "the country". The origins of the use of the name cannot be accurately traced as written text did not exist in Avania prior to Hamanian colonisation in the 1590s. Based on anthropological and linguistic studies, the name has been traced to the progenitor language of modern Avanian, so its estimated use spans at least over a thousand years. The name Avania was a general term applied to the world. The name became associated with the current state when the need to distinguish this land arose.
Geography
Avania has an area of approximately 800,000 square kilometres or 250,000 square miles. The country is described as beautiful because much is untouched by mankind. Cold steppe characterises the north. The weather is often cold and dry. Rain hardly ever falls. Plains of hardy grass stretch for hundreds of kilometres. Snow falls in the winter. The lakes and ponds freeze over. Few animals live here. There are arctic foxes and caribou, wolverines and stoats. These animals grow thick coats of fur or migrate to the south during winter. Wolves migrate with the herds while the bears hibernate. The bears eat large quantities of fish and grass during summer and spring, packing fat in preparation for the hunger and desolation of the cold winters. The sand is coarse and salty and plants struggle to grow. There are some ancient bushes and dwarf trees that have stood for hundreds of years. Fields of yellow, pink and orange daisies bloom for a few weeks every year, covering the steppe in colours, then vanish. They invite butterflies which fill the air with colour and life.
The mountains of Maraudum are like a great swell of the ground. Their summits are capped with snow, draped by great clouds for most of the year. The mountains have a black coarse sand. There are many minerals in the soil, but the soil is far too acidic to support plants. There are small weeds and patches of grass that grow and provide food for the herds of wondering mountain goats. Mountain lions, pale beige big cats, roam the mountains alone or in pairs hunting the herds of goats. The mountains stretch for many leagues. Some parts of them cannot be crossed. The mountains are inhospitable to most creatures and many stay clear of them. Great swarms of ravens and crows eat all the weak and small animals that perish. They fill the air with their foul shrieks. The land is cruel. There are many cliffs that lead to far drops. There are caves with roaring underground rivers. Bats hang in these chambers, coming out after dark to feed. There are swarms of them.
The forests of Auvandum are beautiful and ancient. Many of these trees have been alive for centuries. Their gnarled branches and bark attest their weathering of many storms while the roots reach over the forest floor, their trunks fill the spaces and their canopies create an impenetrable roof. Oaks, beeches and firs and many other trees live here. Wolves hunt for animals such as rabbits, chipmunks, ferrets and birds. There are great herds of forest deer. They range from beige to dark brown to deep red, either plain or covered with white spots. The stags grow antlers and fight for dominance and mates in the spring. The Lake of Abadullahu is massive and deep. Its great waters hide salmon and sturgeon. These fish and their eggs are caught in great nets to feed the people. The lake is a drainage basin for many rivers. Its banks are rich and fertile, tilled and farmed by the people. The southern forests are distinguished by the weather of the area. They are more temperate and more fertile.
Politics
The politics of Borean Hama take place in the framework of a monarchy. The King of Hama, who is the head of the empire as a whole, is the head of state. Borean Hama is made up of 18 provinces. 9 of those provinces are governed by aristocratic families. One of them is a tribal territory granted to the giants as a homeland. The remaining 8 are governed by Prefects appointed by the King. The provinces have limited authority over internal matters such as healthcare, education, sanitation, transport and law enforcement. Provinces are defined and constituted by royal decree. Each province has a basic law which delineates how its government is structured. 7 aristocratic rulers share power with elected representatives of the common people. 2 of them are governed solely by the ruling family. The tribal authority of the giants is ruled by a council of elders who are elected by their peers. The provinces ruled by Prefects are assisted by a technocratic bureaucracy. Depending on the extent to which a civil society is present, consultative bodies can be set up to represent the people.
The land does not have a uniform legal system. In all provinces with prefects appointed by the state, one system of law is followed for all inhabitants that is administered by qualified judges who serve as civil servants employed by the state. Boards are set up to review cases that litigants may feel were subject to impropriety or procedural discrepancy. They use the same legal system as Yasterian Hama. Aristocratic provinces have customary law which applies mostly to civil cases. Responsibility for criminal cases is shared between delegates of the imperial government and local rulers.
The central government is located in Ahamadu. The government is helmed by a Governor appointed by the King who appoints a Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers has direct control over the Prefects and other employees of the imperial government. It has limited powers to develop rules and regulations to create consistency in various legal principles. It has limited powers to intervene in provinces in the case of an emergency (such as a natural disaster or armed insurrection). The Borean Hama government under the imperial government has modern schools to train civil servants such as judges, police's officers and bureaucrats. It owns companies that administer services to the provinces based on voluntary subscription of the province's rulers. For instance, the Avanian Mounted Police is employed to enforce order in 4 aristocratic provinces.
The aristocratic provinces are generally rural, with small populations and large spaces, while those governed directly by the Imperial Government are heavily urbanised. These directly administered territories are served by a technocratic bureaucracy with consistent rules and norms. The aristocratic territories are often subject to customs (some of which are antiquated). The imperial government is attempting to wrest control of the aristocratic provinces by taking over more of their administration and cutting off economic support to the ruling families or marrying imperial princesses and princes and Hamanian nobles to these families. The relationship that the aristocratic rulers enjoy with the imperial government determines how they work together.
Military
The Imperial Armed Forces form the military of the entire Hamanian Empire. That means that the Imperial Armed Forces are responsible for protecting Avania from invaders. There is a local subdivision of the Imperial Armed Forces that is made up of strong men recruited from Avania and commanded by indigenous officers. Unlike soldiers from Hama, soldiers from Avania are not typically deployed on expeditionary missions. As a result, there is no independent navy. There are riverine and coastal patrolling services that deal with minor crimes on the water and rescue people from harm. The air force is the aviation division of the army. The Imperial Air Force handles the bulk of air defence. The Imperial Navy also handles protecting Avania from maritime attacks. As a result, there are not many Avanian sailors and pilots. There are a few who have served and even rose to prominence in the Hamanian navy.
The local forces are largely made up of a ground force. The force is made up of approximately 80,000 people. The highest ranking officer is a Right Commander with the equivalent rank of Lieutenant General. The local force uses the Hamanian ranking system, which organises and ranks soldiers differently from most modern armies. The force is fairly well equipped. It has several main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles that share similar combat capabilities with armour used in Hama itself. The forces have fairly disciplined soldiers and good strategies. They are very good at fighting in difficult terrains like forests and mountains because of their focus on infantry. They can endure when food is low, the weather is cold and help is not forthcoming. This gives the army speed and agility. The army is designed to handle asymmetric warfare such as ambushes and hit-and-run operations. Unlike the Imperial Armed Forces, the Avanian military forces are directly under the command of the King rather than the Doharian Order.
Economy
The economy of Avania is largely open to the public enterprise but has a significant state presence through government entrepreneurial activities and regulations. The economy has an output of approximately 80 billionkiribs in total. There is a per capita economic output of approximately 10,000 kiribs. The country can, therefore, be classified as a lower middle-income economy. The total workforce comprises over 4 million people. The unemployment rate is low, but those employed in temporary labour or who undertake in subsistence enterprise (which is unstable and speculative) are classified as "employed". Considering the large proportion of people who are engaged in these economic activities, some critics speculate that there are many more people than officially disclosed who are effectively unemployed. Luckily, there are government programs such as public housing, healthcare and education which alleviate some of the financial strain that poorer households experience.
The Bank of Hama forms the central bank, issues the currency, the dahab and manages the monetary policy. It has established a regional division in Avania that specialises with the specific needs and issues of this state that effectively carries some of the administrative duties of a central bank. The banking system is reliable, supported by extensive reserves from Hama and regulated by advanced modern and rigorous laws and institutions. Tax revenues are consistent and comprise a fair proportion of state funds, but a substantial portion comes from the Hamanian government. Special allowances exist for poor households and small businesses, but the burden is relatively substantial when compared to many capitalist nations. The country trades mostly with Hama and its tributary states. As a tributary state of Hama it has access to a substantial market. Its merchants can purchase and sell goods and provide services without cumbersome administrative barriers or tariffs and fees.
The country's largest sector, the services sector, comprises 45% of the economy. The industrial sector comprises 35% of the economy. The agricultural sector comprises 20% of the economy. Banking and shipping form large parts of the services sector. The Port of Ahamadu is a major node for trade. Logging, fishing (especially for caviar), husbandry and crop farming (particularly grain, tree-sap syrup and oil). Mining (especially for gold and other precious metals), and light manufacturing comprise large sectors. The country also exports to neighbouring countries such as Laiatan and members of the Vekaiyun Union. The country has an equitable distribution of income, but people in Ahamadu and Abadullahu are paid significantly higher wages and make more profits. Many people are skilled loggers, farmers, herdsmen, smiths and quarrymen, but there is a shortage of scientists, accountants and lawyers, roles traditionally filled by Hamanians, leading to disparities in levels of education and income between the Avanians and Hamanians. In general, the infrastructure is sound, with extensive and well maintained links between the major cities in the south, although the deep interior and north are underserved and sometimes even inaccessible.
People
There are approximately 8 million people who live in Avania. The country is sparsely populated. The largest urban centres are Ahamadu (with approximately 1 million people) and Abadullahu (with approximately 800,000 people). Many people live in rural communities or small towns. Vast spaces stretch between people. The native people have strong family bonds. Several generations of relatives will live together or near each other. They often work together. There is a gradual move to urban locations where there are smaller nuclear households. In general, however, the people continue to enjoy their quaint native lifestyles as they have for many centuries. Although they are grounded in conservative values, their social hierarchies are less rigid and complex than the Hamanians. They are generally content, practical and simple people.
Avanian is the native language spoken by almost all people in daily conversation. Hamanese is the language used in government, commerce and science. Due to the well-funded public education system, most people can read and write. Most people practice a mixture of Abrahamism and their native customs. These native customs are characterised by the veneration of nature. The people generally belong to the Avanian ethnic group. They are fairly short people with pale skin, with eyes and hair that range vastly in colour. There is a sizeable minority of Hamanian settlers. There is also a large community of people of mixed race. There exist racial segregation and inequality. Usually, the Hamanians are wealthier and better educated than the natives; the races often live apart, usually meeting only at work.
People drive on the left. The International Standard Calendar is used. Due to the long, cold winters, daylight savings is observed, although it has a similar timezone to Hama. The metric system is the most widely used system of measurement. Most things are written in the Radunic script. The people have access to free or affordable public healthcare for most ailments. They have access to free education. Generally, people are quite hardy and do not regularly fall sick nor are there any major unique disease, although people tend to die ; life can be quite challenging, but peaceful. There is not much crime, although people tend to get attacked by wild animals when they get lost in the woods.
