Difference between revisions of "Fortuna"

Revision as of 14:23, 29 April 2017

Second Fortunan Empire
Motto: Strength Comes From Unity
Anthem: "Fortuna Forever"
Capital		Destiny City
Largest city		Imperial Fortunan City
Official languages		Fortunan
Ethnic groups (2014 Estimate)		95.8% Human 4.2% Vulpine
Demonym		Fortunan
Government		Unitary One-party Totalitarian Dictatorship
-	High Commander	Tristan Lytle
-	Commander	Ferdinand Romano
-	Speaker of the Common Chamber	Susan Locke
Legislature		House
-	Upper house	Elite Chamber
-	Lower house	Common Chamber
History
-	Unification of Fortuna	March 11, 1999
-	Fell Under Dictatorship	May 17, 1999
-	Annexation of Medium Islands	2016
Area
-	Total	154,898.98 km2 96,250 sq mi
Population
-	2016 estimate	33,108,781
-	2010 census	31,388,694
-	Density	213.74/km2 82.53/sq mi
GDP (nominal)		2016 estimate
-	Total	$421.15 billion SHD
-	Per capita	$12,720.34
Gini (2015)		24.6 low
HDI (2015)		.653 medium
Currency		Fortune (FT)
Date format		MM/DD/YYYY
Drives on the		right (side of road)
Calling code		+9
ISO 3166 code		TSF
Internet TLD		.tsf .ftsf

Fortuna (ˈfôrCHunə), also known as the Second Fortunan Empire, is a unitary totalitarian dictatorship island nation. The nation is located in the Spes Region off the East coast of Pax-Draconia, South of Isklevyu, and North of the Free Pacific States. The nation consists of the Fortunan Archipelago and the Medium Islands, covering an area of 154,898.98 km2 (96,250 sq mi). The three largest islands (Emili, Toscani, and Ancona) consist of much of Fortuna's land area. The climate of Fortuna is predominantly temperate with high environmental protection. Compared to many nations on Urth, the population of Fortuna is quite moderate with a population of 33,108,781 with its largest city, Imperial Fortunan City, holding up to 6.8 million people.

The history of Fortuna dates back to around 50 A.D. when people from the main land migrated to the islands. In 1176 the people of the islands united by the tribe called Fortuna. The newly united islands became known as the Empire of Fortuna which brought a golden age through trade and conquest of surrounding islands. In 1824 the nation became divided in war known as the Great Civil War. This division split the nation brought of three new nations known as Emili, Toscani, and Ancona which brought a period of isolation that lasted between the 1800s to the early 1900s. In the early 1960s, the nations participated in the War of Aggression which pushed Caliphate influence out of the archipelago and helped strengthen nationalism in the region. In 1996, the nation of Emili fell under control of the Unitary Nationalist Party with the election of Tristan Lytle as prime minister. In 1998, both Emili and Ancona joined under one government followed by Toscani in 1999. On March 11, 1999, the islands were fully united under one government. Soon after Tristan Lytle executed the current emperor and declared himself as absolute ruler of the nation, marking the starting point of the Second Fortunan Empire under a fascist dictatorship. In 2010, the Fortunan government allowed for the opening of ports and airports to the international population. Then in 2016, Fortuna successfully annexed the Medium Islands, growing Fortuna's border and strengthening their grip on the Pacific coast of Yasteria.

Fortuna is a developing nation a medium standard of living and Human Development Index, a medium level of life expectancy, and a low GDP. The nation holds a large, yet quite outdated, military force, taking up 8% of the nation's GDP, used for self-defense and law enforcing. Due to the recent removal of isolation, the nation's economy has slowly been on the rise giving Fortuna a GDP of $421.15 billion. The economy has recently been driven by the exportation of agricultural, fishing, technology products, and weapons. Fortuna's geographic location also plays a large role as major shipping lines pass through the island chain.

Etymology

The name Fortuna can be dated back to the Empire of Fortuna who were birthed from the Fortuna tribe, the first group to successfully conquer the entire island chain and who took their name from Fortuna, the goddess of fortune from the religion of Clarityism. This also led to the name of the island chain itself; the Fortunan Archipelago. When the islands were reunited once again reunited under one centralized government in 1999, Tristan Lytle, the new leader of Fortuna, declared the nation as the Second Fortunan Empire.

History

First Fortunan Empire

The Great Civil War and Separation

War Against Caliphate Aggression (1961-1973)

Between 1961 and 1973, the War Against Caliphate Aggression, also known as the War of Aggression, took place between the Caliphate-leaning government of Toscani under the Islamic Movement of Toscani (IMT) and the fascist-leaning governments of Emili and Ancona as the Alliance of Fortunan States (AFS). Majorly supporting the IMT was the Caliphate of Pax Draconica, while the AFS received support from the Veridian Union.

In October 1956, the Islamic Movement of Toscani seized control of Toscani in a coup d'état. In the following months, protests broke out across Toscani, especially in the southeastern part of the island where the majority of Toscanians were Claritists. The governments of Emili and Ancona during this time condemned the government takeover of Toscani by the IMT, stating it as anti-Fortunan and anti-Claritist. With the support of Emili and Ancona, the protests in Toscani slowly grew into revolts and then into a full on civil war nationwide by February 1957. The Emilian government played the largest role in training and arming rebel groups, even sending dozens of their own military advisers into Toscani to support the rebels. After a few humiliating defeats, the IMT turned towards the Pax Caliphate for assistance in the early 1959. With a superpower behind them, the IMT were able to push back the rebel groups to the southeastern coast of Toscani, specifically to the city of Terine and the surrounding towns.

On December 31, 1959, dozens of explosions took place across Emili and Ancona, targeting military personnel and large crowds celebrating the new year. The next morning on January 1, 1960, the governments of Emili and Ancona both condemned the attacks and declared war against the IMT government, calling themselves the Alliance of Fortunan States. In an unexpected turn though, the IMT made the first move by invading Emili, taking control of the Guiliano Strait and allowing the IMT to surround the remaining rebel groups in Terine with ease. For the next year, the city faced unending bombing and artillery attacks with the death toll rising up to 10,000 by 1961. By 1962, the city of Terine finally fell to the IMT.

To defend fascism in the region and prevent the spread of the Caliphate's influence, the Veridian Union came to the aid of the AFS in the mid 1961, sending military equipment, military advisers, and spec ops groups. The war went on as a stalemate over the Guiliano Strait until 1965 when AFS troops were successful in pushing the IMT back into Toscani. By the end of 1966, the AFS were able to take the southeastern part of Toscani and liberate the city of Terine. For the next four years, AFS troops slowly pushed their way north across the mountainous landscape, both sides receiving heavy casualties.

By 1971, an AFS victory seemed inevitable as the rest of the IMT were held up in the northern mountains. Their fate was finally sealed in 1972 when the Caliphate pulled support out of the region to focus on a conflict elsewhere. A year later, the remnants of the IMT surrendered and the war officially ended on May 12, 1973. An estimated 2,160,000 people were killed including civilian casualties.

Aftermath

Following the defeat of the IMT, the government of Toscani was replaced with a more favored government by the AFS. During this time, nationalism was on the rise and a majority of Fortunans wished to return back to their roots as a united nation. The three states reluctantly agreed, however the head of states still wished to keep their sovereignty. Instead of unite under one government, the three states joined together as the Allied States of Fortuna where each state still had their own separate governments. To appeal to the people of Fortuna, the head of states set up the closest heir to the royal family, Roderick Verdi, as emperor who ruled from the Imperial Fortunan City. However, he had no control of the nation and merely sat as a mere cultural icon.

The Purification Period (1973-1979)

Known as the Caliphate Purge in Fortuna, this was a time period between 1973 and 1979 where the states of Fortuna majorly targeted Muslim communities and anything related to the Caliphate.

On November 2, 1973, the ASF signed into law the Fortunan Purification Act which allowed for the arrest and deportation of individuals who were considered non-Fortunan, the demolishing of un-Fortunan buildings and sites, and gave law enforcement the right to arrest and detain anyone they believed was an enemy of the state. The main purpose of the act was to purposely allow for the targeting of Muslim communities in an effort to push Caliphate influence out of the region. Anyone considered Muslim or a supporter of the Caliphate were rounded up and forced to leave the islands without their consent. The majority were sent to the mainland, however others found shelter in the Medium Islands.

Although the name of the period is the "Caliphate Purge", Muslim communities were not the only ones targeted. Another religious group that faced discrimination was the Christian community who too were forced to leave or convert to Clarityism. Specism was also on the rise during this time and many minority groups were targeted, specifically Nekos due to their relation to the Caliphate. Vulpines also faced a level of discrimination, but the majority of the vulpine community were allowed to stay due to their support during the war and their entwined history within Fortuna.

By the end of the decade, more than 500,000 individuals were deported out of the archipelago and more than 500 mosques and churches were demolished. In the early 1960s, around 15% of the population were Muslim. By the end of the 1970s, that number dropped down to less than 1%. An estimated 70,650 people were killed during this time period, many due to mass slaughter of villages which the government still denies to this day.

Instability and the Rise of Fascism

Following the end of the War of Aggression, Fortuna fell into instability with the states losing control of chunks of the archipelago to crime gangs and rebel militant groups. In the mid 1970s, the ASF began campaigns to retake the islands. However, due to a lack of a central government and the reliance of the states' personal military, the campaigns was a slow process that lasted into the late 1980s.

With the war still fresh in many Fortunans' minds and annoyance with the current ruling government, the want of a more unified nation under a strong government increased. The idea was headed by the Unitary Nationalist Party (UNP), a fascist political party whose goal was to unite the islands under one government and bring Fortuna back to its roots. Their popularity slowly began to rise within the Fortunan population, peaking in the early 1990s after prominent UNP members in the military were able to defeat infamous militant groups with ease. One of these members was a young officer named Tristan Lytle, a soldier in the Emili military who gained immense popularity for his victories. As the campaigns to retake the islands came to an end in 1989, Lytle moved away from the army and looked towards politics.

Unitary Nationalist Party Takeover (1990-2000)

By 1990, the UNP held almost half of the seats in all three governments: 45% in Emili, 47% in Ancona, and 38% in Toscani. The UNP's main goal was to gain full control of all three governments and then unite as one, but that was not their only goal. Many of the higher ups of the party wished to set up a one-party state like many other fascist nations led by the UNP. Even with barely half of the seats in the chambers, the UNP began working to set up Fortuna to be easily taken over in the up coming years such as replacing leadership roles of prominent organizations with UNP sympathizers and party members. Still, they needed someone to rally around and that came in the form of Tristan Lytle.

Following his entering into politics, Lytle took advantage of his military background, popularity, and charisma to lead many UNP rallies where he gained even more notoriety for his inspiring speeches. As he slowly gained more and more followers, he also slowly began to rise up in the ranks of the UNP. Seeing an opportunity with this young, charismatic speaker, UNP leaders convinced Lytle to run for Prime Minister of Emili in the 1996 Grand Elections. With a majority vote of 52.5%, Lytle won the seat of Prime Minister of Emili and was the youngest person in Fortunan history to become a head of state at the age of 27. In Ancona, Bernard Leon, another prominent UNP member, became Prime Minister of Ancona with a majority vote of 58%. The party also gained a majority of the seats in the legislative branch of the three governments with over half in all: 75% in Emili, 80% in Ancona, and 66% in Toscani.

With control of the executive branches in Emili and Ancona, and control of a majority of the seats in all three legislative branches, the party's next goal was to bring all three states under one centralized government, but first they needed something for Fortunans to come together for or against. On July 26, 1997, Edward Vicino, a prominent UNP member, was assassinated by a radical "anti-uniter". During this time, tensions were high between Fortunan "uniters", those who wish to unite Fortuna under one government, and "anti-uniters", those who promoted state separation. Both were fighting for control of the government to complete their goals, so to gain the upper hand the UNP quickly took advantage of the current situation. Tristan Lytle publicly announced that this as the start of a anti-uniter takeover and ordered for the targeting and arrest of known anti-uniters within Emili for treason, he was soon followed suit by the governments of Ancona and Toscani. The main target was the State Independence Party with over 4,000 known members were detained. Anti-uniters and sympathizers across the nation were attacked by UNP-led rioters who caused immense damage and casualties. By the end of August, over 15,000 individuals were arrested due to their background and an estimated 539 deaths were caused. On September 8, the ASF passed the Political Protections Act which banned any political parties that were deemed "anti-Fortunan" or those who promoted a non-centralized government such as the State Independence Party, removing any rivals that the UNP had in one blow.

During his term as prime minister, Lytle traversed the islands of Fortuna to hold rallies to promote a united country under a central and powerful government, gaining more and more followers as he went on. It was during this time that he began to gain popularity among the Claritist community who began seeing him as the "Chosen One," a prophesied leader who was said to be the one who would be successful in uniting Fortuna. This idea slowly grew until it was believed by a majority of Claritists within the region. Seeing another opportunity, prominent UNP leaders in the early months of 1997 made statements declaring Lytle as the Chosen One, setting him up to be the leader of Fortuna once fully united. On September 16, 1997, in one of his rallies Tristan Lytle himself declared he was the chosen leader and that it will be he who will unite the islands once again.

Finally on August 25, 1998, with full control of the government, Tristan Lytle held a referendum within Emili asking citizens if the Allied States of Fortuna should be abolished in placed with a more centralized government. By a landslide, a majority of Emilians by a vote of 98% voted for the end of the ASF. The next day, Lytle declared that Emili will leave the ASF and abolish the Emili government to form the Second Fortunan Empire (SFE), centralized in the city of Destino. Not wanting to be left behind, the state of Ancona declared that they too will be leaving the ASF and abolish their government to join under the government of the SFE. As the only state left in the ASF and pressured by it's fellow states, Toscani did likewise and on March 11, 1999, all three states were finally under one centralized government, officially forming the Second Fortunan Empire.

In this new government, Tristan Lytle had set himself up to be the new head of state and take on the title of High Commander. However, he still had a handful of rivals who too wished to become head of state. So to solidify his rule, Lytle invaded the Imperial Fortunan City, the city where the emperor resided and the only place who showed no loyalty to the UNP, and personally executed the emperor in public for treason. While this was taking place, Lytle had his rivals and top officials in the government arrested or assassinated. With no one left to challenge him (with exception of Bernard Leon who escaped to the Medium Islands), Tristan Lytle publicly pronounced himself as absolute ruler of Fortuna as High Commander on May 17, 1999. Thus began the Second Fortunan Empire under the rule of a fascist dictatorship.

Second Fortunan Empire (2000-Present Day)

Politics

After the takeover of the government by Tristan Lytle in 2002, the Three States of Fortuna's government is run as a unitary one-party totalitarian dictatorship with the nation run by the Unitary Nationalist Party and with Tristan Lytle holding absolute power. This gives him and the party full control of the government, military, and economy of Fortuna. It is also requires for absolute obedience of all Fortunan citizens to Lytle. Through propaganda, manipulation, fear, and brainwashing, a majority of the population of Fortuna are willing to follow Lytle, creating a personality cult based around him and many see him as a god figure. Between 2002 and 2012 the full country was closed from the outside, preventing the free movement in and out of Fortuna. There are also high restrictions found in Fortuna including on freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and also low civil rights and political freedom.

Government

The government of Fortuna is split into three branches; the Head, the House, and Judicial.

The Head is the current ruler of Fortuna and is mostly known as High Commander. The Head has absolute power until their death and is replaced by the person of their choice. No one is able to question him and is not forbidden from anything. With his power he is allowed to veto any legislation or bills brought up by the House only allowing anything that he agrees with. The Head also has full control of the military and is able to give his own commands without question. The Head can also choose who would be their second command, known as Commander. If the Head either resigns or dies, the Commander then takes their place. The Commander is also allowed to hold a seat in the Elite Chamber if the Head allows. The current Head, High Commander Tristan Lytle, has held this position ever since the unification of Fortuna till present day. The current Commander is Ferdinand Romano.

The House is the legislative branch of Fortuna which is run by only one party; the Unitary Nationalist Party. Within the House there are two different groups; the Elite Chamber and the Common Chamber. The Common Chamber consists of 48 seats, 16 representatives for each state. Each state party also has three leaders who are chosen from the representatives by each party. Every representative is chosen during the nomination period where the citizens of each state nominate up to 24 possible candidates. From these nominees the leaders of the state party choose the 16 they want as their representative. Each representative in the Common each serve a term of 6 years until the next election, representatives can also serve up to three terms. If a representative either resigns, gets removed by the Head, or dies during their term, they would then be replaced by someone chosen by the leaders of that state party. In the Elite Chamber there are 9 seats and consists of only those chosen by the Head. Elites are able to serve until their death, their resignation, or removal by the Head. Each Elite member is a head of a specific department, each department focusing on a specific area. Laws usually start out in the Common Chamber. If there is a majority vote of 3/4th then the bill is passed to the Law Chamber to be approved. Once approved it moves on to the Elite Chamber. If there is a majority vote of 2/3rd then the bill is made into law. However the bill may be vetoed by the Head and must return to the Elite Chamber to be revised or removed.

The Judicial branch is the third branch in the government and helps interpret the law and the Fortunate Constitution and is run by the Law Chamber. The Law Chamber consists of 9 seats and are chosen by the Elite Chamber and the Head. This causes for the Judicial branch to have much corruption on the inside. It is seen by many as a puppet to allow the Elite Chamber to achieve their own goals since the Judicial Branch has no power over what the Elite Chamber of the Head says. They are allowed to approve of bills that was passed by the Common Chamber. If these bills are approved by the Law Chamber then its passed to the Elite Chamber to be finally passed into law.

Foreign Policy

Historically Fortuna has always held a isolated and neutral stance concerning foreign affairs. However, since the reopening of borders in 2012, Fortuna has recently taken a larger interest in foreign policies. This includes diplomatic relations and exchange of embassies and ambassadors with multiple nations across Urth. Fortuna holds close relations with the Veridian Union and Baykalia, which includes agreements ranging from trade to military agreements.

Concerning Fortuna's neighbors, relations are either tense or non-existent. This is due to both cultural, government, and religious differences. For example relations between Fortuna and the Free Pacific States only consist of national recognition, however due to government differences Fortuna is not very fond of their southern neighbor. The same can also be said for the Pax-Caliphate to the east and Eridani Theta to the north. Following the death of Eridani Theta's former leader though, relations between the two island nations have softened.

Military

The Fortunan Army, Navy, Air Force and Regolatori form what is known as the Fortunan Armed Forces(FAF), under the command of the Fortuna Military Council led by the Commander, however the High Commander has absolute power over the FAF and can overrule the Military Council. Military service has always been compulsory for all citizens above the age of 18. Both men and women are required to serve at least 36 months in any branch with a few exceptions. As of 2016, the Fortunan military consisted of 478,175 personnel on active duty, with around 150,000 serving more than 36 months, and with around 1,520,000 personnel in reserve as anyone fit to fight can be drafted in if in time of crisis. Fortunan military spending takes up 8% of the national GDP, making it the main focus of the government. Even with high spending, the Fortunan military is considered outdated compared to the rest of Urth.

Geography

Fortuna is an archipelago consisting of sixteen islands off the Pacific Coast of East Yasteria.The islands are found closely together forming a circular-like pattern and are located around 27°N and 113° E, just above the Tropic of Karakta. The circular archipelago can be found East of Pax-Draconia, Northeast of Codex Pontus and the Free Pacific States, South of Isklevyu, and Southwest of Eridani Theta. The country is mainly made up of the islands of Emili, Toscani, and Ancona. Including the few islands found in between them and the Medium Islands, they make up what is known as the Fortunan Archipelago.

The land area of Fortuna is 154,898.98 km2 (96,250 sq mi), making it one of the smaller nations found on Urth. A large percentage of Fortuna are covered in forests and mountains, making much of the land area unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential use. This causes much of the population of Fortuna to locate themselves along the coast, leading to high population densities of 213.74/km2 (82.53/sq mi).

Due to its location, Fortuna consists of volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. The way the islands are formed helps create a barrier against tsunamis for those on the inside of the circle. This is one of the reasons why much of the population are found in the inner circle of the archipelago. Earthquakes are still a problem, ranging from small quakes up to 9.0-magnitude earthquakes, an example includes the 1923 earthquake killing nearly 100,000 people. Fortuna also consists of three active volcanoes, two of which are located on the island of Toscani. There has been steps taken to monitor earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis to help reduce chances of death, but this doesn't prevent Fortuna from having one of the highest natural disasters.

Climate

The climate of Fortuna is predominantly temperate, though there is visible differences between the islands. The island of Toscani is known to have lower temperatures due to its high mountains. The other islands stay rather temperate, with cooler temperatures inland due to rise in height. Winter is considered to begin in October and goes into February. Snow is common during winter, leading to heavy snowbanks. Spring starts in February and goes until May. Summer then occurs after may and goes until August. Fall is a bit short lived lasting from August to October.

Temperatures in Fortuna during the summer averages around 25.2 °C (77.4 °F) and during the winter it averages around 5.1 °C (41.2 °F). The highest recorded temperature was 39.8 °C (103.8 °F) in 2007. Rainy season begins in March and continues over Fortuna until May. Typhoons are also expected in early fall bringing heavy rain.

Biodiversity

The biodiversity in Fortuna is known to be quite high, with different ecoregions that are able to be found. The main islands of Emili and Ancona are known to have mixed forests due to their mild climates. On Toscani and many mountainous areas they mainly consist of temperate coniferous forests. Fortuna also holds an abundance of species with over 80,000. Some of these species include the Fortunan Raccoon Dog, Fortunan Giant Salamander, and the Red Panda. Due to recent moves by the government, much of the areas have been made as protected areas to preserve the beauty of the islands of Fortuna.

Environment

Larole Forest on the island Emili.

In the period between the 1880s and the 1960s, industrialization was on the rise which led to a rise in environmental pollution. To confront this, the governments passed laws to help provide environmental protection. This led to the creation of national parks and protected areas which make up 28% of the country. The environmental protection laws that were created are still used today and is more strictly enforced. Deforestation or destruction of the environment in any way is considered illegal unless one is given a permit by the government.

In recent years, Fortuna has taken large steps to use renewable energy with 20% of Fortuna's energy being based off renewable energy like solar or wind power energy, a set goal of 25% by 2020.

Demographics

According to a 2016 census, there is a population of 33,108,781 people in Fortuna. The resulting population density, a density of 212/km2 (5,144.5/sq mi), makes Fortuna one of the densest nations on Urth. The distribution of the population though is mainly found in the four main cities including Destiny City and Imperial Fortunan City, with over 20 million located in these cities and the rest spread out across the rest of the islands. Most of the population is located in towns and cities along the coast with very few living inland.

The population has been a slow ascent until the early 1900s when immigration rose quickly due to the islands declaring the removal of isolation. The immigration slowly declined a near halt in the late 1970s due to conflict that took place between the 1970s to the 1980s.

Fortuna also consists of a few different species/races. The major population of the nation mainly consists of of human at 95.8% and are spread onto much of the islands. There is also a small number of vulpines that make up 4.2% of the population and are mainly located on the northern islands of Fortuna, many of them were immigrants from northern Yasteria who arrived to the islands in the 1600s.

Language

The official language of Fortuna is Fortunan with over 90% of citizens known as native Fortunan speakers while the rest say they use Fortunan as a second language based off a study done in 2015. The language also has different dialects depending on the island with around 8 types. This was mainly due to the islands being isolated from each other between the 1500s and the 1900s. Languages that are also noticed to be used in Fortuna include Drakkengardian, Unonian, and Codexian, mainly brought in by immigrants in the early 1900s.

Religion

A Clarity chapel located in Destiny City.

Freedom of religion is allowed due to the Fortunan Constitution, but Fortuna is considered as a theocracy with Clarityism being the declared the state religion. In 2010, the amount of Fortunans who identified themselves as Claritists is 86.2%. A percentage of 8.5% of Fortunans identify themselves as Christians with 6.7% of this are Catholic while the rest practice Protestantism.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the practice of religion, mainly Clarityism, in Fortuna has been on a rise. According to polls, a large number of young people under 30 say they are very religious. This increase in the practice of religion has mainly been caused after Clarityism being made a state religion which brought in a flow of people who made it their official religion.

Education

Since 2005, education between the ages of 6 to 16 are compulsory, with

Health

Fortuna runs on a universal public healthcare system with the healthcare being fully provided by a public system. This is run by the Department of Health which organized and administered nationally. Healthcare in Fortuna makes up 8.9% of the nation's budget in 2015.

Culture

Entertainment and Art

Sports

Holidays