Nation/Mediobogdum

The Empire of Mediobogdum, commonly called Mediobogdum, is an Empire in southern Europe. It is bordered on the north by Celtia, on the south by Saxonia, by the east by the Augean Ocean, and on the west by Palatania. Mediobogdum covers 404,000 square miles and has has an estimated population of just over 11 billion. Mediobogdum comprises of 4 Regions: Articularia in the south-west, Metricularia in the south-east, Proratia in the central and north-west, and Riducularia in the north-east and east. Each region is comprised of two 2 territories.

Regions and Territories of Mediobogdum

Articularia: Augustus and Caligula. Metricularia: Palladius and Septimius. Proratia: Tiberia and Dalmatia. Ridicularia: Romulus and Lucinius.

Mediobogdum's Role in the World

Mediobogdum is a massive, industrially efficient nation, is notable for its frequent executions, enslaved workforce, and rampant corporate plagiarism. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic, humorless, devout population hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion. Mediobogdum has a large number of colonies which it has acquired over the past 2,000 years as the results of wars, peace treaties, and subjugation. It is a major power on the world stage of economics and politics and always sends its representatives to the World Assembly, to attend Security Council and General Assembly meetings. It is also a senior member of many committees and sub-committees that form part of both of these legislative bodies.

Etymology

Origin of Mediobogdum's Name

During the first campaign that Septimius Severus waged in Britannia, he set up a series of forts along the northern limits of the Empire of Gargonium to afford protection to citizens from the war-like hoardes of the Picts to the north. The most important fort in this chain was called Mediobogdum, and it was in honour of this outpost that the new name for the empire was coined. The fort was abandoned after the evacuation of troops in AD 35. The ruins are now one of the outstanding monuments to the rise of the new Mediobogdum Empire. The forts were capable of barracking up to 200 soldiers at a time. Mediobogdum Fort is now one of the leading attractions for visitors to the Articularia Region and has been classified as a World Heritage Site under the auspices of the World Assembly Cultural Convention of 2010. The standard way to refer to a citizen of Mediobogdum is as a Mediobogdumian and the nation affectionately refer to their leader as "Medio".

History

Septimius Severus (23 BC - AD 46) founded Mediobogdum in AD 27 after a series of European wars which resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants.

At the end of these wars, the citizens of the then-named Empire of Gargonium, Severus was unanimously elected as its emperor as a reward given to the general who had led its nation's troops into battle with honour, valour, and steadfast leadership. One of Severus' first actions after his election was to rename his empire to that of Mediobogdum, to celebrate a new dawn for his people.

There were many arches scattered around the Empire built to honour Septimius Severus. Perhaps the most strikingly-placed is the one on the approach to the city of Epicis Magna, the place of his birth. The arch is shown below after its renovation 10 years ago.

There is another, much larger and more strategically prominent, arch dedicated to Severus which can be seen in Gariannonum, the capital city of Mediobogdum. The central archway of this triumphal edifice is spanned by a richly coffered semicircular vault and has lateral openings to each side archway. The Arch is about 68 feet in height and about 76 feet in width and is, in effect, a 'shrine' to which every citizen of Mediobogdum aspires to visit at least once in their life time.

Geography

Mediobogdum has a varied geography being bordered in the south by the Saxonian Mountain Range with peaks reaching up to 12,800 ft and whose tops are snow-covered for 6 months of the year. Its western border is bounded by the Palatanian Mountains of much lesser elevation with a highest peak just under 8,700 ft. Behind these mountains is the semi-desert area known as the Nero Wadi.

The eastern border consists of a very long and indented coastline into which flow numerous rivers, mainly from the west. Finally, the northern border is also mountainous having the highest range, the Celtician Range which has the region's highest peak, that of Mount Gargoyle at 14,403 ft. The central areas of Mediobogdum have numerous fresh water lakes many of which are surrounded by mixed deciduous and coniferous woodlands. The largest of these lakes is Lake Baikal, Metricularia which covers almost 450 square miles.

The climate of Mediobogdum experiences more than one category. The eastern coastline experiences a maritime climate which is controlled by the Augean Ocean, which help to sustain somewhat stable temperatures throughout the year with prevailing winds from the east. Central areas of Mediobogdum tend to have a slightly more temperate climate. Rainfall on the coastal ares average about 65 inches per year with temperatures ranging from 80 degrees Fahranheit in summer down to 55 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. Inland, the rainfall is about half that of the coastal regions whilst the mountains in the north and south experience annual snowfalls of between 12-24 feet.

Demographics

There is a steady increase in population with the ratio of females/males remaining constant. But the outstanding trend is that there is a decreasing number of younger people in the nation and a corresponding increase in the number of older people. In short, Mediobogdum is suffering from an aging population which is putting pressure on social welfare issues. In classical demographic transition modelling, Mediobogdum has passed through Stage 1, where there are high birth and death rates with a stable population, and has now moved into Stages 2/3 where death rates are lowered, birth rates are beginning to also fall, but there is still a period of rapidly growing population.

The demographic chart for the types of employment in the Mediobogdum economy is a fairly standard one. There is an even distribution among the A, B, C1, C2, D, and E classifications which is commensurate with the nation's development as a mature, industrial economy.

Population

The current population of Mediobogdum is 9.136 billion and growing at a rate of about 2 million per day. It is interesting to look at the breakdown of its population by ethnicity. The charts below shows that the largest ethnicity group is white which is unsurprising as the nation's immediate neighbours are of the same ethnicity, and the sptread of language types that Mediobogdum enjoys.

The other major groups reflect the nature of Mediobogdum's past history where it has brought captured soldiers and slaves to work its mines and fields from regions many hundreds of miles away. In more recent times, migrant workers have been allowed to enter the nation in order to work on major infrastructure projects.Language The number of different languages which are spoken in Mediobogdum represents the greatest number in any region of the world. Mediobogdum has the highest number of polyglots ever to have been found in a single nation and this fact reflects the nation's past history which spans more than two millenia. During this time there has been massive migration of peoples from across the whole of Europe to Mediobogdum resulting from wars, and natural inter-breeding.

Religion

Mediobogdum allows complete freedom of religion to all its inhabitants. However, there are some laws/provisos/guidelines associated with this unusually liberal stance. The list which follows is far from exhaustive and individual interpretation of specific situations must be referred to the Department of Justice for arbitration and adjudication.

No religious speeches or rantings of a non-Christian nature are allowed in a public place. If any citizen does so they will be arrested and tried for incitement to riot, an offence which carries a minimum prison sentence of 5 years with hard labour. Means of communication such as the use of a radio, television or the Internet to 'spread the word' are considered to be an offence in the same vein as actually speaking in public. The use of letters sent via public or private mail is permitted but the mass mailings of 'junk' recruitment literature, etc. is forbidden. Any number of religious assembly places may be built by the followers of any particular religion but no public funding will be made available and planning permission must be applied for and approved by at least 95% of the nation's delegates. One of the finest churches built in recent years is that of The Sagrada Severus in Palatina and which is shown below.

Further, non-Christian religious assembly places must be built to such soundproofing standards that no noise from within the building can be heard at a distance of more than five yards from the building's outer walls or roof, otherwise Law 1 above comes into effect. The use of voices or bells, recorded or live, or other audible devices to summon the faithfulful of any religious group is permitted but must to be limited to no longer than a total of 5 minutes per day per religious building licenced to hold religious meetings.

Religious leaders must understand that in public places the attire which their followers wear that covers or partially covers the face, or enables the wearer to conceal automatic weapons, semi-automatic weapons, bombs, knives, or any other device which may intentionally or unintentionally harm any citizen, may result in on-the-spot searches by the police. If, after a police search a person is found to have such/any weapons or devices, they will be arrested and charged with treason against the nation and its people. Failure of religious leaders to adequately control and inculcate their own followers in a manner sufficiently strict to ensure this law's compliance, will be considered as having comitted an offence themselves. Citizens, or visitors to the nation, who violate this law will be dealt with in a manner which will deter others, thus: after arrest they will be summarliy tried without the right of the 'accused' to speak to the court, found guilty, taken to a place where they will be out of sight of the public and executed by lethal injection, denied a burial, and be vapourized into oblivion.

Largest Cities

Rank, City Metro area population, Region/Territory: 1 Londinium 1,665,000 Meticularia, Palladius. 2 Garriannonum 1,454,000 Meticularia, Septimia. 3 Patavium 1,138,000 Proratia, Tiberia. 4 Amorica 1,039,000 Proratia, Dalmatia. 5 Herculaneum 913,000 Meticularia, Palladia. 6 Constantium 776,000 Articularia, Augustia. 7 Legentium 672,000 Ridicularia, Lucinia. 8 Heliopolis 497,000 Meticularia, Palladia. 9 Rotomagus 338,000 Proratia, Romulia. 10 Obulco 213,000 Ridicularia, Hadriania

Government

Septimius Severus allows his people to freely express their politics but places constraints on the number of political parties that may be formed. The government of Mediobogdum meets in the capital city of Gariannonum, Metricularia, in the Senate building and its proceedings are overseen by the Emperor. This magnificent structure was built over 200 years ago and is one of the nation's heritage sites.

During the senate sessions, the Emperor wears the solid gold Shark's Tooth Seal of his office around his neck.

History of politics has shown time and time again that nations which allow more than three political entities to have their own structures and policies to offer a nation's people, are going to end up with a weak, ineffective, and moribund, lame-duck government in perpetuity. For this reason, the Emperor has decreed that only the following political parties have a mandate to speak to the people and to offer them alternative ways to improve their quality of life, standard of living, the type of local and regional government which should exist, and the manner in which the safety and security of the nation can be ensured.

Sanctioned Ideologies

Right-wing politics is a general descriptive term for any of several otherwise rather different, conservative, reactionary or fascist political ideologies. Their common denominator is their qualified or enthusiastic support for the main features of the current social and economic order, accepting all, or nearly all, of its inequalities of wealth, status and privilege. In some cases, there is support for a return to an earlier, even more in egalitarian and hierarchical political-economic order. Right wing ideologies tend to emphasize the values of order, patriotism, social cohesion, and a personal sense of duty that makes the individual citizen who “knows his place” responsive to discipline from his political and social superiors.

Left-wing politics defines a broad spectrum of political beliefs with a few general tenets in common. In most cases, the left-wing of political ideology represents a belief in a strong central government, which used its power to help create economic and social equality. People on the left-wing generally believe in taking income from the wealthiest and redistributing it among the poorer part of the population. They also generally believe in enforcing social equality thorough governmental regulation. Socialism and modern liberalism are both examples of left-wing politics.

The policies formulated by each of each of these parties are up to the members concerned to decide and implement; however, the more intelligent and educated members of our society will have no doubt about which camp they fall into just by looking at the names. All citizens over the age of 18 years have to be a member of one of these three parties and once a citizen has voted for a political party they must remain with that party for a period of not less than 3 years. All draft bills that the government of the day has managed to pass through the legislative process have to be sanctioned by the Emperor prior to becoming law. His decision to send the draft bill back to the Senate, or its outright rejection, may not be challenged - his word is final.

Foreign Relations

Mediobogdum is currently undergoing a period of excellent diplomatic relations throughout the world and has embassies with all Western European and North American countries, and most major countries in South America, Asia and Australasia. Perhaps the most important country with which Mediobogdum had international relationships with is Turkmanistan whose embassy in Londinium, Meticularia is shown below:

Military

The current list of units which have met the latest, enhanced operational capability requirements, are detailed below. As further units attain this level, they will be added to this roll of increased functionality. The current list is: 51st Foot and Mouth, 47th Light Regiment of Sumos, 1st Mothers of Medicus, Sagittarii Squadron, The Luckus Legion, 85th Appenine Accensus, 13th Capsarior Corps, 5th Ballistarius, Battalion, 33rd Pedites, 1st Praetorians, 2nd Scorpionarians, and 121st Triari. The Inventory of Lethal Weapons is classified as SECRET but those weapons which do not fall into this category are non-lethal weapons such as: The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Sticks and stones that break others' bones, Mud slingers , Looking daggers , Back stabbers, Looks that kill, Arm wrestling, Mind games, Vitriolic verbiage, and Cannon fodder.

The Nation of Mediobogdum is currently organized into three semi-autonomous Armed Services: the Navy, the Army, and the Air Force. There is a common battle flag in addition to the individual services' own flags.

Each Service within the Nation's Armed Forces is commanded by a Legatus who has supreme power over every aspect of recruitment, training and operational readiness of his departmental troops, but he reports directly to the Emperor for his ability to meet external challenges of hostile approaches from would-be aggressor nations. The three Legates are allocated a budget by the Senate and competent running of this budget is paramount to ensure that the citizens of Mediobogdum get value for money. The State Audit Department has the right to inspect at no notice any/all financial aspects of any of the branches of the Armed Services. Annual bids for cash allocations for routine matters such as the day-to-day management have to be prepared three years in advance. Any major projects such as: the purchase of new ships and submarines, aircraft, missiles, or the building on new military bases, have to be staffed, prepared and submitted at least ten years ahead of the proposed in-service dates.

All male citizens over the age of 18 years of Mediobogdum are required to undergo 3 years of compulsory military training in either one of the three armed services of their choice. There is a financially very lucrative option for those who are considered suitable, for such conscripts to be offered a full career to the age of 55 years. The rank structure in each of the Armed Services is based upon that of the late Roman Empire with every Service having the same ranks and level of pay for the same level of responsibility. The only difference between the servicemen who serve its Nation, is their uniforms. Those for the Navy are dark blue, those of the Army are khaki/camouflage, and those for the Air Force are light blue. One of the most famous battles fought was that against the Medes and Persians under Emperor Trajan and which is commemorated by this magnificent column.

Military security is of paramount importance to the Nation's well-being and any offences relating to the leaking of State or military secrets by citizens or foreign visitors will be dealt with summarily by Special Security Courts. Punishments for those found guilty can be severe ranging from 2 years in prison with hard labour for minor offences, to the death penalty for acts of treason against the Nation or its people.

The Emperor has now been in power for over 25 years and as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces he has inspired a level of loyalty and trust from each and every level of his troops. He has inspired the Nation with his iron-fist handling of threatening behaviour from potentially agressive nations and he has vowed to make sure that the Nation's 9 million citizens are protected from those who would do them harm.

Economy

The frighteningly efficient Mediobogdumian economy, worth a remarkable 1,433 trillion Denaris a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Pizza Delivery industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Basket Weaving, and Information Technology. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 156,932 Denaris, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.2 times as much as the poorest. Average income is an impressive 156,932 Denaris, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens, on average, earning only 4.2 times as much as the poorest. Private industry dominates the economy at 52.4%, followed by an estimated Black Market of 23%, State-owned Industry at 14.8%, and Government at 9.8%.

Culture

Mediobogdum is an environmetally stunning nation and, with its extremely long history, has a fascinating range of architecture and archaeological sites, as well as having many wonderful museums. Many of the archaeological sites are of World Heritage status. The government encourages and supports the arts with generous grants and the results are acknowledged throughout the world as being amongst the most forward-thinking. One of the most outstanding monuments to Mediobogdum's glorious and imperialistic past is the Aqueduct at Pontius. Built in the 1st Century AD, it formed part of a 50 km system supplying water to the ancient town of Verulium with its population of 5,000.

Septimius Severus likes to become personally involved in many projects associated with the finer arts and he has commissioned a series of works by the reknowned artist, J M W Turner, to commemorate the 2,000 years since the Empire's foundation. Perhaps the best-known picture from this series is The Forum at Vorglamia. To celebrate the fact that Mediobogdum was blessed with such an outstanding natural environment, some 200 years ago the Senate agreed to fund the establishment of the Juliania National Park of almost 1,000 square miles of pristine countryside and was named after the wife of Septimius Severus.

Theatre, music, opera, and dance also feature prominently in the Mediobogdumian culture with festivals being held on an annual basis in the capital, Garriannonum, during the summer months. These events are sponsored through the generosity of the nation's thriving business world. The popularity of this programme has proved to be a great attraction to other nations whose heads of state are often found to frequent these festivals. One of the premier sites for music concerts is the magnificently opulent Caligularian Music Hall at Herculaneum, Proratia.

Infrastructure

Over the centuries, Mediobogdum has developed its infrastructure like many other industrialized and developed nations. There is approximately 4,000 miles of modern motorways, 6,000 miles of rail track which is capable of allowing trains to run at speeds in excess of 250 mph, and there are three international airports that serve the burgeoning tourist trade and business needs. The most recently-opened airport if that of Londinium which can handle over 42,000 passengers per day. About 70% of the airport's acreage was made available by reclamation of some marshland, and using land-fill.

The Vectis Express highspeed train services, which radiate from the Mediobogdum's major cities, are run with metronomic precision with bonus payments being made to those drivers whose trains' arrival and departure times are within 2 minutes of those scheduled. The government has invested billions of denari to maintain the rail system's efficiency and integrity. Passenger satisfaction rates are now at an all-time high of 94%.

Energy

Mediobogdum is blessed with ample hydro-electricity potential with the many rivers which flow from the Celtia Range in the north, the Palatanian Mountains in the west, and the Saxonian Range in the south being harnessed. The government has authorised the building of a series of over 100 medium-scale hydro-electric dams in the mountaisn which can generate sufficient power to supply 45% of the nation's needs.

Although there are very few reserves of coal, and no oil or natural gas resources, Mediobogdum has built two nuclear reactor power plants on the coast at Lucinius and Romulus, both being located in the Ridicularia region. These nuclear power plants can generate sufficient electricity to meet the demands of 55% of the nation's needs when running at only 75% of their potential output. This leaves sufficient capacity for future growth of the energy market.