Nation/The Recon Empire

The Crown Kingdoms of the Recon Empire The Recon Empire
Coat of arms of Nation/The Recon Empire
Motto: "Salute to His Majesty the King!"
Anthem: "Salute To The King"
Map of Mainland Recon(The Leloux Plateau)
Region		The Crown Federation of Recon
Capital		Dion
Largest city		Heraclea
Official languages		English
Recognised national languages		English
Demonym		Reconian
Government		Absolute Monarchy
-	King	Lee Hong Xuan I
-	Lord Commissioner	Arthur Roserade
-	Grand Consul	Aaron Black
-	Chancellor	Diane Leighton
-	Court Ministers	Thomas Alistair Denise Vuitton Agatha Waller Blake Sawyer
Legislature		Absolute Monarchy
History
-	Lelu Era	~1100
-	The High Federation of Leloux	1667
-	The Republic of Modeli	1856
-	The Empire of Recon	1997
-	The Imperial Federation	2014
Area
-	Total	488'483 km2 41,886 sq mi
-	Water (%)	27%
Population
-	2014 estimate	2,700,000,000
-	Density	126/km2 326.3/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2014 estimate
-	Total	NS$52 trillion
-	Per capita	NS$27,021.00
GDP (nominal)		2014 estimate
-	Total	NS$58 trillion
-	Per capita	NS$28,860.00
Gini (2014)		0.454 low
HDI (2014)		0.812 very high
Currency		The Recon Dollar (R$)
Time zone		Recon Kingdom Time (UTC+8)
Date format		dd/mm/yyyy
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+012
ISO 3166 code		TRE
Internet TLD		.re

The Recon Empire(officially known as "The Crown Kingdoms of the Recon Empire") is the ruling nation of the Crown Federation of Recon, a sovereign state extending over 130 independent monarchies. The Recon Empire also comprises of its own sovereign nation on Recon Mainland, in addition to 8 crowned kingdoms that form up the Recon Commonwealth, dispersed across the Recon Imperial Ocean in over 1200 islands.

The Recon Empire is a relatively new superpower in the international stage, with its rapid territorial controls over several powerful countries under its realms in only a few decades. The Recon Empire has undergone a major shift within a short period of time under the reign of King Lee I, that has impressed its global reputation and recognition as one of the most influential nations in the world. It has seen many civic revolutions in its history and several unifications that has expanded its territories greatly through diplomatic expansions. The Recon Empire is a recognized Great Power, and has established an extensive network of alliances, such as the Recon Alliance Project, LETCA and the Crown Federation of Recon.

Etymology

The Recon Empire was named after the reigning House of Reconia, an small noble family from the Leloux era. Through the Reconian Revolution that overthrew the Modeli Republic, the House of Reconia was established as the ruling house under King Lee and his family.

History

The Lelu Era

The Lelu Era dates before 1100, prior to the civil history of High Federation of Leloux. The continent of Lelu(renamed "Leloux" during the High Federation era) was inhabited by Olgean aboriginals, consisting of 5 major tribes, the Soracia, the Olge, the Ondura, the Hagre and the Ande. Each of the tribes controlled a portion of Lelu and did not have writings nor civilized communications between one another. There were little conflicts between the tribes for territories as they co-existed mostly within their own independent tribal communities. The Ande tribe was the largest of the five tribes, of which they were the first tribe to initiate the first communications between other tribes like Hagre and Ondura, the second and third largest tribe respectively. The three chieftains soon became the ruling chieftains over the other tribes and ruled across the continent in a tripartite agreement. As the tribes developed, there were territorial ambitions for tribal expansion, which led to the Lelu tribal wars. The wars lasted for over 220 years, with the Ondura tribe reigning supreme over the rest of the tribes, establishing the High Federation of Leloux. Little is known during the Lelu Era, as no historical records were kept. Over the years, tribes have been created and destroyed, with the final six tribes remaining establishing the High Federation of Leloux.

The High Federation of Leloux

The High Federation of Leloux was an established dynasty in 1667, the first civilized era in modern history. Under the leadership of the council of 7, the High Federation was an era of posterity, enlightenment and technological progress. Developed from rural, nomadic tribes who lived in tents, the High Federation improved the living standards of the people, and overseen the growth of the new nation. The High Federation of Leloux was created upon the mutual agreements by the 7 chieftains, Ande, Bynn, Civictus, Dorstenhower, Exgen, Ferron, Ganfel and Hagril. Every 10 years, the seat of the High Lord would be rotated amongst the 7 Lords. These lords were considered sovereigns in their own right, garnering immense influence in heir respective kingdoms.

Some characteristics of the High Federation was a very strong sense of class system, namely the Superior, Palmary, Prosaic and Chattel. Superiors range from aristocratic to nobility, often not having to work. All superiors are knighted by any of the Lords and many are in close contact to the them. Superiors are allowed to wear apparel in the colour of gold and are allowed to possess items that bear the Lelouxian High Seal. Once knighted as a Superior, all first-relation family members are automatically elevated to Palmaries. Palmaries are common Prosaic citizens who have done significant contributions to the empire, and this rank can be granted by Superiors. Prosaic citizens are free citizens who serve as the middle working class of society. Chattels are considered as possessions, ranging from slaves, prostitutes, slaves and labourers. Chattels will never be granted Prosaic statuses. All Chattels are non-Lelouxian citizens, mostly prisoners-of-war from foreign occupations. None of the classes are defined by birth, and it relies on the contributions done in a lifetime to ensure the elevation of oneself and one's family.

Lucifer's Regency

Towards the end of the Federation, power was slowly unified into a single seat, ruled by High Lord Lucifer Hornbostel of Ande, who killed off the other Lords to prevent anymore rotation of the High Lords. Building lavish palaces and grand buildings throughout the nation, it was an era of high morality and wealth for the nation, considered the Golden Age of Recon. However, towards the end of his 54 year rule, the layers of bureaucracy was heavily corrupted, and very bad standard of living for the citizens. This period was called the Lucifer's Regency.

There was an estimated 4500 Superiors, over 15 million Palmaries and 500 million Prosaics, as well as 450 million Chattels during Lucifer's Regency.

The Modeli Republican Era

Joseph Modeli, the 1st President of the Republic of Great Leyla.

Geography

The Recon Empire consists of 623 islands, including the Leloux Plateau itself. Several of its larger islands include the Ande Island, the Ferron Island, the Adobe Military Island and the Ondeuria Island. Its total landmass reaches 488'483km2. The Leloux Plateau takes up 76% of the total landmass of the Recon Empire. Of the 623 islands, only 282 belong directly under the Recon Empire, with the rest either as dependencies, colonies and protectorates of the Empire. The Recon Empire is mostly surrounded by the two oceans, the Recon Imperial Ocean and the Dolby Ocean.

Close to 60% of the Recon Empire's land is untouched, due to limiting urbanization to highly concentrated areas, which makes the Recon Empire an environmental treasure. However, there are several transport options that cut through these reserves that link the urban sites together.

The Leloux Plateau has grown about 11% due to land reclamation efforts. An additional 2% is planned in the next 10 years.

The Recon Empire is well known for its two mega-mountains, Mt Heraclea and Mt Dion. These two mega mountains, along with over 60 smaller mountains collectively form the Sisters Ridge, separating East and West Recon, resulting in very different cultures developing on both sides. Mt Heraclea is the highest mountain in the country, its elevation reaching upwards 7,885m, making it one of the world's tallest mountains. Mt Dion comes in second at 6,193m of elevation.

Climate

As the Recon Empire's southern territories exceed the Tropic of Cancer slightly, it has a very low temperatures throughout the nation. The highest temperatures ever recorded was 25ºC, and the lowest can reach around -11ºC during winter. In the Recon Empire, seasonal changes affect temperatures greatly, with winter beginning in April.

Rainfall is rare throughout the year, but occasionally between November to February. The country is known for its very strong winds, especially in North Recon, and its extreme dryness.

The Recon Empire Average Temperatures

Administrative Territories

The Recon Empire is divided into 28 civilian states, led by 28 regiopolis respectively, in addition to the 3 Military Islands. All 28 civilian states are grouped into 4 Territorial Courts, which report directly to the Imperial Government.

"The Living Plan"

The Recon Empire's urban development policy is named "The Living Plan", written by former Minister of Community Luther McLaurey. It utilizes a macro-living concept to structure its cities close by, to ensure a more efficient distribution of resources and more sustainable growth. However, the difficulties arise from control of population flow and traffic, the restriction on commercial development, and stark increase in urban development funding. The Living Plan was taken into full exercise in 2010, completely transforming the country's urban plan from scratch. The Living Plan has in-depth description and instructions for structuring of states, supercities and military infrastructure.

Regiopolis

The Recon Empire utilizes a unique urban unit called the Regiopolis. Each Regiopolis has a nucleus zone, itself the size of a large city, contains the state government, administrative and government buildings as well as many high-end developments. It is connected to 5 smaller cities, which can be considered part of the Regiopolis.

Commerce Zone, the middle-high class zone, are focused on trade and economics, therefore hosting more office complex, higher education institutions, and roads. Production Zone, the middle-low class zone, are focused on manufacturing and production of goods, therefore hosting factories, industrial plants, and polytechnics. Developmental Zones, the middle class zone, are focused on development, therefore hosting a more family-friendly facilities, a wide array of schools and research institutions and laboratories, as well as arts and creativity spaces. Elite Zones, the high class zone, are focused on entertainment and luxury, therefore hosting bizarre entertainment facilities and is the most luxurious part of the supercity, ahead of the nucleus. Lastly, the D-Zone (or the "Dejected Zone"), the low class zone, is for "retirees, disabled and unemployeed" as well as social outcasts or those who seek less crowded-living. It is the most run-down area of the city, where homelessness sole exists in the whole supercity. Most city waste is disposed through underground sewers that stretch across the entire nation. Beyond these zones, there are smaller towns and villages that are packed tightly as close to the nucleus as possible.

Most people usually do not leave their zones for the entirety of the lives due to the sheer size of each zone, as well as plentiful housing and welfare facilities littered throughout the city, however, they are still free to roam around the supercity should they wish to. Also because of the zone division, there is a very strong sense of hierarchy and class system within each supercity, with people identifying themselves to specific zones. As the Recon Empire government strongly rejects the concept of Sub-Urban living, as it creates more pollution and is detrimental to the economy, there are strict regulations to prevent living outside of the supercity, and even disadvantages the unemployed or suburban residents to the D-Zone.

States

There are 32 states on the Recon mainland, of which 26 are civilian states, with 3 military states and 2 administrative territories. Statehood in the Recon Empire is not clearly defined, as it is basically a landmass around each of the 26 civilian supercities. Due to the unique developmental pattern for supercities, there are no suburban developments nor smaller urban establishments. This allows for continual growth of the cities towards a 100% urbanization rate. States are run by State Presidents, which relay instructions directly from the Recon Government.

Territorial Courts

Due to the vast geographical landscape of the Recon Empire, states are categorized by geography in groups of 7 called Territorial Courts. Courts are represented by a Minister of the Court and consists of 7 State Presidents from each of their respective states. This allows for a more cohesive nature between States and allow for more efficient communications between states. It also ensures proper relay of messages directly to the respective areas of the land.

There are four territorial courts in the Recon Empire, the Northern Court, the Central Court, the Southeastern Court and the Western Court.

Military States

Military States are an important part in the Recon Empire's military operations. Holding up to 4% of total landmass of the Recon Empire in its 3 main islands, the Military States are fully militarized and are not open to civilians. Each of the three Military States are actually a collection of islands, headed by a single Grand Military City, with its size comparable to a supercity. They are usually named after the largest island in the group. Military States are not represented by the State Courts and are not headed by a State Presidium like other states. They hold their own provincial government under a separate court called the Military Territorial Court. They are accountable directly to the Chancellery, and is led by a Knight-Colonel.

Overseas Territories

The Recon Empire has a vast amount of overseas territories under the Empire. From the largest, there are 8 main foreign Kingdoms of the Recon Empire in their respective lands, Ande, Bynn, Civictus, Dorstenhower, Exgen, Ferron, Ganfel and Hagril. Each of these Kingdoms come under jurisdiction of the Recon Government, and are run by members of the Royal Family. They are not overseen by Ministers of the Courts, but instead come under direct control of the Council of the Territories under the Central Commission.

Other than the 8 Crown Kingdoms, the Recon Empire also has over 50 protectorates scattered throughout the world due to empire colonization.

Governance

Central Government

The King's Court

The King's Court is the highest executive body in the Crown Kingdoms, chaired by the King himself. The King's Court is attended by all four Ministers of the Courts, all 32 State Presidents, the department heads of the Central Commission and the Grand Consul himself with the entire Grand Consulate, with the presence of the King's attendants from the Office of the Royal Household. Occasionally the Imperial Court will also be attended by Court Justices, and additional members from the Commission or Chancellery.

Meetings in the Court are called an Address, and there are 3 types of addresses, all held within the Dion Royal Palace. The Executive Address is held everyday at the Dartington Hall. The Executive Address is more of a daily briefing session with the King to inform him of important matters. The Central Address is attended by the 32 members: Grand Consul and the Royal Consulate, the Chancellor with her deputy and 7 department heads, the Lord High Commissioner with his deputy and 7 department heads, and the four Ministers. The second Consular Address is a bi-weekly address also held at the Dartington Hall, but another Consular Address may be held between it if necessary. Consular Addresses are attended by the Executive Addressees, the entire Grand Consulate, special territorial State Presidents and Knight-Colonels and members of the Privy Office. The third and last Provincial Address is held monthly, attended by Executive Addressees and all 32 State Presidents.

Once a year, the King will hold a National Address. This meeting is held at the High Palace, and attended by all members of the government, down to court commissioners, chairman of associations and prefects. The estimated attendance ranges between 45,000-46,000 people.

The Central Commission

The Central Commission (or "The Commission") contains 8 important offices that manage the various needs of the nation. They are, in descending order of seniority, the Lord Commissioner's Office, the Privy Office, the Foreign Service, the Council of the Territories, the Royal Academy, the Treasury, the Commerce Bureau and the Civil Bureau. As a collective, it is headed by the Lord Commissioner, who's role is mainly symbolic in chairing meetings amongst the Commission. The Commission reports to the King's Court every session, with the heads of each office present. The Commission has executive power in managing nationwide policies, but shares similar authority to the other estates of power. The 7 officers are considered Commissioners in their own right, but with individual titles of the Lord Steward, the Foreign Commissioner, the Lord of the Territories, the Master of the Academy, the Lord Treasurer, the Grand Commerce Officer and the Grand Civil Officer respectively.

The Privy Office is a special department which serves the King's personal needs, from his stewards to his personal Household. The Privy Office is the only department where the most number of its members are present at every meeting.

The Grand Consulate

The Grand Consulate is a large advisory body that provides legislative advice and consultation to the King and his Court. The Grand Consulate has three departments, namely the Royal Consulate, the Court of the Royal House and the Court of the State Elders. The Grand Consulate is headed by the Grand Consul with the Royal Consulate. The Royal Consulate oversees the other two departments, and meets with the King on a separate schedule from Court Addresses. The Royal Consulate, however, along with the other departments are always present at Court Addresses. The Royal Consulate consists of the Grand Consul and his staff, the heads of the two Courts, and the 10 consuls which serve as the King's envoys in various needs, titled Lord High Envoy when in activity.

The Chancellery of National Security

The Chancellor's Office

Directorate of Defense

Directorate of Homeland Security

Directorate of Justice

Local Government

A State Presidium (often referred to as "The Sphere" due to the iconic half-sphere ceiling in the Presidential Chambers) oversees the executive branch for the supercities, with smaller Governor's Council for each zone, including the nucleus zone itself. It is further broken down into Prefecture Councils which manage the smaller divisions within zones as well as small towns and villages beyond the zones.

Each Prefecture Council consists of 15 Councillors, 2 Senators and 1 Prefect. While the 15 Counsillors manage the various administrative duties of the Prefecture Council, the Prefect is the chief governing officer for the Prefecture Council. The 2 Senators represent the Council's interest in the larger body of the Governor's Council. As each Governor's Council manage a specific zone (including a Governor's Outskirts Council for smaller towns and villages), it consists of all senators from the many Prefecture Councils(senators can range from 10-250), a 10-member Technocratic Council, 10 Governor's Councillors, 5 Lieutenant-at-arms to ensure protocol, 3 Assistant Governors, 1 Governor-Delegate and 1 Governor-General. While the Governor-General chairs meetings at every Governor's Council, it is the Governor-Delegate who usually makes the final decisions as he/she receives most instructions directly from the Presidium. The Presidium, therefore, consists of the 5-7 Governor-Delegates representing each zone, each with one accompanying Assistant Governor for assistance, a Presidential Commissioner for supercity security and enforcement, a Lord High Inspector from the Royal Censorate, as well as the State President, and the 1 State Vice-President.

There are a total of 32 Presidiums, in 26 states and 2 territories, split into 4 Courts, namely the Northern Court, the Central Court, the Southeastern Court, and the Western Court, that oversee a unified group of Presidiums. Each of these courts consists of the 7 State Presidents, the Court Justice as the highest judicial authority in the Empire, the Court Commissioner to oversee the Presidential Commissioners, as well as the Minister who leads the Courts.

Foreign Relations

The Recon Empire's foreign policy is aimed at maintaining security in surrounding territories. An underlying principle is political and economic stability in the region. It has diplomatic relations with more than 180 sovereign states. Due to its growing direction towards globalized commerce, the Recon Empire has not engaged in warfare ever since the Modelian Republican Era. The Recon Empire also maintains an uncommonly large diplomatic department under the Central Commission to further boost their diplomatic efforts around the world. Many agencies within the government also assist in deepening foreign relations with the Recon Empire, such as the Royal Consulate and the Council of the Territories on top of the Recon Foreign Service. Prior to the Imperial Royal Union's entry into the Crown Federation of Recon, there were tensions arising from differing ideologies. The Recon Government quickly offered peace options and the incident ended with an armistice agreement. During this time, the Recon Government took the opportunity to form the Recon Alliance Army, an alliance army between over 60 nations to bring about over 2.1 billion military personnel into a single command, that protects all countries within that alliance.

It was the result of this idea that the Crown Federation of Recon, a federal monarchist region, was founded by the Recon Empire. Currently residing over 115 nations, the Crown Federation of Recon is ranked near the top 100 regions in the world. With a fully fledged Imperial Government, the Recon Empire exercises massive influence from its position as the Emperor of the Federation.

Economy

The economy of the Recon Empire has been growing to become one of the most prosperous nations in the world, fuelled by friendly diplomatic relations with nations all around the world. The economy is regulated by the Treasury, which set various financial mechanisms to guide the greater Reconian market that leads the CFOR. Announcements made from the Treasury are usually highly looked upon within the region and are influential, as they determine the state and prediction of the future. Furthermore, with the Recon Dollar used as a regional currency in over 80 nations, its minor fluctuations can affect the international market greatly. The Recon Empire also relies on the Commerce Bureau to manage and increase domestic industries, foreign industries in Recon, as well as Reconian industries based overseas. The Recon Empire is most probably famous for the Legion Corporation, an international conglomerate based in Heraclea City.

The Legion Corporation

Without a doubt the largest corporation in the Recon Empire, it accounts for almost 15% of the Recon Empire's national GDP. The Legion Corporation's total revenue is comparable to entire nations, and wields immense power on the international market as one of the trendsetters and market leaders in many fields. Branching into 16 different industries, each of them a multi-billion enterprise, they are held together by tight corporate governance under a strict board of directors. The Legion Corporation alone covers many whole national services in nations, in areas such as healthcare, insurance, retail, and education. It dominates the market even in competitive fields, such as oil, mass media and real estate. It is a private corporation with its largest shareholder being H.I.M. Emperor-King Lee I.

The Legion Corporation was originally founded as a local company as one of the fledgling modern companies in the late Modelian era. There were many companies in existence at that time as well, including Grande Royal Group Holdings, The Cass Organization, BLOCKS Corporation and Sword Industries. Through the difficult 10 Years' of War, the Legion Corporation simultaneously succeeded in gaining traction, and dominating as the largest company in the country. Since then it has expanded into the world stage through mergers and acquisitions, as well as high risk investments into developing international subsidiaries.

The Legion Corporation exists in the lives of many, through its deeply entrenched businesses and services, which may be the reason why legislation has not been put into place to limit such a huge company. It is rumoured that the Legion Corporation is even funded by the government to extend its reach into nations as part of the government's soft power expansion, however such rumours have been denied by the Central Commission and the government. Much of the Legion Corporation's background and leadership is unknown to the public, but its services have been proven to be highly effective and of quality, exercising its influence in over 300 nations worldwide.

Even domestically, the Legion Corporation excels as a domestic market leader for its stronger areas, such as insurance, retail, mass media, education and healthcare.

Other companies of the Recon Empire

Despite being dominated by the Legion Corporation, there are many other significant companies in the Recon Empire who are yet influential and powerful. Considered as one of Legion's two main rivals, despite being dwarfed by the sheer size of the former, is Grande Royale Group Holdings. Its operations have included firearms, defence, petroleum, retail and finance. It also operates two of the Recon Empire's largest airports, the Provenzia Santo Varnstadt International Airport (PSVIA), and Crown Recon Airport. Its subsidiaries, Vlazen Armaments Ltd, and its affiliated companies, are one of the Recon Royal Armed Forces' largest and most consistent contractors over the years.

Another company is the Marbles Organization. Led by the son of former Modelian President, Mr Alfred Marbles, it is a market leader in real estate, energy and steel domestically. Owned by the Marbles Family, one of the most prominent families in the Recon Empire, who share deep familial ties with the Legion leadership and even the Recon Royal Family, the Marbles Organization is one of the "Big Three" corporations in the country. The Marbles Organization, like GRGH and Legion, have been one of the oldest businesses in the Recon Empire, forming the bedrock of Recon domestic commerce.