Difference between revisions of "Sotanabeltz"

Revision as of 00:03, 24 December 2014

Overview

People and Society

Nationality

Sotanabeltzan; all born within borders are considered nationals but not automatic citizens; citizenship is only granted to men whom the government has deemed useful to society a few years after competing military service (usually in mid-30s) and to women to whom they are married

Ethnic groups

European/N.American 44.4% South Asian 23.2% Latino 14.2% East Asian/Pacific Islander 9.5% African 8.7%

Languages

Latin (official), English (lingua franca), Spanish (regional language)

Population

Peaked in mid-1960s at over 4.5 million; currently down to 2,083,588 having lost around half a million in Cottish Flu epidemic

History

Geography

(area, maritime claims, climate, terrain, natural resources, natural hazards, environmental issues)

Culture

Government

The government of the Junta Sotanabeltz is a unitary state under military rule, whereby elections are limited to certain offices (see below sections for information on elections in executive and legislative branches).

The head of state is the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and does not reside in the territory of Sotanabeltz. The Pope as head of state is not involved in the governance of the country, except approving the National Assembly’s election of Captains General and accepting the resignation requests of Captains General. However, he has unlimited powers regarding the governance (or existence) of Sotanabeltz. Historically, no Pope has exercised this unlimited power even during the coup d’etat in the early-1980s. It was in his power to not recognize the coup, but when he remained silent, Sotanabeltzans felt deeply betrayed. The Pope also continues to advise the government on international priorities of the Church.

Administrative Divisions

Map of Sotanabeltz

The capital is the City of Montserrat. The country is divided into nine provinces: Biskaya, Iruñea, Aragoi, Tarragona, Manresa, Begues, Vallès, Barcelonés-Maresme, and Bartzelona. There are also eight cities, each totaling over 10,000: San Hugo, San Bruno, Pamplona, San Antelmo, Zaragoza, Manresa, Montserrat, and Barcelona. Smaller settlements are towns (5,000-10,000 people each) and villages (fewer than 5,000 people each). There is a heavy population concentrated around Barcelona, totaling about 500,000 in that metropolis.

National Holidays, Symbols, and Anthem

There are several national holidays, during which all non-emergency, non-national security employees are required by law to abstain from work (exception for religious occupations): all Sundays, Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Christmas (December 25 – January 6), Father’s Day (March 19), Easter (varies, holiday starts the evening of the Thursday prior and lasts through the Sunday after Easter), Ascension (sixth Thursday after Easter), Corpus Christi (three weeks after Ascension), Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29), National Day (July 31 – August 2), Mother’s Day (August 15), and All Saints’ Day (November 1).

The national symbol is a cross with its base resting on the center of the diameter of a circle with its top and arms sticking up above the circumference of the circle. Above the cross are seven five-point stars arranged in a semicircle formation. It represents the national motto, “Stat crux dum volvitur orbis” (The Cross is steady while the world is turning).

The national anthem is the Salve Regina:
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia, ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos
ad nos converte;

Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Constitution & Legal System

The Constitution has been in place since the establishment of the country almost 500 years ago, with certain sections becoming obsolete or clarified in the accompanying Supplementary Standards document. The Constitution is separate from the Charter of Recognition, which only the pope may alter. The Charter of Recognition mentions the Constitution of Sotanabeltz as having much authority to govern the country. The legal system is a civil law system. Suffrage is for male nationals 25 years or older.

Executive Branch

The Captain General is the head of the government and military. He is elected by the National Assembly, confirmed by the Pope, and serves for life. As the head of government he does not enact legislation, but is tasked with carrying out the implementation of the laws. He also directly appoints the province Teniente, of which there are nine, and the municipal Alférez. Mayors of towns are appointed by the governor whose province the town resides. Citizens in each province (or city if selecting a mayor) can collectively submit three candidates to the Captain General for openings for teniente, as well a well-documented case for each. The Captain General then selects one of the three or asks the citizens to submit another list of three candidates.

The Generalate

The Office of the Captain General consists of twelve people, four of whom are known as Advisors. These four are selected by the National Assembly at the same time it elects the Captain General. The other eight are appointed by the Captain General and serve at his pleasure. Of these twelve, nine members each represent a different province and are also referred to as Regional Counsellors. The Captain General also appoints an Exhorter, who serves as a confidant (though not part of the Office of the Captain General to ensure that the Captain General’s actions are not imprudent.

The General Curia is a separate entity from the Office of the Captain General and serves as a cabinet. It is headed by the Adjutant General and the Vice-Adjutant, who coordinate the works of the coordinate work of the Curia. The General Curia is divided into three levels: secretariats, councils, and offices.

There are three Secretariats: Treasury and Justice, Military Police, and Military Decorations. The Secretariat of the Treasury and Justice oversees the finances and legal matters. The Secretariat of Military Police is concerned with all legal matters within the military/government. The Secretariat of Decorations and Merits oversees the process of awarding merits to citizens posthumously.

There are five Councils: Foreign Affairs, Industry, Interior, Higher Education, and Education. The Council of Foreign Affairs promotes the culture of Sotanabeltz and diplomacy abroad. The Council of Industry facilitates collaboration between public and private, military and civilian sectors, including trade, energy, and tourism. The Council of the Interior manages all issues relating to social well-being and ecology. The Council of Higher Education and Council of Education are responsible for educational institutions in the country, with the latter focusing on secondary education (Grades 6-12). There is a necessary distinction, because the government provides free secondary education to all, but almost all students of higher education are young men who are also serving in the military due to the conscription requirement. Private schools offer education for the seven years prior to secondary education as well as an institution of higher education for women. While the government provides tax breaks for pre-secondary education providers and families, only wealthy families can afford to send women to higher education.

There are six Offices: Communication & Public Relations, Archives, Library of the Curia, Tax Administration, Development Cooperation, and Spirituality & Living. The Office of Communication & Public Relations is in charge of releasing information from the General Curia to members of the military or the general populace as well as conveying information from them to the Captain General. The Archives manages and controls access to all important documents/records the General Curia generates. The Library of the Curia keeps a collection of all literature and media concerning Sotanabeltz. The Office of Tax Administration is the revenue service for the country. The Office of Development Cooperation manages all humanitarian efforts internationally and in response to national emergencies. The Office of Spirituality & Living coordinates programs that seek to continually enrich the spiritual lives of residents so as to instill better moral living.

Legislative Branch

The National Assembly is the highest authority in the government, superseding even the authority of the Captain General. The National Assembly is both an electoral college and a legislature. It does not meet regularly and only gathers to elect a new Captain General or at the request of the Captain General. It is composed of 144 members, with each province a proportional number of delegates based on its population. Currently, each province is allocated 16 delegates. The incumbent teniente automatically has a seat in the National Assembly and can appoint up to 1/3 of the remaining seats. The other 2/3 of the seats are elected by popular vote; as long as one is a male national (citizenship not required) over the age of 30, one is eligible to be elected as a delegate. The Captain General is always (though not necessarily) elected from among the delegates of the National Assembly. Each time the National Assembly is gathered, there must be a new election, although any gathering may be separated into various sessions.

Judicial Branch

This branch of government does not exist separately, but resides in the Secretariat of Military Police (for matters within the military and government) and in the Secretariat for the Treasury and Justice (for matters regarding civilians). The Captain General also has the power to overrule any verdict the Secretariats reach.

Religion

The official religion is Roman Catholicism, although all residents are free to worship any established religion. However, to acquire citizenship requires that one be a fully-initiated Roman Catholic. The country contains the Archdiocese of Montserrat and the Diocese of Pamplona. The seat of the Archbishop of Montserrat is at the Basilica Cathedral of La Virgen de Montserrat. The archdiocese itself governs the parishes in the provinces of Barcelonés-Maresme, Bartzelona, Begues, Manresa, Tarragona, and Vallès. There are 94 priests in active ministry as well as one auxiliary bishop serving over 1.35 million Catholics. The seat of the Bishop of Pamplona is at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Way. The diocese covers the provinces of: Aragoi, Biskaya, and Iruñea. There are 50 priests in active ministry and one auxiliary bishop serving over 730,000 Catholics.

Military

Training

All males ages 18 and older are required to be in the military, either on active or reserve duty. Active duty is defined as undergoing training or having employment that directly relates to national security. Reserve duty is defined as having employment that does not directly relate to national security, but may be called into active duty in times of national emergency or war.

Upon graduating from secondary education, all males report to their local military training facility for two-years of intensive training. They start off as a Soldado (Private), becoming Soldado de Primera (Private First Class) after one year.

Upon reaching the age of majority, they rise to the rank of Cabo (Lance Corporal), and begin their undergraduate studies in liberal arts. Over these three years, they rise to through the ranks of Cabo Primero (Corporal) and Cabo Major (Lance Sergeant) while maintaining some military training during their studies.

Then the man becomes a Sargento (Sergeant) as he begins four years of graduate studies. During this time, men can choose from a variety of fields depending on what they wish their occupation to be and rise through the rank of Sargento Primero (Staff Sergeant).

After a man completes his formal education, he becomes a Brigada (Brigadier) and begins to work as an apprentice in his chosen profession. Usually after a couple years he has made progress and is promoted to Subteniente (Sublieutenant) and then in another two years finishes his apprenticeship and becomes a journeyman, which comes with the rank of Suboficial Mayor (Sub-officer Major).

The journeyman years as a Suboficial Mayor does not have a definitive timeline and depends on how the man is able to master the skills. Only when the government feels like the man can make a positive contribution to society does it offer him the rank of Caballero Cadete (Officer cadet) and citizenship. At this point the man either continues on active duty or is re-classified as being on reserve duty. In order to be appointed as an Alférez (Second lieutenant, equivalent to city mayor), Teniente (Lieutenant, equivalent to governor), or Captain General, a man must hold at least the rank of Caballero Cadete.

Economy

(GDP – PPP, agriculture, industries, exports, imports)

Diplomatic Missions