Iglesian Archipelago

Ȣяλeƨȣaнτуɔa (Iglesian) Iglesiantis (English)
Flag and coat of arms
Motto: Lybertara, Evyovasya, Kredilya Freedom, Democracy, Justice
National anthem: The Republican Hymn
Capital (and largest city)	Los Vientos
Official languages	None (Iglesian and English de facto)
Ethnic groups	45% Caucasian 27% African-American 10% Asian 10% Arab 8% other
Government  — President  — Prime minister	Parliamentary republic and democracy organised as a unitary, devolved state Adriana Pereira Yaryna Vyelaya
Establishment  — Settlement  — Iglesiantis  — Kingdom  — Empire  — Republic  — National Republic  — Current regime	~ 26460 BCE ~ 40th century BCE ~ 3557 BCE 1368 25th May, 1822 8th February, 1863 3rd March, 1917
Area  — Total  — Land  — Marine	726 827 km² (280 629 sq mi) 384 272 km² (148 368 sq mi) 342 555 km² (132 261 sq mi)
Population  — 2012 estimate    — 2008 census	65 867 183 171,41 persons / sq km 442,97 persons / sq mi 65 365 825 170,10 persons / sq km 440,56 persons / sq mi
GDP (PPP, 2012)  — Total  — GDP/capita	$ 6 789 391 622 091 $ 103 077
GDP (Nominal, 2012)  — Total  — GDP/capita	$ 7 326 077 429 175 $ 111 225
HDI rating (2012)	0.997 (very high)
Gini coefficient (2012)	22.2 (low)
Currency	1 salface (SLF) = 100 cenfaces
Time zone	GMT (UTC±00:00)
Time format	24-hour clock (00:00—23:59)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the	right
Internet TLD	.ig
Calling code	+8

Iglesiantis (Iglesian: Ȣяλeƨȣaнτуɔa; Iglesiantyda), also known as the Iglesian Archipelago (Iglesian: Eλуκуpʋ Ȣяλeƨȣaнʋ; Elykyru Iglesianu) and the IA (Iglesian: EȢ; EI), is an island country located in western Esquarium, which occupies seven isles (three of them having about ten times the other four isles' area). The country shares two sea borders, one to the northwest with Atlymnova and the other to the north with Noroponia. The IA is surrounded by the Alysena Sea to the north and the North Swilantis Ocean to the south.

Iglesiantis is a parliamentary republic, a unitary, devolved state and a highly decentralised country. It is governed by a parliamentary system whose seat of government is located in the Iglesian capital city, Los Vientos. The country is constituted by five types of administrative division which range from provinces (which occupy basically a third of the country) to districts (which are the prefecture's divisions).

Iglesiantis' rich history begins in prehistoric times, more specifically during the Paleolithic Era. In the 4th millenium BC, the city of Ventanas was founded and became the birthplace of the ancient Iglesian civilisation, which was notable for its culture, arts, architecture and religion. During the Middle Ages, the Monarchy of Iglesiantis (as it was called) was an important point for both the Christian religion and music from various genres. During the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, the Iglesians founded a global empire which existed until the late 19th century, which was known in the country for the proclamation of a republic and a dictatorship which was overthrown by a peaceful revolution in 1917.

Iglesiantis is a developed country, with Esquarium's largest economy by nominal GDP and purchasing power parity. Iglesiantis is considered to be a regional superpower with strong political, cultural and scientific influence.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 2.2 Biodiversity 2.3 Administrative divisions 3 Politics 3.1 Government 3.2 Law and criminal justice 3.3 Foreign relations 4 Economy 4.1 Transport 4.2 Energy 4.3 Telecommunications 4.4 Production 4.5 Public policy 4.6 Science and technology 4.7 Income and human development 5 Demographics 5.1 Ethnic groups 5.2 Migration 5.3 Languages 5.4 Religion 5.5 Healthcare 5.6 Education 6 Culture 6.1 Cinema 6.2 Media 6.3 Literature 6.4 Music 6.5 Visual art 6.6 Sport 6.7 Philosophy 6.8 Cuisine 6.9 Holidays 6.10 Symbols

History

Main article: History of the Iglesian Archipelago

(to be rewritten)

Geography

The Iglesian Archipelago has a total area of approximately 726 827 km² (280 629 sq mi), of which 384 272 km² (148 368 sq mi) are covered by land. The Iglesian Archipelago has three major isles (Albardia to the west, Astoria in the centre and Akantia to the east) and four islets, which are (from west to east) Minicana, Sibesana, Atla and Mytara. As of 2003, 32% of the Iglesian land is forested, 29% is used for pasture, 12% is used for agriculture and the remaining 11% are inhabitated areas.

The Iglesian Archipelago lies between latitudes 43° and 50° N and longitudes 7° W to 7° E. The coastline of the country is 6 186 km (3 844 mi) long.

The country is mountainous in the centre of each island, while the seaside has generally low altitudes, excluding some areas such as Northern Astoria, which has mountains near its northern coast. Its main river, Astoria, which almost cuts the island in half, is also the longest and most important river in the country, and crosses three important cities: Noleska, Parineia and Los Vientos (where it flows into the North Swilantis Ocean).

Astoria is the central island of the IA and accounts for about a third of the Iglesian land with an area of approximately 104 021 km² (40 163 sq mi). It is by far the most mountainous of the three isles, with its Mount Alysena, at an altitude of 3 547 m, being the highest point in the Iglesian Archipelago.

Climate

The Iglesian Archipelago has a temperate Oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The temperature varies from season to season but it rarely drops below −5 °C or rises above 37 °C. The prevailing winds come from the northwest and the southeast, and as a result it sends a balance between a dry and a wet weather. The country has plentiful rainfall during the winter. The inland of the country has much continental influence. Snowfall tends to appear in late autumn, winter and early spring, although such effect is more intense in higher altitudes, as there are winter days in lower altitudes when snow is not visible. The hardiness zones of the country range from zones 7 to 10.

Biodiversity

One species which is unique to the country is the blue sunflower (Helianthus annuus cæruleus), which, despite having the same shape as a normal sunflower, it's blue textured, because of the rather cold winter climate so that ice covers the entire sunflower and, as a result, it's light blue (however it doesn't mean that yellow sunflowers aren't widespread throughout the country).

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of the Iglesian Archipelago

The Iglesian Archipelago possesses 82 regions, 6 provinces and 3 cantons. The regions have much autonomy in their territories, making the IA one of the most decentralised countries in Esquarium. Many consider Iglesiantis to be a de facto federation, given the decentralised nature of the IA despite being a de jure unitary country. The nation is a devolved state, with everything related to administration being a devolved matter.

Politics

The Iglesian Archipelago is a unitary state and a parliamentary republic. The current head of state (the President) is Adriana Pereira. The IA has a constitution which focuses on the rights of the people and the definition of the Iglesian Archipelago's current political system.

Government

Main article: Political parties of the Iglesian Archipelago

The Iglesian Archipelago has a parliamentary government based on the Western European parliamentary model. The Iglesiantis' legislature is the Parliament, which is unicameral and posesses 440 seats as of 2011.

Iglesiantis has a multi-party system.

Law and criminal justice

The Iglesian law is based on the civil law system, following the Scandinavian subgroup. The Supreme Court of the Iglesian Archipelago is the final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the country. The Constitutional Court of the Iglesian Archipelago is responsible for considering laws unconstitutional or not.

Foreign relations

The IA is an Esquarian country and maintains relations with its neighbouring countries, Atlymnova and Noroponia, including several other countries worldwide.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Iglesian Archipelago

Economic indicators
GDP (PPP)	$ 3 123 488 996 800
GDP (Nominal)	$ 3 447 635 187 904
GDP per capita	$ 47 525 (PPP) $ 52 457 (nominal)
Unemployment rate	1.3 percent (2010)
GDP growth	1.3 percent (FY2010-11) 2.1 percent (FY2009-10)
CPI inflation	1.25 percent (FY2010-11)
Public debt	S 8.2 billion (2010)
Poverty	0.03 percent (2011 est.)
Household net worth	$ 76.35 trillion NSD (January 2011)

The Iglesian Archipelago has a mixed, market-oriented economy, with a modern distribution system, a skilled labour force and a well-developed infrastructure system of communications, transportation and energy by both the public and private sectors. The Iglesian economy is heavily focused on foreign trade. IA's tertiary, quaternary and quinary sectors altogether constitute about 85% of the entire working population (the Iglesian labour force constitutes 76.5% of the population as of 2011). The primary sector accounts for 3% of the GDP and 1% of the working population. The secondary sector accounts for about 14% of IA's working population.

The Área Nova, located just north to the capital Los Vientos, is the most important financial centre in the country. Los Vientos itself is home to two important stock exchanges which operate nationally: the Los Vientos Stock Exchange and the E-Stock. It also headquarters the pan-Esquarian stock exchange Esquamarket. The Área Nova also headquarters several banks and insurance companies. This zone is also where many stock indexes such as Adis, Exer and FES 400 are being traded. It is also the global headquarters of credit rating agencies Apal, KAS, Vanes and Vedis. Several other financial centres exist in the country, mainly in Northade, Noleska, New Pompea, Tiranta, Artmise and New Rotomagus.

The salface is Esquarium's strongest currency and its coins and banknotes are printed in the Esquarian Central Bank, based in the Iglesian capital.

The Iglesian Archipelago enjoys extensive economic freedoms, including the basic rights to buy, sell and own private property. In fact, there's no exclusivity of the public sector in any sector of Iglesiantis' economy. As a result, the IA's economy is extremely competitive; in fact, one of the most competitive in the world.

Iglesiantis has a progressive taxation. The VAT as of 2012 is set at 8% with a 0% reduced rate. Income taxes go up to 30%.

Transport

Main articles: Motorways in the Iglesian Archipelago and Rail transport in the Iglesian Archipelago

The Iglesian Archipelago has a very modern and extremely dense public transportation system, with the systems being owned by either state or regional enterprises or private companies which own their transportation systems. IA's both public and private sectors invest heavily on high-speed railway and maglev transportation as well as as large airway services whose aeroplanes fly to over 1 200 destinations.

The Iglesian cities normally have their own local and/or regional public transport systems as well as many private companies do. Public transportation is one of the primary means of the Iglesians to go from a place to another.

Energy

Main article: Energy in the Iglesian Archipelago

In 2010, the Iglesian Archipelago was Esquarium's fifth-largest consumer of energy and the largest producer. IA's energy output was in that year composed of solar (31%), wind (29%), nuclear (16%), cold fusion (12%), natural gas (8%) and other renewables (4%).

The IA headquerters several energy companies, the most prominent of them being the publicly-owned EIG and private Livenergy, Marsar and Sol Energia. Iglesiantis is also the headquarters of three major oil and gas companies, such as public Gasol and private Global Oil and Epor (although the country also headquarters many more).

Telecommunications

Main article: Telephone numbers in the Iglesian Archipelago

The main providers for fixed telephony are Telecom Iglesianica, publicly funded, and private enterprises Alecom and Neotel.

Mobile telephony is however the most important of the means of telecommunication. The Iglesians are large consumers of mobile phones and several enterprises and subsidiaries own mobile phone services, the most important being Mobilis (independent), Aural (a Telecom Iglesianica subsidiary), Movingnet (a Neotel subsidiary) and Mobi7 (an Alecom subsidiary). Several foreign providers have mobile phone operations in the IA. The number of mobile phones in the IA is nowadays larger than the number of people living in the country.

Production

Being a post-industrial society and a developed economy, the Iglesian Archipelago produces practically every type of products from any range. Chemicals, electronics, consumer electronics, automobile and robotics are the largest production industries in the country.

Public policy

The Iglesian Archipelago is a welfare state and follows the Nordic model. IA's social expenditure is about 30% of the Iglesian GDP as of 2011. The wage-based unemployment benefits in Iglesiantis were around 90% as of 2010.

Science and technology

The Iglesian Archipelago invests heavily in science and technology. Robotics, informatics, nuclear research, medicine, physics and chemistry are by turn the most important areas of the country's huge technological and scientific research.

Science and technology centres, parks, buildings and pavillions are widespread throughout the entire country. The most notable of them is located about 45 kilometres away from Los Vientos and it's the Futurcentro, which is a museum and a themed park which has a 5-D cinema and possesses several state-of-the-art interactive displays covering technology-related subjects.

Income and human development

The Iglesian Archipelago, as a developed country, is a high income one. Iglesiantis is a very wealthy country, with virtually no people gaining less than S50 a day. The country, which has significant income redistribution, has a very low income inequality, which has decreased substantially since the 1920's. As of 2010, the Iglesian Archipelago had 1 231 billionaires and 477 272 millionaires. As of 2012, the Gini coefficient was 22.4, which means that the IA has a very low income inequality.

In 2012, 6.5 percent of the Iglesian households earnt gross annual income of over S100 000, while 6.9 percent earnt between S75 000 and S100 000.

Iglesiantis possesses a minimum wage of 5 salfaces (19 dollars) per hour.

The Human Development Index for the Iglesian Archipelago is 0.997 as of 2012. The HDI has also improved greatly following the Blue Revolution, while during Agreste times the country had an HDI as low as 0.115.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Iglesian Archipelago

As of the 2008 census, the Iglesian Archipelago had a population of 65 365 825 inhabitants. An estimate from 2011 says the country has 65 723 072 people living in it. The IA has a population density of about 170 persons per square kilometre (440 persons per square mile), which means the country has an average population density.

The Iglesian Archipelago is a highly multicultural society and the most ethnically diverse city in the country (and arguably the world) is Los Vientos, where about 60% of the population is foreign-born (born outside the IA).

Ethnic groups

The Iglesian Archipelago is a highly multicultural country and therefore considered to be a cultural mosaic. The most multicultural and ethnically diverse cities are:

• Los Vientos (where about 60% of the population is foreign-born)
• Noleska (where about 50% of the population is foreign-born)
• Sottomayor (where about 45% of the population is foreign-born)
• Tiranta (where about 40% of the population is foreign-born)

Ethnic breakdown

• Caucasian: 45%
  • Iglesian: 14%
  • Other Esqua-Caucasian: 15%
  • Other: 17%
• African-American: 27%
  • African origin: 16%
  • Caribbean origin: 6%
  • Other: 5%
• Asian: 10%
  • East Asian: 4%
  • South Asian: 3%
  • Other: 3%
• Arab: 10%
• Other: 8%
• Mixed background: 17%

Migration

Located in western Esquarium, it was for several centuries a strategical geographical place. Because the Iglesian Empire was one of the world's largest, several Iglesians emigrated to its colonies for economical and/or personal reasons. During the Agreste's dictatorship, several people left the country in order to get a better life and/or live with freedom, even after the fall of the empire in 1895 in which the Great War ended. Only after the 1917 revolution the Iglesian Archipelago became a net immigration country, having been so since the 1920's due to the rapid economic growth and the improvement in life conditions and freedom as well. In 2010, 415 235 people immigrated to the country and 122 136 left it (more 8 435 immigrants and more 1 227 emigrants than in 2009). No immigration quotas exist in the IA.

Several Atlaean and Neopolitan people have chosen the country as destination. IA's Romani population, estimated at about 1 240 000, has been in the country for several centuries. Most Romanis congregate with the several other ethnic groups in all parts of the country.

Many immigrants come from countries including, but not limited to, Karenytenia, Ebycene and the Chyeknovostan Republic. To add, several Esquarian people, mostly from Atlymnova and Noroponia, have become permanent residents in the country.

Languages

Iglesian and English are the most used languages in Iglesiantis, and due to massive immigration many more languages are spoken and written in the country; such languages include, but are not limited to, Spanish, German, Arabic, Hebrew, Czech, Polish, Russian, Portuguese and Pravene. Several Iglesians speak more than at least one secondary language, and more than 80% of the Iglesians are able to speak at least four languages. Iglesiantis has eventually turned into one of the most multilingual countries worldwide.

Religion

There is no national religion in the country. The current constitution also explicitly forbids the establishment of a national religion and says that everyone has freedom of religion and of conscience. Most Iglesians are however irreligious.

Religious breakdown

• No religion: 64%
  • Atheism: 57%
  • Other: 7%
• Christianity: 10%
• Islam: 8%
• Judaism: 6%
• Hinduism: 4%
• Buddhism: 3%
• Bahai: 1%
• Shinto: 1%
• Frinastism: 1%
• Other: 2%

Healthcare

Main article: Healthcare in the Iglesian Archipelago

Iglesian Archipelago's public healthcare is operated locally and account for around 86% of the attendance by Iglesians. Private hospitals and clinics account for about 14% of the attendance by the population of the country.

The average life expectancy for 2010 in the IA was 87,7 for men and 88,6 for women.

Education

Main article: Education in the Iglesian Archipelago

The Iglesian public education system is operated locally. All school is voluntary to enroll in. Private schools are also prominent in the country, with about 18% of the schools belonging to the private sector. 8% of the Iglesian students are enrolled in a private school. Homeschooling is fully legal in Iglesiantis, but only around 0,3% of the people are being homeschooled so far. As of 2012, 91,7% of the Iglesian students are being educated in a public school.

The IA has several competitive public and private institutions of higher education, as well as many community colleges. Of the Iglesians 25 and older, 88,3% graduated from secondary school, 35,3% attended some college, 11,1% earned graduate degrees and 34,5% earned a bachelor's degree as of 2010. The basic literacy rate is approximately 100%.

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Iglesian Archipelago

Cinema

The Iglesian Archipelago has the largest movie industry in Esquarium and is one of the largest in the world, with more than 10 million movies having been released within more than 115 years: the movie industry is visible throughout the entire country, but most movie studios are based in Noleska, which is frequently nicknamed as the Iglesian Hollywood. Several blockbusters have been produced in the country, many of them being action, sci-fi and comedy movies. The independent film industry also plays a very important role in the country as several movies have been released outside the largest studios; this kind of filmmaking is more common in cities other than Noleska.

The most important film studios are all headquartered in Noleska and they are Metropolis, Velosa, Pangeu, Estúdios Dionísios, Terla and Edal.

Media

The Iglesian Archipelago has a vibrant media industry, with several radio and television stations which are spread throughout the country, as well as media producers and distributors which have an international role. The publicly-funded Rádio e Televisão Iglesianas, usually known as RTI, is the largest broadcaster in the country; it operates independently from the government through a trust and exists alongside several private stations such as Rádio Independente, Nyvaly 360, A9 Music, AIR, TV4, TV6, AITV and Teleiglesianika, only to name some of them.

Print media also plays an important role in the country. Two of the most read newspapers (and perhaps the most well-known Iglesian newspapers abroad) are A Esfera (Iglesianic: Vovyla; English: The Sphere) and A Escrita (Iglesianic: Skrypta; English: The Script); they're also printed internationally to several countries worldwide. Several newspapers exist locally (with the Diário Ventano and Factos de Nortada being the most prominent) and nationally (besides of A Esfera and A Escrita, the Correio Diário and Folha Livre — two daily tabloid newspapers — and Jornal Sete — a weekly newspaper). Some of the most important magazines in the country include O Continente (related to the news of the day), Impressões (which focuses itself on culture) and Famosos (a pink magazine).

Literature

The Iglesian Archipelago has always valued literature and several writers were/are Iglesian: namely Kyelvu, Numitor Sammanus, António Gomes, Fernanda Velas and Alara Vylyvesta.

Authors from several nationalities have lived and worked in the IA, mainly Atlymnovan writer Mikuláš Vladimir and Ebycenian author Hava Neke.

Music

Music has always played a very important role in the Iglesian Archipelago throughout millennia, as music was one of the most important arts of the Iglesianic civilisation. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance brought both sacred and secular music which were crucial for the development of the statute of the music in the country. The IA was also an important place for both classical and romantic music during the 17th to the 20th century. Iglesiantis saw the appearance of the jazz, rock, pop and heavy metal during the entirety of the 20th century, all of them having an important influence over the Iglesian music throughout that time.

In contemporary music, the most famous and talked name about it in the country is that of famous rock star Varyvela Altyvena, who revolutionised the music in the 1960's and 70's. An anti-war, multiculturalism, environment, freedom and democracy activist, she has become synonymous with building a better world; she has taken part in several solidarity campaigns to fight against war, hunger and all forms of slavery in the world. She is considered to be one of the most influential names in world's contemporary music.

Visual art

Visual art has always played a very important role in both ancient and modern Iglesian culture. In fact, many famous painters were or are Iglesian, with some of them being Syenu (c. 3500 BCE–c. 3420 BCE), Yarel Kyena (1840–1891), Varyvel Myesnyrna (1879–1966) and Tyagu Ane (1949– ).

Visual art is one of the most important forms of culture in Iglesiantis, along with music and cinema.

Sport

Some of the most important sports practised in Iglesiantis are of athletic nature, with people such as Pedro Nunes and Karlu Arvyn being considered one of the best athletes in the country. However, football also plays an important role in the sporting culture of the country; teams like Evylena Los Vientos, Futbola Kluba dvaye Irana and Socyetara Futbolika dvaye Nortadna being one of the strongest teams in the country; these three have conquered more than 20 titles in the first division, named the Lyga Iglesiantyda.

Other sports popularly practised in the country include, but are not limited to, basketball, handball, volleyball, baseball, tennis and badminton, where Iglesian athletes and teams playing them achieve some success.

Philosophy

Iglesiantis was one of the places where philosophy was very important for the development of its civilisation.

Nowadays, the status of philosophy in Iglesiantis is very important as well. Several philosophers were or are Iglesian and some of them are Yanu Asnyrlyn (1729–1816), Karlu Mydnesna (1810–1878), Yarel Tansnyrne (1956– ) and Pedro Antunes (1959– ), who is Portuguese-descendant.

Cuisine

Main articles: Iglesian cuisine, Iglesian wine, and Iglesian beer

The Iglesian Archipelago is also very famous for its food. No national dish exists, but several dishes are widely eaten and are very popular, namely kapry (normally with pasta, ham, spinach and mushrooms), vlela and korala.

The IA is also famous for its wine, but mainly beer. Most beer is made in the city of Albavia, and the most famous wine comes from Iglesiantis' southernmost city. These beverages are the most consumed in the country, with beer being ranked first.

Holidays

• 1st January — New Year's Day
  • Celebration of the arrival of the new year.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• 14th February — Valentine's Day
  • Celebration of love. Also known as Lovers' Day.
  • Has been a holiday since 1917.
• 3rd March — Freedom Day (national day de facto)
  • Overthrow of Agreste's authoritarian regime with the Blue Revolution.
  • Has been a holiday since 1917.
• 20th/21st March — Spring Equniox
  • Celebration of the transition from Winter to Spring.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• moveable — Easter¹
  • Celebration of Easter.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• 1st May — Workers' Day
  • Celebration of the International Workers' Day.
  • Has been a holiday since 1917.
• 20th May — Constitution Day
  • Approval of the Constitution in Parliament.
  • Has been a holiday since 1917.
• 25th May — Republic Day
  • Overthrow of the monarchy.
  • Has been a holiday since 1822, suspended in 1863 and restored in 1917.
• 20th/21st June — Summer Solstice
  • Celebration of the transition from Spring to Summer.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• 19th July — Peace Day
  • Celebration of the end of the Great War in 1895.
  • Has been a holiday since 1917.
• 22nd/23rd September — Autumn Equinox
  • Celebration of the transition from Summer to Autumn.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• 31st October — Halloween
  • Celebration of the scary day (dnye syfika). Also known as Witches' Day.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• 21st/22nd December — Winter Solstice
  • Celebration of the transition from Autumn to Winter.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• 24th December — Christmas' Eve¹
  • Celebration of the day before Christmas.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• 25th December — Christmas¹
  • Celebration of Christmas.
  • Has always been a holiday.
• 31st December — New Year's Eve
  • Celebration of the day before the new year.
  • Has always been a holiday.

¹ These holidays have religious origins, but they are nowadays celebrated as secular holidays.

(incomplete)

Symbols