Minoa

Minoa Μινωα
Flag and emblem
Location of Minoa
Recognised main language(s)	English, German, Greek
Recognised minority language(s)	Bulgarian (for Blaise), Chinese, Czech, Danish, Japanese, Turkish (for Anatolia)
Region	Funen
Population	93,567,432 (2036)
Formation
- Greece	25 March 1821
- Athenian Democratic Republic and partition of Greece	25 November 1976
- Minoa and Charlotte Island	25 March 2025
Capital (and largest cities)	Antjepolis, Charleroi
Government	federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic
Area  - Total  - % water	318 302 km² 2.8235
National Animal	Blue tit (bird)
National Colours	PMS 299 and PMS 123
Currency	Tala (MIT)
Carplate Codes	M
International Sports Code	MIA
Anthem	Hurdy-Gurdy of Charles and Ray Eames[1]
Drives on the	left
ISO 3166 code	MI
Internet TLD	.cs
Calling Code	+1
PDAS rating	A
Stats: NationStates Galaxy Map NSEconomy Pipian XML

For other countries and regions known as Minoa, see Minoa (disambiguation). For the first generation civilization, see Minoan Civilization.

Minoa ( /mɪˈnoʊə/; Greek: Μινώα; Japanese: ミノア; Chinese: 米诺斯) is a transcontinental sovereign state that is located 43% in Asia (mostly in the western end of the Anatolian peninsula) and 57% in the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, with several overseas territories located on other continents. Mainland Minoa is bordered by five countries: Albania to the northwest; Serbia, Kosovo (with limited recognition) and Bulgaria to the north; and Turkey to the east. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Ionian Sea and Italy to the west; the Black Sea to the north; and the Aegean Sea separates the Nations of the Peloponnese and Anatolia, which are linked together with the Aegean Islands by the Aegean Tunnels. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Strait of Limani) demarcate the continental boundary between Europe and Asia. Both parts of the Eastern Mediterranean basin feature a vast number of reclaimed and artificial fens, islands, islets and rock islands.

In addition to mainland borders on the Eurasian continents, Minoa has land borders with the People's Republic of China (Hong Kong), Egypt (Alexandria) and the United Kingdom (Devon and Cornwall).

The roots of the culture of Minoa can be traced to the civilizations of Greece, generally considered to be the cradle of Western civilization. As such, it is the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature and historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, and Western drama, including both tragedy and comedy. However it has a violent past, having experienced several wars, partition and government changes since the 20th century. Modern Minoan civilization was revived in 2024 (Minoan era) to steer the country away from its communist and divided past and restore stability, with mixed results.

In addition, nearly a century of immigration and territorial changes has transformed Minoa’s culture and society. Today, the English, German and Greek languages are Minoa’s de facto national languages, and the rise of Hinduism, Islam and Secularism has shattered the dominance of Greek Orthodox Christianity.

Minoa is a constitutional monarchy and was formed on 25 March 2025, out of the four former sectors of Greece (Athenian, Ionian, Hungarian and Thracian), nineteen former provinces of Turkey (Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Burdur, Bursa, Denizli, Edirne, Isparta, Limani, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Manisa, Muğla, Sakarya, Smyrna, Tekirdağ, Uşak, Yalova, and Çanakkale) and Macedonia (from the former Yugoslavia). Blaise (formerly Blagoevgrad in Bulgaria) joined on 1 May 2030 but Charlotte Ryberg seceded on 6 October 2041.^[2]

Minoa is a developed country, considered as one of the world's superpowers despite its small geographical size (333 790 km²), with one of the largest armed forces without conscription. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the modern world, ranking equivalently to 10th highest in the real world. Although a member of the United Nations and the World Assembly, holding a permanent seat in the Security Council of both organizations, it has consistently declined to join the European Union and NATO since the end of the partition. Athens is the capital city and the seat of the government; Antalya, Limani (Istanbul), Smyrna (Izmir), and Thessalonika are among the country's many major cities.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Early origins 2.2 Independent state 2.3 Partition of Greece 2.4 Modern Minoa 3 Politics 3.1 Government 3.2 Administrative Divisions 3.3 Foreign relations 3.4 Military 3.5 Human rights 4 Economy 5 Geography 5.1 Climate 6 Transport 6.1 Railways 7 Communications 7.1 Radio and Television 7.2 Computing and Internet 8 Demographics 8.1 Ethnic groups and immigration 8.2 Language 8.3 Religion 8.4 Migration 9 Culture 9.1 Film and television 9.2 Music 9.3 Sports 9.4 Mythology 9.5 Public Holidays 10 Selected facts 11 Selected data (for HDI calculation) 12 Citations 13 See also 14 Additional materials

Etymology

The term Minoa is a derivative of King Minos (Greek: Μίνως, Minōs) of Crete. Minos is either a Cretan word for king or a title used by the leader of the original civilisation to describe his role. British archaeologist Arthur Evans (8 July 1851 – 11 July 1941) used the term to describe the Minoan civilisation that existed in the island of Crete from around 27th century BC to the 15th century BC.

The modern use of the term Minoa comes from the Minoan Transitional Council, established on 14 May 2024 by the Athenians who were dissatisfied with Liana Cataloña’s Government in the last months of the Partition of Greece. The Council chose the name, not only on geographical and historical grounds, but also as a comparison of the revival of the Minoan State to the revival of the Greek State from the Ottoman Empire, between 1821 and 1832. Other names proposed for the present country included: Aegea (after the Aegean Sea), Mycenae (after the Mycenaean civilisation) and the South Balkans (after its geographical location).

Since the secession of Charlotte Ryberg on 6 October 2041, both Minoa and Charlotte Ryberg lay claim to the same term on geographical and historical grounds. Both the United Nations and the World Assembly have asserted that Charlotte Ryberg’s claim is invalid, because the 18th Century Danish explorer Engelke Charlotte Ryberg first settled on the territory of the latter. However, the term Minoan remains the demonym to describe the people of both countries.

History

Main article: History of Minoa

Early origins

The territory of modern Minoa was the first area in Europe where advanced early civilizations emerged, beginning with the precursors to the Greek civilization, the first Minoan civilization in Crete and the Mycenean civilization on the mainland. Later, city-states emerged across the Balkan peninsula and spread to the shores of Black Sea, South Italy and Asia Minor reaching great levels of prosperity that resulted in an unprecedented cultural boom, expressed in architecture, drama, science and philosophy, and nurtured in Athens under a democratic government. Athens and Sparta led the way in repelling the Persian Empire in a series of battles. Both were later overshadowed by Thebes and eventually Macedon, with the latter under the guidance of Alexander the Great uniting and leading the Greek world to victory over the Persians, to presage the Hellenistic era, itself brought only partially to a close two centuries later with the establishment of Roman rule over Greek lands in 146 BC. Many Greeks migrated to Alexandria, Antioch, Seleucia and the many other new Hellenistic cities in Asia and Africa founded in Alexander's wake.

The subsequent mixture of Roman and Hellenic cultures took form in the establishment of the Byzantine Empire in 330 AD around Constantinople, which remained a major cultural and military power for the next 1,123 years, until its fall at the hands of Ottomans in 1453. On the eve of the Ottoman era much of the Greek intelligentsia migrated to the Italian territories and much of non-Ottoman occupied Europe, playing a significant role in the Western European Renaissance through the transferring of works of Ancient Greeks to Western Europe. Nevertheless, the Ottoman millet system contributed to the cohesion of the Orthodox Greeks by segregating the various peoples within the Ottoman Empire based on religion, as the latter played an integral role in the formation of the identity of Greece.

Independent state

After the Greek War of Independence, successfully fought against the Ottoman Empire from 1821 to 1829, Greece was finally established under the London Protocol. In 1827, Ioannis Kapodistrias, of the Ionian Islands, was chosen as the first governor of the new Republic. However, following his assassination, the Great Powers installed a monarchy under Otto, of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach. In 1843, an uprising forced the King to grant a constitution and a representative assembly. Due to his unimpaired authoritarian rule, he was eventually dethroned in 1863 and replaced by Prince Vilhelm (William) of Denmark, who took the name George I and brought with him the Ionian Islands as a coronation gift from Britain. In 1877, Charilaos Trikoupis, who is attributed with the significant improvement of the country's infrastructure, curbed the power of the monarchy to interfere in the assembly by issuing the rule of vote of confidence to any prime minister.

As a result of the Balkan Wars, Greece successfully increased the extent of her territory and population, a challenging context both socially and economically. In the following years, the struggle between King Constantine I and charismatic Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos over the country's foreign policy on the eve of World War I dominated the country's political scene, and divided the country into two opposed groups.

In the aftermath of World War I, Greece fought against Turkish nationalists led by Mustafa Kemal, a war which resulted in a massive population exchange between the two countries under the Treaty of Lausanne. According to various sources, several hundred thousand Pontic Greeks died during this period. Instability and successive coups d'état marked the following era, which was overshadowed by the massive task of incorporating 1.5 million Greek refugees from Asia Minor into Greek society. The Greek population in Istanbul had shrunk from 300,000 at the turn of the century to around 3,000 in the city today. On 28 October 1940 Fascist Italy demanded the surrender of Greece, but Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas refused and in the following Greco-Italian War, Greece repelled Italian forces into Albania, giving the Allies their first victory over Axis forces on land. The country would eventually fall to urgently dispatched Nazi German forces during the Battle of Greece. The German occupiers nevertheless met serious challenges from the Greek Resistance. Over 100,000 civilians died from starvation during the winter of 1941–42. In 1943 a majority of the Jewish population were deported to Nazi extermination camps.

After liberation during World War II, Greece experienced a bitter civil war between Royalist and Communist forces, which led to economic devastation and severe social tensions between its Rightists and largely Communist Leftists for the next 30 years. The next 20 years were characterized by marginalisation of the left in the political and social spheres but also a significant economic growth, propelled in part by the Marshall Plan.

In 1965, a period of political turbulence led to a coup d’état on 21 April 1967 by the US-backed Regime of the Colonels. On November 1973 the Athens Polytechnic Uprising sent shock waves across the regime, and a counter-coup established Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannides as dictator. On 6 November 1976, two years after Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus, a communist rebellion, backed by East Germany, invaded southern Greece (the Athenian Sector) and established the Athenian Democratic Republic on 25 November 1976 with Tia May Smith as the state's first Chancellor. A nationalist counter-rebellion in the north (the Ionian Sector), which ended in stalemate, brought down the régime on 14 December 1976 and formed the (third) Hellenic Republic on 25 March 1977.

Partition of Greece

Main article: History of Minoa#Greek partition

Between 6 November 1976 and 25 March 2025 the territory of Greece was partitioned between rival governments. In the late 1970s tit-for-tat expulsions and massacres took place between the Socialist Athenian Sector and Royalist Ionian Sector, killing hundreds of thousands.

In the 1980s the Athenian Sector made unexpected reforms and earned better international recognition than the Ionian sector. It joined the European Union in 1981 and introduced political, economic and social reforms. The sector converted into a federal republic in 1990 following the Revolutions of 1989. It later hosted the 2004 Olympic Games and expanded into western Turkey.

In 1992 Macedonia invaded north eastern Ionia and established the Thracian Sector. The economies of both countries collapsed due to its pro-agrarian ideology and the breakup of Yugoslavia and the end of the drachma system in 1997: both sectors suffered rampant hyperinflation to a point in which their currencies could not even be redenominated. Attempts were made in the mid-2000s to reunite Greece but ideological disagreements between Chancellor Sophia Kolettis and General Secretary Liana Cataloña scuppered it. The Athenian Sector was partitioned after the 2008 Attica blockade: on 10 January 2009 the Hungarian Sector seceded independence although it was never internationally recognised.

A combination of political and economic events in all four sectors led to the downfall of Greece. Following major unrest in the first quarter of 2023, The opposition formed the Minoan state on 15 May 2023 after locking out the Socialist Unity Party form their own General Assembly.

The stand-off escalated into the 2024 Minoan war on 5 April 2024 when the Coalition forces of the rebels, the Republic of China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom, invaded Northern Greece to drive out the government of the Thracian and Ionian Sectors. By July 2024, Minoa gained international recognition after being admitted as a member of the United Nations on 1 July 2024. The 2024 Summer Olympics was cut short when the Minoan war spilled into the Athenian Sector on 16 August. The Sectors attempted a counter invasion in Western Turkey three days later, but were besieged and then defeated in North Athens on 25 August, ending the Partition of Greece.

Modern Minoa

Main article: History of Minoa#Modern Minoa

In the aftermath of the war, the United Nations General Assembly established the Charter of Minoa on 5th October 2024, ending the Partition and establishing the Minoan state. The Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and the United Kingdom were the original signatories to the Charter. The Charter of Minoa came to effect on 25 March 2025, but most of the Athenian legislation remained in force as a transitional measure until 30 November 2031.

Along with territorial expansion, Minoa saw recovery from the war through reinvestment, standards normalisation, cultural reinvention and by achieving spectacular growth to become one of the largest economies in the world, with an annual economic growth rate averaging 5.7% between 2030 and 2035. It also successfully hosted the 2032 Olympic Games in Antjepolis, although Athens reverted to its original name on 1 April 2042.

However the government remains volatile, with two coalitions, and no prime minister attaining more than a term with an overall majority. In 2040, a unexpected Gaddafi-led Libyan air raid over the Minoan capital resulted in the use of nuclear weapons and Minoan occupation of Libya, amid an unrelated civil unrest. The combination of events and violent political fallout brought down the Warsi government and ultimately led to the resignation of Empress Antje by the end of the year. In June 2054, the exposure of a conspiracy to force the bloodline extinction of the Greek Royal Family led to a political crisis which paralysed the government.

Politics

Minoa is a unitary state under a directly elected constitutional monarchy, with two parliamentary and representative democratic branches. The political system operates under a framework laid out in a de facto constitutional document, known as the Charter of Minoa. Amendments to the Charter require a three-quarters majority from both chambers of the parliament. Articles regarding fundamental human rights, the separation of powers, the parliamentary structure and the right to resist attempts to overthrow the constitution cannot be amended. In addition, no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change.

Government

Main articles: Charter of Minoa, Politics of Minoa, and Elections in Minoa

Minoa has a bicameral parliamentary government, based on the Westminster system. The Yuan (pinyin: 'yuàn', “courts”) that meets in the Grand Agora in Athens has two branches: the elected Common Yuan and the partially elected Upper Yuan. Any bill passed requires the Empress’ Assent to become law.

The position of Prime Minister, Minoa's head of government, belongs to the Member of Parliament who can obtain the confidence of a majority of the Common Yuan – usually the current leader of the largest political party. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are formally appointed by the Empress to form the Imperial Government, although the Prime Minister may choose the Cabinet and by convention, the Empress usually respects the Prime Minister's choices. The Cabinet is traditionally drawn from members of the Prime Minister's party in both legislative houses, mostly from the Common Yuan, to which they are responsible. The Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet exercise executive power, all of who are sworn into the Imperial Council, and become Ministers for the Empress.

Helena Beaulieu has been the Empress, or head of state, since 1 February 2041. The Rt. Hon. Carola Neumann MP, leader of the Social Democratic Party, has been Prime Minister and the Minister for the Civil Service since 22 February 2041, with Mario Kaito MP, leader of the Liberal Party, being the Leader of the Opposition. For elections to the Common Yuan, the country is currently divided into 1,000 constituencies, with each electing a single Member of Parliament by a simple plurality. For the Upper Yuan of 133 constituencies, each one elects three Members of the Upper Parliament using single transferable voting, with the remaining seats elected by universities and established human rights organisations.

The Empress calls a parliamentary general election when the Prime Minister so advises; the election of the Empress is called on the death, retirement or by choice of the incumbent (the incumbent, still meeting the usual eligibility criteria, may defend or re-run for the position). The Charter of Minoa and the Parliament Act 2038 require that a new parliamentary election must be called within five years of the previous one.

Administrative Divisions

The structure of administrative divisions in Minoa is multi-layered and non-uniform. The four nations (Aegean Islands, Anatolia, Balkans and the Peloponnese) have their own system of administrative and geographic demarcation which has been influenced by not only by natural landforms but also the formation and partition of Greece as well as territorial changes thereafter. Consequently, there is no uniform convention for the administrative division of Minoa. Initially the country was run directly from Athens, but in recent years some of the government power has been devolved to the other two nations, meaning that future changes are unlikely to be uniform either.

The whole of the Aegean sea and Sea of Marmara are considered Minoan territorial waters, because the chain of islands to the south of the metropolitan country enclose the otherwise international waters.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign Relations with Minoa

Minoa is a member of the United Nations (1945/2024) and holds a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (2024) with nine other permanent members. Minoa is also a member of the EFTA (2027), the OECD (1961 as Greece), the OIC (2035), the OSCE (1973 as Greece), G5, G6, G7, G8, G10, G20, the WA (2008 as Charlotte Ryberg) and the WASC (2009).

Minoa's foreign policy currently focuses on relations with the "Charter Seven" (signatories of the Charter of Minoa), Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, as well as other major economic powers such as Japan. The policy has been shaped by commitment to human rights and economic freedom. Minoa has a "Special Relationship" with Anagonia-Yohannes, Japan, Knootoss and Libya (NTC), and a close partnership at the same level with the rest of the Charter Seven (Republic of China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom), Norway and countries in the Middle East. Since the election of Empress Helena in January 2041, relations with Spain increased greatly.

Despite close relations with all but one of the European countries and membership in many European regional organizations, there is currently no commitment to membership in the European Union during the current Parliament.

As a legacy of the 2024 Minoan war, Minoa currently has no relations whatsoever with Turkey. The country also has no relations with North Korea, due to human rights abuses. Relations with Hungary were re-established in May 2032.

Charlotte Ryberg is a World Assembly member acting on behalf of Minoa. It has sponsored eight resolutions and co-authored three others, and is the third longest serving regional delegate.

During the Partition of Greece, the Athenian Sector was the most recognised of the Sectoral governments, and was a UN member from July 1978 to 27 August 2024. The status of Minoa being a founding member of the UN and some supranational organizations is disputed, but it has not affected the country's participation.

Military

The Minoan Army, Imperial Air Force and Imperial Navy are collectively known as the Minoan Armed Forces and officially as Her Imperial Majesty's Armed Forces. The forces are managed by the Ministry of Defence and controlled by the Imperial Defence Council, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence.

Minoa fields one of the most technologically advanced and best trained armed forces in the world: in 2041 it maintained at least 10 military deployments around the globe. According to various sources, including the Ministry of Defence, Minoa has one of the highest military expenditures in the world. Total defence spending currently accounts for 3.9% of total national GDP.

The Minoan Special Forces, such as the Special Air Service and Special Boat Service, provide troops trained for quick, mobile, military responses in counter-terrorism, land, maritime and amphibious operations, often where secrecy or covert tactics are required. There are reserve forces supporting the Active military. These include the Territorial Army, the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. The Democratic Assistance Unit, part of the intelligence service, is often mistaken for being part of a special forces.

The Minoan Armed Forces are one of the largest standing armed forces in the world, with active and reserve duty military personnel combined totalling just under two and a half million. Minoa is considered to be one of the strongest military powers of Europe, and one of the largest in a country without conscription. The large number also is influenced by military service being widely regarded as a rite of passage in native culture, although such tradition is gradually declining.

Current defence policy states that the country will commit to assist any movement against authoritarian regimes, provided that it promotes acceptable levels of democracy, welfare and common sense. Minoa's involvement in Libya have followed this approach: this was also the last war in which the Minoan military fought alone, in which they were mostly victorious due to repercussions caused by their use of an atomic weapon on Sirte.

Minoa also openly possesses nuclear weapons (since 6 November 1981) as part of a deterrence and defence system. Out of the 5,670 warheads in total, 877 are active. After entering the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty on 24 September 2040, Minoa is proposing to reduce the number of warheads to 2,500 by 2075 if Russia and the USA agree to decommission a part of their stockpile. Minoa has not given any of their nuclear weapons to Charlotte Ryberg when the country seceded on 6 October 2041.

Human rights

Main article: Human rights in Minoa

The territory of what is now Minoa had a very poor human rights record until the end of the Partition era. Since the formation of Minoa, the human rights legislation was overhauled, and human rights is now comprehensively guaranteed and enforced today. However, Minoa retains the capital punishment for war crimes, and struggles with human trafficking and the enforcement of human rights for the Turkish Minority. Minoa currently ranks high in international civil liberties and political rights rankings, together with other European states. Minoa is also signatory to nearly all relevant international human rights instruments, and the respect for human rights and the promotion of democracy is part of Minoa’s foreign policy goals.

The future of the capital punishment for crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes is a subject of ongoing debate. Empress Helena currently objects to the capital punishment, amounting to a de facto moratorium for all crimes since 1 April 2041. However, the Charter of Minoa still allows the capital punishment for some war crimes and crimes against humanity. From 3 December 2040 to 29 March 2041, Minoa carried out executions for the war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide that were committed during the unrest and the war with Libya.

While all forms of discrimination and hate crimes are banned, the Turkish minority still face occasional discrimination and racial attacks. In the last decade, a number of extremist groups that advocated hatred or violence towards Ethnic Turks were prosecuted and banned.

Human trafficking, particularly from Eastern Europe, remains a serious issue. Despite heavy penalties, and the criminalisation of prostitution since 1 January 2042, Minoa remains a major destination, with traffickers often using the country’s welfare system and high standard of living as bait to attract potential victims.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Minoa

Minoa has a centrist mixed economy, which is fuelled by high productivity, a well-developed infrastructure, and high levels of export and import. The Minoan tala is one of the world's highest valued unit (equivalent to 1st place in real life) and the world's fifth largest reserve currency. In 2036, land vehicles constituted both the leading import and export commodity.

Athens (formerly Antjepolis) is a major centre for international business and commerce, with the service sector as the predominant industry, followed by manufacturing. Athens is also a major legal centre, with three of the ten largest law firms in the world having its headquarters there. The tourism industry, helped by improved transport access to key places of interest and tourist resorts, is also a major source of foreign exchange earnings and revenue accounting for 9.9% of Minoa’s total GDP, and employing, directly or indirectly, 6.5% of the total workforce.

Minoa's nominal gross domestic product per capita, according to the International Monetary Fund, is currently $7,532 (US$97,198) as of 2036, equivalent to 2nd place in real life and totalling $704 billion (US$9.08 trillion). The internal (public) debt of the Government of Minoa is equivalent to 67.14% of the nominal GDP (June 2041), and the foreign (overseas) debt owed to other countries is equivalent to 36.04% (December 2040). Although it has a high credit rating with a stable outlook, it is vulnerable to sovereign defaults by other countries because it issued loans to many countries in order to increase its treasury income. Recent governments have pledged to reduce the country’s external debt and dependency on debt repayments by other countries.

Geography

Mount Kizlarsivrisi is the highest point in Minoa, at 3,086m. Mount Olympia is the highest point in the Balkans, at 2,918m.

Climate

Minoa has a primarily transitional climate between a temperate Mediterranean climate and a temperate Oceanic climate with warm to hot, moderately dry summers and cool to cold, wet winters. A small section of coastal area which borders with the Black Sea have a temperate Oceanic climate with warm, wet summers and cool to cold, wet winters. The Minoan Black Sea coast receives the greatest amount of precipitation, at 2,500 millimetres annually.

The Pindus mountain range strongly affects the climate of the country, as areas to the west of the range are considerably wetter on average (due to greater exposure to south-westerly systems bringing in moisture) than the areas lying to the east of the range (due to a rain shadow effect).

The mountainous areas of Northwestern Minoa and Macedonia as well as in the mountainous central parts of the geographical Peloponnese and the Anatolian plateau feature an Alpine climate with heavy snowfalls. The inland parts of northern Minoa, in Central Macedonia and East Macedonia and Thrace feature a temperate climate with cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers with frequent thunderstorms. Snowfall can occur as far south as Tripoli in winter, which often affects transportation. On the other hand, snow is rare in the southern islands and southern coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea.

Transport

Minoa has one of the most efficient and most developed networks of transportation in the world. The priorities to public transpiration and intercity rail means that its road system has one of the lowest congestion rates in the world.

Railways

The railway network of Minoa is large yet mainly new due to the 2024 Minoan War or upgrade work due to recent expansion. The first line in what is now Minoa ran between Smyrna (Izmir) and Tralles (Aydın), which opened in 1860. The railway network of today, including underground (metro) and light rail systems, is larger than that of the previous states combined, largely due to the reopening of formerly disused lines and increasing demand.

The Minoan Rail Group (MR) companies, state owned until 2027, provide passenger service and carry freight to Minoa and neighbouring countries (except Turkey). Many private rail companies such as FirstGroup and Emirates Rail rank among the key commercial operators in the country. Local authorities and joint ventures also provide passenger rail services. The Office of Rail Regulation and the Railway Operations Act 2026 jointly regulate Minoan rail services, and protects regular services to settlements where railways are economically or socially necessary.

Because of the age of infrastructure (usually less than 15 years old) and regular maintenance, the service reliability rating (or Public Performance Measure) is about 98.7% as of 2036. The network is mostly electrified using the 25 kV AC, 50 Hz overhead line, but most metros, suburban and rural railways use the the 650-750 V DC third rail (top or bottom contact). Only the Athens Underground, the largest metro railway system in the world, also uses the 630 V DC (combined) fourth rail (top contact). The highest speed attained in regular passenger service is the high speed line between Smyrna and Athens via the Aegean Tunnels, at the maximum speed of 340 miles per hour (547 km/h). The track gauge is mainly standard (1435 mm), but various branch-lines of the geographical Peloponnese use a gauge of one meter or less.

Communications

The telephone, media and satellite communications infrastructure of Minoa have remarkably returned to a fully-developed and integrated standard in a short space of time. This was largely helped by the effects of the Minoan War in 2024, which permitted a major rebuilding and reintegration programme in Minoa. Copper wires which were damaged in the unrest were replaced by fibre-optics and wireless-capable masts erected in many areas. The programme introduced the communication-starved Hungarian and Ionian Sectors into the westernised Minoan system and new sea cables were installed across the Attica Sea. The Macedonian system was completely rebuilt to Minoan standards and opportunity was taken to fully standardise and integrate communications systems between the former Greek states in time for the establishment of the Minoan state on 25 March 2025.

The communication infrastructure of the former Athenian, Thracian, Hungarian and Ionian Sectors were severely disrupted at various points of the Partition of Greece as well as the Minoan War. Infrastructure in the Ionian Sector fell into disuse as a result of the 2008 Sanctions, which resulted in internet and civilian communications, both land and wireless, being cut off. The Hungarian Sector underwent the same situation when cables leading into their territory destroyed during the 2008 Attica Blockade. The Minoan War caused severe damage to the infrastructure in parts of the Athenian Sector and the Thracian Sector.

Many communications standards such as telephone area codes and postcodes are derived from proposals linked to the defunct One Greece policy proposals, as well as older standards prior to the partition.

Radio and Television

Main articles: Radio in Minoa and Television in Minoa

Computing and Internet

Main article: Internet in Minoa

Internet access in the territory of Minoa was introduced by NCFCR Demokritos to the Athenian Sector in 1990, and by Türk Telekom to what is now Anatolia in 1993. Early infrastructure in the region relied on PSTN/ISDN modem dial-up until OTA introduced ADSL to the Athenian sector in 2003. Although basic internet access covered 93% of the territory by 2007, ADSL internet infrastructure did not cover the entire country until widespread conversion to fiber-optic communication was completed in October 2031. The last PSTN/ISDN dial-up services were terminated by Minoan Optics and Minoan Telecommunications in June 2035 when 4G mobile broadband coverage to the whole country was achieved.

ADSL fiber to the home (FTTH), is currently the main broadband standard. Minoa also has 4G and 5G mobile broadband (HSPA) and Wikipedia:Satellite Internet access. The average household internet connection speed is around 478 Mbit/s, with 16 Gbit/s achievable in Antalya, Athens and Limani. The largest ISPs by number of subscribers are Bird, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, Virgin, O2 and Sprinter. Internet censorship in Minoa is considered nominal due to the use of the content advisory system on web sites that promote constitutionally banned organizations, instead of all-out website blocking.

.mi, .ch and .cs are the active country-code Top-level domains which represent Minoa. The registrar for the TLDs is sala.mi. Registration is open to all except those based or living in North Korea and Turkey, due to Minoan law. Government institutions of both countries use .gov as the generic top-level domain instead of the ccTLDs. The former ccTLDs were .gr, intended for Greece but only used by the Athenian Sector, and .mk for Republic of Macedonia. Both were deactivated on 31 December 2029.

Demographics

Ethnic groups and immigration

Main article: Diaspora in Minoa

Major ethnic groups originate from the European and Asian continent.

Language

Main article: Languages in Minoa

An official language has never been codified in Minoan law but English and German are the two largest languages in widespread use, gaining status as de facto official languages. Other mainly languages in widespread use, but not nationally, include Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Greek, Japanese and Turkish.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Minoa

Until recently, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, particularly the Greek Orthodox Church, have dominated religious life in what is now Minoa for over 1,400 years. Since 1976, temporary partition, unrest, immigration and demographic change have contributed to the end of the Orthodox Church's dominance. Nevertheless, the Greek Orthodox Church remains headquartered in Limani (Constantinople).

Commentators variously describe Minoa of today as a multi-faith, secularised, or post-Christian society. In the 2036 census, 22.4% of all respondents to the voluntary question indicated that they had no religion, up from 18.6% in 2031. The largest faiths (by number of adherents) are Hinduism (21.9%), Islam (19.8%), Christianity (11.5 %) and Judaism (9.0 %).

Minoa is a secular state with no official state religion. The Charter of Minoa and a patchwork of subsequent legislation provides for general freedom of religion and conscience (except for Scientology, banned since 2029), and outlaws state religion and religious testing.

Migration

Minoa faced a sharp rise in immigration in the 2030s, enough to place pressure on welfare and other essential services. The main causes were the civil unrest and social injustice in Europe and the Arab World. In March 2031, the population of Metropolitan Minoa was 86.5 million: by March 2041, the total population surpassed 100 million, despite two major lulls in the level of immigration due to the Spring of Discontent and the 2040 war and unrest.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Minoa

The culture of Minoa has evolved over thousands of years, with its beginnings in the Mycenaean and Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, the Hellenistic Period, through the influence of the Roman Empire and its Greek Eastern successor the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Empire too had a significant influence on Minoan culture, but the Greek War of Independence is credited with setting the foundations for reviving Minoan culture and giving birth to a single entity of its multi-faceted culture throughout the ages.

Minoa is considered one of the most open societies in the world. The Seigneur or Dame and the Minoan Government are free to move about virtually anywhere with little or no security. Politicians, business leaders and celebrities mix freely with ordinary people in a manner rarely seen elsewhere in the world and their salaries are made public by tax authorities in the interest of transparency. According to Help the Aged, a high proportion of Minoans know all of their neighbours in their parish/ward.

Film and television

Main article: Television in Minoa

The Minoan Broadcasting System is the public-funded broadcaster in Minoa. Independent Television is a major commercial television channel where the broadcasting output is franchised to regional broadcasters.

Music

Minoan vocal music extends far back into Ancient times where mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration and spiritual reasons.

The music industry in Minoa has been influenced recently by tense relations with Record labels and the government over copyright, piracy and artist royalties: in October 2035 the Warsi Government established its own label (Minoan Sound Corporation) in response to artists defecting from many labels such as Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group over royalties. Since August 2028 the government have been cautious on new copyright and piracy legislation, being highly supportive of Fair Use.

Sports

Minoa is the birth place of the Olympic Games. The Panathenian stadium in Athens hosted the Olympic Games in 1896. It had also hosted Olympic Games in 1870 and 1875 (the Evangelis Zappas). The Panathenian stadium also hosted the Games in 1906 and was used to host events at the 2004, 2024 (abandoned in its course due the the Minoan war), 2032 and 2052 Summer Olympics. Minoa's two Olympic teams (one representing the country in general, and the other representing the immigrants who migrated or defected to Minoa) lead the Parade of Nations, one of the special privileges in the Olympic Games which were granted jus soli (right of the soil), due to its succession status.

Antalya initially won the right to host the 2042 Summer Youth Olympics, but its status was rescinded due to the unrest in 2040. Minoa subsequently boycotted, meaning that the Olympic flame for the Games had to be lit at Rome.

In international competitions, Minoa has not been represented as a single team since August 2030: teams have been divided according to tradition or geography. However, Minoa's two Olympic teams belong to the same National Olympic Committee, the Minoan Olympic Society. The Society is the only recognised NOC without affiliation with any of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).

Like the United Kingdom, Minoa does not have a single national football team either, or belong to a single confederation: Aegean Islands/Balkans/Peloponnese (West Minoa, UEFA) and Anatolia (East Minoa, AFC) have their own football associations and national teams. However, a few clubs play outside their country's respective systems for a variety of historical and logistical reasons and although the two teams are members of different confederations.

Mythology

Public Holidays

Main article: Public holidays in Minoa

The Bank Holidays Act 2028 specifies six Traditional and National Holidays to be observed nationwide, and another six Holidays to be observed regionally. November 6 is disqualified from becoming a public holiday due to the association with the Partition of Greece in 1976.

Selected facts

• Electricity: Household mains electricity is 230 volts with a frequency of 50 Hz. Household appliances are fitted with either a Minoan Standards 1083 plug or a compatible British Standards 1363 plug. Both types of plugs are fused.
• Emergency telephone numbers: Dial 999 for all emergency services, or 177 for non-emergency police services.

Selected data (for HDI calculation)

The Human Development Index for Minoa is formally calculated on the same year as the Census (usually every 5 years), although indices for non-Census years are also widely used. For sake of simplicity, only indices for Census years are shown.

Year		2026	2031	2036	2043[3]	2047[3]	2051	2056
Life Expectancy Index		0.905	0.911	0.947	0.997	1.000	1.000	1.000
Life expectancy at birth	Minoa	79.9	81.2	84.6	89.4	90.2	91.1	92.2
	Highest globally	86.2	87.2	88.2	89.6	90.1	91.1  91.1	92.2
Education Index		0.750	0.866	0.920	0.969	0.973	0.985	1.001
Mean Years of Schooling	Minoa	08.6	10.2	11.6	12.7	12.8	13.1	13.2
	Top 2 globally	12.6  12.6	12.7  12.6	12.6  12.6	12.8  12.7	12.9  12.8	13.1  13.1	13.3  13.2
Expected Years of Schooling	Minoa	16.1	18.1	18.1	18.1	18.1	18.6	18.6
	Top 2 globally	18.0  12.6	18.1  18.0	18.1  18.0	18.1  18.0	18.1  18.0	18.6  18.0	18.6  18.0
Income Index		0.82	0.844	0.883	0.884	0.894	0.902	0.913
GNI (PPP) per capita	Tala	2,378	2,799	3,699	3,722	3,987	4,204	4,539
	Dollar	30,683	36,125	47,730	48,025	51,453	55,245	58,573
Human Development Index		0.823	0.873	0.916	0.949	0.955	0.961	0.970

Citations

1. ↑ Hurdy-Gurdy of Charles and Ray Eames has never been officially adopted as a national anthem, but is so by convention.
2. ↑ Embassies in Minoa (Charlotte Ryberg), Minoa, 6 October 2011.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} The formative assessments scheduled for 2041 and 2046 were delayed due to the unrest.

See also

Additional materials

Embassies in Minoa