Ibothia
From Eshralopedia
| República de Ivocia
Republic of Ibothia
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| Anthem Cançó del república Song of the Republic |
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| Capital (and largest city) |
Llorelia |
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| Official languages | Ibothian | |||||
| Recognised regional languages | Savamese; Anzitanian | |||||
| Demonym | Ibothians | |||||
| Government | Semi-Presidential Republic | |||||
| - | President | Juan Serrano | ||||
| - | Prime Chancellor | Evaristo Bárcia | ||||
| - | Speaker of the Senate | Tomás d'Estrella | ||||
| Foundation | ||||||
| - | Principality of Ibothia | 1545 | ||||
| - | Republic of Ibothia | 1904 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 76,836 km² (153rd) 29,667 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 1.17 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2008 estimate | 4,115,948 (150th) | ||||
| - | 2006 census | 4,003,553 | ||||
| - | Density | 54.2/km² (99th) 141.7/sq mi |
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| GDP (nominal) | 2007 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | (ℜ)132,745,664,329 (100th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | (ℜ)32,252 (30th) | ||||
| HDI (2007) |  95.1 (high) |
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| Currency | ѳ - Conquillor (IVC) |
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| Time Zones | OAT (EMT-7) | |||||
| Internet TLD | .iv | |||||
| Calling code | +305 | |||||
The Republic of Ibothia (Ibothian: República de Ivocia), usually shortened to Ibothia (pronounced [ˌɪbəˈθia]; Ibothian: Ivocia, pronunciation is between: [ˌɪbəˈθiæ] and [ˌɪvɒˈsiæ]), is a parliamentary presidential republic consisting of 15 communities (comunitat) occupying over sixty islands in the Sea of Ibothia in southern Ascesia, the largest of which is Ibothia proper.
The nearest nations to Ibothia are Nation A11 to the north-west, Nation A13 to the south-west, and Savam to the south-east. It ranks as the 153rd largest country in the world by area with a land area of just 75,940km², and the 150th largest by population at just over 4 million inhabitants. Ibothia is relatively rich with its GDP per capita ranking 30th overall in the world and 12th in Ascesia.
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Etymology
The name Ibothia comes from the Ibothian name of the country and island: Ivocia. Records show that this was the name given to the island while it was part of the Ascesian Empire, and may come from the name of a species of mint plant called the Iva (in both Ibothian and Nalit) which is common on the island, however there has also been speculation that the Iva mint was named after the island. The Iva is still the national flower of Ibothia and features on the coat of arms.
Ibothia is known by its Savamese name Ivôce (République d'Ivôce) in the east, while in the west it is still known as Ivocia, as the name is the same in both Ibothian and Anzitanian.
Geography
Ibothia is located off the south coast of the continent of Ascesia in the Sea of Ibothia. Its nearest neighbours are the nations of Nation A11, Nation A13 and Savam, as well as the Prothenian Ocean to the south.
Ibothia is made up of over sixty islands, the largest of which is Ibothia. To the south-east of mainland Ibothia are Róssaqi and Nipia; and to the north-east are Proguistélla and Xornyia. Ibothia is most densely populated in coastal regions, especially the south coast and the south western parts of the country. The central north of the country is the least populated area.
Climate
Ibothia has either a mildly tropical climate, and what is left of the natural inland areas of the islands are tropical deciduous forests. Ibothia experiences a rainy monsoon season, with yearly rainfall being between 125cm and 145cm. Average yearly temperatures range between 23.5 degrees on the warm south coast and a fresher 19.5 degrees inland.
Flora and fauna
Ibothia is famous for a number of quirky plants and animals, most notably a species of mint called Iva.
Topography
Ibothia itself is a relatively flat island. The south-west of the island is low-lying and is home to the large Lake Llago. A small range of rolling hills creates the spine of the north-west of the nation. Over 50% of Ibothia is no higher than 100m above sea level, and the highest peak on the island Món Ascése reaches only 439.5m high. This lack of altitude in Ibothia is one of the factors resulting in the island having no large rivers.
National Parks
There are a number of national parks in Ibothia, which range from the large Micilla Wildlife Park in the north, to many smaller officially preserved areas all across the country.
History
Main article: History of Ibothia.
There is evidence of human settlement in Ibothia for thousands of years, and along with nearby Ascesian countries, witnessed some of the earliest development of Neolithic civilisations. Tribal domination began to occur at the turn of the 1st millennium BCE, and by 600BCE, the islands had all been integrated into the Ascesian Empire.
In 509, the empire split into two and, in turn, so did Ibothia. North Ibothia was part of the Armandian Empire and South Ibothia part of the Western Acesian Empire. In 1545, the War of Unification bound the two nations together into a single entity: The Principality of Ibothia.
The Principality fell under the reign of seventeen monarchs - sixteen Princes and a single Princess - of four different royal houses, who conquered the islands of Xornyia and Nipia, and also gained the islands of Proguistélla and Róssaqi. Ibothian monarchs of the 17th century also financed expeditions to Lestria, Badina and Nation J13.
Ibothia's longest reigning monarch was Prince Carles II, who ruled for 51 years in the 19th century. The final monarch was Prince Enric II who spearheaded the democratization of modern Ibothia. In 1904 he declared the Republic of Ibothia, and was elected as the first President of the Republic.
The constitution was ratified in August 1904 assuring the rights of all citizens, and in 1912 amendments set out the federal election schedule for the next 60 years. Over the last century, the various governments of Ibothia have used their close relationship with larger Ascesian nations to improve the standards of living in Ibothia, and the nation has long had a GDP per Capita at a par with other nearby nations.
Government and Politics
Main article: Government and Politics of Ibothia.
Federal Government
Ibothia has a semi-presidential system of government. The elected President is the Head of State, but is mostly a figurehead and a safeguard against over-powerful government. Power is held and exercised by the Consell de Cancellers (Council of Chancellors) and the Primer Canceller (Prime Chancellor), who is the Head of Government. They are selected from the lower house of the legislature which is know as the Parlament (Parliament). The upper house of the bicameral legislature is the Senat (Senate). The final element to the government structure are the 15 Comunitat Parlaments (Community Parliaments)
President
The President of Ibothia is the head of state. He or she is elected by popular vote every five years, and may serve a maximum of three terms in office. The President is the figurehead of the country and acts mostly as a safeguard against over-powerful government, and must approve all decisions from the Council of Chancellors
The President is, in theory, non-partisan and rather than being elected on a series of promises of beliefs, they are elected based on their experience and trustworthiness.
The current President is Juan Serrano, who was first elected in 2002. He was safely re-elected in 2007, winning 67.3% of the vote in comparison to the other two main candidates who each won 26.0% and 18.2% of the popular vote. He will face what is likely to be his last Presidential Election in 2012. He is the 10th President of Ibothia (see full list below) and is the second President of the 21st century.
Year first elected - Name (Terms elected):
- 1904 - Enric Feliu de Llora (3)
- 1917 - Carles Caufapé (3)
- 1932 - Miquel Roig (3)
- 1947 - Edgard Vidal (2)
- 1957 - Guillem Bonet (1)
- 1962 - Higini Ignasi Feliu de Llora (2)
- 1972 - Joana Casals (3)
- 1987 - Esteve Porta de Vell (2)
- 1997 - Òscar Penya (1)
- 2002 - Juan Serrano (2)
Council of Chancellors
The Consell de Cancellers is the principle executive body in Ibothia. They are selected from the Parliament by the Prime Chancellor, and are almost always from the majority party in Parliament or from a coalition of parties. The constitution states that there must be a minimum of nine Chancellors, including the Prime Chancellor, a foreign Chancellor and an internal affairs Chancellor. It has become the norm to also have Chancellors for health, education, culture, justice, economy, defense, environment, regional government and transport. There have been many other offices of different titles, whose roles have been integrated into other offices. These have included Chancellor of the Treasury, Chancellor to the President, Media Chancellor, Trade & Business Chancellor, Sport Chancellor and Chancellor to Ascesia.
Prime Chancellor
The Primer Canceller is essentially the Chairman of the Council of Chancellors. It is his or her job to set the agenda of the Council and to cast the deciding vote upon decisions. It is also tradition for the Prime Chancellor to report back to the President - this comes from when the Chancellors were working under the prerogative of the Prince and a "Prime Chancellor" was required to provide a link between the Council and the Monarch.
In most cases, the Prime Chancellor is the leader of the majority party or majority coalition within Parliament. He or she is the only Chancellor in the Council who is appointed by the President. The current Prime Chancellor is Evaristo Bárcia.
Parliament
The Parlament is the principle legislative body in Ibothia. They have the job of debating legislature, with a traditional lower house whereby there is an official government side and an official opposition. The government are always the party with 76 seats, or in cases where no party has that number of seats, they are a coalition of parties whose seats total 76 or more.
The 150 members are elected every 3 years using proportional representation per community. The maximum number of members per community is 25, with the minimum set at three. Elections coincide with those of the President every 15 years and those of the senate every 12 years. The last elections were in 2005, with new elections scheduled for November 2008.
Senate
The Senat is the secondary legislative body in Ibothia. It is often seen as a key checks and balance device in the Ibothian system of government, along with the powers of the President and the Community Parliaments. As well as it's legislative role, the Senate also recommends new judges to be appointed to the Council of Judges, by the Council of Judges, whenever a vacant seat appears.
The senate consists of 50 members, with three elected from each of the 15 Community. Before 1996, there were only these 45 members, but since 1996, five Communities (Baixregne, Ribera Vell, Cendridod, Nîret and Llorelia) have each elected an additional senator due to the huge differences in population between these mainland states and some of the island Communities. Senate elections are held every four years with the next scheduled to coincide with the Parliamentary elections in November 2008.
Council of Judges
The Consell de jutges is the principle judicial body in Ibothia, and is almost completely separate from the executive and legislature. It is their duty to ensure that laws and legislature abide by the constitution and that law is followed by the Federal Courts (both criminal and civil). The State Courts operate underneath the Federal Courts, however there have been times in the past when the Council have seen it in their interests the interact directly with the state courts.
There are currently 15 judges, and a new judge is appointed by the Council, when a vacant seat appears, from a list of recommendations drawn up by the Senate. The President is able to veto appointments.
Community Parliaments
There are currently eleven Comunitat Parlaments. They grew out of the Community Councils, which existed between 1913 and 1947, when a rework of the devolved system resulted in a change of the name. There were originally proposed to be 15 Community Parliaments, but that would have meant small Communities would be electing a large proportion of the population. (For example Selle I Caricais would have elected a Parliament of 30 members, containing 5% of the electorate.) Instead, Róssaqi Nord and Róssaqi Sud were merged to create the Róssaqi Parlament, Proguistélla and Xornyia were merged to make up the Proguistélla i Xornyia Parlament, and Torre Illa, Agimisar and Selle I Caricais meet in what is known as the VMP (Vellmarí Parlament).
The Parliaments range in size from 25 to 125 members. They have limited control over some Community Legislative, however function Primarily as both regional executives, and a check and balance on the federal government. The mainland Parliaments and islands alternate between having elections every two years, so that each Parliament is elected every four years (eg. Islands: 2006, 2010, 2014 etc; Mainland: 2008, 2012, 2016 etc). This means that senate elections and mainland Community Parliament elections always take place together.
Politics
See also: Political parties in Ibothia.
Ibothia has five main political parties which are the Republican Party, the Liberal Party the Moderate Alliance, National Party of Ibothia and the New Left Party.
The diagram on the right shows the rough location of the Political Parties in terms of social (vertical) and economic (horizontal) ideologies. Supporters of the Nationalist and the New Left tend to have a wide spectrum of right-wing and left-wing views respectively, but tend to be few in number. Most citizens and politicians in Ibothia tend to have more moderate views.
Current Makeup of Parliament and the Senate
The Parliament is currently hung, with a coalition between the Republican and Moderate Alliance parties. The largest party are the Republicans, with the Liberal Party forming the opposition.
In the Senate, which is also hung, the Liberals are the majority party, but the Republican and Moderate Alliance Parties form what's known as the menut coalició (the 'little coalition' or 'minor coalition') as no majority or majority coalition is necessary for the senate to function.
| Party | Parliament (2005) | Senate (2004) |
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| Republican | 49 | 16 |
| Liberal | 39 | 21 |
| Moderate Alliance | 27 | 11 |
| NPI | 16 | 0 |
| New Left | 12 | 1 |
| Other | 7 | 1 |
Elections
Elections of the President, and to the federal Parliament and Senate are set in the constitution and various amendments which have occurred since it's writing. The Community Parliaments set their own elections on a 15 year basis, but generally stay with the same pattern.
The full election calendar (below) is currently secured until 2022.
| Year | Federal Legislature | President | Communities |
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| 2008 | Parliament & Senate | Mainland | |
| 2009 | |||
| 2010 | Island | ||
| 2011 | Parliament | ||
| 2012 | Senate | President | Mainland |
| 2013 | |||
| 2014 | Parliament | Island | |
| 2015 | |||
| 2016 | Senate | Mainland | |
| 2017 | Parliament | President | |
| 2018 | Island | ||
| 2019 | |||
| 2020 | Parliament & Senate | Mainland | |
| 2021 | |||
| 2022 | President | Island |
Administrative divisions
Communities
Ibothia is divided into 15 Communities (Ibothian: Comunitats), which act as administrative districts of the country. There are seven on mainland Ibothia (including the capital community Llorelia), and there are eight more based on various islands. The smallest Community in terms of both area and population is Selle i Caricais having less than one square kilometer of land and a population of little under 700.
The first use of Community administration dates from around 800CE, when Communities were used across the northern half of the island. However after around 1600, Communities fell out of common usage in Ibothia, and the Prince ruled the islands with centralised authority. In 1913, a proposal to create various Communities was put forward and accepted.
The Communities were based on old political lines and also around language and ethnic lines, as to try and more easily distinguish each of the communities from the next. There are five Communities in which Ibothian is the only Official language Community-wide, five Savamese and one Anzitanian. The other four Communities are officially bilingual (however this does not mean that citizens are). These include one Anzitanian-Ibothian Community and two Savamese-Ibothian Communities. The final Community is Ribera Vell, which covers three language areas and has speakers of Anzitanian, Ibothian and Savamese. There is no Official Community-wide language here, and the language laws (ie. which languages must be used in local legislation/public signs) are applied per county (a smaller unit of administration).
| Community | Capital | Official Languages | Area (km²) | Population |
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| Baixregne | Ciudat del Llago | Anzitanian | 9,533 | 641,525 |
| Lli Oest | Audazia | Ibothian, Anzitanian | 8,991 | 273,061 |
| Ribera Vell | Portuarivell | Ibothian, Savamese, Anzitanian | 10,971 | 787,028 |
| Cendridod | Alticiu | Ibothian | 16,819 | 529,809 |
| Horta Nord | Flordenor | Savamese | 7,958 | 150,512 |
| Nîret | Valerect | Ibothian, Savamese | 14,249 | 631,411 |
| Llorelia | Llorelia | Ibothian | 660 | 573,304 |
| Róssaqi Nord | Lonéstîlpor | Savamese | 581 | 102,242 |
| Róssaqi Sud | Rossigia | Ibothian, Savamese | 2,869 | 135,423 |
| Nipia | Nidocella | Savamese | 1,304 | 102,001 |
| Proguistélla | Guistéllar | Savamese | 1,167 | 92,107 |
| Xornyia | Quaimoll | Savamese | 1,355 | 71,556 |
| Torre Illa | Torîn | Ibothian | 67 | 22,556 |
| Agimisar | Misaros | Ibothian | 12 | 2,732 |
| Selle i Caricais | Selle | Ibothian | 1 | 681 |
Duchies
Prior to 1913 and the reintroduction of communities, Ibothia was governed below the king by administrative divisions called duchies. Each Duchy with a Duke (Duc) or Duchess (Duquessa/Duchesse) who was the official government representative for that area. Some of the communities used the same borders as the Duchies, but some did not.
Since 1913, Duchies have become relatively unnoticed, but the eight mainland Duchies still exist, although several of them now have the same Duke or Duchess. The largest (Duchy of Lli) and smallest (Duchy of Feliu) are both currently "ruled" by Carme Feliu de Llora, Pretender to the Ibothian throne. The other six are the Duchy of Pays Iva, the Duchy of Nîret (see Nîret: Duchy), the Duchy of Cruïl, the Duchy of Vieja, the Duchy of Baix and the Duchy of Audazia.
The islands (except Torre Illa, which was administered by the Duchy of Baix) were administered in two separate blocks: the Egria Islands (north east) and the Nesti Islands (south east), with the mayor of Rossigia representing his own city in government, but these island groupings are almost completely forgotten, and the terms have dropped into archaic use.
Foreign Relations and Military
See also: Embassies and Consulates of Ibothia; Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Ibothia.
Recognising itself as a minor nation in the western world, Ibothia supports multilateralism and is a member of various international organisations. In recent years, Ibothia has tended to move towards a policy of non-interventionism, however it is definitely not isolationist, with a foreign office that works with nations across the globe.
Ibothia is a member of a number of international organisations including the Erdöl Konsortium for petroleum, AESIS and the Median Concert.
Regardless of their non-interventionist policy, the government do favour certain nations over others. This is especially visible in Ascesian politics, where Ibothia's longterm close relationship with Savam contrasts with their anti-Acratanian stance.
Some foreign policy guidelines are set out in the constitution, however this focuses on outlining the processes by which foreign policy may be undertaken. It does not, for instance, have any mention of Free Trade - something which the recent governments in Ibothia have strongly enjoyed.
Military
See also: Military of Ibothia.
The government of Ibothia employs 22,000 active personnel and 5,000 reserve troops. The military officially has four branches: the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Coastguard. The navy and coastguard work closely together to 'police' the southern half of the Sea of Ibothia as part of a treaty on trade and immigration in the area.
Approximately 0.92% of Ibothia's GDP is spent on the military. That's (ℜ)1.219 billion, or (ℜ)44,300 per personnel.
Economy
Ibothia has a GDP of ℜ132.75 billion, and a GDP per capita of ℜ32,252. Ibothia contains very few resources. This means that it imports many vital from other southern Ascesian nations.
Ibothia has significant resources of agriculture, livestock, tobacco, spices and sea goods. There is also numerous advanced metal deposits and vast oil fields under parts of South Ibothia and the Vell Sea, which Ibothia claim all drilling rights to.
Ibothia's economy is primarily in three sectors: manufacturing (secondary), services (tertiary) and hi-tech (new tertiary).
The hi-tech industry grew thanks to foreign investment in Ibothia, however it is still relatively small in the world as a whole.
Demographics
- Population:
- 4,115,948
- Age Structure:
- 0-14 years: 9.7%
15-64 years: 77.5%
65 years and over: 12.8% - Population Growth Rate:
- 0.913%
- Net Migration
- 0.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population
- Sex Ratio
- at birth: 0.94 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female - Life expectancy
- total population: 79.5 years
male: 77.9 years
female: 80.9 years - Nationality
- noun: Ibothian (singular)/Ibothians (plural)
adjective: Ibothian - Ethnicities
- Ibothian 66.4%, Savamese 15.3%, Other Ascesian 9.7%, Mixed 5.2%, Other 3.4%
- Religions
- Jakarism 83.5%, Isealism 9.5%, Agnostic 2%, Deber 1.5%, Atheist 1.5%, Siriash 0.5%, Other 1.5%
- Language
- Ibothian (Official language), Savamese (Sub-official language), Anzitanian (Sub-official language)
- Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write proficiently
- 2007: 99.1%
* No data available
Culture
Language
- See also: Language in Ibothia
There are three main languages spoken in Ibothia. These are Ibothian, Savamese and Anzitanian, with the latter two being Recognised regional languages. Around 48% choose Ibothian, 27% choose Savamese, 19% choose Anzitanian and 6% choose another language as their first language. Around 12% of the population are at least bilingual, with most speaking either Ibothian and Savamese, or Ibothian and Anzitanian. The constitution, federal law and other applicable government material must be written in all three languages, however Ibothian is the only official language nationally.
Ethnicity
- See also: Ibothian people
The people of Ibothia as a whole, tend to be a mixture of various Ascesian ethnicities, however there is a clear and distinct Ibothian heritage claimed by native Ibothians, who at 66.4%, make up the largest ethnic group in Ibothia. They have slightly darker skin than many other Ascesians, as well falsely claiming to be taller than other Ascesians.
The second largest ethnicity is Savamese. 15.3% of the population claim Savamese ethnicity or heritage. They come primarily from the eastern islands of Nipia, Proguistélla, Xornyia and Róssaqi. Up until the conquest of the 17th and 18th centuries, these islands had on the whole had more contact with Savam than with Ibothia, and strong cultural ties still remain.
Religion
- See also: Jakarism in Ibothia
Ibothia is a secular state, with the main religion being Jakarism. Most Jakarists, who number around 3.4 million, are practitioners of Ibothian Jakarism, a local form of Orthodox Jakarism (as opposed to Transcendent Jakarism) led by the Chief Exemplar. One in ten are practitioners of Isealism, and only one in thirty regard themselves as agnostic or atheist. The most common minority faiths are Deber and Siriash.
Jakarism has had a big influence on Ibothian architecture, with buildings and even several cities, such as Llorelia being built around Kairon lines in an attempt to harness or manipulate Kairon to improve Jakar.
The Arts
Ibothia is relatively small on the international arts scene, however there have been a number of significant musicians, painters and other artists.
Ibothia's classical music scene is relatively similar to that of the rest of Ascesia, with several famed nationalist composers of the early 20th century hailing from Ibothia. Modern 'popular' music in Ibothia crosses various genres.
Art in Ibothia dates back to the neolithic period, but the most famous art in Ibothia comes from around 1750 to 1850.
Architects often design and build buildings to specific guidelines in an attempt to harness "Kairon", a Jakarist concept.
Sport
Sport plays a part in the lives of many Ibothians. Amongst the most popular sports is sailing and surfing, which takes place all along the sunny south coast. Cycling is also common both as a recreation and a means of transport. Football and other team sports are also popular. Ibothia has a history of playing racquet sports, and, despite a decline in popularity during 70s and 80s, tennis, badminton and table-tennis are now amongst the most played sports across the country.
At a competitive level, Ibothia have strong men's and women's national rugby and football teams, but excel in several other sports including cycling, tennis, badminton and xxx.
Ibothia also play host to both the Valerect Badminton Cup (Valerect copa bàdminton) and the Valerect Tennis Cup (Valerect copa tennis), two prestigious tournaments. The Badminton Cup is often seen as the top level tournament in the sport, most likely because - unlike tennis - it has yet to be a Dordanic sport.
National Events and Holidays
Ibothia celebrate their National Day on the 21st of June, or if this is a weekend, then they celebrate on the monday after. The date was chosen in celebration of declaration of the republic by the prince in 1904.
Ibothia day is also celebrated on 1st October. It marks the end of the 1545 War of Unification and the unification of Ibothia.
Schools are given "summer" and "winter" breaks during the rainy and dry seasons, as well as other shorter holiday periods in between.
The National Calendar in Ibothia usually adheres to the holidays set aside by the Ibothian Jakarist group, and those holidays which are used by Jakarists worldwide.
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