Kathia

The Empire of Kathia (Kathic: Fadherighon ka Káþie) is a wealthy, developed nation in Western Aurora. It is bordered by the Kathic Sea to the south. To the north it is bordered by Grothbord, and to the south east, Achysia. Kathia is a Federation of 19 Provinces along with 2 Autonomous Territories, Laszia and West Valentia. Approximately 92 million people live within the borders of Kathia, of which a majority (89%) are ethnically Kathic, while the other 11% are from other various cultures and ethnicities. Kathia has been inhabited for thousands of years, but the people who would eventually become Kathia came from Grothbord. Various independent Kingdoms would eventually rule over what is now Kathia until around 50 BCE when they were subsequently attacked by the expansionist Elyrian Empire. Kathia was ruled by the Elyrian Empire until around 40 CE when several revolts in what is now central Kathia revolted and successfully broke away. The coastal areas remained securely under Elyrian control until The Calamity.

For several centuries, Kathia was dominated by fragmented kingdoms and duchies. The Duke of Corava inherited the Kingdom of Ivadia in 908 AD and renamed his new Kingdom after the former Elyrian name, Kathia. The new Kingdom would slowly grow by way of marriage and conquest to take over much of Kathia and southern Grothbord, and by alliance founded the Confederation with Grothic states. This system lasted until Kathia was defeated by Daeron in 1644. Eventually, Kathia was liberated after his death by Miral the Great, who would declare Kathia and Empire and consolidate power and make the military a main institution in the nation. After losing a the War of Hijjmayan Independence, the Empire racked up a large amount of debt, and raised taxes on the peasantry. The irritated peasants revolted in 1786, and in 1788 the the Empire was over and the Republican forces took hold. After 2 decades of war, Kathia capitulated and Vaszare I was put into power. Kathia remained fairly peaceful throughout the 19th century, and emerged victorious from the First World War. It saw a humiliating defeat to Thrace in the second World War, and a military government headed by Acathe ce Vera was established to free Kathia from Autoctratism.

Today, Kathia is a highly developed and urbanized nation with a GDP of 3.4 trillion, it remains one of the richest nations in the world. Kathia also has a high human development index, and its people are on average some of the most well off. Kathia is a leading member of the Auroran Community, as well a member of the World Concordat Security Council. It also possess one of the largest military budgets in the world and is also recognized as a nuclear weapons possessing state, with around 700 warheads. Today, Kathia is characterized as a representative democracy, wherein the monarch serves in a ceremonial position. It can also be characterized by its 21 provinces, who are federated members of the kingdom.

Early Period
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Elyrian Rule
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Tarillian Rebelion
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Confederation of Kathic and Grothic States
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Later Confederate Years and Daeron
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Kathic Empire
In response to the Kingdom's defeat at the hands of Daeron, Queen Miral announced the foundation of the Kathic Empire on June 1, 1657. The Empire took on a more Autocratic approach, with the military becoming increasing integrated in the monarchy, as well as becoming a full professional army unlike the one defeated by Daeron years earlier. Most Lords lost their position in society as power was increasingly given to the monarch. As the new Empress, Miral introduced large scale militarization of the state, with large parts of the government being tied to the military in an effort to stem the humiliation from the capitulation to Daeron.

Kathic Revolution
Following years of economic decline and a loss in prestige following the defeat in the Valentian War, unrest began to grow among the lower classes. Republican ideals had slowly spread by way of illegal publications since the 1730s with the advent of groups dedicated to establishing a citizen led government. By the end of the war, these publications began to spread like wildfire. The most vocal critic was Loural Bourszane, who was eventually sent into exile in Valdoria in 1781. The Imperial Security Force struggled to stop and sabotage these publications, which were usually just pamphlets. However, on 21 July, 1788 a fire broke out at a publishing house in Atoivale which killed 7 and the Imperial Security Force was quickly blamed. A small riot broke out that night, and many more joined. The city garrison struggled to contain the riots, and many officers even joined. By the end of the 22nd of July, nearly all soldiers in the garrison had joined the riots. The news outraged Emperor Louin XVI who demanded that the riots be put down. However, a large contingent of the military had already been influenced by the Republicans, and more riots began to spring up.

On the 29 July, Loural Bourszane declared a Provisional Republic of Kathia with himself as president. Large contingents of the military pledged allegiance and soon half of Kathia was in rebellion. A provisional government was set up in Mourvile, Avinna. A constitution was drawn up and, among other important steps, established the equal rights of all people no matter their class and declared the Republic to be a secular state. Imperial hardliners were outraged at this declaration, the Emperor sought to have the revolution put down with all forces necessary rather than negotiate. By September the entire coastline had been taken by the revolutionaries, and soon after the fall of Savau the Republican armies were at the gates of Corava. The Seige of Corava began on the 9 September, 1788 and lasted a month.

Industrial Era
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Modern Kathia
Kathia entered the modern period with a large industrial base and a large, growing population. With 65 million people, Kathia was, and had been, the largest nation in Aurora in terms of population. Kathia also had a considerable amount of colonial possessions. In 1494, Kathia established State secularism, and was one of the first nations to do so. During this period of economic prosperity, as well as major advancements in science and technology, there was a great deal of optimism that was soon overshadowed by the First World War. The First World War was devastating to Kathia. Morale at some point was so low that mutiny seemed almost certain. The war drug out and the loss of life became

Geography
Kathia has a wide range of geographical features, with lots of variation by region due to Kathia's large size. Kathia borders Achysia to the south east, Valentine Sea to the direct south, [x] to the north, Edury, Rosvolia, and [x] to the west, and shares a maritime border with Ichoria. Kathia covers an area of 782,314.7 km2, making it one of the largest in Azora. Its elevation varies, from a few points below sea level in the south to mountain peaks in the western Cavordans mountains.

The climate of Kathia varies by region, with warm coastal areas covering am majority of the south, oceanic climate in Laszia, alpine climates in the mountainous regions, and colder climates in the north. The climate has had a major impact on the density of every region in Kathia, with the southern coastal areas being home to just over half the total population of Kathia (52 million people live in a province bordering the Valentine Sea, and a further 8 million live in what is considered "South Kathia"), while provinces in the north tend to have low population densities. The population density can also be attributed to the major river trubtaries in the south, which also create some of the most fertile land in the world, including the large Yal River system. Kathia is also home to copper, bauxite, uranium, and coal deposits.

Climate
Kathia has a varied climate due to its relatively large size, however a vast majority of its land falls under the Oceanic climate, including the central part of its southern coast. This climate is considered to be mild, with cool summers and cool but not too cold winters with a narrow temperature range and few extreme temperatures. A large majority of the population lives within this climate zone, excluding Ivadia, which falls under the Valentine climate zone. The Valentine climate covers much of South Kathia near Achysia and parts of Southwestern Kathia in Brezantia. This area is has dry summers and mild, but wet winters. The northwest of Kathia between the White Sea and Cavodans has a continental climate, which features a very hot summer with a very cold winter, with areas near the mountains featuring a particularly wet (and often snowy) winter.

Wildlife and Environment
Kathia is situated in Western Aurora and has a very diverse ecology with thousands of flowering and vascular plants. It varies in animal species, with around 307 mammal species, 643 bird species, 392 reptile species, and 258 amphibian species. Some species can only be found in certain areas, such as the Alpine Mountains Wolf which only roams in the Callau Mountains National Park, while most bird species can be found all over the nation. The Royal Fish and Wildlife Service protects around 233 species of animals, and runs 76 national parks in the nation. The Kathic Fish and Wildlife Service is overseen and run by the Royal Ministry of the Environment.

There are 76 National Parks in Kathia, consisting of 6.34% of the total land area of the nation. The largest is Illic V National Park, with 3,401 square kilometers of untamed land. The nation has highly prioritized the environment since the early 1500s, and since then the government has made sure to protect the nation's environment. Because of these Environmental policies, the nation is consistently ranked with one of the top environments, having founded National Parks since 1443. Many national parks can be found in the mountainous regions and along the coastal regions, but also include some of the last areas of untamed flatland in Azoria, such as the Litorsza Grasslands National Park.

Administrative Regions
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Provinces
See Also: Provinces of Kathia

Kathia has historically been a federalized state. Up until Daeron, there were many individual duchies within Kathia under the control of the Confederation. However, following the Reforms of Miral the Great, the newly reformed Kathic Empire was a centralized one, and focused heavily on its military. Following the Kathic Revolution, the republic reformed into a Federal state from 1788-1813 when the last-ditch attept Military Government gained control and declared martial law during the last year and a half of the empire. Following the defeat of the Republic, the newly formed Kingdom returned to being a Federal state, with provinces established along their historical boundaries.

There are currently 19 Federal Provinces in the Kingdom of Kathia, and populations vary from 11 million in Ivadia to just over 1 million in many Northern Provinces. The South of Kathia is far more populous, containing well over half of the population of Kathia. Many new immigrants tend to settle in the major populations centers in the south as well.

Voting districts for the Assembly are based on Provincial populations, and change every census.

Counties
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Government and Politics
See Also: Parliament of Kathia

The politics of Kathia take place under the framework established by the Constitution of 1405 (Amended in 1535, 1569, 1595). Kathia is established as a social and democratic nation, wherein the national sovereignty is vested in the people and its constituent subdivisions, from which the state’s powers emanate.

The form of government in Kathia is a crowned republic, that is, a social representative democratic republic in which the monarch (and family) is an official ceremonial entity with no political power. The Premier is the head of state, while the Prime Minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the Government, which is integrated by the Prime Minister, their deputy ministers, and others, collectively forming the Cabinet, or Council of Ministers. Legislative power is vested in the General Parliament, a bicameral parliament constituted by the National Diet and the National Council. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, administering justice officially on behalf of the monarchy by judges and magistrates. The Supreme Court of Appeals of Kathia is the highest court in the nation, with jurisdiction in all Kathic territories, superior in all affairs except constitutional ones, which are the jurisdiction of a separate court, the Constitutional Court.

Kathia’s political system is a multi-party system.

Regional governments function under a system known as Semi-Autonomous Federal Zones, a highly decentralized system of administration. Initially framed as a kind of asymmetrical federalism for regions styled as “historic nationalities”, it has evolved in practice into an approach that permits a devolution of powers for all regions. Exercising the right to self government granted by the National Constitution, Kathia is divided into 26 provinces and 2 autonomous provinces. The form of government in each of these is based on a unicameral parliamentary system, in which executive power is vested in a Vice-Premier and a Council of Ministers, elected and responsible to the legislative body.

The Crown
The Kathic monarch, currently Vaszare IV, is officially called Emperor of the Kathics. He serves as a symbol of the nation’s unity and permanence, representing the Kathic state as a whole in relation to the autonomous communities contained within. The title of Emperor or Empress is proclaimed by the National Council technically, but is de facto a hereditary title. According to the Kathic Constitution, it is incumbent upon to sanction all laws passed by the parliament, to award honors and distinctions, to be informed of the affairs of State, to exercise the right to grant pardons in accordance with national law, and to exercise the High Patronage of the nation’s Royal Academies. He may also ceremonially receive diplomats from foreign nations, but has no rights to make deals or sign treaties on Kathia’s behalf, although he can endorse ones already signed by the Premier and ratified by Parliament.

In practical terms, the Emperor's duties are almost entirely ceremonial, with constitutional provisions worded in such a way to make clear the strictly neutral and apolitical nature of his role. In fact, the Kathic Constitution makes careful use of the expressions, “it is incumbent upon the Emperor”, deliberating omitting other expressions such as “powers,” “faculties”, or “competences”, eliminating any notion of monarchical prerogatives within the parliamentary republic. In the same way, the Emperor does not have supreme liberty in the exercise of his aforementioned functions; these are framed, limited, or exercised “according to the constitution and its laws.” The Emperor is also technically commander-in-chief of the Kathic Armed Forces, but has only symbolic, rather than actual, authority over the military.

Succession
The Katic Constitution establishes explicitly that the National Council has the role of acknowledging legitimate heirs to the Kathic throne. It also establishes the monarchy as being hereditary following a “regular order of primogeniture and representation: earlier line shall precede older; within the same line, closer degree shall precede more distant, within the same degree, male shall precede female, and within the same sex, older shall precede younger.” What this means in practice is that the crown is passed to the firstborn, who has preference over his siblings and cousins; women can only accede to the throne provided they do not have any brothers; and finally “regular order of representation” means that grandchildren have preference over the deceased Emperor’s parents, uncles, or siblings. Finally, if all possible rightful orders of primogeniture and representation have been exhausted, then the National Council will select a successor in the way that best suits the interests of Kathia.

Legislature
Legislative power is vested in the Kathic Parliament as the supreme representatives of the Kathic people and nation. This legislature is bicameral, divided into the National Diet and the National Council. As in most parliamentary systems, more legislative power is vested in the lower chamber, the National Diet. The Speaker of the Diet, also called the Prime Minister, presides over a joint session of the Kathic Parliament. Each chamber of the Parliament meets at separate precincts and carries out their duties separately, except for specific important functions, in which case they meet in a joint session. Such functions include the elaboration of laws proposed by the executive (the Government), by one of the chambers, by an autonomous community, or through popular initiative; and the approval or amendment of the nation’s budget proposed by the Prime Minister.

National Diet
The National Diet must be integrated by a minimum of 244 and a maximum of 302 deputies, currently at 277, elected by universal, free, equal, direct, and secret suffrage. They are elected to four-year terms or until it is dissolved. The voting system used is that of proportional representation with closed party lists following a method in which each province forms a constituency or electoral circumscription and must be assigned a minimum of two deputies; autonomous cities are assigned at least one deputy.

The National Diet can initiate legislation, as well as having the power to ratify or reject decrees adopted by the executive. They also elect the Prime Minister before they can be formally sworn into office by the Premier. The National Diet may adopt a motion of censure whereby it can vote out the Prime Minister by absolute majority. On the other hand, the Prime Minister may request at any time a vote of confidence from the National Diet. If they fail to obtain it, then the Parliament is dissolved, and new elections are called.

National Council
The upper chamber of Kathia’s parliament is the National Council. It is nominally the chamber of territorial representation. Four councilors are elected for each province, with the exception of the insular provinces, in which the number of councilors varies: between three and one are elected for each of these. In addition, the legislative assembly of each autonomous community designates one councilor, with another for each one million inhabitants. This designation must follow proportional representation. Councilors serve four year terms or until the Parliament is dissolved.

The National Council has less power than the National Diet: it can veto legislation, but this veto can be overturned by an absolute majority of the National Diet. Its only exclusive power concerns the nation’s autonomous communities, performing a function in line with its nature of territorial representation. By an absolute majority, the National Council may authorize the Government to adopt measures to enforce an autonomous community’s compliance with its constitutional duties if it has failed to do so.

Premier
The Kathic head of state is the Premier. As Kathia’s parliamentary system of government, the Prime Minister runs the government and day-to-day politics, the role of Premier is to serve as the popularly elected representative of the people in government and ensure its legitimacy. Unlike Kathia’s monarchy, the Premier is not obliged to refrain from expressing their political views. They are expected to give direction to general political and societal debates, and most Kathic Premiers were active politicians or party members prior to office. Under the Kathic constitution, the Premier represents Kathia in matters of international law, concluding treaties with foreign states on its behalf and accredits diplomats.

All federal laws must be signed by the Premier before they come into effect; they do not have a veto, but the constitutionality of their exercising a pocket veto is a subject of debate. The Premier’s role in the political system is perhaps strongest in the establishment of a new government and the dissolution of the Parliament. The Premier is charged with the task of selecting a member of the National Diet to form a government or coalition government as the new Prime Minister, and is constitutionally required to select this individual from a group that commands confidence in the Parliament, or as close as they can get to it. The Premier, together with the National Council, can support the government in a “legislatory emergency state” to enable laws against the will of the National Diet, but has never exercised these powers.

Government and Council of Ministers
At the national level, executive power is shared between the Premier and the Government. The Government is composed by a Prime Minister, one or more deputy prime ministers, and all other ministers. The collegiate body composed by the Prime Ministers, the deputy prime ministers, and all other ministers is called the Council of Ministers. The Government is in charge of both domestic and economic policies, with foreign policy largely being the purview of the Premier.

The constitution established that after elections, the Premier, once they have consulted with all political groups represented in the Parliament, proposes a candidate to the “leadership of the government.” The candidate then presents the political program or their government requesting the Parliament’s confidence. If the Parliament grants them confidence by absolute majority, the Premier then nominates them formally as “Prime Minister of the Government”; if they fail to obtain absolute majority, the Parliament waits 48 hours to vote again, in which case, a simple majority suffices. If they fail again, then the Premier presents other candidates until one gains confidence. However, if after two months no candidate has obtained it, then the Premier dissolves the Parliament and calls for new elections. In practice, the candidate has been the leader of the party with the largest number of seats in Parliament.

After the candidate obtains the confidence of the Parliament, they are appointed by the Premier as Prime Minister in a ceremony of inauguration in which they are sworn in at the Royal Palace in the presence of the Emperor. The candidate takes the oath of office over an open copy of the Constitution. The Prime Minister proposes the deputy prime ministers and other ministers, which are then appointed by the Premier. The number and scope of competences of each of the Ministries is established by the Prime Minister. Ministries are usually created to cover one or several sectors of government from an administrative function. Once formed, the Government meets as the Council of Ministers. The meeting may also be presided by the Premier, by request of the Prime Minister or if they are suddenly otherwise deposed, in which case the Council informs the Premier of the state’s affairs.

Council of State
The constitution also establishes the Council of State, a supreme advisory council to the Kathic government. Though the body has existed intermittently since the middle ages, its current composition and nature of its work are defined in the Constitution and subsequent laws that have been published. It is currently composed by a President, nominated by the Council of Ministers, several ex officio councilors - former Prime Ministers, directors or Presidents of the Royal Kathic Academy, the Royal Academy of Legislation and Jurisprudence, the Royal Academy of History, the Social and Economic Council, the Attorney General of the State, the Chief of Staff, the Governor of the Bank of Kathia, the Director of the Juridical Service of the State, and the Presidents of the General Commission of Codification and Law - several permanent councilors, appointed by decree, and no more than ten elected councilors in addition to the Council’s Secretary General. The Council of State serves only as an advisory body, that can give non-binding opinions upon request and to propose an alternative solution to the problem presented.

Judiciary
The Judiciary in Kathia is integrated by judges and magistrates who administer justice, technically in the name both of the Emperor and the people. The Judiciary is composed of different courts depending on the jurisdictional order and what is to be judged. The highest ranking court of the Kathic judiciary is the Supreme Court of Appeals, with jurisdiction in all of Kathia, superior in all matters except in constitutional law. The Supreme Court is headed by a Chief Justice, nominated by the Premier, proposed by the General Council of the Judiciary, and contains within it 21 Justices. This institution is the government body of the Judiciary, integrated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals, ten members appointed by the Premier for a ten year non-repeatable term, among whom there are twelve judges and magistrates of all judicial categories, seven members nominated by the National Diet, and four by the National Council, elected by three-fifths of their respective members. They are to be elected from among lawyers and jurists of acknowledged competence and with over 15 years of professional experience.

The Constitutional Court has jurisdiction over all of Kathia, competent to hear appeals against the alleged unconstitutionality of laws and regulations having the force of law, as well as individual appeals for protection against violation of the rights and liberties granted by the constitution. It consists of nine members, four appointed by the Premier, three elected by the National Diet, and two elected by the National Council. They are required to be renowned magistrates and prosecutors, university professors, public officials or lawyers, all of them jurists with recognized competence or standing and more than 15 years of professional experience.

Regional government
The second article of Kathia’s constitution declares the Kathic nation as the common and indivisible homeland of all Kathics, integrated by nationalities and regions to which the constitution recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government. Since the most recent constitution, these nationalities and regions progressively acceded to self-government and were constituted into X autonomous communities. In addition, X autonomous cities were constituted from existing historical divisions. The administrative and political territorial division is known as the “State of Autonomies”. Though highly decentralized, Kathia is not a federation since the nation, as represented in the central institutions of government, retains full sovereignty.

The State, that is, the central government, has progressively and asymmetrically devolved or transferred power and competences to uniform provinces and autonomous communities after the most recent constitution came into effect. Each province and autonomous community is governed by a set of institutions established in its own Charter of Autonomy. The Charter of Autonomy is the basic organic institutional law, approved by the legislature of the community itself, as well as the National Parliament. The Charter of Autonomy establishes the name of the province or community according to its historical identity; the delimitation of its territory; the name, organization, and seat of the autonomous institutions of government; and the competences that they assume and the foundations for their devolution or transfer from the central government.

All provinces and autonomous communities have a unicameral parliamentary form of government, with a clear separation of powers. Their legislatures represent the people of the community, exercising legislative power within the limits set forth in the constitution and the degree of devolution that the community has attained. Even though the central government has progressively transferred roughly the same amount of competences to all communities, devolution is still asymmetrical. More power was devolved to the so-called historical nationalities.

Local government
The Constitution also guarantees a certain degree of autonomy to other “local” entities: the municipalities (subdivisions of provinces). Kathic municipal administration is highly homogenous; most of the municipalities have the same faculties, such as managing the municipal police, traffic enforcement, urban planning and development, social services, collecting municipal taxes, and ensuring civil defense. Spanish municipal administration is highly homogenous; most of the municipalities have the same faculties, such as managing the municipal police, traffic enforcement, urban planning and development, social services, collecting municipal taxes, and ensuring civil defense. In most municipalities, citizens elect the municipal council, which is responsible for electing the mayor, who then appoints a board of governors or councilors from his party or coalition. The only exceptions are municipalities with under 50 inhabitants, which act as an open council, with a directly elected major and an assembly of neighbors. Municipal elections are held every four years on the same date for all municipalities in Kathia. Councilors are allotted using proportional representation with the exception of municipalities with under 100 inhabitants where block voting is used instead. The number of councilors is determined by the population of the municipality.

Military
See: Royal Kathic Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Kathia contain four main branches- The Royal Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and the Royal Marines. The Royal Kathic Armed Forces are one of the largest in Aurora and have the largest global presence compared to it's neighbors. The Royal Army is the largest branch, with about 550,000 people, many of which are stationed in overseas bases. The Royal Air Force fields over 650 fighters and also commands the nations nuclear arsenal of about 1,000 warheads. The Royal Navy is also large, with 5 nuclear air craft carriers. The Royal Marines field about 75,000 troops. The Gendarmerie, the Military Police, is also a branch of the Armed Forces.

The Royal Kathic Army has been in existence since 617 AD, making it one of the oldest armed forces still in existence. It had deep roots with the monarchy until the fall of the Kathic Empire in 1815. The Army has operated, since it's founding, on every continent in one conflict or another. Until 1800, the army was mostly made up of peasants looking to raise their status in society. It was reformed by Hatheron in 1800 to become a professional military and has remained that way ever since.

The Royal Kathic Navy is one of the largest and most active in the world. It is the most active naval force in the Elyrian Sea, and one of the most active in the Allonian Sea. It has many overseas bases, with the largest on the Bir Taviq Islands. With it's 5 air craft carriers and numerous destroyers, cruisers, and nuclear submarines, it is one the largest in the world and one of the largest in Aurora.

The Royal Kathic Air Force is the second largest branch in the Royal Kathic Armed Forces, and has around 650 fighter aircraft. The Air Force also controls Kathia's nuclear arsenal, which is one of the largest in the world with around 700 warheads.

Economy
Kathia is a high income country, with a GDP per capita of $39,000. Kathia has an extensive mix of private and public companies. Between 1968 and 1987 public and government owned companies dominated the nation until the 1989. economic crises that resulted in the government selling off many of the companies to private investors. These companies included Air Kathia, Kathicom, as well as many banking, insurance, and defense companies. Healthcare services are still mostly government funded and owned. Banking and financial services are an important part of the economy. The Imperial Bank of Vydau and the Bank of Kathia are two of the world's largest banks. Evas is one of the largest insurance companies maintaining a presence on most continents. Due to it's vast and large fertile plains, Kathia is a large agriculture exporter. It has one of the largest automotive industries, as well as the civilian division of Airbus where the A320, A330, A350, and A380 are assembled.

The service sector comprises of 73% of the economy, with industry making up around 21%, and agriculture makes 2% of the economy as a whole. Unemployment is low and is as of recent started a decline and is now down to 3.9%, due to job creation in the past year. The Royal Ministry of Education's funds provide free education from ages 5 to college, as such most Kathians are considered to be skilled workers. Many companies hire people from other lower income/poorer nations for unskilled labor jobs. This has been criticized but many see it as a necessity due to the lack of unskilled native Kathic workers. Kathia also recieves a large foreign direct investment. This is mainly due to a vast tourist economy, low corruption, as well as being a high income country.

Kathia has a near equal trade balance. It is one of the world's biggest exporting nations, and many exports include financial services and banking, fashion products, software, aerospace products and components, arms, automobiles, civil nuclear technology, raw materials, electronic hardware, and pharmaceuticals. Many major imports include crude oil, uranium, various metals, electronics, automobiles, and plastics.

Kathia's currency is the Auroran Orys, which is a shared currency between nations of the Auroran Community. The Orys is regulated by the Auroran Central Bank.

Energy
Energy in Kathia is mostly nuclear and is generated by Royal Electricity. Nuclear power expanded dramatically in the 1560s, and by 1580 Kathia was the first nation to produce more than 50% of its total power by nuclear means. Today, 85% of Kathia's power is generated from its 76 nuclear power plants and a further 11% is generated by other sources of renewable energy. Among the nations in the AC, Kathia has the lowest output of carbon emissions. Continued expansion of nuclear energy has been a policy of Hamilcan Szeb, who stated in 2019 that Kathia will source 95% of its energy from nuclear power by 2035, and 100% on renewable energy that same year as well with continued expansion of solar and wind farms.

Power in Kathia is supplied by the Imperial Power Corporation, who runs the nuclear power stations. The Imperial Power Corporation was formed in 1566 when the power industry was nationalized under the Landac Administration following the slow progress on establishing new nuclear power stations as well as the Fadhesza Power Plant Incident the previous year in which the oil power plant suffered from an explosion. Since the establishment of the IPC, Kathia's reliance on nuclear power went from just under 10% to 85% 4 decades later.

Rail
The passenger rail network in Kathia is fully nationalized under the Imperial Rail. Due to the density of the population, the rail network has remained robust and well used, and is under constant improvement by the Ministry of Transportation. The rail network is connected to the larger Azoran Community rail network, and due to Kathia's central position geographically making it very connected with its neighbors. Ravonne is the central hub of the Kathic rail network, due to its prominence as the capital as well as its geographic position near the center of the country and being somewhat close to the populated coastline of the Empire. Kathia was a lead developer of the Azoran High Speed Rail network, as such the high speed rail network in Kathia is very developed, and several more lines are being planned to connect some of the more populous areas in Northern Kathia with high speed rail.

The freight network, unlike the passenger network, is private. The industry has consildated laregly into two companies Capital Rail Freight based in Ravonne and North Kathia Rail based in Anceava. There have been no serious attempts to nationalize the industry, however some smaller lines are nationalized such as the Kevale Railway due to its relative unprofitability in the 1570s and 80s.

There are several metropolitan railway networks in Kathia, notably in Ravonne and Monitava, where millions of riders utilize the respective networks every year. These networks are public, as all passenger rail in Kathia is public. Other such networks exist in Lavala and Vorhaven, and on a smaller scale in cities such as Saint Illic and Mourthal. Ravonne, Monitava, Lavala, and Vorhaven also boast large metro systems, while most medium to large cities have streetcars or light rail networks.

Air
Of the 406 airports in Kathia, 7 are considered major airports, Acathe ce Vera International Airport, Ravonne-Vourlau Airport Monitava-Vourane International Airport, Lavala-Landac International Airport, Vydau International Airport, Vorhafven International Airport, and St. Illic International Airport. The busiest being Acathe ce Vera international, with over 68 million passengers handled in 2015. This is followed by Monitava Airport, with 61 million passengers handled in 2015. The national flag carrier is Air Kathia, but budget airlines make up a substantial amount of travellers carried inside Kathia and Aurora, with the major budget airlines being Aurorair and AirRosa. The largest port in Kathia is the Port of Moniteau, followed closly by the port of Cijao in East Valentia.

Road


There are 1,027,183 kilometres of road available in Kathia, making it the most extensive in Aurora. Virtually all Autoroutes begin in the Ravonne region and connect to virtually the entire nation and subsequently all of Azora. With Kathia being a major block and stepping stone to the east and west of Azora, it handles a lot of international road traffic from both directions east to west, with a large amount of traffic comming in from the north to the south to the ports of Lavala or Monitava. Most of the roads are owned by the state, and maintained by the provinces they are in. Most of the road budget is paid for via tolls on the Autoroutes. Kathia has a large auto industry, with it's own brands making up more than 58% of car sales in the country; Iszada (21% of cars sold in Kathia), Savaeu (18%), Avima (14%), Vernou (5%), the luxery brand Reva accounts for a further 4% of sales with the microcar brand Keveda accounting for just under 2%. As of 2015, there were 76 million privately owned vehicles in Kathia.

Waterways


Kathia has historically had and relied on its rivers as a mode of transport. Considered by early Kings to be the "veins of Kathia", they have provided Kathia with large swaths of fertile land to farm on and stretch throughout as a means to transport not only agricultural, but other goods as well. While not as prominent as they once were, rivers remain an important part of Kathia's internal and international transportation network due to the ability of barges and small ships to transport larger amounts of goods than trucks or aircraft can, often only beaten by rail by the amount of tonnage that can be transported in one sitting. The River Yal and its tributary system is considered the most important river system in all of Kathia and one of the most important systems in the world.

Demographics
With 95.1 million people, making Kathia is one of the most populous nations in the world, and the most populous in Aurora and the Auroran Community. Kathia is an outlier in terms of natural births, with a fertility rate of 2.01. A majority of Kathics, around 57.1 million or 60%, live in South Kathia (this includes Southeast, South Central, Southwest Kathia). The other 40% of the population lives in North Kathia and West Valentia.

The most populous group, at 89%, is the Kathic People. Most Kathics descend from a Grothbordians who fled what is now Grothbord and the Far North of Kathia after The Calamity, which caused widespread crop failures and starvation in their lands. The conquored and settled in what is now Central Kathia, and intermingled with the Elyrians and adopted many of parts of the culture and customs as well as introducing their own customs, creating the Early Kathic culture and language.

Ethnic Groups
Kathia also has a large and growing immigrant population, mainly from former colonies and developing nations in Dihara and Tarsis. A majority of the new population growth in Kathia over the next 40 years is expected to come from immigrants rather than native Kathics. The population is expected to reach 100 million by 2035, and the immigrant population is expected to make up over 17% of the total population by then. There are around 77 million ethnic Kathics living in Kathia. There are around 4.9 million Laszians living in Kathia, who make up around 5% of the total population. Kathics can be subdivided into those who originate from Elyrians, those who are mostly Grothic, and mixed Elyrian and Grothic. The distinctions between Grothic and Elyric Kathics has become increasingly hard to define, as with time the distinction becomes less prevalent. However, North Kathia remains somewhat tied with Grothbord in some aspects (excluding Laszia). The next largest minority are the Valentines, who make up 3% of the population at 2.8 million people.

Around 10% of the population is foreign born (or 9.5 million). Kathia has the largest Zhenian population in Aurora, with a vast majority residing in Monitava, which has the largest Little Zhenia in Aurora. There are around 25,000 Amilians in Kathia, mostly in Monitava.

Major Cities
See Also: Provinces of Kathia

Language
According to the Kathic Constitution, the official language of Kathia is Kathic, which is an Elyrian language. The Kathic Language is taught in every school within the public and private school system. Everyone in Kathia is also required to learn High Elyrian, which remains the working language in Aurora and most international institutions. Laszian and Valentine are also spoken by a significant minority of the population outside of the ethnic Laszians and Valentines who speak it. As such, many in both provinces can speak three languages. Immigrants have long formed their own communities within Kathic cities, and still speak their mother tongue as a result. Today, around 65-75% of the immigrant community speaks a language other than Kathic at home.

There are many dialects of Kathic, notably Ravonni dialect, Ivadian, Lakes Accent, Maszalian, and Mountain dialects. Standardized Kathic came about under the rule of Roune III in the 12th century AC with the establishment of the Imperial Language Committee, which still meets today under the name Kathic Language Forum. Brezentine is a separate language, but is similar to Kathic with Grothic influences in the language, but is more Elyric than Kathic. Today, Brezentine is generally confined to the coastal areas around Saint Mauric and is spoken by around 250,000 people.

Religion
The current constitution of Kathia grants freedom of religion, and states that Kathia is a secular nation with separation of church and state, and as such the only mention of religion in the constitution is that the state guarantees the right to religious freedom. However, a large majority of Kathics (71%) still consider themselves religious or at least spiritual. In the 2012 Kathic Census, 60% of people stated they belonged to a Vayonist Church, 11% other, with 31% with either no preference or stating they were atheist.

Vayonism has been the dominant religion in Kathia for more than a millenium. A majority of the religious buildings and institutions in Kathia are linked to the Vayonist Church. With the Kathic Revolution, the clergy was removed from their previous position of power within the nation, and the Republic declared itself secular with the 1483 Constitution. Since then, Kathia has remained secular, but the church still holds sway in many people's lives. Wile Vayonism has been the dominant religion in Kathia for over 1,500 years, the prevelance of Vayonism is waning as an ever increasing number of Kathics declare themselves atheist or agnostic. But, a vast majority of religious buildings (around 95%), are related to Vayonism.

Health
Healthcare in Kathia can be divided into two sectors: Public and Private. The Government offers insurance for those whose companies do not offer it or those that can not afford private insurance. Government premiums generally cost no more than $110 per month. People under the age of 18 are covered, by law, by their parent's premiums and can continue to be covered by their parent's plan until they are 25. Once people reach the age of 25, they must have some sort of health insurance either provided by their employer or the government.

Private companies must offer core universal care package, which includes the cost of prescription medicines. There can be no cost differences between young or old, healthy or sick. It is illegal in Kathia for insurers to refuse someone health insurance based on health or age alone. However, if a company falls into the "small business" bracket or its revenue is below a certain amount, it is not required to offer insurance to its employees.

Education
Education in Kathia is free from ages 6 or 7 through ages 17 or 18. Education is divided into three tiers: Primary education through 5th Grade, Secondary education through 12th Grade, and higher education at the university level. Students are required to complete Primary and Secondary levels of education.

Each province manages their own education systems for Primary and Secondary education systems. As such, teacher pay and quality of education can vary between provinces. Homeschooling was allowed in Kathia until 2013, and before it was outlawed, just under 2% of children were home schooled. From 18 months to age 4 or 5, children may be enrolled in state-sponsored pre-schools where children can learn numbers, get a basic grasp on language, and lear socialization skills. Approximately 80-85% of students were enrolled in a pre-school program in 2016. Around the age of 5 or 6, students transfer to elementary school until the age of 11-12, when the transfer to secondary education.

Upon completing secondary education at age 17 or 18, students have the option of attending a four year university. University in Kathia is not free, however the state will cover most of the cost of university through taxes and grants, and most provinces have programs for tuition assistance. The average university student pays no more than ₭2,200 for in-province tuition, and no more than ₭3,400 per semester. Meals and rooms are provided by universities for free, however most universities have other meal options from chain restaurants that are not free. Each province has it's own University system, however there are many Private Universities which can be more expensive. The government will help students in covering much of the cost of attending private universities, however the average cost per semester is much more on average at around ₭5,000.

Art
Early Kathic Art was heavily influenced by Vayonism. However Kathic art remained in high esteem during the middle ages. The advent of forced-perspective greatly influenced Renaissance art, and artists such as Illic Ayal ce Vourdan became widely known and was invited to work in the Royal Court from 1034-1044 AC. Under Miral the Great, the Imperial Institute of the Arts was established until it was abolished in 1385 (although it had stopped functioning as a whole in 1382). The Imperial Institute of the Arts included some of the most prestigious painters of the late Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods, and was reestablished as the the Institute of the Arts in 1390 and again as the Royal Institute of the Arts in 1405, and continues to operate to this day with a campuses in Ravonne, Monitava, Lavala, Vydau, and Vorhafven.

Rocco style was endorsed by the Imperial Court, with works by Heydon Foural being among the most prominent. The Kathic Revolution saw a dramatic shift from Baroque and Rocco to Neoclassical style art, which was the preferred style of the Republicans. Romanticism also developed during this time, and by the end of the Republican Wars was the dominant art style until Impressionism too hold in Ravonne a few decades later.

Following the Revolution, Kathia became a major center or art and painting. The Second Kingdom became a major supporter of the arts, with major funding by the Royal Family. During the mid and late 15th century, Ravonne became a major center for and. The most famous of these artists were Ilya Roudan, Goura Kyrau, Adolfe Gjellan, and Karlan Voeran.

Cuisine
See Also: Kathic cuisine Kathic cuisine is renowned for being one of the finest in the world. Dishes differ by region, with more hearty meals such as meat and beef in the North and Central parts of Kathia, while seafood is quite popular in the Elyrian Sea provinces. Kathia is renowned for its wine. Viticulture has long been a part of the Kathic identity since long before the Elyrians arrived.

A meal will usually consist of an entree, main course, and either a cheese plate or dessert (or sometimes both). An entree can either be some sort of soup, sandwich, or tapas (more common in the South of Kathia). While the main course can be steak frites, a stew, or fish. Many dishes are well suited for home cooking, which makes Kathic dishes popular worldwide.

Many popular dishes include Crepes, various stews and soups, and. Kathia is also renowned for its pasteries, cheeses, and bread. Kathic people are also one of the largest consumers of coffee. With a heavy emphasis on local and fresh ingredients, Kathic cuisine is regarded as a key element in the quality of life in Kathia.

Cinema
Kathia has strong ties in the world of Cinema. Both Ravonne and Monitava are considered major centers of film production. The first film made in Kathia was directed by Myal Oyan in 1485. Kathia has since been considered at the forefront of the film industry, and has been the center of several film movements such as in the late 1540s. Kathia is a large film producer, and is one of the largest film producers in Kathia.

Ravonne, prior to the Second World War, was where a vast majority of Kathic films were produced. Following the war, Monitava overtook Ravonne as the film capital of Kathia. the 1550-1590s are often considered the golden age of Monitavan dominance in film. However, more recently, more films are being produced in Vydau and Lavala. Even so, a vast majority of films are still produced in Monitava.

Architecture
Kathia has a long and varied history with architecture, producing some the most well known architects and buildings. During the middle ages, large, fortified castles were built by feudal lords as a display of their power and wealth, and today several have survived and remain popular tourist attractions. Castles such as the Vournau Castle, Bourszois Castle, Kelal Castle, and several partially destroyed castles in Southwest Kathia provide some of the finest examples of Kathic architecture from the middle ages. during the middle ages, much like the rest of western and central Aurora, remained the most common style used in construction.

Cathedrals also provided a way for the state to showcase is power and wealth. The most important of these being the Island Cathedral in Ravonne, which took several hundred years to complete. Every Kathic monarch since Illic III has been crowned in the Vourszal Cathedral, which was constructed 890s AC. Most cathedrals built during the middle ages to the Renaissance were built in Ravonnic style architecture. Renaissance styles appeared first in the 8th century AC, and were promoted by King Louin V, who himself dabbled in architecture. The Caslte Monivau is one of the most important renaissance style buildings constructed in Kathia, and is one of the finest examples of residences constructed in the Val River Valley. By the 12th century, replaced the renaissance styles. Baroque became popular not just in religious architecture, but also in the secular sector, with many state funded buildings constructed under the Kathic Empire. The Amouin Palace is a famous example, with its extensions designed by Aylal ce Vourdau, and he also designed the extensions to the Ravonne Palace under Illic VI. The War Veterans Hall is another example of baroque style under the Empire, with its dome constructed in the 13th century AC.

During the Late Empire period, became the more popular style, and was the favored style under the Republic. The Hatheron Arch, Palace of the Victorious, and the Ravonne Pantheon is a famous example of this type of architecture. This style persisted through until the World Wars, with fluctuating popularity.

Under the rule of Vaszare II, Second Kingdom style became the dominant style, and is best represented by the Renovation of Ravonne which saw the demolition of most of the city center and the construction of wide streets to accommodate the growing city's needs, as well as a display of prowess by the new government. Prominent architects such as Illic-Vourdan ce Bourszal and Heydon Vourszac, who designed many structures but is best remembered for his Vouszac Tower. The construction of Monitava also provided many great examples of Second Kingdom architecture. However, almost all of the original city was destroyed during the First Battle of Monitava and further by the Second Battle of Monitava.

The 17th Century AC say modernist architecture develop. Yis Voudal became one of the most prominent architects of the early modernist period, and designed several homes between 1495-1507. Following the Second World War, Monitava was rebuilt to mid-century modernist standards, and is now home the largest concentration of skyscrapers in Kathia and Aurora. The redevelopment of both Lavala and Vydau have yielded similar results, but Ravonne imposed restrictions in 1559. Kathia was a major center of International style and State modernist architecture, and an early adopter of Structural Expressionism as seen in the Imperial Center.

Literature
The earliest traces of Kathic literature can be traced to the Middle Ages, and much of the early works are inspired by religious Vayonist texts. However, many early scholarly works were produced as well, as Louin II took matters of science as very important. Many early Kathic scientific works, such as The Encyclopedia on the Matters of Astrology and On the Ecology of Western Aurora were written during this period, and were later reused during the Renaissance.

During the Renaissance, Yis Hourane's The Independence of Man is of notable importance due to his fervent anti-religious stance, a rarity for the era. Poets such as Kyral Gourdau became prominent, and Gourdau was invited to the Imperial Court. Gourdau, along with Yæra Ollal perfected the poem, and both have long been praised for their style by both contemporaries and people long after. Gourdau is by many aspects considered one of the greatest writers to come from Kathia. Her plays such as Vourszau and King Illic of Rodan had profound influence in the world of not only plays but literature as a whole, and several of her works are taught by schools all over the world.

In the 14th century, Karlan Houszau published his famous Encyclopedia of the Current World, which to this day continues to be published. The 14th as well as the 15th century saw many famous works such as My Nephew, the Murderer, A Man in Ravonne, and The Fate of Karlan. While the 15th century saw writers such as Illic Hourdal, often considered the greatest Kathic writer and novelist of all time. Hourdal excelled in many genres, and was an early writer in Romanticism. His works such as Hatheron and Thoughts of the Mad King are considered masterpieces in novel writing. Houdan was also an established poet, and his book of poems, To Live Near the River Yal is considered to be one of the greatest collections of poems of all time.

Media
Kathia is characterized by its, as described in Article 1 of the 1536 Constitution. There are many daily newspapers in Kathia, with the most popular being The Monitavan and The World. The newspaper industry as a whole has been characterized by its steady decline in readership due to the advent of the internet. However, The Monitava and The World both have circulation of around 650,000 copies. There are several other daily and evening newspapers which also remain in wide circulation, as well as several regional and provincial newspapers owned by the Royal Kathic Corporation for Radio and Broadcasting.

Between 1535 and 1560, the Royal Kathic Corporation for Radio and Broadcasting held a monopoly on television and radio news media in Kathia. In 1560, the government allowed private media companies to form. RKCRB, often shortend to Kathia Television, is mostly public, with its news channel being the most watches news outlet in the nation. The 1590s saw a large shift towards cable news, the largest of which is Kathic Broadcasting. Cable news, however remains less popular than Kathic Television's news channel.

Fashion
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Holidays
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Sport
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