Suvmia

Introduction

The Democratic Republic of Suvmia, more commonly referred to as just Suvmia, is a nation that takes up a part of the North-eastern continent. It does not share a direct border with any other nation. Suvmia also has part of the West River. It also has a coastline in the east with the Stisp Ocean. Its total size comes in at a massive 31 million square kilometres, with a total of 7 billion people. On average, there are about 36 Suvmians per square kilometre, making this nation sparsely populated in rural areas. Suvmia is the Democratic Republic and is comprised of 14 states.

The nation was originally the site of an ancient people who lived nomadically throughout the land, but they were systematically removed by colonizers from Forza2cheater. Originally, Suvmia was a colony of Forza2cheater until the Suvmian Revolution in 1644. Suvmia had a steady supply of resources to trade and remained on good terms with their former rulers. After the internal collapse of Forza2cheater, Suvmia took its place as the dominant world power.

Suvmia is classified as a regional power and is very influential in its region, The United Ascendancy, as the Secretary of State and a founding member. It has a very well functioning economy, as well as moderately high political freedoms and civil rights. Suvmia is a member of many international organizations, such as the World Assembly.

Etymology
The national animal of Suvmia is the Gray Whale, which is pictured here. The national animal was under heated debate for many years, until the nation eventually settled on the whale. The first animal that Suvmia chose to represent the country was the Fan-tailed Raven, which represented intelligence and cunning, as well as military prowess. Eventually, the national animal was put up to a vote, where it was narrowly passed in the House of the Collective 179-171. There was then a national referendum, where animals were voted for across all the states. The gray whale won by a decently sized margin and was passed into law. The gray whale represents strength, solidarity, and peacefulness.

History
The first known inhabitants of Suvmia and surrounding territories were the Iahormirch, who probably originated on the continent in around 5000 BCE. However, by the time of colonization, many groups had formed and settled the land, such as the Fyiyany and the Ouglory. These groups were mostly nomadic and moved from place to place wherever there happened to be more abundant resources.

Settlers arrived in the early 1400s, and slowly explored the entire nation. By the late 15th century, the whole nation had been explored, with some settlements created. Some major settlements included Fort Armistead, Fort Defiance, and the town of Detrick, which you may know today as our capital, Warsaw. The settlers were on good terms with the native peoples of the area and engaged openly in both relationships and trade. Sadly, however, unfamiliar diseases brought back by the settlers killed off a large majority of the native people of the nation, leaving the area basically empty.

Settlers continued to expand settlements throughout the century, until the early 17th century. People that lived in the area were highly taxed from their parent country and were dissatisfied with their treatment. This lead to protests and uprisings throughout the late 1630s and early 1640s, which finally culminated in the signing of the Suvmian Decleration of Independence, which started the revolutionary war. the war started with the signing of the declaration on August 8th, 1644. Prominent signer and military figure, Richard B. Lewis, was in charge of the Suvmian army, leading them to a quick victory in 1652. This marked the end of the war and the beginning of complete independence for Suvmia. At first, there were many debates over the type of government the newly freed nation should form. Many called for very traditionalist values associated with conservatism, but classic liberalism won out. Richard B. Lewis won the first presidential election almost unanimous vote.

President Lewis served for 11 years, dying of a stroke 3 years into his third term. His vice president, Jack Thompson, then assumed the presidency for the remaining year of the term. He was unpopular with the public, as he was regarded as a corrupt politician due to his shady dealings with the Orcon mining corporation. He lost the following election in 1662, and Tom Munroe was elected president. Due to the lack of term limits, Tom Munroe remained president for an impressive 16 years, before being narrowly defeated by Charles Tupper of the up and coming Progressive party. He remained the president for several years, in which Suvmias economy was quite successful due to the immense amount of factory and manual labour jobs. the huge timber supply alone was enough to support any nations economy. But as we near the end of the 17th century, all is not well. Workers have become uncomfortable and irritable, protesting unfair and unsafe work conditions across the country.

These protests culminated in a week-long protest at the government buildings, basically trapping some government officials. They were eventually forced to pass laws to improve labour standards across the country, and the workers were satisfied. The economy continued to grow at a very steady rate, and there was very little protest in the streets to the state of things. All was well in the nation. Up until 1784, when the natural resources market crashed. Riots filled the streets as hundreds of thousands of workers were laid off. The government was in a complete panic, and the country was thrown into turmoil. Taxes were skyrocketing, with the government unable to support the various services it provided. The economy had crashed overnight. However, after 3 months of protests and government panic, Chester A. Arthur, a low-level politician, began campaigning with the Workers Union Party in order to become president. They ran on a platform of economic security, and the prevention of future economic collapses.

An election was called early, and the WUP one by a huge margin. They delivered almost immediately on their promise, starting the Suvmian National Trust Fund, which collected 1% of all the taxes of the fiscal year and saved them in a fund which could be used to "reboot" the economy in the event of collapse such as this. With workers and other suvmians rejuvenated with this new policy, it encouraged them to find a place in the workforce to earn a living. Surprisingly, this led most of them to the military.

With the economy steadily on the rise again, most Suvmians had enlisted in the reserve forces or the regular armed forces. This proved useful because, in 1822, Suvmia was violently thrust into the First Great War. An important Suvmian military base abroad had been attacked by the Axis powers. Suvmia entered the war, and due to its high number of ground soldiers. They still suffered heavy losses, and the workforce wasn't nearly as strong as it had been before the war. This lead to a stagnated economy, which negatively affected the nation for decades to come.

This led straight into another period of economic growth, brought on by a renewed interest in the mining sector. A “gold rush” had begun, bringing thousands of new miners to the south-east to mine for gold and other precious minerals. This was, however, lucrative, and quickly died out.

This leads us into 1844 when the north part of Suvmia seceded from the actual country due to ideological differences. The North felt that states should be more independent, while the rest of the country wanted to be very unified and under the federal government. This started the Suvmian civil war, with the north under their “independence” flag, and Suvmia under its flag. The war lasted only a year and a half, with a quick victory for Suvmia.

Following the civil war, Suvmia was weaker than it had usually been, still trying to kill independence supported riots. This provided a perfect opportunity for a neighbouring country to attack. While Suvmian troops had just returned home, Suvmia was attacked by them in 1854. Suvmia was caught completely off guard by this and was defeated in a serious of battles. The enemy forces were marching on the capital, Warsaw, and government officials were panicking. With the army weakened, and the country more split than ever, this was a truly dark time for Suvmia.

The offensive on Suvmia carried on for several years, with defeat after defeat for the Suvmian army. Thousands of square kilometres were lost throughout the land, and the army was demoralized. Finally, Suvmian forces had taken positions to defend Warsaw, in a "last stand". As forces gathered around the city, morale was very low.

Then, as the generals were gathering in their bunkers away from the front, a common soldier came forward and spoke to the soldiers. He motivated them to have hope, and believe that they could succeed. The enemy forces were overconfident and spent almost no effort on the final attack. But when they did attack, Suvmia was ready. The enemy was met with ferocity and quickly retreated from the battle with heavy losses. Suvmia has won the day, and the soldier was given a Medal of Honor.

The war trudged on, and months turned into years. While the enemy had won many battles early in the war, Suvmia had begun to systematically win back their lost land, with assistance from its allies. The enemy was battled back to the border, with both sides feeling the strain of a prolonged campaign. This culminated in the Battle of Fort Armistead. Both sides prepared for battle, and the enemy fortified the fort in preparation for the days to come. After nearly a fortnight of artillery bombardment, a land force was marched onto the fort. The enemy was defeated by midday.

With the threat gone and cities being rebuilt, Suvmia breathed a sigh of relief. After 8 long years of war, it was over. But there was much rebuilding to be done. Schools had to be rebuilt, and roads made. This, of course, took a very long time. after 60 years of rebuilding, Suvmia had finally recovered from this offensive. This leads us to 1922.

With the 20s in full swing, many natural resources were becoming scarce due to the immense overuse of them. The mining industry had taken a hit especially, due to the number of metals needed to rebuild the countries uncountable amount of roads and bridges. The timber industry was also taking a hit, with many forests being destroyed by clear-cutting. This resulted in the Environmental Protection Act, which regulated the industries and companies that were abusing the natural resources and making them unsustainable. This greatly improved environmental conditions across the country, making life more enjoyable for many Suvmians.

Another 30 years pass, and it leads us to the Naptha War. It was called this because of the use of Naptha Bombs, which devastated wherever it attacked. This was fought abroad throughout poorer countries. This war was fought in defiance of other world powers disagreeing with Suvmia's government in the international community. Suvmia's aggressive tactics proved superior, and the international community was forced to halt sanctions and embargos against Suvmia.

In 1960, the public turned their eyes upwards to the stars, becoming very interested in space. This led to President Thomas B. Major announcing the Suvmian Aeronautical and Space Agency, or SASA, to study and explore options to get a man into space, and eventually on to the moon. Initial tests were successful, and Suvmia moved quickly to launch a man around the earth.

After the successful mission, Suvmia continued to work on the space program, with occasional failure. Eventually, Suvmia landed a man on the moon in 1971. With an economic boom bringing us out of the space age, and public interest falling, SASA was defunded and kept on a minimal budget. With the advancements of Computers and the almost entire loss of the nation's forests, the information technology industry boomed.

In the year 2003, in the city of Detrick, there was a terrorist attack on the World Assembly headquarters, killing over 100 foreign diplomats. This brought on a sustained campaign to try to kill the culprit of the attack, and bring their organization to justice. This campaign lasts 14 years until the current president Devyn Merron delivered on his campaign promise to pull out of the country and help save troops lives.

Mr. Devyn Merron was originally quite popular when he was elected, and stayed with one of the highest approval ratings of all the presidents. Recently, however, he mistakingly signed an executive order in order to cut government spending without reading one of the attached riders. This caused the economy to crash effectively overnight, making hundreds of millions lose their jobs. With elections right around the corner, it seems very unlikely that he will remain president for another term.

In the most recent election, Mr. Devyn Merron was defeated by his Vice President, Mr. Edvvard Mann.
Geography

Suvmia is roughly 31 million km² and is bordered on three sides by land, and has a southern border with the Stisp Ocean. In the south, the climate becomes warmer and mild throughout the area. The north, however, is known for unforgiving winters, and extreme weather. The great east river, which ironically passes through the west side of the nation, is the only main river system in the country, giving it huge economic importance for the nations fresh water sources. The highest point of elevation in Suvmia is a mountain in the Vlilt chain of mountains, at ~13000ft above sea level. The lowest point of elevation in Suvmia is the center of Warsaw, at 125ft below sea level.

Main flora in Suvmia is the longleaf pine, dominating the forests in the north. The southern coast of the nation is quite rocky, mostly being cliffs.

Government

Federal

The Democratic Republic of Suvmia is, as you can guess, a democratic republic. The parliament has two floors: the House of the Collective, or the lower house, and the House of the Executive, or the upper house. In the lower house, there are 535 seats, each one representing a constituency in the country. Each constituency is roughly 8.7 million people. Each constituency elects a CM or a Collective Member. The elected members are from political parties, which are groups of like-minded individuals. The current major parties in Suvmia are the Progressive Party, the Große Demokraten Party, and the National Unity Party. The Progressive Party is currently in control, with 323 seats in the House of the Collective. The party with the most number of seats forms the government, while all other parties form the opposition. When a member is elected, they then go and sit in the House of the Collective and vote on bills. A bill is a law that has originated from the Presidents office, or from the cabinet. It is usually based on an issue that is affecting the country in a negative way. This bill is read three times, with the second reading holding the most scrutiny. At the end of the third reading, a vote is taken. If the bill gains a ten percent majority (60% of the vote), then it is moved on to the next stage of parliament. The next stage is the House of the Executive. It is made up 107 seats, one for every five constituencies. These members are not elected, rather appointed by the President. An executive parliament member, or EPM, holds their seat permanently until they either die or turn 75 years old. They are unaffiliated to the parties of the House of the Collective, in order to remain non-partisan to decisions. The job of the House of the Executive is to review bills that have passed through the Hose of the Collective in order to make sure that it is the best for the country. They also have three readings and can halt the progress of any bill that they choose. The bill is then handed to the President, who signs the bill and gives it formal assent, introducing it into law.

The election process for President and the House of the Collective is slightly different. The House of the Collective and the President are in no way related, as it would impede the legislative process. The President is elected independently from the House of the Collective, directly by the population. The President may choose to run with the platform and support of a certain party, but some choose to run independently. The Presidents job is to represent the country abroad, give formal assent to bills, preside over proceedings in the Collective House and Executive House, Appoint EPM's, as well as to act as the Commander-in-Chief of the military. The current president is Mr. Edvvard Mann, who is 56 years old.

A third group also exists, called the cabinet. The cabinet is a body of CM's that are elected within the party that is in power. Each cabinet member is given a higher salary than the rest of the CM's, and are in charge of certain government departments. The cabinet members often meet with the President to discuss ideas for bills as well as to discuss matters of action for foreign and domestic issues. The party members are as follows:
- Secretary of State: Jeremy Lecompte
- Secretary of Treasury: Jim E. McCloud
- Secretary of Defence: Mitch Peck
- Secretary of Internal Affairs: Gaynelle Henderson
- Secretary of Agriculture: Rebecca Ladd
- Secretary of Commerce: James Dahlen
- Secretary of Labour: Eileen Robbins
- Secretary of Health and Human Services: Daniel C. Rose
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Elizabeth Alcala
- Secretary of Transportation: Jerry S. Mitchell
- Secretary of Energy: Mary Mayes
- Secretary of Education: Clifford Castillo
- Secretary of Veteran Affairs: Deborah Aquilar
- Secretary of Homeland Security: Kathy R. Finlay
- Attorney General: Anthony Frye

State

State governments work slightly differently from the federal government. In each state, there are a certain number of electoral districts, each with a candidate for the major parties of the state. The state can have anywhere from 250 to 500 seats in their individual governments, depending on the population in each state. The states law-making process is the same as the federal government, although without the upper house. And instead of a president, there is a Governor that signs the final bill into law. The Governor is the leader of whichever political party has formed the state government.

Municipal

The Municipal government is locally elected and given many responsibilities. Their government consists of a mayor and a city council, which makes decisions to better the city. They may also choose to have either a state or federal representative sit in on meetings in order to represent the ideals of the state or country as a whole. Mayors may also be called upon by the state government for decisions that fall under the jurisdiction of a state but will directly impact the city.

Foreign Relations & Military

Suvmia takes an active role in international politics. It is a member of the World Assembly and votes in its various resolutions. Suvmia is also the founder of the region The United Nations of CASA, which it takes a very active role in. Suvmia is also the leader of The Ascendancy Federation, which is an inter-region alliance made up of three regions and 35 nations. Suvmia remains engaged in international conflict throughout the world, a leader to foreign aid for less fortunate nations.

Suvmia spent €1,866,575,374,516.13 on defense in the last fiscal year, which is 6% of its national budget.

The current Commander-in-Chief of the military is President Edvvard Mann. He is in charge of all three branches of the military, the air force, army, and navy. In the event of a war, the military is made up of volunteers.